‘Irish Blackmen Abroad’: The Grand Black Chapter of New Zealand

Abstract

The Royal Black Institution, which became known as the Grand Black Chapter of New Zealand by virtue of the establishment of Orangeism in New Zealand, transported their rituals and degrees to a whole new setting. They were formed in Ulster in 1797 only two years after Orangeism. They were seen by some as an upper degree in Orangeism, but members always maintained they were a distinct institution with an ancient lineage going back to the crusading orders such as the Knights of Malta and Knights Hospitaller.

They were more Masonic than their Orange counterparts and used the Masonic term preceptory rather than lodge for their core organisational pattern. Shrouded in secrecy and virtually non-existent in the research record their close association with Orangeism means they are an organization that needs further research.

There are many questions, which need answering in order to fully understand their role. What part did they play in New Zealand society? Who were its members? How much did the idea of the brotherhood of Sir Knights falter because women were never allowed membership? How different were they from their fraternal brothers in the Orange lodges?

Drawing on annual proceedings and other archival research I will attempt to construct: how Irish were the Blackmen in New Zealand, how they spread, what did they believe, and how they maintained transnational networks especially with their parent body in Ireland.