User:Setanta747/Orange Inst

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The Orange Institution, more commonly known as the Orange Order, is a Protestant fraternal organisation based in Ireland and in western Scotland, but which has a worldwide membership. The Orange Order was founded in Loughgall, County Armagh, Ireland in 1795.

Its members and supporters see it as a pious organisation, celebrating freedom of religion. It is most well known for holding parades called the "Orange Walk" throughout the summer which culminates in a celebration of King William III's victory on the 12th of July.


Contents

[edit] History and origins

[edit] Roots

The Orange Order was founded in the 1790s, but its roots go back to conflicts arising out of the creation of English and Scottish Protestant communities in Ulster in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the Plantation of Ulster, lands were seized from the native Irish population and "planted" with Presbyterian settlers from the Lowlands of Scotland and Anglicans from northern England. This included many of the infamous border Reiver clans. Small numbers of Gaelic-speaking Highland Scots settled the area as well. Later, in the 1690s, there were further waves of Lowland Scots and French Huguenot immigration into Ulster. (See also Plantations of Ireland).


The resulting political vacuum allowed for the speedy implementation of the Plantation of Ulster. However, the bulk of the Roman Catholic population remained and their hostility to the new settlers eventually led to the Irish Rebellion of 1641. October 1641 saw a massacre of up to 12,000 Protestants by Catholics determined to win back their land. In 1649, Oliver Cromwell took revenge on the Catholic population. The bloodshed of the these wars created a lasting bitterness which still resonates today.

Another, more celebrated, round of this conflict between Protestants and Catholics was fought in the 1690s, in the Williamite war in Ireland, when Irish Catholics backed the Roman Catholic King James II and Protestants supported William of Orange, who had deposed James in the so called Glorious Revolution. James II had enlisted the help of the French King, Louis XIV, who was intent on creating a Roman Catholic Confederacy of Europe and was already at war with many European countries. The modern Orange Order derives its name from William III's colours and celebrates his military victories over the Jacobites, notably the siege of Derry, the battle of the Boyne and the battle of Aughrim. Ulster Protestants believed that these victories had saved them from further massacres at the hands of Catholics and had guaranteed their religious and civil liberties. (See also the Glorious Revolution for political context and battle of the Boyne for the history of Irish Protestant commemorations).

For the Orange Order, the Glorious Revolution remains central to its appeal. It stresses the importance of the 'Protestant succession' to the throne and of the triumph of Parliament and its Bill of Rights and Act of Settlement as the embodiment of that triumph. It celebrates the victory of William over James every year on 12 July.

[edit] Foundation

However, while these wars were commemorated by Irish Protestants since the 17th century, the Orange Order has its direct roots in inter-communal violence of the 1790s. Many secretive Catholic agrarian groups such as the Defenders, Whiteboys, Hearts of Steele and Hearts of Oak, Thrashers, Ribbonmen, and the Carders were set up in the 1700s to defend Catholic property and rights. Protestant groups were formed to oppose these, one of which was the Peep O'Day Boys which later became the Orange Order.

After a disturbance in Benburb on 24th June 1794, in which Protestant homes were attacked, the Freemasons' organisation was appealed to by one of its members, James Wilson, to organise themselves to defend the Protestant population.

The Masons refused, whereupon an indignant Wilson left them and prophesied that he "would light a star...which would eclipse them forever". He had already organised the "Orange Boys" at the Dyan (County Tyrone) in 1792, as is evidenced by the notice in the Belfast News Letter on 1st February 1793, which referred to a meeting of the 138 members of the Orange Boys held on 22nd January 1793.It is said the three main founders were James Wilson, Daniel Winter and James Sloan. It was named to commemorate the victory of the Protestant William of Orange over his father-in-law the Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 during the Glorious Revolution. The Orange Order proper was founded in Loughgall in County Armagh in 1795 after the so-called "Battle of the Diamond". This was a pitched battle between rival gangs, the Defenders (Catholic) and Peep O'Day Boys (Protestant), based along sectarian lines over trading rights, that left around 80 dead).

However the Orange Order's establishment was more a reaction to increasing Catholic involvement in the economy of Ulster as the Penal Laws, which discriminated against Catholics and Presbyterians were phased out, in particular the linen trade and the purchase of land, and to the creation of separatist groups of the late eighteenth century such as the United Irishmen (which was dominated by Ulster-Scots Presbyterians).

