The Orange Order in the Twentieth Century: A Comparative Perspective from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Newfoundland and Ontario

The Orange Order Formed 1795 in Northern Ireland Stands for loyalty to British Crown & Protestantism Associative cornerstone of British dominant ethnicity in Canada, N.I., west-central Scotland Rapidly spread internationally

Canadian Orangeism First parades in the 1810s Grand Lodge formed Originally immigrant, later ‘native’ Not Irish - a mixture of several British ethnic groups and some others

Social & Political Influence- Canada Politically influential by 1867 Many Tory MPs were members Involved in most national issues 1/3 of Ontario legislature was Orange in /3 of Ontario males were members during Hundreds of thousands in the wider Orange fraternity as late as the 1950's

Political Influence in N. Ireland Helped found Ulster Unionist Party Guaranteed 15% of seats on Ulster Unionist Council Virtually all Official Unionist MPs are, and have been, Orange members Orange Order an influential lobby

Quantitative Research Based on Previously Restricted Membership Data Previous research has only tracked the number of lodges Membership data highlights different patterns, contrasts with census and other data I will look at patterns of membership over time and place

Concentrated in Ontario, NB & Nfld, but strength Nationwide

International Orange Strength Newfoundland the strongest Orange jurisdiction, similar to Ulster border counties Belfast area and Ontario similar WC Scotland and NW England much weaker

20th c. International Orange Membership Trends Ontario declines first, 1920 Newfoundland and Northern Ireland decline after 1960, though faster in NF Scotland declines from 1982, but from smaller base

Lodges Cluster in Protestant Areas? Protestant areas, but: –Scotland and Ontario see heavier Orange presence in areas of Irish-Protestant settlement –Northern Ireland counties with higher Church of Ireland proportions have more Orange Protestants –Towns and cities have fewer Orangemen in Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland and less so in Canada

Newfoundland Male Orange Lodges, 1961

Orange Order Lodges, Northern Ireland, 1991

Roman Catholic Percentage, Scottish Counties, 1961

Male Orange Lodges, Southern Ontario, c. 1975

Male Orange Density Scotland, 1961

Male Orange Density, N.I., 1971

N.I. Counties, by Protestant Percentage, 1971

Church of Ireland Protestants, N.I. Counties, 1971

Orange Order Density 1991

Causes of Orange Membership Change Ethnic and Religious changes key (%Irish Protestants, %Catholics, %Established Church) Economic change less important, though urbanization has a role in Northern Ireland and Ontario Events lie in between cultural shifts and economic changes in importance

Order 'goes native' in Canada but less so in Scotland In 1881, 3/4 of 256 lodge masters in Scotland are Irish-born; Thought of as an Irish organisation into the 1930s In 1901, just 7% of Ontario sample of 340 masters and few Newfoundland members are Irish-born Numerical success and class profile higher in Canada Irish Methodists vastly overrepresented in Ontario: a new world adaptation

Political Influence Order influence tied to membership Order most 'liberal' in Newfoundland Class 'slippage' in all areas (N.I. And Canada), 1920s-1960s

Conclusion: An Adaptive Organization Transition between Irish diaspora ethnicity and Protestant dominant-group ethnicity Convivial, dominant-ethnic and political roles Adapts most successfully in Newfoundland, followed by Ontario, Liverpool and then Scotland Political power follows membership strength