Order of the Golden Age

The Order of the Golden Age (OGA) was a British Christian vegetarian and humanitarian organisation active between 1895 and 1959, with antecedents in 1881–82. Conceived in 1881 by Rev. Henry John Williams and later revived in 1895 by Sidney H. Beard, the 1881–82 initiative lapsed for lack of funds and was subsequently treated by the Order as a precursor to the 1895 revival. The OGA promoted a form of fruitarianism, linked dietary change with moral and social reform, and engaged in anti-vivisection advocacy alongside interests in psychical research and spiritualism. It published The Herald of the Golden Age (1896–1918), organised meetings and fundraising concerts (including at the Royal Albert Hall in 1910), and reported activity in 47 countries; its headquarters moved from Ilfracombe to Barcombe Hall, Paignton, and later to London. The society's identity and name were briefly disputed in the 1890s by Rev. Gideon J. R. Ouseley. Membership comprised companions and associates, with the latter permitted to eat net-caught fish. Activity in Britain declined after Beard's death in 1938, with later work centred in South Africa until the organisation's closure in 1959.