Shortly after the Order's establishment, the Governor of Armagh, Lord Gosford, gave his opinion of the new group to a meeting of magistrates: "It is no secret that a persecution is now raging in this country ... the only crime is ... profession of the Roman Catholic faith. A lawless banditti have constituted themselves judges ..."


The Orange Order, along with other organisations, was banned between 1823 and 1845 by the British government because of its involvement in promoting sectarian tension in Ulster. Although they were then illegal, the parades continued. In 1829, seven people were killed during disturbances in Clones, County Monaghan, and eight in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. The first Orange-related disturbances in Scotland were reported in 1830.

In 1834 Presbyterians were allowed to join. In 1835, a Parliamentary Committee set up to investigate the activities of the Order heard from a local magistrate, William Hancock, that: "For some time past the peaceable inhabitants of the parish of Drumcree have been insulted and outraged by large bodies of Orangemen parading the highways, playing party tunes, firing shots, and using the most opprobrious epithets they could invent...a body of Orangemen marched through the town and proceeded to Drumcree church, passing by the Catholic chapel though it was a considerable distance out of their way."

In 1836, the British army used artillery to quell trouble at the annual gathering at Scarva, County Down.

[edit] The Battle of Garvagh

A report from the time says: "The 26th July, 1813 is memorable as the day on which a conflict occurred between Loyalists and Ribbonmen. The latter, who assembled to the number of 1500, attacked the house of a resident named Davidson, where the Orange Lodges were in the habit of meeting. The owner of the doomed premises, warned of their intentions, had a few trusty friends at hand to lend any necessary assistance. Three of the Ribbonmen were killed outright, while others, mortally wounded, died soon after. This did not end the trouble because a month later twelve men from the neighbourhood of Garvagh were charged before Judge Fletcher at Londonderry for murder. Three of the accused were acquitted and the others found guilty of manslaughter." Of the acquittal a song says: "The Judge he then would us condemn Had it not been for the jurymen Our grateful thanks are due to them For they cleared the boys of Garvagh". The Ribbonmen were found guilty but were acquitted at a later assizes when it was stated "that both parties had become reconciled and were ready to give bail for their future good behaviour."

[edit] The Defence Of Crossgar

The Whiteboys, a mid-18th century secret agrarian society, were later known by different names such as Carders, Terry Alts, Rockites, Whitefeet and Thrashers. Many Orange songs of the period suggest that the Royal Irish Constabulary were sympathetic to the Thrashers and turned a blind eye to numerous skirmishes in County Down. In July 1849 near Castlewellan, in Down there was a skirmish shortly before the "battle of Dolly's Brae".

[edit] Battle of Dolly's Brae

12 July 1849 saw the "Battle" of Dolly's Brae when at least 30 Catholics were killed in clashes between Ribbonmen and Orangemen. The British government banned Orange Order marches again after this incident. The Grand Master of the Order, Lord Roden, was forced to resign his position as a justice of the peace after it emerges that he incited the Orangemen before the incident at a gathering hosted on his estate nearby.

[edit] The Twelfth

Main article: The Twelfth

The Twelfth however remains a deeply divisive issue, not least because of allegations of triumphalism and anti-Catholicism against the Orange Order in the conduct of its marches and criticism of its behaviour towards Roman Catholics. Most Orange Order marches in Ireland are uncontroversial; marches in the Republic of Ireland, notably in Rossknowlagh, County Donegal, require minimal policing and attract non-Orange Order members, including Roman Catholics, to watch. However at a few flashpoints, marches have become highly controversial. Many of the bands hired by the Order for the parades openly advertise their association with loyalist paramilitary groups (responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Catholics) with flags and banners.

Lambeg Drum competition at County Tyrone 12th
Lambeg Drum competition at County Tyrone 12th


The very first Orange parades were held in 1796, in different venues in County Armagh. The Northern Star newspaper reported that an Orangeman by the name of M'Murdie, died of stab wounds following clashes with the local yeomanry, in Aghalee. The next year, 1797, fourteen people were killed in disturbances during an Orange parade in Stewartstown, Tyrone.

To Orange Order members, the "right" to march anywhere on the "Queen's highway" is of fundamental importance in upholding the principles of the "Glorious Revolution". To critics, their demand to walk their traditional routes, even some of those which have become Catholic areas, is seen as provocative, triumphalist and as asserting the supremacy of Protestants in Ulster. Many of the traditional tunes of the bands that accompany the marching Orangemen have lyrics that are insulting and threatening to Catholics. In addition changing geographic and religious boundaries compound problems.

