Lanark Orangemen Heard Sir John A. Talk Confederation In District Lodges

Local Lodge One Of Oldest In Ontario East

Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister and "Father of Confederation" first campaigned for Confederation in the Orange lodges of Lanark and Leeds Counties. Confederation was the union of British colonies in North America as a buffer to U.S. expansionism or "manifest destiny", which saw all North America as one great American country.

Sir John, a resident of Kingston, was an ardent Orangeman who saw the possibility of having one Federal Parliament and separate Provincial Legislatures modelled on the Orange Association, which eight years prior to Confederation had decided on such a constitution for itself.

What the Orangemen had been able to do inspired him to attempt, Sir John gladly admitted, "for the sake of the future of Canada." Thus, Confederation was born when the Orange Order boasted 1,400 lodges and tens of thousands of members. The year was 1867.

Perth One of Oldest

Perth was there with one of the oldest Orange Lodges in Canada, L.O.L. No. 7, at Drummond Centre. Old records show how politicians stumped up-and-down the rural routes selling ideas in lodgeroom, on the street, over the fence, in parlor and country store. Only five [six] older lodges exist, LOL No. 1 at Brockville, LOL No. 2 at Pine Hill, North Leeds County, LOL No.3 at Foxboro in South Hastings, [LOL No. 4 at Toronto] LOL No. 5 in Peel County and LOL No. 6 at Kingston [the lodge Sir John joined in 1841].

Minutes of these lodges show that Canada’s first Prime Minister or his representative spoke in them all. The first Orange Grand Lodge in North America was founded in Brockville, just 40 miles from Perth, by an immigrant Irishman Ogle R. Gowan, who rose to become Member of Parliament and Colonel of Militia. He was also Grand Master of British America in 1830 - 1846, 1854 - 1855 and 1856.

Although Orange lodges existed in Canada from Wolfe’s conquest of Quebec in 1759, the first Grand Lodge warrant was only granted on April 23, 1832, signed by Field Marshal, Ernest Duke of Cumberland, Grand Master of the Empire. The warrant was brought home to Brockville and given great display about the countryside. The first Grand Secretary of the first Grand Lodge of British America was Alexander Matheson of Protestant Hill, Perth.

Thus almost 140 years after the founding of the Orange Confederacy in 1688, the Orange influence reached into the Perth area. This influence was strongest in the United Empire Loyalist, Army and Navy settlements throughout Canada, the Order having been founded on military lines to protect Protestant interests in troubled Ireland. Perth was a military settlement.

Ruling body for Lanark County Orangemen is the Imperial Grand Council of the World, with Captain Sir George A. Clark, Bart., DL, of Ireland, the Grand Master. Next comes the Grand Lodge of British America with eleven provincial bodies, of which the Grand Lodge of Ontario East is one with 25 county jurisdictions.

The Orange Association of the County of Lanark is part of Ontario East and boasts three districts with 13 primary lodges. The primary lodge is the basic unit of the Orange Order. The lodge in Perth is LOL 115 which meets at the Orange Hall on Gore Street East. Lodge Master is Herbert Campbell and secretary James Kirkham, both of Perth.

cont.....

The Grand Lodge of Ontario East has met nine times in Lanark County since 1830, in Peth 1865, 1933, 1943, in Smiths Falls 1890, 1902, 1911, 1922, 1945, in Carleton Place in 1929. His Honor Judge J.A. Scott of Perth was Grand Master of British America in 1911 - 1914. Reverend Canon J. W. R. Meakin of Almonte, currently is Honorary Grand Chaplain of Ontario East, while Lieutenant Colonel Hon. T. Ashmore Kidd of Kingston, has been Imperial Grand Master of the World, and Grand Master of British America in 1930 - 1933 and 1940 - 1947.

County Master Roy Haveron, of Perth notes a trend to larger lodges in Lanark County which prove more efficient and active. Biggest problem today is lack of publicity and dedicated organizers with the time to devote to the demands of ritual and degree work.

