There has recently been awareness of witch coven sightings in local areas of High Wycombe with mist and chanting being all that is apparent to the public eye. The mist is rumoured to cover the coven from “foreign” eyes and it is said that each year a fire is created where witches from across the area gather to see who has the most power. The final test being to have the ability to walk through the fire unscathed by having Satan’s hand lead you through, meaning that person is the new ‘queen’ of the black witches. The covens are said to gather every full moon in local areas stemming back to the Dashwood estate and Hellfire caves. Sir Francis Dashwood was said to have held meetings of his ‘hellfire club’ in caves at West Wycombe otherwise known as the ‘Order of the Knights of St. Francis of Wycombe’.
The caves crossed a stream of water known as the 'River Styx', a reference to the Greek mythological river of Hades, over which the souls of the dead were ferried by Charon. The hell fire clubs motto was ‘Fay ce que voudres’ (Do whatever you will) a motto started by Alistair Crowley who founded many orders of the occult. The Hell Fire Club was initially based at Medmenham Abbey, bought by Sir Francis which he then converted into an erotic garden full of statues of promiscuity; however Medmenham vastly became notorious leading to the movement of the club to the more isolated site of the West Wycombe caves, now known as the Hell fire caves. The Dashwood estate was eventually handed over to the National trust in 1943 where it can be viewed by the public to this day, although the opening hours and visiting days are said to be specifically restricted to avoid the erotic nature being exposed to the public eye to as great an extent as possible to control by the Dashwood family.