The Honourable and Loyal Society of Antient Britons was a

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

-based

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

, cultural, and

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

society, which was in existence from 1715 until the end of the 18th century.

History

The Society was established at the beginning of 1715, shortly after the death of Queen Anne and the accession of the Hanoverian

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria ( fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George I of Antioch (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgoruk ...

. It was in origin a

loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

body, founded to distance the London Welsh community from any suggestion of Jacobite sympathies. The society's name was chosen to emphasise the claims of the Welsh to be the original

Celtic Britons The Britons ( *''Pritanī'', la, Britanni), also known as Celtic Britons or Ancient Britons, were people of Celtic language and culture who inhabited Great Britain from at least the British Iron Age and into the Middle Ages, at which point th ...

. The principal founder was Thomas Jones (d. 1731) of

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

(believed to be a native of

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge ...

). Jones gained the support of a prominent Welsh nobleman, the

Earl of Lisburne Earl of Lisburne is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1776 for Wilmot Vaughan, 4th Viscount Lisburne. He represented Cardiganshire and Berwick-upon-Tweed in the House of Commons and held minor governmental office. Not satisfi ...

; and took advantage of the coincidence of the birthday of

Caroline Caroline may refer to: People * Caroline (given name), a feminine given name * J. C. Caroline (born 1933), American college and National Football League player * Jordan Caroline (born 1996), American (men's) basketball player Places Antarctica * ...

Princess of Wales Princess of Wales (Welsh: ''Tywysoges Cymru'') is a courtesy title used since the 14th century by the wife of the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. The current title-holder is Catherine (née Middleton). The title was firs ...

, falling on 1 March,

Saint David's Day Saint David's Day ( cy, Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant or ; ), or the Feast of Saint David, is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on 1 March, the date of Saint David's death in 589 AD. The feast has been regularly celebrat ...

, to invite her to become the society's patron. The

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

subsequently agreed to become the society's President, and Jones himself received a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

hood. The Society was launched on Saint David's Day 1715 with prayers and a

sermon at St Paul's church,

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

. Its principal philanthropic endeavour was the British Charity School, established in 1716 to assist impoverished Welsh children in London. The school flourished, and in 1738 acquired its own purpose-built premises on

Clerkenwell Green Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redis ...

. The main channel by which the Society raised funds for the school was the annual Saint David's Day sermon and associated dinner.

Decline

From the middle years of the 18th century the Society became somewhat lethargic, and it was joined in administering and supporting the school by the

Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion ( cy, Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion), often called simply the Cymmrodorion, is a London-based Welsh learned society, with membership open to all. It was first established in 1751 as a social, cultural ...

(founded in 1751 with the express aim, at least in part, of lending assistance to the Antient Britons). The Saint David's Day dinner continued to be held nominally under the auspices of the Antient Britons, but with the support of the Cymmrodorion. In practice, there was considerable overlap in the membership and officers of the two societies.Jenkins and Ramage 1951, p. 15. The Cymmrodorion lapsed into abeyance in 1787; and the Antient Britons, as an independent society, also appears to have faded away by the end of the 18th century, although the school survived for another two centuries.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Authority control 1715 establishments in England Welsh literature Welsh language Welsh culture Welsh diaspora in Europe Patriotic societies Clubs and societies in London Organizations established in 1715