LOL No. 90 of Lombardy won the Duncan Alexander MacLeod trophy for the largest increase in membership - 47 per cent this year. LOL No. 1 Brockville remains the largest lodge in Eastern Ontario with over 150 members. The Orange Order has exerted an influence in Lanark far in excess of its numbers, although its numbers have never been large. It’s a grass roots movement with "few aristocrats" or people with "aristocratic notions" included in its membership. The rural influence has a leveling effect, so it seems.

What do Orangemen do? First, they support the reformed faith. Next comes strong support of British democratic ideals and parliamentary government. The Bill of Rights of 1689 is the Order’s Bible. "Equal rights for all and special privileges for none," has been the battlecry of the Order for ages. Prime Minister John Diefenbaker used an abbreviated form of this slogan in his 1957 general election campaign.

Orangemen support benevolent causes, including two Orange homes for children. There is an active insurance program and many bands. Perth, Smiths Falls and Carleton Place boast OYB [Orange Young Briton] bands.

District Masters and Officials

District Masters: Kenneth Leacock, Smiths Falls; Wm. Evans, Pakenham; W. H. Shaw, RR 2, Perth; Secretaries, Lyle Jordan, Smiths Falls; W. A. Fulton, Pakenham; Roy Haveron, Perth.

Primary Lodges: [master and secretary], LOL 7 Drummond Centre, Edward Wright, D. A. Devlin; LOL 88 Smiths Falls, Harvey Leacock, Ken Leacock, LOL 92 Innisville, George Gardiner, Gordon James. LOL 115 Perth, Herbert Campbell, James Kirkham. LOL 190 Montague Corners, John Kidd, Elmer Fox. LOL 202 Fallbrook, Cecil Ennis, Russell Fair. LOL 378 Almonte, Glen Ireton, M. Giles. LOL 381 Franktown, Glen Irvine, Milton McCaul. LOL 512 Montague, Russel Burchill, W. Rice. LOL 529 Rusenham, Forbes Evans, E. A. Connery. LOL 749 Wemyss, Carl Larmon, L. J. Patterson. LOL 788 2nd Line of Drummond, O. P. Dowdall, J. B. Hands.

Lanark is bordered by North Leeds with three districts and eleven lodges, Carleton with eight districts and 33 lodges, Lennox and Addington with two districts and 13 lodges, Renfrew with four districts and 21 lodges.

William Henry Boulton was born on April 19, 1812 in York [Toronto], Upper Canada, the son of D’Arcy and Sarah Ann Boulton [nee Robinson, daughter of Sir John Beverley Robinson]. Boulton was born into one of the most prominent families of Upper Canada; his grandather, D’Arcy Boulton Sr. Was chief justice of Upper Canada and his uncles included John Beverley Robinson. Boulton studied to be a lawyer and was called to the bar of Upper Canada at the age of twenty-three.

Boulton was to become one of the social leaders of early Toronto, his estate "The Grange" being the setting for many of the young city’s most prominent social gatherings. As a member of parliament for Toronto from 1844 to 1853, Boulton supported conservatives William Henry Draper and Henry Sherwood. As a member of one of the old established families he was a strong defender of the privileged position of the Anglican Church with regards to the clergy reserves and education.

Aside from provincial politics Boulton was heavily involved with Toronto affairs. He served as an alderman for St Patrick’s Ward from 1838 until 1842 and after a two year absence from municipal politics he again served as alderman for the same ward from 1844 to 1847. During this time he was elected mayor of Toronto for three successive terms, from 1845 - 1847. After his terms as Mayor Boulton continued to sit on council as an alderman in 1852 and 1858, again being elected Mayor of the city in 1858.

During his term as mayor an agreement had been made between the province and the city over the distribution of judicial powers. The Mayor and aldermen had now ceased to act as magistrates and cases were heard by police magistrates. Boulton got into a fierce argument with the chief constable of Toronto, Samuel Sherwood, and resigned as mayor. He then ran again for Mayor in 1859 in the first election that was held by popular vote, but lost to Adam Wilson.

He then retired from politics and lived at the grange. After his death on February 15, 1874, his wife continued to live there and she later married author Goldwin Smith in 1875. Today "The Grange" is owned by the Art Gallery of Ontario. Boulton had served as the Master of Enniskillen L.O.L. 387 in 1858 and was the Deputy Grand Master of Canada in 1854.

RETURN TO HOME PAGE: