Piers Gaveston Society: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Edward II & Gaveston by Marcus Stone.jpg|thumb|''Edward II. and his Favourite, Piers Gaveston'', [[Marcus Stone]], 1872.]] |
[[File:Edward II & Gaveston by Marcus Stone.jpg|thumb|''Edward II. and his Favourite, Piers Gaveston'', [[Marcus Stone]], 1872.]] |
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The '''Piers Gaveston Society''' is a [[dining club]] founded in 1977 at the [[University of Oxford]]. It is named in honour of [[Piers Gaveston]], [[favourite]] |
The '''Piers Gaveston Society''', or '''Piers Gav''' for short, is a [[dining club]] founded in 1977 at the [[University of Oxford]]. It is named in honour of [[Piers Gaveston]], [[favourite]] of [[Edward II of England|King Edward II of England]]. In recent years, parties run by the society have been the focus of increased [[tabloid journalism|tabloid]] news coverage revolving around lurid allegations of debauched behaviour, such as [[Piggate]]. |
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== History == |
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The Piers Gaveston Society was founded in 1977 by a group of friends that included the [[Guinness family|brewery heir]] Valentine Guinness (younger son of the 3rd [[Baron Moyne]]). It was then limited to 12 male members.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Midgley |first=Dominic |date=27 September 2017 |title=PIERS GAVESTON: Secrets of Oxford drinking club where anything goes |url=https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/859285/Lavinia-Woodward-Piers-Gaveston-Oxford-Party-Debauchery |access-date=7 November 2022 |website=[[Daily Express]]}}</ref> In 1986, an article of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' claimed Count [[Gottfried von Bismarck]] was a member of the Society and described the club as "originally an all-gay group [where] the rules say members have to dress in drag and parade openly in public".<ref>{{Cite news |last=DeYoung |first=Karen |date=17 June 1986 |title=The Oxford Connection |work=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/06/17/the-oxford-connection/634e52c6-fd5d-4d80-9e67-45f71514baa8/ |access-date=7 November 2022}}</ref> |
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The Society was first brought into the spotlight in 1983 after photos of the ball at the [[Sheraton Grand London Park Lane Hotel|Park Lane Hotel]] leaked to the public, including photos of the young actor [[Hugh Grant]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=25 September 2015 |title=From Hugh Grant to David Cameron to Nigella Lawson: Oxford partying in the 80s – in pictures |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/gallery/2015/sep/25/hugh-grant-david-cameron-nigella-lawson-oxford-partying-80s-in-pictures |access-date=7 November 2022 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> |
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==Motto== |
==Motto== |
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The club's motto is {{ |
The club's motto is {{langx|la|"(Sane) non memini ne audisse unum alterum ita dilexisse"}} which translates roughly as "Truly, none remember hearing of a person enjoying another so much".<ref name=guardian /> |
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==Crest== |
==Crest== |
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The |
The club’s crest is an adaptation of the original coat of arms of Piers Gaveston. |
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==Activities== |
==Activities== |
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While some have described it as an extreme club that hosts secret events which include drug use and |
While some have described it as an extreme club that hosts secret events which include hard drug use and [[Orgy|orgies]],<ref name=slater >{{cite news |
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|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/new-hedonists-beat-decadence-of-my-youth-6550020.html|newspaper=[[London Evening Standard]] |
|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/new-hedonists-beat-decadence-of-my-youth-6550020.html|newspaper=[[London Evening Standard]] |
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|title=New hedonists beat decadence of my youth|date=23 December 2010|first=Sasha|last=Slater |
|title=New hedonists beat decadence of my youth|date=23 December 2010|first=Sasha|last=Slater |
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}}</ref> others have said that the society's events – at least during the 1990s – were not as debauched or scandalous as the media portrayed.<ref name=guardian /> |
}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Thomson |first=Jess |date=16 July 2021 |title=Inside Oxford University's Most Exclusive Sex Party |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3dqxm/inside-oxford-universitys-most-exclusive-sex-party |access-date=7 November 2022 |website=[[Vice News]]}}</ref> others have said that the society's events – at least during the 1990s – were not as debauched or scandalous as the media portrayed. Journalist Danny Kemp described it as “raunchy [[Costume party|fancy dress]]” and “not-terribly-debauched [[Public school (United Kingdom)|public schoolboys]]’ idea of debauchery.”<ref name=guardian /> |
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Attendants allegedly have to sign a non-disclosure agreement before participating to the society's events, and no phones are allowed.<ref name=":1" /> |
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==Membership== |
==Membership== |
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To join the Society as a 'Minion' an undergraduate must attend a party before submitting an application and being elected by existing members. In their second year as a member they become Masters, and are paired with a Minion.<ref name=guardian >{{cite news |
