Established in Northern Ireland in 1795, the Loyal Orange Order is a strongly Protestant, Irish organization known for anti-Catholic sentiments. There was a split in Ireland in the early 20th century, with a group called the Independent Loyal Orange Institution separating. It seems to be small and does not seem to be in Canada.
The Orange Order probably arrived in Canada during the War of 1812 but was formally structured by the creation of the Grand Orange Lodge of British North America in Brockville in 1830, it was in Toronto in 1867. There is some evidence of an Orange lodge in New Brunswick in 1783. Largely centered in Toronto, the Orange Order essentially ran Ontario for many years, in Toronto from the 1840s to about 1950. Given the importance of the Orange Order in Ontario history, there are a number of books on the subject1. The first Orange Lodge in the US was in 18672.
There was, at least until 1903, a Grand Lodge of British North America. Today, there is a Grand Orange Lodge of Canada3 which has under it four provincial lodges, two in Ontario: The Provincial Grand Orange Lodge of Ontario East4 and the Grand Orange Lodge of Ontario West5. The names are of interest. In 1859, Canada comprised what is now Ontario and Quebec. In that year, three Provincial Grand Lodges were established in Canada: Canada East (became the Provincial Grand Lodge of Quebec), Central Canada (became Ontario East in 1867) and Canada West (became Ontario West in 1867). The dividing line in Ontario is the western boundary of Victoria County.
The Orange Order in Canada (but not elsewhere) has four degrees: Orange, Royal Blue, Royal Arch Purple, and Royal Scarlet. A copy of the 1846 Royal Scarlet ritual is online6. In 1921 there was in Toronto a Union Scarlet Council for Toronto and the Yorks.
The local unit is called a private lodge or primary lodge and may be referred to as
Loyal Orange Lodges (LOL). These are grouped into district lodges which are grouped
into county lodges. These are grouped into Provincial Grand Lodges. They are finally
grouped into a Grand Lodge. Over all the grand lodges is the Imperial Grand Orange Council.
The Provincial Grand Orange Lodge of Ontario East was in Belleville in 1901.
A note on lodge numbers. In an Orange parade the lodges march in number order. If a lodge folds
so that its number becomes available, there is much competition amongst higher numbered lodges to
get the vacant number so they can march closer to the front of the parade. The result is number
changes frequent enough to make things confusing!
Click for a list of Primary (LOL) Lodges in Ontario
Click for a list of District Lodges in Ontario
Click for a list of County Lodges in Ontario
Click for a list of Royal Scarlet Chapters in Ontario
Click for a list of Royal Scarlet Commanderies in Ontario
There are ladies lodges, the Ladies Orange Benevolent Association (LOBA), formed in 1894.
Crystal Chapters are a higher structure for members of LOBA.
Click for a list of Ladies (LOBA) Lodges in Ontario
There are junior lodges for children age 6 to 16, the Orange Young Britons (OYB), which had a
District Lodge in Toronto in 1875.
Click for a list of Orange Young Britons (OYB) Lodges in Ontario
In 1797 the Royal Black Association of the Knights of Malta (the Blacks) was established in Ireland as an organization related to the Orange Order but not part of it. To belong, a man had to be an Orangeman who had attained the Purple degree. The Blacks reached Canada in 1829 and the USA in 18687. The American group severed relations with the Orange Order (which was not strong in the USA), relocated its head office to Toronto and named themselves the Knights of St John and Malta8(qv), which ceased in 1910. In 1906 a faction left them and named themselves the Order of Knights Hospitaller. Those that remained connected with the Orange Order named themselves the Ancient and Illustrious Order of the Knights of Malta9. The history is very confusing!
In Canada the relation with the Orange Order remained and the group became the Royal
Black Institution. The local unit is a preceptory and members are called Royal Black
Knights. The Grand Black Chapter of British America, based in Toronto, formed in 1874
with Provincial Grand Chapters under it.
Click for a list of Royal Black Preceptories in Ontario
Click for a list of Royal Black County Grand Chapters in Ontario
An organization called the Knights of Malta10 was established in Montreal
around 1841. This is related to the Royal Black but the history just adds to the confusion.
Another warrant was issued for Hornby (near Toronto) in 1844 July. The Royal Grand Black
Maltese Encampment of Canada was based in Toronto. The local unit is an encampment.
Click for a list of Knights of Malta Encampments in Ontario
The Prentice Boys of Derry (officially The Associated Clubs of the Apprentice Boys of Derry)
was founded in 1814 and is based in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. It commemorates an event
in the 1689 Siege of Derry11, 12. There are clubs in the UK, Ireland, and Canada.
Click for a list of Prentice Boys of Derry Lodges in Ontario
The Loyal True Blue Association was founded in Toronto in 186713. Surprisingly
it is difficult to find much information about it. It had recently established lodges in the UK.
Click for a list of Loyal True Blue Lodges in Ontario
Click for a list of Ladies Loyal True Blue Lodges in Ontario
The Orange Mutual Benevolent Society was founded in 1881 as the insurance society for the Order.
There is also the United Protestant Benevolent Association but I have not been able to find any
information on it.
Click for a list of UPBA units in Ontario
References:
(1a) Bull, Wm. Perkins, From the Boyne to Brampton : or, John the Orangeman at home and abroad ,
Toronto : The Perkins Bull Foundation, George J. McLeod Ltd., 1936. This book discusses the
Orange Order in Peel County. Online at http://www.pinet.on.ca/peeldiglib/Bib.asp?PubID=52
(1b) Wilson, David A. (ed.) (2007). The Orange Order in Canada. Four Courts Press.
ISBN 978-1-84682-077-9.
(1c) Houston, Cecil J.; Smyth, William J. (1980). The sash Canada wore: A historical geography
of the Orange Order in Canada. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-5493-5.
(1d) Pennefather, R. S. (1984). The orange and the black: Documents in the history of the Orange
Order, Ontario, and the West, 1890–1940. Orange and Black Publications. ISBN 0-9691691-0-8.
(1e) Senior, Hereward (1972). Orangeism: The Canadian Phase. Toronto, New York, McGraw-Hill
Ryerson. ISBN 0-07-092998-X.
(2) Stevens page 308
(3) http://grandorangelodge.ca/
(4) http://www.orangelodge.com/
(5) http://www.orangeontario.org/
(6) https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.63553/19?r=0&s=1
(7) Much of this history is from http://www.orderstjohn.org/sjcross/ancient.htm
(8) Stevens page 266
(9) Stevens page 218
(10) http://members.tripod.com/~Blessed_Gerard/HISTORY.HTML
(11) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apprentice_Boys_of_Derry
(12) https://apprenticeboysofderry.org/
(13)https://web.archive.org/web/20160202123231/http://canadianorangehistoricalsite.com/index-158.php