Calves' Head Club
Preserved but no longer current.
Instituted in ridicule of Charles I, and apparently first mentioned in a tract (given in the Harleian Miscellany) of 1703 by Benjamin Bridgwater, stating that it first met in 1693. It lasted till about 1735.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Calves' Head Club” mean?
Instituted in ridicule of Charles I, and apparently first mentioned in a tract (given in the Harleian Miscellany) of 1703 by Benjamin Bridgwater, stating that it first met in 1693. It lasted till about 1735.
Is “Calves' Head Club” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.