To join the Society as a 'Minion' an undergraduate must attend a party before submitting an application and being elected by existing members. In their second year as a member they become Masters, and are paired with a Minion.<ref name=guardian >{{cite news |
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|url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/21/david-cameron-piers-gaveston-society-what-we-know-oxford-secret |title= David Cameron and the Piers Gaveston: what we know of Oxford 'secret society' |date= 21 September 2015 |accessdate= 21 September 2015 |author= Nadia Khomami |newspaper= [[The Guardian]] |
|url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/21/david-cameron-piers-gaveston-society-what-we-know-oxford-secret |title= David Cameron and the Piers Gaveston: what we know of Oxford 'secret society' |date= 21 September 2015 |accessdate= 21 September 2015 |author= Nadia Khomami |author-link=Nadia Khomami |newspaper= [[The Guardian]] |
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}}</ref> |
}}</ref> |
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== Piggate == |
== Piggate == |
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[[Piggate]] refers to an uncorroborated anecdote by a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|British MP]] that the former [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[David Cameron]] “inserted a private part of his anatomy” into a dead pig’s mouth as part of a Piers Gaveston Society initiation ceremony.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-09-23 |title=Video: David Cameron claims: Five things you need to know |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923003549/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/11879859/David-Cameron-claims-Five-things-you-need-to-know.html |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=Telegraph}}</ref> Valentine Guinness, one of the Piers Gaveston Society founders, said that Cameron “may well have attended of their parties” but was never a member to his knowledge, and hence could not have taken part in such an initiation ceremony. <ref>{{Cite news |last=Kenber |first=Billy |title=Sex, drugs and pig heads: how the elite let loose at Oxford |language=en |work=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sex-drugs-and-pig-heads-how-the-elite-let-loose-at-oxford-q36q0kqhr97 |access-date=2022-10-25 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> |
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{{main|Piggate}} |
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The Piers Gaveston Society received significant media attention as a result of Piggate including mentions in articles from the [[Daily Mail]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Ashcroft |first=Michael |date=2015-09-20 |title=Cameron and an obscene act with a dead pig's head |url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3242550/Cameron-pig-bemused-look-face-future-PM-took-outrageous-initiation-ceremony-joining-Oxford-dining-society.html |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=Mail Online}}</ref>, [[The Guardian]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2015-09-21 |title=Cameron biography: Ashcroft makes new debauchery claims about student days |url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/21/david-cameron-pig-head-lord-ashcroft-unofficial-biography-drug-taking-claims |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> and [[The Independent]]<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2019-09-19 |title=David Cameron breaks silence on dead pig allegations |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/david-cameron-pig-penis-dead-mouth-oxford-initiation-ceremony-bullingdon-club-a9111246.html |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> among others. The anecdote first came to public attention in extracts from [[Michael Ashcroft]]’s unauthorised biography of David Cameron, [[Call Me Dave]] published in the Daily Mail on 20 September 2015<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />. In his 2019 autobiography, [[For the Record (book)|For The Record]], Cameron described the anecdote as “both false and ludicrous”.<ref name=":2" /> |
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[[Piggate]] refers to an uncorroborated anecdote by a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|British MP]] that [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[David Cameron]] inserted part of his genitalia into a dead pig’s mouth as part of a Piers Gaveston Society initiation ceremony. The Piers Gaveston Society received significant media attention as a result of Piggate. Cameron has strongly denied those claims.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 September 2015 |title=David Cameron publicly denies Lord Ashcroft pig allegation for first time |url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/27/david-cameron-denies-lord-ashcroft-allegations-call-me-dave-dead-pig |access-date=7 November 2022 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> |
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*[[List of University of Oxford dining clubs]] |
*[[List of University of Oxford dining clubs]] |
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*[[Bullingdon Club]] |
*[[Bullingdon Club]] |
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Latest revision as of 02:00, 1 November 2024
The Piers Gaveston Society, or Piers Gav for short, is a dining club founded in 1977 at the University of Oxford. It is named in honour of Piers Gaveston, favourite of King Edward II of England. In recent years, parties run by the society have been the focus of increased tabloid news coverage revolving around lurid allegations of debauched behaviour, such as Piggate.
