The Royal Society of St George is an English

patriotic Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...

society established in 1894 to encourage interest in the English way of life, and English customs and traditions.

History

In 1415 St. George became the

Patron Saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of England after the English soldiers fighting under the command of King Henry V had beaten the French at the Battle of Agincourt. Ever since then, St George has been the patriotic rallying point for the

English people The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common history and culture. The English identity is of Anglo-Saxon origin, when they were known in ...

. The Royal Society of St. George was founded in 1894 with the noble object of promoting "Englishness" and the English way of life. Howard Ruff was the founder in 1894 and the first Honorary Secretary of the Royal Society of St. George. In 1900 he gave up farming to devote his time exclusively to the Society.Obituary: Mr Howard Ruff. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'', 2 November 1928. The Society quickly attracted the support of many distinguished public figures in England and throughout the then British Empire. Its first Royal Patron was Queen Victoria; and the society has enjoyed the Patronage of every reigning monarch from that day to this. In 1963 the Queen granted the Society its own Royal Charter. The Society was further granted Arms in 1990. Before the formation of The Royal Society of St. George, Societies of St. George had been founded in the then North American Colonies for the relief of British immigrants and to give them general assistance in the new country. The earliest Branches of which there are any records are those of New York (1770), Philadelphia (1772) and Charlestown (1773). Subsequently Branches were formed in all the great cities of the North American continent and celebrations were always held on St. George's Day. At the time of the War of Independence many Loyalists moved to Canada and founded similar Societies in Halifax (1786) and other cities.

The Society's Objects

The Objects that are specified in the terms of its Royal Charter are: *To foster the love of England and to strengthen England and the Commonwealth by spreading the knowledge of

English history England became inhabited more than 800,000 years ago, as the discovery of stone tools and footprints at Happisburgh in Norfolk have indicated.; "Earliest footprints outside Africa discovered in Norfolk" (2014). BBC News. Retrieved 7 February ...

, traditions, and ideals. *To keep fresh the memory of those in all walks of life, who have served England or the Commonwealth in the past, to inspire leadership in the future. *To combat all activities to undermine the strength of England or the Commonwealth. *To further English interest everywhere to ensure that St. George's Day is properly celebrated and to provide focal points all the world over where English men and women may gather together.

Charitable Causes

The Society has its own Charitable Trust, which is run separately from the Society and is governed by a Board of Trustees. The objectives of the charity are to: *Help and encourage young people to greater achievement in England and the Commonwealth *Encourage the enterprise, skills and enthusiasm of young people through support of appropriate organisations

Membership criteria

The Society is fully inclusive and independent of party politics and membership is open to all those who subscribe to the objects of the Society. Their current membership is made up of a network of branches throughout England and the world, as well as a large number of direct Society members. The confraternity, the International Knightly Order Valiant of St George, is affiliated with the Society.

Former Presidents & Vice Presidents

The list below includes some of the notable people who have served as either President or Vice-President of the Society: * The Duke of Cambridge''An Almanack for the Year of Our Lord 1903.''
Joseph Whitaker. 1903. *The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII then

Duke of Windsor Duke of Windsor was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 March 1937 for the former monarch Edward VIII, following his abdication on 11 December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, ...

) *Field Marshal The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein *The Duke of Devonshire *

Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster Major General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, (22 December 1951 – 9 August 2016), was a British landowner, businessman, philanthropist, Territorial Army general, and peer. He was the son of Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of W ...

Peter Nelson, 9th Earl Nelson Peter John Horatio Nelson, 9th Earl Nelson (9 October 1941 – 28 March 2009), was a British police officer and peer. He was the oldest son of Captain John Nelson, and grandson of Edward Nelson, 5th Earl Nelson. He inherited the title in 1981 on ...

Charles Forte, Baron Forte Charles Carmine Forte, Baron Forte (26 November 1908 – 28 February 2007) was an Italian-born Scottish hotelier who founded the leisure and hotels conglomerate that ultimately became the Forte Group. Early life Charles Forte was born as Car ...

Kt *Field Marshal Edwin Bramall, Baron Bramall

References

External links

*
Saint George's Society New York
(earliest branch) {{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Society Of St George 1894 establishments in England St George Patriotic societies Charities based in Essex Organizations established in 1894