Shanghai Tuscan Lodge

Last April, the article on Bro. Robert F. Gould mentioned Shanghai Lodge formed in 1864 in China then moved to London.

In 1864, there were two English Lodges in Shanghai:  The Royal Sussex Lodge, No 501, founded in 1844 in Hong Kong and transferred to Shanghai in 1863  The Northern Lodge of China, No 570, founded in Shanghai in 1849.

This was deemed insufficient, and on 5 March 1864, 16 brethren from these two Shanghai Lodges met and discussed creating a new Lodge under the English constitution.

The meeting took place in the house of W Bro Robert Freke Gould, who then occupied the Chair in The Northern Lodge of China. The Brethren petitioned to institute and hold a new Lodge they called Tuscan.

The inaugural meeting took place on June 18th 1864 at the Masonic Hall in Canton Road. Bro Gould, the installing Master, would achieve fame with his History of Freemasonry in 6 volumes. W Bro Cornelius Thorn, a Past master of the Northern Lodge, was installed as Worshipful Master of the Lodge.

The Tuscan Lodge received its regular warrant from UGLE in February 1865. During its first year, the Lodge supported other English Lodges in Shanghai in proposing the construction of a new Masonic Hall in Canton Road. The total cost for the building was split into 40 shares. Tuscan Lodge took 5 of these shares, which in its first year of existence demonstrates a solid commitment to raise a significant amount of funds in a short time. It was a testament to the ambition and drive of the founding members to grow and support the local Masonic community.

The ceremony of Laying the Foundation Stone took place on 3 July 1865. It was the last Masonic function Bro Gould would undertake in China.

In the ensuing years, the Tuscan Lodge sponsored the founding of three other Lodges in China and assisted various others. It also lent its support to the China Fleet Lodge of Instruction, which had branches in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Wei Hai Wei.

The Tuscan Lodge kept very busy throughout its existence, especially if compared to present-day standards. It was not rare that over ten meetings would be held in a single year. Records show that some of these meetings lasted for several hours, during which all three ceremonies were conducted. Up to 1914, the Lodge saw an average of seven initiates per year. The steady routine continued after the first world war, with an average intake of five initiates per annum.

Peace would not last very long, and in 1927, China was gripped in hostilities against Japan. British troops were sent to the defence of Shanghai. The year 1932 marked an escalation in the tensions between Japan and China. Masonic activities were disturbed once more. Japanese forces took control of the region in August 1937. Despite the severe restrictions imposed on residents, the Tuscan Lodge held its 75th anniversary on 18 June 1939. A reception and dinner followed the meeting. The brethren and their ladies danced until midnight. December 1941, eve-

rything changed. War was declared on Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbour. Within a year, several Freemasons and leaders of the British community in Shanghai were arrested by the Japanese. They were interrogated, and their families interned. So many masons found themselves in Japanese camps that it is said they managed to rehearse some ceremonies by pretending they were playing a game of cards.

Liberation came in 1945, and those who could, decided to return home. The Lodge didn't meet until June 1946. By then, the membership had fallen from 113 to 77. The political instability led to the Communists taking complete control in 1949.

A significant departure of the foreign population immediately started. Membership of the Lodge reduced further, to the point where it could no longer function. In 1954, the Master of the Lodge, W Bro Dean Barrett, started transferring the Charter to England and later that year, the Lodge met for the first time in London.

There was already a London Lodge with the same name, Tuscan Lodge No 14. As a result, the transferred Lodge was renamed Shanghai Tuscan Lodge at its following meeting in February 1955. Five members were present, and a further 34 brethren from other Shanghai Lodges were elected as joining members on the day.

In 1964, the Shanghai Tuscan Lodge celebrated its centenary with a healthy 102 members. It had recovered well. In 1972, it became a member of the Commonwealth Lodges Association which helps promote fraternity among Lodges that originated from the Commonwealth. In June 1996, the Shanghai Tuscan Lodge hosted the 13th Combined Commonwealth Lodges Festival. From there, the Lodge has continued to meet regularly, but its membership has slowly declined. So much so that its future became uncertain. The 23 members came to realise that organic growth for the Lodge was implausible. In 2020, they voted to petition the Metropolitan Grand Master to approve the Lodge for inclusion as a member of the UGLE Universities Scheme; this happened in June 2021.

It is hoped that over the next three to five years, the transformation of Shanghai Tuscan Lodge into a formidable and growing lodge of young, enthusiastic masons will come to fruition.

The Shanghai Tuscan Lodge, No 1027 regular meetings are held at Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London WC2, in the late afternoon on the 2nd Wednesday of February, October, the 4th Monday in November and 4th Wednesday of May (when the new Master in Installed).