Arquivo AFC103 - County Black Chapter of Middlesex fonds

Covenant Royal Black Preceptory #346 was instituted on September 23, 1874. Meetings were held in the Ulster Hall at Dundas and Clarence Streets in London, Ontario (before 1922 to 1927) and at 388 Clarence Street (beginning January, 1928).

Inniskilling Royal Black Preceptory was founded on May 12, 1912 by members of Covenant Royal Black Preceptory #346. The first meeting was held at the Orange Hall at 866 Adelaide Street North; subsequent meetings were held at the Orange Hall at Dundas Street at Market Lane (before 1922 to Nov. 1923), Ulster Hall at Dundas and Clarence Streets (Dec. 1923 to Dec. 1927), and the Orange Hall at 388 Clarence Street (beginning in January, 1928).

The Royal Black Preceptory is a Protestant Christian organization, founded in Ireland in 1797. While being a separate organization, the Royal Black Preceptory is affiliated with the Orange Order, a fraternal organization formed in Ireland in 1795 in honour of William of Orange's 1690 victory at the Battle of the Boyne. Any prospective member of the Royal Black Preceptory must be an Orangeman first, having risen to the Royal Arch Purple degree.

According to the Grand Black Chapter of Ontario West, an applicant must be an observant and studious Protestant, dedicated to charitable outreach and responsible citizenship.

In Canada, lodges are organized within individual communities, with local district preceptories (also known as encampments) linked to the Grand Black Chapter of British North America through a regional chapter like the Grand Black Chapter of Ontario West. Members of the Royal Black Preceptory often strive to rise in the Biblically-based Degree system. Degrees are conferred after application and advanced study. Members refer to each other as “Sir Knight.”

The County Black Chapter of Middlesex was officially instituted on May 2, 1914; prior to this, Royal Black Preceptories from Elgin, Middlesex, and Oxford Counties shared administrative duties. The County Black Chapter of Middlesex organized nine Royal Black Preceptories in the Middlesex County area:
King David Royal Black Preceptory #158
Covenant Royal Black Preceptory #346
Pride of Middlesex Royal Black Preceptory #757
Inniskilling Royal Black Preceptory #834
Duke of York Royal Black Preceptory #914
King Solomon's Royal Black Preceptory #937
Langemarck Royal Black Preceptory #956
Tuscan Royal Black Preceptory #962
Derry Walls Royal Black Preceptory #1035

These nine preceptories reported to, and communicated through, the County Black Chapter.

The first known officers (1914) were:
Joseph Murray - County Preceptor
Henry Mahon - Deputy County Preceptor
Robert Aitken - Treasurer