Romance Era Renaissance

Benedict Anderson, a historian, referred to the late Eighteenth Century as the "beginning of the age of nationalism" in Western Europe. This sparked a renaissance of interest in British mythology and history, including tales of King Arthur and Druids. Thousands of people flocked to organizations that billed themselves as the revival of druidism as a result. More than 200,000 people belonged to 193 orders by 1831, which was particularly amazing given that the government suppressed Druid orders in the very early 19th Century due to hysteria sparked by the French Revolution.

The Ancient Order of Druids, an ironic moniker for a society that was openly acknowledged to have been created in 1781, was by far the most significant of these organizations. The founding member of the group, who went by the moniker Hurle, is less well known. Notwithstanding a rupture that occurred in 1833, when a large portion of the group split off to found the United Ancient Order of Druids, a government-registered branch, this fraternal order is still in existence today. Winston Churchill was by far the most renowned member of the order that is known today.