[hillsbro]

Hi dfss - I did actually receive your PM, and I hope the photo turns out to include Horace!

I mentioned the Druids to a friend who is a keen collector of coins and medals. He told me that he has a medallion issued by the "Sheffield Union of the Order of Druids" and he sent me b & w photocopies of both sides. The best scans I can make of the copies are here: http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/Medallion.jpg ..The obverse "heads" side has a depiction of the Good Samaritan, below which is the relevant Bible reference to St Luke Ch. 10 V. 25 to 37, and at the top around the rim is the inscription GO AND DO THOU LIKEWISE. The reverse side has a shield and the motto HUMANITY FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE, and around the rim is SHEFFIELD UNION OF THE ORDER OF DRUIDS.

[dfss]

Once again Hillsbro I am indebted...

Very interesting ! There is something vaguely familiar about the image on the medal....some memory of something similar I have seen as a child perhaps.

I am starting to realise that the "Druids" were a much larger and fissiparious organisation than I had supposed. There seem to be branches everywhere with slightly different names ! Quite confusing really. I am pretty certain about the Northumberland Road address however for the branch that my Grandfather was the Secretary for. Certainly that was the address on the "merchandising" items that we had (in abundance) around the house.

Thanks again for your interest.

[dfss]

Hello again Hillsbro.....

I have been doing a bit of more serious looking/remembering. I have discovered that my Grandfather's branch was the "Sheffield Equalised District Order of Druids" based at least during some of its existence at 19, Northumberland Road. The building is now part of the University's Dental School. If you do get the chance to look in the local collections for any information perhaps this might make the task easier. I now gather that 19, Northumberland Road was not only an office but also housed reception and meeting rooms for the "Druids".

[hillsbro]

Hi - looking in the Kelly's directories I have, the Druids must have moved to Northumberland Road between 1941 and 1967. The 1968 directory shows the "Sheffield Equalized District Order of Druids" at 19 Northumberland Road, with the "Sheffield Equalized Independent Druids Friendly Society" nearby at 83 Wilkinson Street. The latter organisation was evidently much larger; the alphabetical section of the directory shows many "district secretaries" - see here. The 1973 directory shows much the same two institutions.

[clown]

Hi Hillsbro, Some of the names ring a bell with me, my uncle was W Batty 21 newstead Grove, I seem to remember messrs Fountain, Westney and Ripley.

[dfss]

Hi Hillsbro....

Thanks once again....amazing how you find all this stuff !

Yes my "intuition" of the "Equalized" Druids is that it was not an enormous organisation. As far as I know my Grandfather was the only Secretary in Sheffield. They did however, know how to look after themselves quite well....dinners, outings etc !

One wonders if all these "Druid" Friendly organisations originally split off from a common source ?....perhaps veryone wanting a bigger share of the taking once the original Friendly Society had proved successful.

As ever, many thanks

[hillsbro]

It seems clear that at some time there was a split in the Druids organisation, or perhaps more than one split, to judge from the various different names that crop up, all representing Druids in some form or another. The word "Independent" tends to imply a split, as Hugh noted in post #4. There seems little point in having two offices so near together as Wilkinson Street and Northumberland Road if there were not a clear distinction between the two, and the "Independent" druids were evidently a bigger organisation.

The reference to "dinners, outings etc" emphasises the social side of Druidism, and in this regard it can be compared with freemasonry etc. As I wrote in my post #5, I once knew a Druid who certainly took part in the social side of Druidic activity - travelling to Bulgaria to meet and stay with other Druids etc.

It would be interesting to know more about the origins of the organisations, how they got into the Friendly Society "business" and why they don't seem to be so much in evidence nowadays. It seems that many of these self-help organisations operated Friendly Societies as part of their philosophy of altruism, another one being the "Independent Order of Rechabites". They were strict teetotallers and they had their Friendly Society office at the Livesey-Clegg House in Union Street - the former HQ of the Sheffield branch of the Temperance League. There were many others, such as the Ancient Order of Foresters Friendly Society.

I think this calls for some determined Googling!

It's nice to have a link via clown to W. Batty etc. - personal memories always enrich these threads!

[clown]

Hi Hillsboro, the list says that they had a general sec and numerous assistants, these were simmilar to insurance agents and collected premiums and helped with claim forms etc. There was an office in the Nether Edge area at Juction of Broadfield Road and Abbeydale Road South. I can remember going to the office in the 60s or 70s.

[dfss]

Hi Hillsbro....

re the outings...yes, I have a photo of my Grandfather with a lot of other "Druids" taken in Sweden in the 1950s. All of them are resplendant in regalia !

I will look into this furher when I get more time but an initial "googling" would suggest that the branch Clown has been describing (thanks Clown for the info.)ie the Sheffield Equalised Independent Order; split off from my Grandfathers employer, ie the Sheffield Equalised District Order, in 1892. This would make sense given the date of the stamps my Grandfather gave me. The Order of Druids ha a long and complicated national history it seems but was particularly strong in Sheffield. (History of the Order by J.W.Shaw 1936).

