SONS OF KING GEORGE III
King George III had nine sons. He and his wife Queen Charlotte had 16 children. His first born son, on 12 August 1762, was George IV, who succeeded him as King. The others were Frederick, William IV (who succeeded his brother George IV as King), Edward, Ernest Augustus, Augustus, Adolphus, Octavius, and Alfred. Two of his sons, Frederick and Ernest Augustus, served as Grand Masters in the Orange Lodge. Loyalty to the Monarch, the Protestant faith, and the unity of the Empire were then principles supported by many Britons which were also pillars of the Orange Lodge.
The first son of King George III to become a Grand Master in the Orange Lodge, Frederick, was born on 16 August 1763. He was created Duke of York and Albany, Earl of Ulster in 1784 and oversaw the reorganization of the British Army as Commander - in - Chief during the Napoleanic Wars (1803 - 15). In January 1821, on the suggestion of Lord Kenyon, he was chosen Grand Master of the Loyal Orange Institution of Great Britain.
In June 1821, due to an outcry in the House of Commons over oath bound societies, Frederick resigned as Grand Master since he was second in line of succession to the British throne after his older brother George (later King George IV). His brother, Ernest Augustus, born 5 June 1771, who was the Duke of Cumberland and Taviotdale, became Grand Master and remained in that office until 1835. In 1837 he became the King of Hanover, after his brother William IV died, and reigned until his death in 1851.
During my family genealogy research I found that one of my ancestors Samuel Umphrey , whose father, James Umphrey, was a United Empire Loyalist, belonged to an Orange Lodge in Upper Canada. The Directory of All Lodges Which Originated In Or Existed In Ontario West Since 1830 indicates he received the Warrant to start an Orange Lodge, Number 1361. It was also reported that meetings of an Orange Lodge were held in his home in Brock Township.
UE Loyalist descendants who belonged to the Orange Lodge in Canada remained numerous well into the 20th century. Evidence of the connection appears from obituaries. John Alfred Chrysler , as noted in the Autumn 1980 issue of the Loyalist Gazette, was a long-time member of the Calgary branch of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada and the Orange Lodge.
According to the Sentinel, July/ August 1978, John 'Jack' Alfred Chrysler was a member of the Orange Lodge for 72 years.
The obituary for Jesse F. Byam published in the Toronto Star in December 1906 mentioned he was a member of the Orange Lodge and a descendant of a United Empire Loyalist family.
Further Reading:
The Loyalist Scidmores by Brian McConnell, UE, published by UELAC
1892 by Brian McConnell, UE, published in 2022, includes names of over 1,600 Orange Lodges in Canada and over 4,000 members listed in the 1892 annual report and other historical records