[edit] Requirements for entry

Members are required to be Protestant with a belief in the Trinity, which excludes Unitarians and certain other Christian denominations and all non-Christians. Most jurisdictions require both the spouse and parents of potential applicants to be Protestant, although the Grand Lodge can be appealed to make exceptions for converts. Members of the Order face the threat of expulsion for attending any Catholic religious ceremonies. When in 1998 Ulster Unionist Party leader and Northern Ireland First Minister-designate, David Trimble representing Northern Ireland attended the funeral Mass for a child murdered in a Real IRA bombing, many Orangemen demanded that he be expelled by the Orange Order for attending a "Papist ceremony". Members are forbidden to marry Catholics, as the Catholic Church requires its adherents to make all reasonable efforts to raise all their children in the same religion, regardless of the other parent's faith (See Ne Temere).

Qualifications of an Orangeman according to the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland

An Orangeman should have a sincere love and veneration for his Heavenly Father;

A humble and steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, believing in Him as the only Mediator between God and man. He should cultivate truth and justice, brotherly kindness and charity, devotion and piety, concord and unity, and obedience to the laws;

His deportment should be gentle and compassionate, kind and courteous;

He should seek a society of the virtuous, and avoid that of the evil;

He should honour and diligently study the Holy Scriptures, and make them the rule of his faith and practice;

He should love, uphold, and defend the Protestant religion, and sincerely desire and endeavour to propagate its doctrines and precepts;

He should strenuously oppose the fatal errors and doctrines of the Church of Rome, and scrupulously avoid countenancing (by his presence or otherwise) any act of ceremony of Popish worship;

He should by all lawful means, resist the ascendancy of that Church, its encroachments, and the extension of its power, ever abstaining from all uncharitable words, actions or sentiments, towards his Roman Catholic brethren;

He should remember to keep holy the Sabbath day, and attend the public worship of God, and diligently train up his offspring, and all under his control, in the fear of God, and in the Protestant faith;

He should never take the name of God in vain, but abstain from all cursing and profane language, and use every opportunity of discouraging these, and all other sinful practices, in others; his conduct should be guided by wisdom and prudence, and marked by honesty, temperance, and sobriety;

The glory of God and the welfare of man, the honour of his Sovereign, and the good of his country, should be the motive of his actions.


Candidates must promise to:

at all times conform to the Laws and Ordinances of the Loyal Orange Institution of Ireland, and will at all times recognise and support the authority of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.

I promise that, if admitted a member of this Lodge, I will always show due respect to the Worshipful Master and other Officers, and will endeavour to conduct myself as a Brother ought towards all members of the Lodge and of the Brotherhood, and that I will always observe and never knowingly violate, the By-Laws of the Lodge.

I was born at ................... in the county of ...................... of Protestant parents, was educated in the Protestant faith, and have never been in any way connected with the Church of Rome. My wife is a Protestant/I am unmarried..

The "Laws and Constitutions of the Loyal Orange Institution of Scotland", 1986 state: "No ex-Roman Catholic will be admitted into the Institution unless he is a Communicant in a Protestant Church for a reasonable period." Likewise the "Constitution, Laws and Ordinances of the Loyal Orange Institution of Ireland" (1967) state: "No person who at any time has been a Roman Catholic.... shall be admitted into the Institution, except after permission given by a vote of seventy five per cent of the members present founded on testimonials of good character . . . " In the 19th century, Rev. Dr. Mortimer O'Sullivan, a converted Roman Catholic was a Grand Chaplain of the Orange Order in Ireland.

In the 1950's Scotland also had a converted Roman Catholic as a Grand Chaplain - Rev. William McDermott

[edit] Religion and Culture

Orange Order poster depicting historical and religious symbolism
Orange Order poster depicting historical and religious symbolism

The basis of the modern Orange Order is the promotion and propagation of "biblical Protestantism" and the principles of the Reformation. As such the Order only accepts those who confess a belief in a Protestant religion. Monthly meetings are held in Orange Halls or "Lodges." The Order has a system of "degrees" which new members advance through. These degrees are interactive "plays" founded solely on passages of the Bible. Parades form a large part of Orange culture. Most Orange Lodges hold an annual parade from their Orange Hall to a local church. The sect of the church is quite often rotated, depending on local demographics. The main parade of the year is the annual "Twelfth" of July celebrations which commemorate the Battle Of The Boyne and the victory of King William Of Orange after whom the Order is named. The lodges are usually accompanied by various marching bands playing flutes, fifes, accordions, bagpipes and brass instruments. This parade often involves thousands of marchers at each of the many locations and draws crowds of spectators.

