Everlasting Club (1738-1766)
For some good old fashioned family neglect, one could join the Everlasting Club, a drinking club that never closed its doors. Members divided the day into shifts, so there was always someone attending the clubhouse, day and night, three hundred sixty five days a year. This would ensure members would always find a friend at the club no matter when they stopped by for a pint.
If someone missed their shift, the poor bastard on duty had to stay at their post until the next person came to relieve them. During the Great Fire of London, the attending member stayed at his post until the neighboring house was demolished to serve as a fire break. Even then, legend has it, he made sure the bottles were emptied and other Everlasting Club members directed him to leave.
