The claimed 1717 druid gathering associated with John Toland
- When
- 1716
- Where
- Primrose Hill
- Episodes
- 1
The Druid Order records a tradition that John Toland convened a druid gathering in London in 1717. This narrative, traced to MacGregor Reid, describes a meeting at the Apple Tree Tavern following a 1716 call at Primrose Hill. Historians now consider Toland's involvement in such an order unlikely.
Episodes
Background and detail
Historical Assessment. While the Druid Order maintains this lineage, modern historical perspectives view the claim of John Toland as a member of any druid order as unlikely. The tradition is thus presented as an internal order claim rather than established historical fact regarding Toland's activities.
People involved
- John Toland · Claimed founder of the 1717 gathering
- George Watson MacGregor Reid · Source of the tradition
Sources
- The Druid Order Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-07
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.