Royal Order of the Buffaloes

[Sandra]

Hi

I've just been sent a photocopy of a photocopy of my g-granddad Thomas Stokes 1873-1938....so its not very clear at all.

I've a few photos of him, but none like this. He is wearing the regalia of the Order of the Buffaloes, the photo isn't very clear but you can see a buffalo on his apron, he also has the letters WP on his cuff and the front of his apron.

I would like to find out more about this aspect of him but having never come across this before, I'm not sure where to start. I've been Googling like mad, but Google front page doesn't have the UK only option, so I'm getting hits from all over the world...none very helpful.

Thomas lived all his life in Canning Town which is now in the London Borough of Newham, but used to be in the old reg district of West Ham. Where can I find out which lodge he belonged to? Does the letters WP have any relevence to this?

Looking at his age in the photo, I would have thought it must have been taken round about 1921. Any ideas of how I can find out more?

thanks
Sandra

[Night Owl]

Hi Sandra

If you put buffaloes in the search box at the top right of this page you'll get some info and previous threads about this. There is a thread on Rootschat that looks useful

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=3c58b0c05140d7499eaccf8f05768195&topic=279830.0

By the way, if you search for something on Google, the page you get (after you've clicked 'search') should have an option on the left hand side that says "Pages from the UK"

[Sandra]

Thanks Jackie, I'm off over there now.... and thanks for the tip about Google

[Uncle John]

Full title is: Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB). When I were a lad a branch met in a local pub and their antics were reported in the local paper. "Brother Jones entertained at the piano" - that sort of exciting stuff.

[naomiatt]

This is an interesting site - http://www.lodgebanners.co.uk/indexframe.html
Here's a site for lodge records http://freemasonry.dept.shef.ac.uk/lane/
This implies the Buffaloes were not strictly masons -

http://www.themasonictrowel.com/links/files/non_masonic_organizations.htm#buffaloes

Did Thomas have a background in the theatre?

[Val and George]

Thankyou for this thread Sandra - it reminded me that my Grandad was a member of the Buffaloes - my aunt and Father can remember that he had a special apron he wore to meetings. He was possibly the gentleman playing the piano that UJ mentioned.......:D....lol

I have been through the links supplied and have been able to write up a short article to add to my FH files.

Great stuff....:D

[Little Nell]

My maternal grandfather belonged to this too, my mum always said it was a poor man's version of the Freemasons.

[Sandra]

Thanks for all you're replies, and for the links all very interesting. Still don't know what the letters WP stand for.

No he didn't have anything to do with the theatre...as far as I know.

In the 1901 census he was an Ebonite Carver, until 1911 when he was 'a foreman in the Ebonite Stopper dept at the Gutta-Percha Rubber factory, Silvertown'

Going through the Lanes list of Masonic Lodges, I think I have found his lodge - The Bishop of Barking Lodge, Public Hall, Canning Town. Consecrated in 27th Oct 1904, they had their Centenary Warrant on 27th Oct 2004.

I'm now going off to the London Borough of Newham forum, where some lovely people always do their best to help me out with local questions.

Thomas & my g-gran Catherine had 13 children of which only 5 lived to adulthood and got married. It makes you wonder where they found the strength to carry on to do charitable works for others. If the photo was taken around 1920, previous to that in -

3rd Sept 1912 8 month old Doris died after ' Meningitis 3 days due to accidental fall off a bed on which she was lying'
14th Oct 1912 Leonard aged 4 died from 'acute gastroenteritis & tubular meningitis'
28th Feb 1917 Violet aged 19 died from 'Pneumonia 4 days & cardiac failure'
20th April 1917 Cecil aged 19 months died of 'Phthisis'
23rd Oct 1918 Arthur aged 3 died of '(1)Marasmus. (2)collapse of lung'

Their other children died in 1898, 1902 & 1907.

They had a 2 up, 2 down house, with another family of 4 living as lodgers in one of the top rooms.

........it all makes me feel very humble.

[bigtallgeezer]

Hi Sandra,

I couln't resist a little surfing because my father in law was a member of a lodge and I'll have to get his stuff out sometime soon now to see what he was!


Regards
Les

There are four degrees of within the RAOB:

1. Brother (1st degree) (Kangaroo)
2. Certified Primo (2nd degree)
3. Knight Order of Merit (Knight or Sir) (3rd degree)
4. Roll Of Honour (Right Honourable) (4th degree)

In a Minor Lodge, there are 11 Officers:

1. Worthy Primo
2. City Marshal
3. City Secretary
4. City Treasurer
5. City Chamberlain
6. City Tyler
7. City Constable
8. City Registrar
9. City Minstrel
10. City Waiter
11. Alderman of Benevolence

[JudithM]

[/LIST]In a Minor Lodge, there are 11 Officers:

1. [*]Worthy Primo
2. City Marshal
3. City Secretary
4. City Treasurer
5. City Chamberlain
6. City Tyler
7. City Constable
8. City Registrar
9. City Minstrel
10. City Waiter
11. Alderman of Benevolence

Looks like Bigtallgeezer has answered the question about the initials WP. I found this image of a Worthy Primo's apron online. http://www.scran.ac.uk/database/reco...-000-502-642-C and apparently Worthy Primo was/is the equivalent of the Chairman of the group.

[Val and George]

Oh, well done Judith and BTG Les.......... that was a good find - I hope you don't mind if I snaggle it too for my Buffalo granddfather - interesting stuff.
Thankyou

[bigtallgeezer]

Hello everyone,

I'm glad I was able to help a bit....my wife has just reminded me about a book she read a while ago called 'Silvertown' by Melanie McGrath, which is a book dedicated by her to her Grandparents Jenny Fulcher and Leonard Stanley Page.
She says it's great and gives you a real feeling for what it was likeat the turn of the century in that part of the East End.

Regards
Les

[Sandra]

Wow Les, thank you.

So he was a Worthy Primo, I thought he had to be a 'someone' because of all the regalia he had on.

Mum was born in Canning Town, I was born in Poplar but I grew up in East Ham, Dad worked in Silvertown so I know the area really well, although since we moved down to Hampshire in the 70's it has really changed.

I have read Silvertown, I also have all the local history books on Canning Town, Plaistow & Poplar. Also I have all Gilda O'Neill's books, and Lena Kennady's. They really show the gritty everyday life in the East End from the 1800's to the 1960's.

Sandra

[Sandra]

Thanks for the link Judith, the aprons differ slightly, probably because they are from different lodges/era's?
but very interesting, this has really 'fleshed out the bones'

Sandra

[pehewitt]

Hi Sandra
Have just seen your enquiry and would like to give you some advice.
I am currently a member of the RAOB and have been for some 15 years.
If you would like to find further information you can contact the head office:-
R.A.O.B. GLE, Grove House, Harrogate, Yorkshire. The current Grand Secretary is Bro. Chris Macmahon and he can put you in touch with the curator of the RAOB Museum at Grove House, who would be able to access all the records of the Lodge your G'Grand Father was a member.
Hope this will help to shed some light on his careear within the BUFFS.

Peter