Certificates, often ornate, suitably framed, were a common feature amongst the friendly society Orders, as well as other working men and women’s associations. The antecedent of the Ancient Order of Foresters, the Royal Order, had membership certificates in the 1820’s.     Survival of a friendly society membership certificate bearing a name may now, sadly, be the only tangible evidence of a person’s existence. For that reason each one is priceless, and we have over 100!

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Dispensations were large documents authorising the existence of a Court of the AOF. Often framed and hung in a Court’s meeting place they represented the formal link of local Court with the Order.

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What’s special about OUR collection of AOF certificates and Dispensations?

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Original research, carried out in our Archive, provides ‘added value’  information about our certificates and Dispensations;

Our certificates have the potential to be classified to produce definitive  chronological and typological collections for researchers.

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