Orange Halls on both sides of the Irish border often function as community halls for Protestants and sometimes those of other faiths, though this was more common in the past. The halls quite often host community groups such as credit unions, local marching bands, Ulster Scots and other cultural groups as well as religious missions and political parties such as the Ulster Unionist Party.

In 2005, controversy was generated when the organisers of Cork's St Patrick's Day parade (in the Republic of Ireland) invited representatives of the Orange Order to march in the celebrations, part of the year-long celebration of Cork's position of European Capital of Culture. The Orange Order accepted the invitation and was to parade with their wives and children alongside Chinese, Filipino and African community groups in an event designed to recognise and celebrate cultural diversity. A threatening phone call was made to a person connected to the parade’s organising committee. An anonymous male caller said: "Be careful. We know what you’re planning." Subsequently, after consultation with the Garda Síochána (the Irish police force), the Orange Order grand secretary Drew Nelson said both his organisation and the parade organisers were disappointed that the Order would not be attending the festivities.

He added that he welcomed the invitation and hoped the Order would be able to participate in the event next year. A Church of Ireland clergyman, Reverend David Armstrong, spoke out against the invitation. Now based in Carrigaline, near Cork, Reverend Armstrong and his family were forced to leave their home in Limavady, County Londonderry, by loyalist paramilitaries after he spoke out against the bombing of the local Catholic church. He stated that local Orangemen told him at the time that "the bombing was God's work."

The Order takes the Third Commandment seriously. In March 2002 it threatened "to take every action necessary, regardless of the consequences" to prevent the Ballymena Show being held on a Sunday. The County Antrim Agricultural Association immediately complied with the Order's wishes.

In June 2005, the Order's Grand Master Robert Saulters was cautioned by police over his involvement in an apparently illegal parade. However, the Parades Commission were forced to back down on other parades because of the threat of loyalist violence (notably the annual 1st July East Belfast "mini-twelfth" which was declared illegal, on the basis that the "11-1 forms", notice of intention to organise a public procession, were filled out incorrectly). The lodges had been filing 11-1 forms collectively to avoid legal culpability for failing to follow the Commission's guidelines, instead of naming an individual prepared to take responsibility, which the parades commission deemed to be illegal. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and British government later said there was no illegality. In his Twelfth of July speech in 2005, Saulters compared the PSNI to the Gestapo in their cautioning of him.

On 12 September 2005, PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde blamed the Orange Order for inciting serious rioting after an Orange parade in Belfast was banned. Television coverage of the rioting showed Orangemen throwing missiles at the police. Orde's accusation was disputed by senior Orangeman who stated that the police were heavy handed, and that some responsibility lay with the Parades Commision.

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Ian Wilson, the Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland, began contributing a column to the weekly newspaper, the Scottish Catholic Observer, at the invitation of Harry Conroy, the editor, which is distributed in hundreds of Catholic churches across Scotland. The first article, published in January 2006, set out a more conciliatory approach to be adopted by the Orange Order towards the Catholic Church. It sought to explain the ethos of the order and its mission to modernise. Ian Wilson is quoted as saying the following to the Sunday Times:

“At the end of the day it’s not an exercise in apologising for who we are and what we are,” he said. “We’re not about to abandon being a purely Protestant fraternity, that is going to continue. What it’s about is saying we have a right to exist.

We are a legal, law-abiding, perfectly wholesome organisation — and if you have any doubts about that come and see us. We’re not the ogres that we are sometimes portrayed as being.”

[edit] Political links

Until March 2005, the Orange Order was entitled to a voting bloc on the Ulster Unionist Council, the decision-making body of the Ulster Unionist Party. This had been the position since 1905, and though the UUP had long mulled over breaking the link, it was, in the end, Orange Order that broke away.

The Order first became overtly political during Charles Stewart Parnell's campaign for Home Rule in the 1880s. In 1886, when William Ewart Gladstone's Home Rule Bill was before Parliament, Lord Randolph Churchill coined the famous phrase "Ulster will fight, and Ulster will be right" in an open letter to Irish Unionists. The Bill was defeated in June, and serious rioting broke out in Ulster, continuing on into the marching season in July. By September, fifty people were dead, and thousands had been driven from their homes. This marked the beginning of a period when the upper classes began to realise the potential of the Order in preventing unwanted constitutional change, which culminated in the formal link in 1905. Support for the Land League (which fought for the rights of small farmers) from some elements of the Order (especially in Armagh) was effectively smothered as the landed gentry extended their influence. Fifty Orangemen from Cavan and Monaghan volunteered to bring in the harvest for Captain Boycott in County Mayo after he was ostracised by his local community (who usually provided him with labour) for rackrenting.

