On July 12, 1847, a riot occurred in Woodstock, New Brunswick, between Catholics and Protestant members of the Orange Order. The violence resulted in the deaths of up to ten individuals and has been described by Canadian journalist Dan Soucoup as "one of New Brunswick's worst ethnic confrontations".

During the 1840s, New Brunswick experienced an increase in immigration from Ireland. Tensions rose between the largely Catholic immigrants and the largely Protestant population of the colony, resulting in various incidents of violence between the two groups. During this time, many Protestants either joined or supported the Orange Order, a society that promoted Protestant dominance in society. Among other things, the Orange Order organized annual celebrations of the Protestant holiday The Twelfth on July 12, which often led to violence between Catholics and Protestants.

In 1846, an Orange Order lodge was established in Woodstock, and the following year, they announced plans for a procession on The Twelfth. That day, a group of about 200 to 300 individuals, most of whom were armed, marched out of the town and to a nearby Baptist church several miles away. In the meantime, a Catholic group of about the same size congregated on a hill outside of town limits. When the two sides met, a shootout commenced. The Orange Order largely overpowered the Catholics, resulting in the deaths of up to ten Irish Catholics. In the aftermath, 139 Catholics were charged with various crimes, and in the subsequent trial, 35 were found guilty.

The riot was one of several to occur on the same day in New Brunswick, alongside similar outbreaks in Fredericton and Saint John. In its aftermath, the Orange Order experienced significant growth in Carleton County, which became a stronghold for the group in New Brunswick. According to historian Scott W. See, the riot "underscored the second-class citizenship" that the Irish Catholics in the region experienced.

Background

Irish immigration to New Brunswick

In the 1840s, the Crown colony of New Brunswick experienced an increase in immigration from Ireland. 1846 saw 9,000 Irish immigrants arrive in the colony, which increased to 17,000 the following year. Prior to 1840, many Irish immigrants to New Brunswick had settled near the colony's coast, in cities such as Miramichi and Saint John. After 1840, however, Irish immigrants began settling in larger numbers in inland municipalities, such as Fredericton—the colony's capital—and Woodstock, a town located along the Saint John River about upriver from Fredericton, near the United States border. By 1851, a majority of New Brunswick's population was Irish, with many of the Irish being Catholic. However, Protestants still outnumbered Catholics in the colony.

The increase in Irish immigration occurred during a period of economic downturn in the colony, as changes in British tariff policy had led to an economic depression in New Brunswick. As a result, tensions rose between the existing residents of New Brunswick, who were largely Protestant, and the newly arrived Irish immigrants, who were largely Catholic. The tensions, while both economic and religious, were also ethnic, as many of the Irish Protestants of New Brunswick were descendants of English Anglicans and Scottish Presbyterians who had settled Ireland. Conflict between Catholics and Protestants in the colony was reported as early as 1838 and primarily occurred throughout the 1840s in Saint John. In 1847, reflecting the anti-immigrant sentiment of the time, a government official wrote to Lieutenant Governor William Colebrooke saying that Irish immigrants should not be sent up the Saint John River from Fredericton because no employer in the region would hire them.

Orange Order

Both Catholics and Protestants formed organizations in the colony, with the most notable being the Protestant Orange Order. The Orange Order had originally been established in Ireland in 1795 with the aim to support Protestant societal domination in both the United Kingdom and its colonies, such as New Brunswick. By 1844, there were 27 local Orange Order lodges in the colony. The biggest annual event for the Orange Order was The Twelfth, a celebration held on July 12. The holiday marked the 1690 victory of Protestant King William of Orange over the Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland. On The Twelfth, members of the Orange Order—"Orangemen"—conducted marches through Catholic neighbourhoods in a show of Protestant dominance. As a slight towards the Orange Order, some Catholics erected green arches along the procession path which the Orangemen would have to walk under. These arches became the site of several physical confrontations between Catholics and Protestants during The Twelfth ceremonies.

In 1846, a lodge was established in Woodstock that had 110 members and was led by businessman and politician Charles Connell. This was the first lodge established in Carleton County. For The Twelfth celebrations in 1847, the Orange Order of Woodstock planned for a round-trip march from a building in Woodstock to a Baptist church in nearby Jacksontown, roughly away. This would be the Woodstock lodge's first public procession. In response, Irish Catholics in Woodstock made plans for a counterdemonstration. On April 21, a member of the lodge was attacked by several Catholics after publicly announcing plans for the march, and the following month, a quarrel occurred at a pub between Catholics and Protestants. In response, municipal officials petitioned the colonial government at Fredericton for more troops to keep the peace, though Lieutenant Governor Colebrooke denied these requests. Instead, he recommended that Woodstock's sheriff, John Winslow, organize a meeting of the local magistrates and attempt to defuse the tension. However, the magistrates declined the meeting, with Winslow believing that they were sympathetic to the Orange Order and did not want to risk interfering with the planned march. By July 11, supporters of both the Catholics and Protestants in Woodstock gathered in the town in preparation for the demonstration and counterdemonstration. Many of the individuals on both sides were armed. That evening, a group of four Catholic leaders met with a local priest who warned them against the counterdemonstration, though it does not appear that the leaders acted on this advice.

