Social Organisations

These pages will give a short history of various Social Organisations established on the Island prior to 1900. Those of a purely Religious nature are covered elsewhere (see especially under Nonconformity).

As stated in a Guide of the 1880's:

FREE MASONS AND BENEFIT SOCIETIES. Manxmen believe in Benefit Societies. In the Island, with its small population of less than 60,000 there are Oddfellows, Druids, Foresters, Artificers, Rechabites, and Sons of Temperance. The members of these Societies vie with each other in their annual processions in the exhibition of costly regalia. The amount spent in this way must be something considerable; and yet it is said that money spent in meaningless silks and silver regalia is a good investment, the return being made in new members, and, of course, subscriptions. The Good Templars and Free Masons are not benefit societies in the ordinary sense. They are, however, very "strong" on the Island. The Good Templars, in their two divisions, headed respectively by Dr. F. R. Lees and Mr. Joseph Malins, have lodges in all the towns of the Island. The Free Masons have lodges in Castletown and Ramsey ; in Douglas they have two lodges — the Athole and the Tynwald, meeting in the Masonic hall on the Promenade. These lodges, according to report, are beautifully fitted up, and during the performance of their mystic rites present a magnificent sight.

Insular Benefit Societies are listed elsewhere as are Poor Relief schemes. The Good Templars were a Temperance organision that reached Man c.1880 but soon lost much of its support to the longer established temperance societies.

Those covered include:

• Antient and Noble Order of Bucks
• Freemasonry
• Independent Order of Foresters
• Independent Order of Oddfellows
• Independent Order of Rechabites - a tee-total benefit society
• Knights of Laxey - 18th Century group involved with trade