The Piers Gaveston Society, or Piers Gav for short, is a dining club founded in 1977 at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. It is named in honour of

Piers Gaveston Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall (c. 1284 – 19 June 1312) was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of Edward II of England. At a young age, Gaveston made a good impression on King Edward I, who assigned him to the househ ...

favourite A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated s ...

of King Edward II of England. In recent years, parties run by the society have been the focus of increased tabloid news coverage.

History

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 Baron Moyne, of Bury St Edmunds in the County of Suffolk, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1932 for the Hon. Walter Guinness, a Conservative politician. A member of the prominent Guinness brewing family, he ...

). It was then limited to 12 male members. In 1986, an article of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' claimed Count

Gottfried von Bismarck Count Gottfried Alexander Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen (Gottfried Alexander Leopold Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen in German; 19 September 1962 – 29 June 2007) was a German businessman, socialite and member of the princely German House o ...

was a member of the Society and described the club as "originally an all-gay group

here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Technologies, Here Television * Here TV (form ...

the rules say members have to dress in drag and parade openly in public". 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 Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...

Motto

The club's motto is la, "(Sane) non memini ne audisse unum alterum ita dilexisse" which translates roughly as "Truly, none remember hearing of a man enjoying another so much".

Crest

The clubs crest is an adaptation of the original coat of arms of Piers Gaveston.

Activities

While some have described it as an extreme club that hosts secret events which include drug use and promiscuous sex, others have said that the society's events – at least during the 1990s – were not as debauched or scandalous as the media portrayed. Attendants allegedly have to sign a non-disclosure agreement before participating to the society's events, and no phones are allowed.

Membership

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. 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.

Piggate

Piggate refers to an uncorroborated anecdote by a British MP that

British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...

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.

References

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External links

Short Cuts, by Nick Richardson, LRB Online, 23 September 2015
Clubs and societies of the University of Oxford Dining clubs 1977 establishments in England