Description |
In 1823 the Unlawful Oaths Act was passed in an attempt to prevent the murders, atrocities against, and intimidation of Catholics by the Loyalist Orange Order and the Ribbonmen. Its provisions forbade anyone from taking an illegal oath swearing allegiance to any outlawed society. It was an obvious attempt to destroy these two organizations but it proved to be a failure. It also hindered efforts to promote Catholic emancipation. In 1825 the Unlawful Associations Act was passed in an effort to reinforce the previous act of 1823. This effectively outlawed the Orange Order and the Dublin based Grand Lodge of Ireland. Though the later dissolved itself the Orange Order survived and is still a force in Unionism today. The combination of the date 1825 and the heavy defacement of the King strongly suggests a Loyalist statement. The white color showing is either environmental damage or coloring added by the maker to highlight the message. Purchased from Timothy Medhurst / Danbury, Essex, UK, (Sp. 12, 2022) ($4). |