ORANGE LODGE № 296
Orillia's oldest Fraternity
History
Orange Association Formed in Canada
The Loyal Orange Association has played and continues to play a great
part in the history of Canada. Orangeism, which was introduced into
England, Scotland, and Australia by soldiers serving in the British
army, was to enter Canada by the same route. The earliest record of an
Orange Lodge in the British North American colonies was in New Brunswick
in 1783 a full twelve years before the official birth of the Orange
Lodge system as we now know it.
That lodge met under a charter issued in 1694 in London, England, the
name on the charter being 'Colonial Patent No. 6', and it was issued
from Guild Hall, London and signed by Robert Ware. It was sealed with
the Hestercomb Arms and certified under seal by the Goldsmiths of
Lombard Street. It was brought to Parrtown [Saint John] from the United
States by Lieutenant Andrew Hunter Stockton and the lodge met in Saint
John until 1815 under the authority of that warrant which granted the
bearer the right to hold an Orange Lodge anywhere in British America.
By the early 1800's Orange Lodges had been established in Halifax,
Montreal, and Quebec City. During the War of 1812 British regiments were
sent to the British North American colonies to defend them against
attack from the United States and it was from these soldiers that
Orangeism took its real hold in Canada. The majority Protestant
population at that time was in UpperCanada (approximately 36,000) many
of whom were Orangemen, with or without certificates or warrants. The
Orange Association was officially formed in Canada in the year 1830 in
Brockville, Ontario, mainly through the efforts of Ogle R.Gowan who came
to Canada from Wexford, Ireland in 1829. Upon his arrival in Brockville,
he immediately took note of the large number of Irish immigrants who
lived there and he quickly became aware of the great advance that
Orangeism had made in the community and he set out to extend it.
On Gowan's initiative, a general meeting of all Orangemen was called at
Brockville on New Year's Day 1830. The result was the forming of the
Grand Orange Lodge of British America and Gowan was chosen to be the
first Grand Master. With the organization of the Grand Lodge, the
Canadian Orange men created a central body which placed the Order under
a uniform system of controlling membership, dues, rituals, signs,
passwords and the election of officers. The first Orange warrant was
issued to Brockville LOL No. 1 which is still in existence today.
Military Lodges
But Orangemen were in Canada long before the first Orange lodge was
formed. The first Orangemen in Canada were military soldiers. Orangeism
was introduced in Saint John, New Brunswick, by the medium of military
lodges. Most of the British warships and regiments carried with them
Orange warrants during the period of 1818 - 1824.
Verner Lodge was the first Orange Lodge instituted in Eastern Canada
in 1831 and it still exists to the present day. The first Orange Lodge in
Toronto was Nassau Lodge which was also instituted in 1831. Military
Lodges existed in York, Kingston, Montreal and Quebec City. Gowan
himself, was a Lieutenant-Colonel and he commanded the Queen's Royal
Borderers. He was wounded at the Battle of Windmill, near Prescott,
Ontario, in 1838 while Canadians were defending themselves from an
attack from the United States.
Battles and Rebellions
There is evidence to indicate that Orangemen were with General James
Wolfe at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. Orangemen fought
with General Isaac Brock, an Orangeman, at the Battle of Queenston
Heights in the American War of 1812-14. Orangemen fought with the
Queen's Own Rifles and helped to hold back the Fenians at Ridgeway,
Ontario, in 1866. An obelisk there marks the spot where Orangemen died
in defending their country against the Fenian invaders.
The Grand Orange Lodge of Canada had to postpone its meeting that year
because over one thousand Orangemen were at the front. 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 by the Mayor of
Toronto and then resisted Mackenzie's march down Yonge Street in 1837.
Orangemen were in western Canada during the rebellions of Louis Riel in
1870 and 1885.
Riel had an Ontario Orangeman, Thomas Scott, shot because he insisted
that Riel had no right to set up a provincial government. Riel was later
found guilty of treason and was ordered to be executed by the Macdonald
government.
World Wars
Since confederation in 1867, Orangemen have defended Canada in the Boer
War in South Africa and in both world wars. It was Sir Sam Hughes, an
Orangeman, who directed Canada's war effort in World War I. Some 80,000
Orangemen enlisted in the armed services and some 8,000 laid down their
lives on the battlefield. Some served with General Sir Arthur William
Currie, an Orangeman, at the battles of Ypres, the Somme and Vimy Ridge.