[edit] Related organisations

There are two related organisations, the Apprentice Boys of Derry (named after Protestant guild apprentices who closed the city gates on a Jacobite army seeking to enter the walled city of Londonderry in 1688 and helped withstand the siege of Derry), whose roots lie in urban working-class Protestant communities, and the Royal Black Preceptory. The latter has been the most willing of the marching groups not to enter Catholic areas without permission. There is some dispute as to the RBP's origins, some suggesting that they are descended from the remnants of the Knights of the Order of St John.

[edit] The Orange Order throughout the world

The Orange Institution spread throughout the English-speaking world and further abroad. It is headed by the Imperial Grand Orange Council. It has the power to arbitrate in disputes between Grand Lodges, and in internal disputes when invited. The Council represents the Grand Lodges of Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Ghana and Togo. There are entirely black lodges in Africa and a Mohawk lodge in Canada.

Most English lodges are based in the Liverpool area, including Bootle. An estimated 4000 Orangemen, women and children parade in Liverpool and Southport every 12th July, watched by thousands more.

The Orange Institution can claim many historical figures amongst its ranks. Orangeman Alexander James Muir (Ontario LOL 142) wrote both the music and lyrics to the former Canadian National Anthem "The Maple Leaf Forever" in 1867. He was also a soldier in the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto and was involved in fighting and defeating the Fenians at Ridgeway, Ontario in 1866. An obelisk there marks the spot where Orangemen died in defending the colony against an attack by members of Clan na Gael (commonly known as Fenians).

Orangemen fought with General Isaac Brock at the Battle of Queenston Heights in the War of 1812.

Lieutenant-Colonel Ogle Robert Gowan commanded the Queen's Royal Borderers. He was wounded at the Battle of the Windmill, near Prescott, Ontario, in 1838 while Canadians were defending themselves from an attack from the United States.

Orangemen played a big part in suppressing the Upper Canada rebellion of William Lyon Mackenzie in 1837. Though the rebellion was but a skirmish and short-lived, nevertheless, 317 Orangemen were sworn in to the local militia by the Mayor of Toronto and then resisted Mackenzie's march down Yonge Street in 1837. Orangemen in western Canada helped suppress the rebellions of Louis Riel in 1870 and 1885.

In 1871, in New York City, Mayor Hall and Superintendent Kelso, head of the New York Police Department, issued a decree on 10th July banning the 12th July demonstration. Nine people had been killed and more than a hundred injured (including women and children) during the parade the year before, when a riot broke out after the marchers had taunted Irish Catholics with sectarian songs and slogans. The ban appalled many nativists, who saw it as bowing down to the wishes of the Irish Catholic immigrant community. The New York Times had a July 11 headline, "Terrorism Rampant. City Authorities Overawed by the Roman Catholics." The ban was revoked by State Governor Hoffman, after pressure from the city's elite. He promised the Orangemen protection by the state and Federal authorities if the city of New York could not provide it.

Over 1000 state militiamen (the mainly Catholic 69th Regiment had been confined to barracks) formed a protective barrier around less than 100 Orangemen. Thousands protested the march on Eighth Avenue, throwing bottles and rotten food at the marchers, and the day soon descended into mayhem when shooting broke out. The death toll of the day was 50 protesters and six policemen: 300 protesters were injured, and 60 police and army personnel. Only two Orangemen were injured. Almost 400 Irish Roman Catholics were arrested for various offences. There was no trouble in the 1872 demonstration in New York and no demonstration in 1873. At the second sessions of the State Grand Lodge of New York in June, 1874 there were discussions on further Twelfth marches in New York. The report concluded: "The prevailing opinion is that parading through the streets on the Twelfth of July is entirely unnecessary, and as the authorities have decided in favour of the society have the same rights extended to them as other societies -- the right to parade it is now deemed not at all necessary ... that instead each lodge should meet at their headquarters and celebrate the anniversary ... by a social reunion". The Twelfth, 1874, being a Sunday, the brethren attended services at Holy Trinity Church where the Rev. S. H. Tynge was the preacher. He said of the Orangemen: "They were American Protestants -- no longer Irish Protestants. They did well to remember the deeds of the brave men of Enniskillen, and sternness of Prince William, but he would beseech them to be done with the enmities, to cast aside the prejudices born in these hours of trial." The next Orange parade was in 1890 when there was a march with a picnic in Jones Wood at which 4,000 were present. The last New York parade was in 1900 when the Imperial Grand Orange Council of the World had its sessions in the city.

