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PRIMROSE LEAGUE, THE
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See also:PRIMROSE See also:LEAGUE, THE , an organization for spreading
Conservative principles amongst the See also:British See also:democracy. The extent, as may be seen by the following figures:—primrose is associated with the name of See also:Lord See also:Beaconsfield (q.v.), as being preferred by him to other See also:flowers. On a card affixed to the See also:wreath of primroses sent by See also:Queen See also:Victoria to be placed upon his See also:coffin was written in Her See also:Majesty's own See also:handwriting: " His favourite flowers: from See also:Osborne: a See also:tribute of affectionate regard from Queen Victoria." On the See also:day of the unveiling of Lord Beaconsfield's statue all the members of the Conservative party in the See also:House of See also:Commons were decorated with the primrose. A small See also:group had for some See also:time discussed the means for obtaining for Conservative principles the support of the See also:people. See also:Sir H. D. See also:Wolff therefore said to Lord See also:Randolph See also:Churchill, " Let us found a primrose league." The See also:idea was accepted by several gentlemen in the See also:habit of working together, and a See also:meeting was held at the Carlton See also:Club shortly afterwards, consisting Lord Randolph Churchill, Sir H. See also:Drummond Wolff, Mr (afterwards Sir See also: The latter had for some years perceived the See also:influence exercised in benefit See also:societies by badges and titular appellations, and he further endeavoured to devise some See also:quaint phraseology which would be attractive to the working classes. The See also:title of See also:Knight See also:Harbinger was taken from an See also:office no longer existing in the Royal See also:Household, and a See also:regular gradation was instituted for the honorific titles and decorations assigned to members. This idea, though at first ridiculed, has been greatly See also:developed since the See also:foundation of the See also:order; and new distinctions and decorations have been founded, also contributing to the attractions of the league. The League was partially copied from the organization of the See also:Orange Society in See also:Ireland. In lieu of calling the different subsidiary associations by the See also:ordinary See also:term " Lodges," the name was given of " Habitations," which could be constituted with thirteen members. These were intended as a substitute for the paid canvassers, about to be abolished by Mr See also:Gladstone's Reform See also:Bill. The principles of the League are best explained in the See also:declaration which every member is asked to sign: " I declare on my See also:honour and faith that I will devote my best ability to the See also:maintenance of See also:religion, of the estates of the See also:realm, and of the imperial ascendancy of the British See also:Empire; and that, consistently with my See also:allegiance to the See also:sovereign of these realms, I will promote with discretion and fidelity the above See also:objects, being those of the Primrose League." The See also:motto was " Imperium et libertas "; the See also:seal, three primroses; and the badge, a See also:monogram containing the letters PL, surrounded by primroses. Many other badges and various articles of jewellery have since been designed, with this See also:flower as an See also:emblem.
A small office was first taken on a second See also:floor in See also:Essex See also:Street, Strand; but this had soon to be abandoned, as the dimensions of the League rapidly increased. Ladies were generally included in the first organization of the League, but subsequently a See also:separate Ladies' See also:Branch and See also:Grand See also:Council were formed. The founder of the Ladies' Grand Council was See also:Lady Borthwick (afterwards Lady Glenesk), and the first meeting of the See also:committee took See also:place at her house in Piccadilly on the 2nd of See also: When the League had become a success, it was joined by Lord See also:Salisbury and Sir See also:Stafford See also:Northcote, who were elected Grand Masters. Its See also:numbers gradually increased to a marvellous 34"I See also:Year. Knights. Dames. Associates. See also:Total. Habita- tions 1884 747 153 57 957 46 1885 8071 1381 1914 11,366 169 1886 32,645 23,381 181,257 237,283 1200 1887 50,258 39,215 476,388 565,86f 1724 1888 54,580 42,791 575,235 672,606 1877 1889 58,18o 46,216 705,832 810,228 1986 1890 60,795 48,796 801,261 910,852 2081 1891 63,251 50,973 887,068 1,001,292 2143 1901 75,260 64,906 1,416,473 1,556,639 2392 1910 87,235 80,038 1,885,746 2,053,019 2645 See an See also:article in the See also:Albemarle of See also:January 1892, written by Miss Meresia Nevill; and the Primrose League See also:Manual, published at the offices at See also:Westminster. The latter publication is interesting as a See also:history of the organization. (H. D. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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