The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB) is one of the largest fraternal movements in the United Kingdom, The order started in 1822 and has since spread throughout the former British Empire and elsewhere in the world. It is known as the "Buffs" to members.
Coverage Buffalo Lodges have existed widely throughout the former British Empire. Buffalo lodges have also existed in other countries not associated with the empire or the Commonwealth of Nations such as the United States of America. Lodges have existed onboard ships, at army bases, and at Royal Air Force bases. Bletchley Park had a lodge at its local pub. Most of the post-Second World War West German lodges were related to the British armed forces stationed in Germany. In the United Kingdom hundreds of pubs have been home to Buffalo Lodges.RAOB GLE World Lodge Directories
The largest Buffalo order in history, based purely on the number of dispensations issued, is the Grand Lodge of England (GLE, also known as the Birmingham section). The GLE has issued over 10,672 "dispensations" to establish lodges in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and other places around the world.Historical Review of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, Rose William.Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes Grand Lodge of England World Directory 1948, 1958, 1967, 2014, 2017
There are still a number of lodges worldwide that come under the Grand Lodge of England directly, such as Eastern Lodge 8686 in Nova Scotia.RAOB GLE World Lodge Directory 1967, 2014
Membership There are two types of banners in the RAOB movement: the "affiliated" orders and independents.
Membership within the affiliated orders requires that a man must be 18 years of age or over and must be a "True and Loyal Supporter of the British Crown and Constitution".RAOB GLE Rule Book There are Buffalo lodges which do not come under the affiliated orders and that have different requirements. Lodges of the RAOB that have been set up in countries such as the United States have amended their rules to simply require that a prospective member be a "True and Loyal Supporter of the Constitution" of the country in which they operate.
The Buffalo lodge is a fun fraternity in which men of any religious or political views are allowed to join. Discussion of politics and religion are forbidden from meetings. The standard of dress is usually a shirt and tie, coat or jacket, and trousers. The Lodge is structured like an "Ancient City". The chief officer is called the Worthy Primo, and subordinate officers, as city officers. Officers wear chain collar regalia, whilst individual members have their own regalia or medals, known as jewels. Meetings are begun when members are standing and the Worthy Primo constitutes the lodge. This process varies depending on the Buffalo order. Once this formal part of lodge is complete, the lodge moves into "harmony". During harmony, mock charges are held, or brothers are asked to render items of harmony, which usually includes jokes or songs, sometimes accompanied by instruments if allowed in the respective Buffalo banner.RAOB GLE Rules and Ceremonies
Most lodges meet together for fellowship and mutual social enjoyment. The desire to cultivate the spirit of brotherhood, to pool funds, for the purposes of helping others. To keep alive the old traditions, ceremonies and usages of the movement.
The Buffalo order for the most part has never been a registered friendly society. Unlike a friendly society, the Buffalos do not provide a system of benefits funded by contributions. The order in its various forms is a collective funded by the charitable giving of its members. Benevolent funds are being supported by and large by the voluntary giving of its members. The only fixed charges being the "Registration Fee", and "Initiation Fee". In most orders these are split between the lodge and the Grand Lodge,RAOB GLE Rules in others this is retained entirely by the minor lodge.
For much of its history Buffalo Lodges functioned as a means of raising funds to help sick and indigent members, their families, and dependents of former members. Charity has always been at the heart of the Buffaloes and as the movement grew so did the benevolent aspirations culminating in the establishment of orphanages and convalescent homes.Origin and Development of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, Payne M The Buffs are regarded as charitable organisations.
In the lodges there is a small amount of ritual and ceremony.RAOB Rules and Ceremonies GLE Officers wear ornate chain collars and their respective jewels. The use of aprons is not widespread at regular meetings of Buffalo lodges. New members are "initiated". After two years and having gained their intermediate certificate, the new member is then "raised" to the degree of a Certified Primo. The Knight Order of Merit and Roll of Honour degrees are granted to those who have been members of ten years or more after the raising to the second degree.RAOB GLE Rules and Ceremonies Book
Structure The Buffalo order has three tiers: Minor (Private) Lodges; Provincial Grand Lodges (under a local governing body) and Grand Lodge. Each Province may also have a Knights Chapter and Roll of Honour (RoH) Assembly. In the Grand Council Order, there is no Roll of Honour Assembly whilst in other Buffalo Orders, the Roll of Honour Assembly is called an RoH Chapel.
Degrees Members of the Buffalo order can attain up to four levels "learning." The levels are the grades within the Buffalo movement and are called "Degrees". To attain the final level takes 10 years. In the early days, there were two degrees. The Kangaroo or First Degree, and the Primo or Second Degree.
In 1872, a higher order within the Buffaloes was formed called "The Knights of the Golden Horn", with its Headquarters in Hull and local units called Encampments set up around Great Britain. The KGH was established as a higher body to carry out and conduct ceremonies. In 1888 a number of Encampments of the Knights of the Golden Horn, split off, and became independent. Full separation did not occur from RAOB until 1926. Today the Grand United Order Knights of the Golden Horn remain in existence.
