Joshua Reynolds George Selwyn, 1776
© Private Collection
(1719-1791)
'one of his oddest fancies was a taste
for witnessing executions!'
The Times
Selwyn was a politician, wit and gambler, known widely for his interest in devil worship and coffins, corpses and executions. Expelled from Oxford for 'an irreverent jest', he became an MP and recipient of several lucrative sinecures which allowed him to indulge fully in his leisure pursuits, including membership of the notorious 'hellfire club' which held pseudo-satanic orgies at Medmenham Abbey. In spite of this, he was also regarded as kind and thoughtful, especial towards his adopted daughter, to whom he left his considerable fortune.