Grand Lodge MUSEUM OF FREEMASONRY
Carved in stone
The second Freemasons’ Hall, completed in 1869, had largely been paid for through contributions from Freemasons, so the committee thought a similar approach would be suitable. The target of a million pounds was a realistic and necessary goal given the ambition and work involved.
The story of the Hall Stone jewel goes to the heart of the history and foundations of Freemasons’ Hall
T
his year marks a centenary of sorts. It was in January 1920 that a committee led by Sir Alfred Robbins, President of the Board of General Purposes, first officially announced the Masonic Million Memorial Fund. It was through this appeal that the Hall Stone jewel came into being and a new crest entered the vernacular of Freemasonry. The Masonic Million Memorial Fund was an appeal lasting from 1920 until 1938 to cover the costs of building and decorating what was then called the Masonic Peace Memorial Building. You will know it today as Freemasons’ Hall, the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England, and the third Freemasons’ Hall to be located on Great Queen Street in London. The fund came about after the Grand Master, Arthur, Duke of Connaught, requested that a memorial be commissioned to honour Freemasons who had fallen during World War I. It would also be a new home for English Freemasonry, which was in need of a larger premises. A committee was formed, and plans were put into action.
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FMT Spring 2020
A challenge to create a new jewel
Letters were sent out to all lodges, Provinces and Districts. A competition was held to design a new building, but there was also a competition to design a new commemorative jewel that would be issued to those who contributed to the fund. It was won by Cyril Saunders Spackman, who, along with the 75 guineas prize money, essentially won the task of designing the crest for the new building. His idea was a perfect cross representing sacrifice, in front of which stood an angel of peace holding a model temple, all surrounded by a garland. On each side were the dates of remembrance, 1914 and 1918. There were four Hall Stone jewels produced based on Spackman’s design, each corresponding to a particular level of contribution. A silver was for at least 10 guineas received, and a gold for 100 guineas or more. Lodges that contributed an average of 10 guineas per Freemason had their names recorded in the new building as Hall Stone Lodges. A fourth jewel, the largest and with coloured enamel, was awarded to Provinces or Districts whose donations averaged 500 guineas per lodge. Only three of these were ever awarded: to the Province of Buckinghamshire and the Districts of Burma and Japan. The Buckingham jewel is still worn today, while the other two have been lost to time.