The Grand Australasian Banner has a fifth degree the Roll of Honour Chain Collar.
Another higher order was created within the Buffaloes called the Guild Companions of the Ark. It opened in 1887 by five Primos of the Order, and only had one lodge, Armenia. The Companions of the Ark disappeared before the Great Depression.
Brother (1st degree) (Kangaroo) Certified Primo (2nd degree) Knight of the Order of Merit (Knight Sir) (3rd degree) Roll Of Honour (Right Honourable Sir) (4th degree) Roll of Honour Chain Collar (5th Degree of the Grand Australasian Banner)
Minor Lodges The Minor Lodges are structured along the lines of an "ancient" City. The Lodge room is properly known as "the city". There are 13 officers in a Lodge in total though in the Grand Executive Banner, there are two additional Officers, The City Physician and City Barber:
Worthy Primo (Sitting Primo in GEB and Grand Council) Chief Presiding Officer. City Marshall (Deputy Presiding Officer equivalent to what the Odd Fellows call the Vice Grand) City Secretary City Treasurer City Chamberlain (City Warden in the Grand Council) City Tyler City Constable City Registrar City Minstrel City Waiter City Taster (in Grand Council Lodges) Alderman of Benevolence (Almoner of Benevolence in Grand Council Lodges) City Auditors Lodge Trustees x 3
The Order is structured on the lines of the classic fraternal structure, of Local Minor Lodges, Provincial Governing Authorities and a Grand Body, often styled as the Grand Lodge. All Members are known by the appellation of "Brother" with degree honorifics used in lodges.
Knights Chapters and RoH assemblies exist for members of those degrees and are operated alongside the Provincial Grand Lodges but have no function other than as ceremonial bodies. Chapters are responsible for the 3rd degree ceremony. RoH assemblies the 4th degree ceremony.
The Buffaloes were once a very large worldwide fraternal movement made up of a number of "orders" and over 15,000 lodges having been established around the globe at one point or another. The largest Buffalo order is the Grand Lodge of England (originally the Birmingham section) with over 10,672 Lodges having been issued dispensations since 1897 or before then.
Banners By the 1850s there existed dozens of Lodges across Britain, with Mother Lodges or District Lodges, acting as the head of the movement in their respective area. Each of these Lodges or Mother Lodges worked their own ritual and had their own rules. In order to create uniformity in rules, rituals and operation, The first national Governing Body, the Grand Primo Lodge of England, was organised in 1866 as a result of a meeting of delegates from various Lodges. In the years following, various schisms emanated from the Grand Primo Lodge, owing to disagreements and infighting. The first of these was the Grand Surrey Lodge. In 1874 the Grand Primo Lodge had 112 Lodges under it. In 1897 the mother of all divisions occurred and Lodges either went with the Metropolitan movement or the Provincial (or Birmingham) Movement. The two movements would rename themselves as the Grand Lodge of England Limited (Metropolitan) and the Grand Lodge of England (Birmingham).Historical Review of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, Rose W H
The Grand Lodge of England Limited is simply known as "the limited section", while the Grand Lodge of England Inc is known as the GLE. The GLE is the largest of the Buffalo orders. There have been a number of Buffalo orders, thus leading to a general opinion that there have been close to 20,000 Buffalo lodges formed since the movement began in 1822, all the result of schism after schism: the Grand Surrey Lodge, The Grand Surrey Banner (Mother Lodge) and Grand Surrey Banner (Mother Banner), Grand Middlesex Banner and Grand Executive Banner being examples of these. In their day these various orders were competing against each other with lodges of each order often meeting in the same town and it was not unusual to find in a reasonable sized town four or more Buffalo lodges of four different orders.Origin and Development of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, Payne M. Over time the established orders have settled their differences and now largely co-operate.
All of the different RAOB orders are very similar, save for minor differences and peculiarities. Each has Minor Lodges, which are the basic unit of the whole movement. Overseeing Minor Lodges are what is known as "Governing Authorities" and, over those, a "Grand Lodge" (or Council), made up of Grand Primo, Officers as well as delegates representing Governing Authority areas. Each Buffalo Order has a Rule Book, Manual of Instruction and Ceremony Lectures issued by the parent body. There are generally 4 Degrees of membership. Kangaroo (1st degree) Primo (2nd degree) Knight of Merit (3rd Degree) and the Roll of Honour (4th Degree).
The Grand Lodge of England was one half of two banners born from the separation of the Grand Primo Lodge, in 1897.Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes Grand Lodge of England World Lodge Directory 1949, 1958, 1967, 2017
In the various banners, each Grand Lodge or Grand Council holds annual meetings known as "conferences" to which delegates from all the provinces attend, and at which remits are passed, and other matters dealt with.
Use of "Royal"