 Information page fromThe Herald of the Golden Age (April 1910) | |
| Abbreviation | OGA |
|---|---|
| Formation |
|
| Founders |
|
| Founded at | Brympton, Somerset, England |
| Dissolved | 1959; 66 years ago (1959) |
| Type | Christian organisation |
| Purpose | Promotion ofChristian vegetarianism; humanitarian andanti-vivisection advocacy |
| Headquarters | Ilfracombe; later Barcombe Hall,Paignton; subsequently London |
Region | Worldwide |
| Methods | Publishing, advocacy, public meetings and concerts |
President |
|
Main organ | The Herald of the Golden Age (1896–1918) |
Formerly called | Order of the Companions of the Golden Age |
TheOrder of the Golden Age (OGA) was a BritishChristian vegetarian andhumanitarian organisation active between 1895 and 1959, with antecedents in 1881–82. Conceived in 1881 by Rev.Henry John Williams and later revived in 1895 bySidney H. Beard, the 1881–82 initiative lapsed for lack of funds and was subsequently treated by the Order as a precursor to the 1895 revival. The OGA promoted a form offruitarianism, linked dietary change with moral and social reform, and engaged inanti-vivisection advocacy alongside interests inpsychical research andspiritualism. It publishedThe Herald of the Golden Age (1896–1918), organised meetings and fundraising concerts (including at theRoyal Albert Hall in 1910), and reported activity in 47 countries; its headquarters moved fromIlfracombe to Barcombe Hall,Paignton, and later to London. The society's identity and name were briefly disputed in the 1890s by Rev. Gideon J. R. Ouseley. Membership comprised companions and associates, with the latter permitted to eat net-caught fish. Activity in Britain declined after Beard's death in 1938, with later work centred in South Africa until the organisation's closure in 1959.
The Order originated in 1881 when Rev.Henry John Williams (younger brother ofHoward Williams, later an influence and founder of theHumanitarian League) outlined a devotional fellowship, the Order of the Companions of the Golden Age, commemoratingJames the Less and guided by the mottoNon nocebunt et non occidentcode: lat promoted to code: la ("They will not harm and they will not kill").[1][2] A first general meeting on 8 September 1881 atBrympton, Somerset, elected Williams as president, withR. Bailey Walker as vice-president and Frederick L. Catcheside as treasurer, and the society was formally constituted the following year.[3][4]
By 1888, the Order appeared defunct. Contemporary accounts cited insufficient funds as the reason it became inactive. Later materials from the revived organisation acknowledged the 1881 conception but treated 1895 as the effective starting point.[1]
In 1895vegetarian activistSidney H. Beard re-established the society as the Order of the Golden Age (OGA).[2][5][6] The headquarters were initially at Beard's residence inIlfracombe.[6] The OGA promotedpsychical research,spiritualism and vegetarianism.[2] A London conference in 1897, held at St. Martin's Town Hall, featured speakers including Rev. J. H. N. Nevill,J. I. Pengelly,Frances L. Boult,Charles W. Forward andMay Yates; messages from members abroad were read.[7] In 1904 the headquarters moved to Barcombe Hall,Paignton.[2][6]
The Order promoted vegetarianism from aChristian perspective and presented dietary reform as part of moral and religious renewal.[8] Its stated aims included:[9]
[t]o proclaim a message of Peace and Happiness, Health and Purity, Life and Power [and] [t]o hasten the coming of the Golden Age when Love and Righteousness shall reign upon earth ... by proclaiming obedience to the laws of God.
The Order's periodical,The Herald of the Golden Age (1896–1918), edited by Beard, advanced what it termed a "fruitarian"[a] system of living.[5][10]: 73–74
In 1896 Rev. Gideon Jasper Richard Ouseley, founder of the Order of the Golden Age and United Templary, disputed the revived society's use of the name and complained that it was being confused with his organisation. In 1904 the OGA was reconstituted and declared to be "founded in 1895 by Sidney H. Beard", with Williams's consent.[4]
From 1901 to 1903 George Cozens Prior served as honorary solicitor to the Order.[11][12] By 1909 the OGA reported activity in 47 countries and had transferred its headquarters to London.[1] The Order organised concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in 1910.[13] Notable members included the lawyer and vegetarianism activistJosiah Oldfield.[9]
The OGA did not opposeconsumption of fish. In 1902, a statement printed inThe Herald of the Golden Age asserted:[14]
...the eating of fish caught in a net has never been forbidden to members of The Order, and the original rule still remains in force... The Order stands on the basis of its original foundation, and this foundation declared that the eating of net-caught fish should not exclude from membership.
The OGA had two classes in its membership, companions and associates. The companions were vegetarians who abstained from fish, poultry and red meat, whilst the associates abstained from only poultry and red meat. Both were considered members of the Order.[15]
The OGA's position on fish eating was criticised in an article inThe British Medical Journal, which questioned "is not a fish as much deserving of consideration on 'humanitarian grounds' as a sheep?".[16]
In 1907 the Order's journal asserted thatPope Pius X had adopted a vegetarian diet; this was presented as the OGA's claim in its own publication.[17]
During the 1930s someBritish fascists were drawn to aspects of the OGA's emphasis on natural living, linking dietary reform with notions of national renewal; Oldfield's later writings endorsed eugenic ideas, including euthanasia for the "unfit".[9] According to Bates, this association increased visibility briefly but became a liability as theSecond World War approached. Following Beard's death in 1938, the Order's activities in Britain declined. It subsequently relocated to South Africa, where it continued until 1959.[9]
A commemorative website was launched in 2006.[1] The following year, James Gregory'sOf Victorians and Vegetarians, a study ofvegetarianism in the Victorian era, discussed the OGA.[2] In 2008, many issues ofThe Herald of the Golden Age held atRobarts Library (Toronto) were digitised and made available on theInternet Archive.[18]
Notable council members include:[19]
| 1897–1913 | Sidney H. Beard (also president) |
| 1897–1897 | Edmund J. Baillie |
| 1897–1897 | Robert Semple |
| 1897–1905 | Frances L. Boult |
| 1897–1899 | Albert Broadbent |
| 1897–1897 | Charles W. Forward |
| 1897–1898 | J. Isaac Pengelly |
| 1897–1903 | Harold W. Whiston |
| 1897–1913 | Henry John Williams |
| 1898–1898 | James Christopher Street |
| 1898–1913 | Alfred Mansfield Mitchell |
| 1899–1904 | Arthur Harvie |
| 1899–1904 | Walter Walsh |
| 1900–1902, 1905–1913 | Josiah Oldfield |
| 1901–1904 | Robert H. Perks |
| 1902–1904 | Charles A. Hall |
| 1902–1904 | John Todd Ferrier |
| 1902–1907 | Eustace H. Miles |
| 1907–1908 | James Edge Partington |
| 1907–1909 | Ernest Newlandsmith |
| 1907–1913 | Robert Bell |
| 1910–1911 | Otto Abramowski |
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