"Sheffield Equalized Independent Druids"

[dfss 10]

Thanks for looking Hillsbro....

 

I wish I could remember the exact name of the Druidical branch that Horace worked for. There is unfortunately no-one left of that or the next generation to ask. I kind of remember that it was the "Ancient Order of Something Something Druids" but really I can't say now.

 

Thanks once again

[hillsbro 32]

...It is just possible that Horace Stubbs is the man in the large white flat cap standing in the foreground directly in front of the right hand edge of the banner as you are looking at it.

Here is a high-resolution scan of this part of the photo.

...In later life Horace was a prominent Sheffield Freemason; I like others in this thread wonder if there was a connection between the two organisations; perhaps at an unofficial level.

It certainly seems that the Druids and the Freemasons have many similarities and perhaps some people were members of both organisations. The Druids don't seem to have generated the same sort of negative publicity that has been associated with the Freemasons - perhaps as they are a much smaller group.

[dfss 10]

Thanks Once Again Hillsbro...

 

re the photo....still difficult to be certain partly because if it is indeed Horace it would be the earliest photo I have of him. The chin is right, and the ears, and he did have a prominent nose. I will, with your permission, save the scan and show it to my brother when I next see him.....I think he may have some photos of Horace from the 20s and 30s.

 

Thanks very much for taking such trouble on my behalf....very much appreciated !

[dfss 10]

Hi Hillsbro....

 

I have been trying to respond to the personal message you sent but for some reason I can't get the respond facility to work.

 

Your offer is extremely generous but I'll only take you up on it if it does seem to be Horace. My broher is away on holiday at present but I will show him the scan on his return and see what he thinks. He has most of the old family stuff.

 

Thanks once again

[hillsbro 32]

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 10]

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 10]

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 32]

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 10]

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 10]

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 32]

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 10]

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.