Royal Society of St George

Last updated
The Royal Society of Saint George
AbbreviationRSSG (formerly RSStG)
Formation1894
Type Patriotic society
HeadquartersPO Box 397, Loughton, Essex IG10 9GN, England
Chairman
Nick Dutt
Website rssg.org.uk

The Royal Society of St George is an English patriotic society established in 1894 to encourage interest in the English way of life, and English history, ideals, customs and traditions.

Contents

History

In 1415 St George became the Patron Saint 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 [ citation needed ].

The Royal Society of St George was founded in 1894 with the 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. [1]

The society quickly attracted the support of many public figures in England and throughout the then British Empire.[ citation needed ] Its first Royal Patron was Queen Victoria; and the society has enjoyed the Patronage of every reigning monarch up to the incumbent King Charles III.[ citation needed ]

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), [2] 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. [3]

The society's objects

The objects that are specified in the terms of its Royal Charter are:

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:

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.[ citation needed ]

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 international confraternity, the Order of St George, is affiliated with the society. [4]

Former presidents and vice presidents

The list below includes some of the notable people who have served as either president or vice-president of the society:

See also

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The New Year Honours 1974 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1974 to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1974.

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The Queen's Birthday Honours 1976 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were published on 4 June 1976 for the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Mauritius, Fiji, the Bahamas, Grenada, and Papua New Guinea. These were the first Birthday Honours on the advice of Papua New Guinean Ministers for Papua New Guinea, as the nation had gained independence from Australia on 16 September 1975.

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The 1937 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were the first honours of George VI's reign and were announced on 29 January 1937.

The 1939 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 30 December 1938.

The 1935 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on the 28 of December, 1934.

References

  1. Obituary: Mr Howard Ruff. The Times , 2 November 1928.
  2. "St George's Society of New York". St George's Society of New York. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  3. "The history of the Royal Society of St George". Archived from the original on 2012-05-07. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  4. "Order of St George". International Order of St George. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  5. An Almanack for the Year of Our Lord 1903. Joseph Whitaker. 1903.