Similarly, in 1939, when democracy and freedom were again threatened,
Canadian Orangemen enlisted, fought and died for King, Country and
Empire and as a result many of our lodges were depleted in membership
and many had to close.
Parades
The Orange Association has exited in Canada officially for 181 years. No
other fraternal or patriotic society has such a long history in Canada.
The first Twelfth of July Orange Parade was held in the city of Toronto
in 1822 and has continued uninterrupted ever since. In the 1920s and
1930s when the Orange Association was at its peak, Toronto was known as
'the Belfast of Canada' and parades in the city were known to take some
four hours to pass a given point. Parades were also held in every
provincial jurisdiction in Canada.
Statesmen
No club, organization or group has produced more leaders in Canada at
the federal, provincial and municipal level of government than has the
Orange Association. Orangemen in Canada make no apologies for supporting
such a boastful statement. From the local school trustee to the highest
position of Prime Minister, Canadian Orangemen have given leadership and
distinguished service in every sphere of Canadian society.
Four of our members have been prime ministers of Canada, namely Sir John
A. Macdonald, the father of Confederation, Sir John Abbott, Sir
Mackenzie Bowell, a Past Grand Master and John George Diefenbaker.
Premier Joseph Smallwood who brought Newfoundland into Canadian
Confederation in 1949 was also an Orangeman. The influence of the Orange
Lodge during the Creation of Canada, can still be witnessed in today's
day and age. Many of the ceremonies that take place, whether they are
behind closed doors, in front of the general public, or broadcast across
the Nation, were based on and worded around various parts of the
Canadian Orange Order.
It was an Orangeman, Alexander Muir, who wrote Canada's first national
song - The Maple Leaf Forever. The maple tree that inspired him to write
the song in 1867 still stands in the city of Toronto and has been
suitably marked by a plague erected by the Grand Orange Lodge of Canada.
Orangeism Spreads
The 1860s saw some great changes as Orangeism spread across Canada from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. Lodges were formed later in Nova Scotia,
Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Manitoba and British Columbia and
the membership continued to increase in large numbers. In 1860 the Grand
Orange Lodge was restructured to include Provincial Grand Lodges because
of the great number of lodges that were being instituted during that
period. It has been said, but never confirmed, that when Canadian
Confederation came, Sir John A. Macdonald was influenced by the new
structure of the Orange Association when the Canadian provinces were
formed in 1867.
The early part of the twentieth century saw Orange strength growing by
leaps and bounds. At the 1911 sessions of the Grand Lodge of Ontario
West, held in Barrie, Ontario the following information was given. It
was reported that the year 1911 had seen Ontario West institute 23 new
Orange Lodges, initiate 3300 new members, received 943 members by
certificate, and had reinstated 634 members. It was also reported that
since Ontario West had last met in Barrie in 1899, that 26,000 new
members had been initiated and 178 new Orange Lodges had been
instituted.
Benevolent Projects
The Orange Association in Canada operates many benevolent projects,some
of which are: Children's Homes, Senior Citizens' Homes, Research
Institute and Clinic, Disabled Persons' Hostel, Children's Foundations,
Disaster Fund, plus many other renowned worthy causes.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars are raised every year for benevolent
purposes in the many communities all across Canada. These include Cancer
Research, Heart Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy and Crippled Children,
etc.
Origins
The Orange Order is a fraternal organization that originated in Ulster
and spread throughout the British Commonwealth. The Order is a
Protestant pro-Royalist organization with a tradition of marches and
parades.
The Order traces its roots back to the Battle of the Boyne fought in
Ireland in the year 1690 between the Dutch Protestant King William of
Orange and the Catholic King James II. This battle, won by King
William's army consisting of both Protestant and Catholic persuasion
totaling 36,000 and comprised of Dutch, Danish, Huguenot, German,
English, Scottish and Ulster-Scots was instrumental in ensuring the
Protestant faith maintained dominance in northern Europe.
While various Orange Society's had been in existence since 1688, the
Orange Order proper was formed in 1795 in the village of Loughall, Co.
Armagh. Following the Battle of the Diamond near Loughall on September
21st, the victorious Protestants reorganized themselves into an Orange
Society for their mutual protection. The Society was named after King
William of Orange, who was victorious at the Boyne in 1690.
Compiled from writings of Dominic Di Stasi and Alex Rough