Origins (1881–1888) , founder and first president|left|150x150px The Order originated in 1881 when Rev.
Henry John Williams (younger brother of
Howard Williams, later an influence on, and founder of, the
Humanitarian League) outlined a devotional fellowship, the Order of the Companions of the Golden Age, commemorating
James the Less and guided by the motto ("They will not harm and they will not kill"). A first general meeting on 8 September 1881 at
Brympton, Somerset, elected Williams as president, with
R. Bailey Walker as vice-president and Frederick L. Catcheside as treasurer. The society was formally constituted the following year. By 1888, the Order appeared defunct. Contemporary accounts cited insufficient funds as the reason it became inactive. Later material from the revived organisation acknowledged the 1881 conception but treated 1895 as the effective starting point. The headquarters were initially at Beard's residence in
Ilfracombe. In 1904 the headquarters moved to Barcombe Hall,
Paignton. Its stated aims included:
Name and identity disputes In 1896 Rev. Gideon Jasper Richard Ouseley, founder of the Order of the Golden Age and United Templary, disputed the revived society's use of the name and complained that it was being confused with his organisation. In 1904 the OGA was reconstituted and declared to be "founded in 1895 by Sidney H. Beard", with Williams's consent. By 1909 the OGA reported activity in 47 countries and had transferred its headquarters to London. Notable members included the lawyer and vegetarianism activist
Josiah Oldfield.
Position on fish consumption The OGA did not forbid
fish consumption. In 1902, a statement printed in
The Herald of the Golden Age asserted:...the eating of fish caught in a net has never been forbidden to members of The Order, and the original rule still remains in force... The Order stands on the basis of its original foundation, and this foundation declared that the eating of net-caught fish should not exclude from membership.The OGA had two classes of membership, companions and associates. Companions abstained from fish, poultry and red meat, while associates abstained from poultry and red meat. Both were considered members of the Order. The OGA's position on fish eating was criticised in an article in
The British Medical Journal, which asked "is not a fish as much deserving of consideration on 'humanitarian grounds' as a sheep?"
Reported claims In 1907 the Order's journal asserted that
Pope Pius X had adopted a vegetarian diet; this was presented as the OGA's claim in its own publication.
Interwar currents and decline (1930s–1959) During the 1930s some
British fascists were drawn to aspects of the OGA's emphasis on natural living, linking dietary reform with ideas of national renewal; Oldfield's later writings endorsed eugenic ideas, including euthanasia for the "unfit". According to Bates, this association increased visibility briefly but became a liability as the
Second World War approached. Following Beard's death in 1938, the Order's activities in Britain declined. It subsequently relocated to South Africa, where it continued until 1959. == Legacy ==