Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

York Club Medal, silver, obverse featuring portrait of Frederick, Duke of York facing left, reverse inscribed with the principles of the York Club, with the surrounding garter bearing the motto ‘The Protestant Ascendancy in Church and State’, edge named (John Judkin Butler), with Garter suspension, good very fine £200-300

John Judkin Butler, a prominent Orangeman from Dublin, was a founder member of the York Club, an organisation established in Dublin in 1824 under the patronage of the Duke of York to help safeguard Protestant values in Ireland. He disgraced himself at a dinner given by the Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1829, when he refused to drink the health of the Lord Lieutenant, the Duke of Northumberland: ‘On the Lord Mayor proposing the health of the Lord Lieutenant his grace the Duke of Northumberland and the Noble House of Percy, Mr. John Judkin Butler, who was sitting within four persons of the Lord Mayor, rose and said aloud, “I have drunk that toast before, and damn me if I drink it again for he is a base apostate.” The Lord Mayor on hearing so unexpected and so gross an insult passed on His Majesty’s representative immediately rose and said, “I will not sit here and allow any individual at my table to make use of language reflecting on the Noble Duke who has honoured us with his company this day. I therefore insist that the individual who has been guilty of such conduct to withdraw.” Mr. Butler refused to obey the Lord Mayor’s request and still went on saying the Duke was an apostate when the Lord Mayor’s brother advanced to Mr Butler and said he hoped that Mr. Butler would see the propriety of complying with his Lordship’s request. Mr. Butler demanded, “Do you sir tell me to leave the room?”, to which the Lord Mayor’s brother replied, “I tell you that you ought to leave it.” Mr. Butler responded, “I tell you that I will not leave the room for you sir nor for the Lord Mayor and I demand if you are a gentleman sir that you will give me your card.” The Lord Mayor hearing and seeing such violence of language and the gesticulation that accompanied it, and apprehending a breach of the peace, desired that two officers be stationed in the room. Mr. Butler notwithstanding went on for some time muttering imprecations upon apostates of all kinds until at length an Alderman proposed the health of the Lord Mayor, at which being drunk his Lordship retire and thus ended this unseemly affair.’ (The New Monthly Magazine, July 1829 refers).

Butler was subsequently elected a Marshal of the Record Court of Dublin.