The best-known Orangeman of the Second Boer War was probably Sir James Craig, later the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. Craig, who often declared that he was an Orangeman first and Unionist second, served with 'distinction' in South Africa. He served with the Royal Irish Rifles, and also the Imperial Yeomanry, and it was while fighting with the latter that he endeared himself to this comrades. The Irish Squadrons of the Imperial Yeomanry were badly mauled at a place called Lindley in the Orange Free State by a large force of Boer Commandos led by Piet De Wet. When the war was over, Craig presented a flag captured from the Boers to an Orange lodge in County Down. He often expressed admiration for his Boer opponents and like many Ulstermen admired the Boers for their Calvinist religion and their courage and fairness in battle. James Craig (later Lord Craigavon) as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, at Stormont is quoted as stating on April 24 1934 - "I have always said that I am an Orangeman first and a politician and a member of this Parliament afterwards - They still boast of Southern Ireland being a Catholic State. All I boast of is that we are a Protestant Parliament and a Protestant State".

Bro. William Ferguson Massey, a native of Limavady who went on to be Prime Minister of New Zealand between 1912-1925, was a member of L.O.L. No.10 Auckland, New Zealand.

Orangemen fought in the Crimean War, Indian Mutiny and other conflicts.

On one occasion when men of the Royal Irish Fusiliers were granted an audience with the Pope, several Orangemen in the regiment wore their sashes under their army uniforms, rather than display them overtly and risk causing offence.

Orangemen fought in both World Wars. The most famous battle in the folklore of the Order is the Battle of the Somme which began on 1st July 1916. Many Orangemen had joined the 36th Ulster Division which had been formed from various Ulster regiments and had also amalgamated Lord Edward Carson's Ulster Volunteer Force (who were formed to oppose Home Rule for Ireland) into its ranks. But for the outbreak of World War I, Ireland had been on the brink of civil war, as Orangemen had helped to smuggle thousands of rifles from Imperial Germany (see Larne Gun Running). Several hundred Glasgow Orangemen crossed to Belfast in September, 1914, to join the 36th (Ulster) Division. Roughly 5000 members of the 36th Ulster Division died on the first day of the battle.

In 1976 in Scotland, the Grand Lodge was frustrated in its attempt to expel a leading member of the Ulster Defence Association, Roddy MacDonald, from the Order, because of widespread support for the loyalist. The Order's democratic organisation makes it difficult for the Grand Lodge to overrule county or individual lodges. Other Scottish members were later convicted of smuggling guns and explosives to the UDA, although the Ulster Volunteer Force is thought to command more support among Scottish loyalists in recent years.

In July 2005, 12 people were fined €6,000 each by local government officials after organising an illegal Orange march in Benidorm, Spain, a popular holiday resort.

[2].

[edit] The Ulster Tower

The Ulster Tower was built as a copy of Helen's Tower at Ballyleidy, Northern Ireland (between Bangor and Newtownards) under which the men had trained. It marks the site of the Schwaben redoubt against which the men of Ulster advanced on 1 July 1916. There is a small cafe and museum to the rear of the tower, where visitors can watch videos, find a cup of tea and buy souvenirs. One of the paintings shows the men of the Division going over the top wearing their Orange Sashes.

At the entrance to the tower is a plaque commemorating the names of the nine men of the Division who won the Victoria Cross during the Somme.

Behind the tower and to its right is a small garden. There is a memorial here commemorating the part played by members of the Orange Order during the battle. The Orange institution throughout the world saw more of its members serve in the First World War than any other politico-religious organisation.

The Inscription on the Memorial Reads :

"This Memorial is Dedicated to the Men and Women of the Orange Institution Worldwide, who at the call of King and country, left all that was dear to them, endured hardness, faced danger, and finally passed out of the sight of man by the path of duty and self sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others might live in Freedom. Let those who come after see to it that their names be not forgotten."

The Orange Memorial in France to fallen members not only recalls the service to 'King and Country' by members of the Orange institution from throughout the world in the "Great War" of 1914-1918 but in other conflicts before and since. The call to arms by Bro. Sir Samuel Hughes, the Canadian Minister for War and member of LOL 557 Lindsay Ontario, resulted in some 80,000 members from Canada volunteering.