Riot By 9 a.m. on July 12, armed officials had been stationed throughout Woodstock in preparation for the day's events. Members of the Orange Order came out of their lodge building about an hour later and commenced their march. Approximately 200 to 300 men, most bearing arms, engaged in the military-style march to the Baptist church in Jacksontown, where they listened to a sermon. As part of their procession, they marched through a largely Catholic section of Woodstock. While the Orangemen were out of Woodstock, the Catholics, also numbering roughly between 200 and 300, held their own processions through the town. According to local author William Teel Baird, this Catholic group was made up primarily of individuals from the United States. Following their processions, they then proceeded north of the town and stationed themselves along a road, awaiting the Orange Order's return.

Five magistrates followed the Catholics. Of these five, three were leaders of the Orange Order, including Connell. Additionally, Sheriff Winslow brought a garrison of sixteen British military members. The officials told the Catholics that it was illegal to conduct marches and openly carry arms in town. However, the Catholic crowd argued that the magistrates had just allowed the Orange Order to do so, and subsequently a compromise was reached where the Catholic crowd would disperse and the magistrates would order the Orange Order to relinquish their arms and cease marching before returning to Woodstock. The Orange Order was alerted to this while in Jacksontown. As a result, prior to their return to Woodstock, they stashed their weapons in a wagon that would follow the group.

About an hour after they had returned to town, the Catholic group reconvened and, equipped with weapons, stationed themselves on a hill overlooking the road leading to Woodstock from Jacksontown. Authorities approached the group and read them the Riot Act. Magistrates also read the Riot Act to the Orange Order, though after they saw the Catholic group, they requested permission from the magistrates to arm themselves. The request was denied, but, in defiance of the law, they armed themselves anyways with weapons from the trailing wagon. They then proceeded to march until they were directly in front of the Catholic group. This meeting occurred outside of Woodstock's town boundary on Jacksontown Road. The two groups stationed themselves roughly from each other, while British soldiers were stationed about from the Catholic group.

According to eyewitnesses who were sympathetic to the Orange Order, the Catholics had been the first to open fire. According to historian Scott W. See, it is unclear if the initial firing occurred as volley fire or as a single shot from one of the members of the group. However, following this initial gunfire, the Orange Order returned fire and launched an assault on the Catholics. Per See, the Catholic group erupted into chaos as the Orange Order charged the hill, with many breaking ranks and fleeing. The Orange Order was better equipped than the Catholics, and in the ensuing disorder, several Orangemen chased down fleeing Catholics on horseback, attacking them with bayonets. Some escaped into the woods north of Woodstock, while others escaped across a log jam on the Meduxnekeag River. Several were later reported to have been spotted in Houlton, Maine. While several hundred shots were fired during the riot, the British troops never fired. By afternoon, most of the violence had subsided, with only occasional outbreaks of skirmishing. Ultimately, the Orange Order, the British troops, and civilian law enforcement officials acted in concert to capture several dozen Catholics, who were held under arrest in Woodstock.

Casualties According to historian Dan Soucoup, the shootout between the two groups resulted in death of up to ten Catholics. However, in a 1991 article on the strike published in Acadiensis, See argued that there may have been an underreporting of injuries and casualties on the Protestant side, given that almost all of the accounts of the riot came from sources either directly affiliated with or supportive of the Orange Order. Additionally, See said that initial reports indicated only a few injured, which in subsequent reports increased into several scores.

Aftermath

Arrests

Following the riot, Sheriff Winslow swore in several dozen individuals into his constabulary, eventually swelling to include 112 Protestants. Additionally, about 150 rifles were dispersed by the magistrates to Protestants in town, many of which ending up in the hands of Orangemen. The constables conducted searches through Catholic residential areas for suspects from the riot, and by July 14, 66 individuals had been arrested. Most were arrested based on information provided by the Orange Order. Because the Carleton County jail had been destroyed in an 1845 fire and was awaiting reconstruction, Sheriff Winslow commandeered the top floor of the Carleton County Court House to hold the prisoners. By July 16, the number of arrested had grown to 73. As a result of the large number of arrested, Protestants in Woodstock became fearful that non-arrested Catholics would attempt an attack on the courthouse to free the prisoners. By September, a total of 91 people had been arrested, all Irish Catholics.