INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS MANCHESTER UNITY FRIENDLY SOCIETY NORTH LONDON DIVISION

Central Administration LMA/4254/A.

This series comprises records of the District Committee, circulars and correspondence and printed material and the records of the North London Darts Association dating from 1914 - 1987.

Lodges LMA/4245/B.

This is the main series of records and contains minutes, valuation and Annual Returns, membership records including nomination forms and declaration books, Lodge rules annual statements and balance sheets and Ledgers and investment books.

The Lodges covered and the dates are

Adelaide and Sir William Wallace 1916 - 1989

Countess of Darlington 1881 - 1973

Craven 1970 - 1980

Duke of Cornwall and Highams Park 1902 - 1987

Hand-in-Hand and Saint Catherine's and Britons Pride 1983 - 1989

Intermediate 1966 - 1970

King Edward 1841 - 1850

Pride of Islington 1908 - 1988

Prince Albert 1840 - 1988

Robert Dansie 1965 - 1988

Rock of Hope 1936 - 1972

Royal Oak 1951 - 1988

Saint Martin 1841 - 1962

Saint Pancras 1921 - 1960

Sir John Lawrence 1872 - 1989

Trafalgar

(See above for constituent Lodges) 1903 - 1990

The records of the North London Division were given as a gift to the London Metropolitan Archives in March 2000.

The year 1810 is regarded as that in which the order was established. It grew out of the Union or London order whose headquarters were at the Bohemia Tavern in Wych Street. The Union Order itself was formed about 1779 by the partial amalgamation of two earlier Orders the 'Ancient' and the 'Patriotic'. These earlier Orders were both convivial and political, and were also benevolent in that financial assistance was given to the poor. On the merger of these two Orders, the benevolence aspect became the principal aim of the brethren.

The most useful benefit was the 'travelling relief'. This was afforded to members travelling in search of employment and was calculated on the cost of providing bed and board on a daily basis. A member obtained a travelling card and a password and could use these to obtain a bed at any Lodge in any Town were he intended to spend the night, and was assisted by a monetary payment sufficient to provide bed and board for the next 24 hours.

The title Independent order of Odd Fellows Manchester Unity Friendly Society was adopted from the Order set up in Manchester by members of the Union Order who were 'Independent' because they had left the Union Order.

The Odd Fellows are one of the largest friendly societies in Great Britain and their motto is 'Friendship, Love and Truth'. They are a non-profit making Friendly Society who offer benefits including health insurance, life assurance, annuities and endowments.

The society is 190 years old, and the North London Division is over 160 years old.

Many of the Lodges have now been amalgamated and this is in part reflected in the catalogued most noticeably in the Trafalgar Lodge which, since 1992, is made up of Duke of Sussex Lodge, King Edward Lodge Union Lodge, Rose of York Lodge and Prince Albert Lodge also incorporating Pioneer Lodge which consisted of Sir Thomas Dallas Lodge, Prince of Wales and Chandos Lodges, and Queen Victoria and Blenheim Lodges.