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British American Order of Good Templars Certificate

British American Order of Good Templars Certificate

Date1858
DimensionsOverall: 29.2 x 33.7 cm
Credit LineGift of Margaret Wilson, London, Ontario, 1959
Object number1959.034.001
Label TextWilliam Wilson received this certificate to mark his membership in the British American Order of Good Templars. This was a temperance group organized in London, Canada West, on November 18, 1858, by James Scott, and was the product of a doctrinal dispute with the Order of Good Templars. It quickly spread, particularly in North America and internationally. The organization used rituals and regalia inspired by Freemasonry, and it was named after the Knights Templar, who, according to legend, drank sour milk as a crusade against alcohol. By 1906, the British American Order of Good Templars officially changed its name to the International Order of Good Templars to reflect its global growth.
NameCertificate, Achievement