Many thanks again for all he help.

[JACK HEWITT]

Originally Posted by hillsboro

Does anyone know anything about druids in Sheffield? I have a postcard in my collection showing a group of early 1900s men and boys, neatly turned out in their best clothes and wearing sashes, in front of a banner declaring “Sheffield Equalized Independent Druids”. Here is the photo:

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u...ore/Druids.jpg

Click on the photo to enlarge it. The druids were evidently a sort of friendly society, but the banner with its motto of EQUALITY TRUTH & FIDELITY features compasses, triangle and handshake motifs, suggesting something similar to freemasonry. Can anyone tell me where the photo was taken? My instinct suggests that it might be somewhere in the Trippet Lane area, though I have little evidence for this. On my next visit to Sheffield I might have a walk round the city centre, photo in hand, but if anyone can spare my shoe leather I would be grateful!

I have a Sheffield directory for 1925 which mentions the “Sheffield Equalized District Order of Druids” with offices at 93 Queen Street, and Mr “John A. Short, corresponding secretary.”

I know i'm going in the wrong direction with this topic but i seem to remember a motorcycle club based around Hawley st flats named the Druids in the late 60s early 70s Hells Angels type club can anyone remember them .

[dfss]

The Druids bikers !
So.....that's whats my Grandad did after he retired !
And to think that my Granny thought he was off playing bowls !!!!

[grower]

hi i have a solid silver medal presented to (bro b nighungale by poplar lodge (1905
SHEFFIELD EQUALIZED INDEPENDENT DRUIDS)
equality truth and fidelity on the front and two hands a triangle and what looks like a compass.

[dfss]

Hello Grower.....

Sounds interesting ! The imagery on your medal I can't immediately connect to the Druids of my Grandfather's time.......homever it sounds vaguely Masonic to me.... Perhaps what looks like a compass are God's dividers.....measuring out the world.....?!

[grower]

hi dfss is it both masonic and druid or are they both two different groups.

a masonic symbol on a druid medal ?

THANKS STEVE.

[dfss]

Certainly the Druids and Masons are two very different groups....... and I don't pretend to have much knowledge of either.

Earlier in this thread Hilsboro and I discussed possible (non-official) links between the institutions, largely, from my point of view, in relation to the large amount of both Druidic and Masonic regalia/medals etc I found in my Grandfather's estate after his death......Certainly triangles and compasses/dividers are Masonic symbols.....

Perhaps it waas just the graphic style of the period that led to similarities in the design of these items.......

Perhaps someone with more knowledge might help here.....

[grower]

thanks dfss

[HaddockPie]

Hi, I came across all these posts this evening because I have been doing some research into my family history. I was completely staggered to see a posting from 'dfss' about his grandfather Horace Stubbs because minutes earlier I was reading a letter to my grandmother and father (on the death of my grandfather), which was signed 'Horace'. The letter was from him on headed paper The Order of Druids Friendly Society, 19 Northumberland road, Sheffield dated May 13th 1960. My grandfather was called Edward Allan and was a member of the Sheffield Equalised District, he lived in Rotherham and worked with Horace. I can remember many occasions going to Horace's house when I was a child. Small world really.

[kath196]

I will ask for some info. I am just researching the family tree and there are some Stubbs not to far back. I remember I used to go on holiday with the druid friendly society when I was young, around the 1975 ish. My uncle had quite a lot to do with them. I do remember some sort of insurance/ savings aspect connected to it, in fact I still have a policy running but the name has changed over now, I shall see what my parents can tell me.

[dfss]

Hello HaddockPie and Kath196....

So sorry not to have responded to your posts earlier but I have been away and didn't get the usual notifications that postings had been made.

Very interesting to hear this, of course I was often at Horace's house. Unfortunately I don't remember your grandfather but I suppose that isn't too surprising given my age at the time !

The Druids outings were generally excellent (especially for children....entire days of constant treats and indulgence....did you go to the Royal Clarence Hotel Exeter one ?

dfss

[Sandroulla]

Stumbled across this thread whilst doing a bit of research on Druids.

My great great grandfather Thomas Robinson had the Don Inn on Penistone Road and there were apparently Druid meetings at the pub as he was involved (in fact the local lodge was called Robinson's Pride!)

There has been mention here of a division in the Druids and a kind member of the Sheffield History site sent me a newspaper cutting from 1891 which explains the dispute..

http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/fo...rea-from-1881/

If you are not a member of that website you may not be able to open the article details but the gist of it is that the Sheffield lodge was financially successful (£30,000 in savings!) and the other lodges not doing so well wanted to get their hands on their funds, so the Sheffield lodge seceeded from the Order and went on to be helpful to their own local community.