They were followed by thousands of Australian and New Zealand Orangemen, Able Seaman Bro William George Vincent Williams of LOL 92 Melbourne, was the first Australian to be killed in the war. Thousands more from South Africa, the USA and lesser known countries and islands from throughout the Commonwealth answered the call to arms, losing their lives in many cases.

At least 5 Orangemen have been awarded the Victoria Cross although many lodge records have been lost and destroyed so this number is not certain.

The five known Orange VCs were Cavan-born Private George Richardson who was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery during the Indian Mutiny and was recommended on 3 other occasions for the same award. He served in the 34th Regiment of Foot, later the Border Regiment. Private Richardson later emigrated to Canada and served with the Prince of Wales Royal Rifles of Canada seeing action during an invasion of that country by members of Clan na Gael.

Bro. Robert Hanna, a native of Kilkeel, Co. Down, emigrated to Canada as a teenager, member of Ontario LOL 2226, he was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry at Lens, France, 21st September 1917, during the Great War, when serving with the Canadian Army.

The Rev John Weir Foote, VC, was a Captain, later Colonel, in the Canadian Chaplain Service, attached to the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. A member of Fraserville LOL Ontario. He was with the Canadians during the ill-fated Dieppe Raid, and stayed on to minister to wounded when he could have escaped, being subsequently captured by the Germans. Weir was awarded his VC February 1946 for services above and beyond the call of duty during WW2.

Riflemen Robert Quigg is perhaps the best-known Orange VC, and the Bushmills man was awarded the medal for his courage on the Somme on July 1, 1916.

Englishman Abraham Acton, a native of Whitehaven, Cumberland, and a member of the Orange Order was awarded the Victoria Cross for conspicuous bravery at Rouge Bances, 21th December in 1914. Acton was killed in action at Ypres in 1915 at the age of 22, and he has no known grave.

Robert Dixon I2442 Toronto serving with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and Bro. Lieut J McCormick also from Canada were recommended the VC.

[edit] The Orange Order in Canada

Three members have been Prime Ministers of Canada, namely Sir John A. Macdonald, the father of Canadian Confederation, Sir Mackenzie Bowell, a Past Grand Master, and John Diefenbaker. Premier Joseph Smallwood, who brought Newfoundland (which is often described as the most Irish place outside Ireland, see article Irish Newfoundlanders) into the Canadian Confederation in 1949, was also an Orangeman.

The Orange Order played an important role in the history of Canada, where it was established in 1830. Most early members were from Ireland, but later many English, Scots, and other Protestant Europeans joined the Order. There are also Mohawk Lodges in Ontario.

It was the chief social institution in Upper Canada (today's southern Ontario) and organized many community and benevolent activities. It also helped Protestant immigrants to settle. The Order remained a predominant political force in southern Ontario well into the twentieth century. A notable exception to Orange predominance occurred in London, Ontario, where Catholic and Protestant Irish formed a non-sectarian Irish society in 1877.

The Orange Order played an important role in the crisis over the 1885 trial of Louis Riel for treason. The Canadian prime minister of the day, Sir John A. Macdonald, is believed to have refused to commute Riel's death sentence because he calculated that there were more Orange votes to be got by hanging Riel than there were Quebec votes to be got by sparing him. He is famously quoted as saying "Riel must die though every dog in Quebec bark in his favour."

The Orange Order became a central facet of life in Ontario, especially in the business centre of Toronto where many deals and relationships were forged at the lodge.

The Orange Lodge was, and remains, a center for community activity in Newfoundland. For example, in 1903 Sir William Coaker founded the Fisherman's Protective Union (F.P.U.) in an Orange Hall in Herring Neck. Furthermore, during the term of Commission of Government (1934-1949), the Orange Lodge was one of only a handful of "democratic" organizations that existed in the Dominion of Newfoundland.

In 1913, the Orange Association of Manitoba volunteered a regiment to fight with the Ulster Volunteer Force against the British government were Home Rule to be introduced to Ireland.

