Orangeism as it was and is: A Concise History of the Rise and Progress of the Institution

In Orangeism as it was and is (first published in 1899) Richard Niven gives a brief, but thoroughly informative account of the history and nature of the Orange Institution from its formation in 1795 following the 'Battle of the Diamond' in Armagh to the arrest of William Johnston of Ballykilbeg for heading an Orange procession from Newtownards to Bangor on the 12th of July 1867. However, the greater part of the book is devoted to reports on the ‘Battle of Dolly’s Brae’ in which Orangemen and Ribbonmen clashed following a 'Twelfth' procession near Castlewellan, County Down, in 1849. It is believed that a minimum of thirty people were killed in the incident and many others wounded.