History
[edit]The Piers Gaveston Society was founded in 1977 by a group of friends that included the brewery heir Valentine Guinness (younger son of the 3rd Baron Moyne). It was then limited to 12 male members.[1] In 1986, an article of The Washington Post claimed Count Gottfried von Bismarck was a member of the Society and described the club as "originally an all-gay group [where] the rules say members have to dress in drag and parade openly in public".[2]
The Society was first brought into the spotlight in 1983 after photos of the ball at the Park Lane Hotel leaked to the public, including photos of the young actor Hugh Grant.[1][3]
Motto
[edit]The club's motto is Latin: "(Sane) non memini ne audisse unum alterum ita dilexisse" which translates roughly as "Truly, none remember hearing of a person enjoying another so much".[4]
Crest
[edit]The club’s crest is an adaptation of the original coat of arms of Piers Gaveston.
Activities
[edit]While some have described it as an extreme club that hosts secret events which include hard drug use and orgies,[5][6] others have said that the society's events – at least during the 1990s – were not as debauched or scandalous as the media portrayed. Journalist Danny Kemp described it as “raunchy fancy dress” and “not-terribly-debauched public schoolboys’ idea of debauchery.”[4]
Attendants allegedly have to sign a non-disclosure agreement before participating to the society's events, and no phones are allowed.[6]
Membership
[edit]Membership is limited to 10 undergraduates, grouped into 'Masters' and 'Minions'.
To join the Society as a 'Minion' an undergraduate must attend a party before submitting an application and being elected by existing members. In their second year as a member they become Masters, and are paired with a Minion.[4]
Non-members are invited to most events including the winter, spring and summer balls. Each member may invite dozens of guests, who may be blackballed by other members if deemed unsuitable.[4]
Piggate
[edit]Piggate refers to an uncorroborated anecdote by a British MP that British Prime Minister David Cameron inserted part of his genitalia into a dead pig’s mouth as part of a Piers Gaveston Society initiation ceremony. The Piers Gaveston Society received significant media attention as a result of Piggate. Cameron has strongly denied those claims.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Midgley, Dominic (27 September 2017). "PIERS GAVESTON: Secrets of Oxford drinking club where anything goes". Daily Express. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ DeYoung, Karen (17 June 1986). "The Oxford Connection". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ "From Hugh Grant to David Cameron to Nigella Lawson: Oxford partying in the 80s – in pictures". The Guardian. 25 September 2015. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d Nadia Khomami (21 September 2015). "David Cameron and the Piers Gaveston: what we know of Oxford 'secret society'". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ Slater, Sasha (23 December 2010). "New hedonists beat decadence of my youth". London Evening Standard.
- ^ a b Thomson, Jess (16 July 2021). "Inside Oxford University's Most Exclusive Sex Party". Vice News. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ "David Cameron publicly denies Lord Ashcroft pig allegation for first time". The Guardian. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2022.