Royal Antediluvian Order of the Buffaloes Medal

HH has a 1920s Sterling and enamel medallion from the Royal Antediluvian (‘before the flood’) Order of the Buffaloes in red, white, cobalt, and turquoise; made by Fattorini & Sons LTD., Jewelers, Bradford House, Birmingham. The red ribbon is embroidered ‘RAOB Grand Council.’ The Sterling is hallmarked with a lion and letter E, the piece is 4 cm x 5 cm, the back of the medal is inscribed “Presented to Bro Robt Worden by Harmony Lodge No 707 27/5/29, Primo Omnibus” (Leader of us all). There is no evidence that the Order was established before Noah in Genesis Chapter 6 – “royal and antediluvian” is for fun.

The Latin words above each arch state ‘Nemo Mortalium Omnibus Horis Sapit’ (No man is at all times wise). 

When the Order was founded in 1822, the initiation ceremony included a song and a distinctive leaping dance: “We’ll chase the buffalo! We are entitled to chomp, grind, and devour in all turnip fields, meadows, and pastures! We are obliged to gore and toss all enemies to Buffalo!” New initiates were called kangaroos (possibly in keeping with the nomenclature of non-British animal names). The now respectable Buffalo Order still exists, the chant at initiation today less turbulent: “May the spirit of true Buffalo-ism hover around us!” The Order has an 18^th century estate, which is their Grand Lodge, Grove House, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

The history of the order dates to early 19^th century in London at the Harp Tavern near the theatres in Drury lane. Echoing the social stratification of the 19^th century British pubs, the Buffalo Order was an offshoot of the Lushington Order of Actors, a higher social class than the stagehands. The stagehands and travelling theatre men formed their own “Lodge” at The Harp, and the Order was born. The Order has nothing to do with the Masons, but they have secret rituals, and some say the Buffalo Order resembles the secret elite, “The Illuminati.” The Order is today a full-blown secret society with rituals – and good works. The maxim of the Order is “Justice, Truth, Philanthropy.” Today the Order does much charitable good: 10,000 members raise five hundred thousand to a million pounds each year. 

Early 19th century secret societies, like the Buffalo Order in 1822, were often looked upon as dangerous and subversive.

On the Order’s website, I read “The right to give and not receive is one of our key principles.” The order is British (or some say Commonwealth only), and men only. A core tenet is never to take a drink with your right hand. If another Buffalo sees you quaffing with your right hand, you must quickly down that drink and reach for another – in your left hand. In the early 19^th century, the Order was a drinking club at The Harp, and Iike most 19^th century British pubs, it was associated with men of a certain profession or class. British taverns, pubs, inns, and boozers aligned themselves with social groups. Financial professionals had their pubs, so did dockworkers, journalists, and theatrical men. 

Early 19^th century secret societies, like the Buffalo Order in 1822, were often looked upon as dangerous and subversive. The French Revolution and its Reign of Terror was fresh in the minds of British men as the Order was founded. However, by the mid 19th century, the Buffalo Order was legitimized with the 1866 Constitution of the Grand Primo Lodge. Still closely aligned with theatrical travelling performers, they spread the news of the Order to other theatre companies, and lodges spang up in Manchester, London, Lincolnshire and theatre towns. The actors and stagehands’ day off was Sunday, so the Order met
Sunday evenings. 

Through the 19^th century, performers on the road were issued cards enabling them to contact other lodges, which were required to give the men of the boards “enough to eat to permit them to starve gracefully,” as stated in the Buffalo Order’s Rule Book of 1848, also saying “I must caution you how to trust women as we never admit them to our councils…” Even today lodges do not admit women members. One gent said, “visiting the lodges is the only peace we men get.”

The Royal Antediluvian Order of the Buffaloes preceded American Orders of Moose and Elks. The names refer to ruminant animals, which are hoofed beasts with four-chambered stomachs to slowly digest plant material. ‘Ruminant’ also means reflective and thoughtful: there’s the metaphor. By WWI, the Order bought and drove ambulances for the front lines manned by Buffalo volunteers, and by the 1920s they had opened convalescent homes, and built a major sick home in Southport in 1945. The medal is worth $200.