Below is a portion of an address by H.C. Hocken, Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of British America, given to the delegates in attendance at the 89th annual sessions held at St. George's Parish Hall in Ottawa, Ontario from July, 30, 1919 - August 1, 1919, the first session held after the end of World War I

"As an Order we have proved our loyalty to the King and our patriotism to our country, our Empire, and to the sacred cause of human liberty. We have given a demonstration of service and sacrifice which can never be blotted from the record of the Great War. It stands - and will stand forever - as an answer to every calumny that may be levelled at our loyal institution. Thousands of our best and noblest members sleep their last sleep in the soil of France and Belgium.*

"Their names liveth evermore." Their memories will be enshrined in our hearts, their names will be inscribed on imperishable bronze and marble, and the remembrance of their gallant deeds will be cherished by us, and become the inheritance of Orangemen yet unborn. It is for us who are left to carry on the work of our Association, to meet our tasks with the same unflinching courage that they exhibited, and show ourselves worthy of the gallant men who gave their lives to preserve our liberties.

Those who have gone through the awful conflict, who endured till the end and are now returned to resume their places in the life of Canada, will receive from all true Orangemen the affection and consideration that they so richly deserve. They have a claim upon us made sacred by their wounds and broken bodies. That claim will be recognized. Added to the fraternal bonds that bind our brotherhood is the solemn obligation to stand by them, and with them, as long as they live."

[edit] Flag

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Orange Order flag

The Orange Order have a standard which consists of an Orange background with a St George's Cross in the top left corner and a purple star in the bottom right.

[edit] Orange Charities

The Grand Orange Lodge of British America Benefit Fund

Better known as "Orange Insurance" was founded in 1881 and established for the purpose of assisting lodge members, their spouses and independent children in time of need.

Lord Enniskillen Memorial Orange Orphan Society

The Society was founded in 1888 to provide financial assistance to the orphans of deceased members of the Orange Order.

Orange Foundation

US lodges provided unemployment insurance, death benefits, and care for the elderly and for widows and orphans. In 1902, the Orange Home was founded at Hatboro, Pennsylvania, and, for almost a hundred years, it provided shelter and support for those in need. The Orange Home continued as a retirement center until 1996, when the Order sold it as a going concern to a large church-related organization. The proceeds from the sale were used to establish a charitable trust, known as the Orange Foundation. This is administered jointly by the Loyal Orange Institution, and the Loyal Orange Ladies Institution. Income from the Foundation is disbursed to a number of qualified charities.

Ladies Orange Benevolent Association

Founded in 1894 to provide women with an opportunity to actively support Orange Principles and the exercise of benevolent activities.

Loyal Orange Orphan Society Of England

The Society was inaugurated in July 1920 under the auspices of the Grand Orange Lodge Of England, as a "War Memorial" to the Orangemen who gave their lives for others. The first patrons being Her Grace the Duchess of Abercorn, and the Rt Hon. Sir Edward Carson, M.P. The Society was established for the purpose of affording support to the children of deceased members of the Loyal Orange Institution of England . However, since the Society obtained charitable status in March 1998 from the charity Commissioners for England & Wales, the Society has endeavoured to help and assist not only children's charities but also other causes.

Orange Home at Indian Head

The home operates under the auspices of The Orange Benevolent Society in the Province of Saskatchewan and was founded in 1923 operating as an orphanage for members and non-members children.

McCrea Memorial Trust

The Trust was formed in May 1964 and provides holiday accommodation primarily for members of the Junior Orange Association with outside youth organisations being considered for vacant/unused weeks or weekends.

Scottish Orange Home Fund

Originally the Ladies Association Home Fund, the idea was conceived when a group of Orangewomen returned from a trip to Canada. In 1980 they merged with the male section of the Grand Lodge, became registered as a charity - creating the Scottish Orange Home Fund.

Ulster Federation of Credit Unions

Founded in 1986 and usually hosted in Orange Halls.

Sir George A. Clark Bart Memorial Bursary Fund

The Fund was established in 1992 in memory of a former Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland to assist people through the award of Bursaries in four categories viz.

Adelaide Hospital Society

The Orange lodges of Dublin and Wicklow are affiliated to the Adelaide Hospital Society. The Republic's last remaining Protestant-run hospital (the Adelaide) has since merged with others into a new hospital in Dublin.

Grand Master's Charity Appeal

£124,000 was raised for Cancer Research Northern Ireland in 2004

As well as this, private lodges routinely collect for charity. In 2005 lodges in Portadown aim to raise money for alcohol and drugs awareness by staging a fun run entitled the "Orange Olympics".

Autonomous Grand Lodges are found in Ireland, Scotland, England, the United States, West Africa, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. There is also the break-away Independent Orange Institution, formed in 1903, which disapproved of the Order being affiliated to a political party.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links