Record

Entry Type	Corporate
Corporate Name	Independent Order of Oddfellows
Epithet	fraternal society
Dates	1810-fl 2023
History	The Oddfellows is a friendly society with branches all over the country. Its members have a long history of helping people through social events, care and community based charity work. By 2005, it had 100,000 members nationwide. The origin of the Oddfellows society arose out of the medieval guilds in smaller towns and villages where there were insufficient numbers of fellows of a particular trade to form one of the dedicated guilds so the fellows from a variety of trades banded together to form one guild, hence the name Oddfellows. Nearly all guilds adopted the name of a chosen patron saint or a religious title. In 1810 the society was officially set up when the members of the Oddfellows in the Manchester area broke away to form an independent order with the title Manchester Unity. This group became the Oddfellows of today. Before 1911 there was no national system of social security. Instead voluntary mutual benefit societies provided financial support to their members in times of sickness, in old age, at death and to their widows and orphans. Many working men joined such a friendly society as a means of insuring against these eventualities. Each member paid a monthly contribution and in return they received payments towards funeral expanses, maintenance during sickness and old age, maintenance of orphans, medicine and doctors' bills and travel expenses when seeking employment. The societies were locally organised but affiliated to national organisations. Each local club was called a lodge. Then as now the oddfellows has no religious or political affiliations and accepts members from all walks of life regardless of sex, colour or belief. Today the Oddfellows are enthusiastic fundraisers for both local and national charities. In 1911 when the National Insurance Act was passed the Oddfellows was the largest friendly society in the world.
Authorised Form of Name	Independent Order of Oddfellows; 1810-fl 2023; fraternal society

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