Freemasonry Today - Issue 57 - Spring 2022

Issue 57 ~ Spring 2022

Freemasonry Today Cornerstone of the Craft

Celebrating the Tercentenary of the 1723 Constitutions

Tower of London

Metropolitan Freemasons fund London Fire Brigade’s lifesaving ladder

Reflections on remembrance

Freemasons’ Hall lights up to honour fallen brethren

Issue 57 ~ Spring 2022

Brews brothers

The founding members of UGLE’s first fully fledged beer Lodge in conversation

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Welcome

FROM THE GRAND S EC R E TA RY & GRAND SCRIBE E Brethren and companions, I must confess that it has become something of a struggle to write these welcoming words to you all. The wonders of print publishing often mean I must write and imagine myself three whole months in the future, addressing you from the drudgery of the past. For some time now, our lives have been measured not only by the normal movements of the planets or by the comforting pips of the Six O’Clock News on Radio 4, but by a wholly unpredictable and unprecedented global event. A new and erratic pace has gripped our lives that has made it nigh impossible to imagine too far beyond the end of the month, let alone the next one or the one after that.

For now, I must sit and imagine the time when this issue of FMT will arrive on your doorstep. The coming of spring and lengthening days; the birth of lambs and the first opening of the daffodils. These are the safe, predictable things that Mother Nature brings forth irrespective of our efforts. She listens to the whistling of the wind and can ignore the base squabblings of our meagre efforts to tame and control her will.

In contrast, unpredictable change can feel difficult to face, especially when that change seems to be so long enduring.

As many of you may know, I share my time between my role as Grand Secretary at Freemasons’ Hall in London and my role as an acute care consultant at

‘As much as we enjoy seeing the celebrations of our most established Lodges, we are also looking forward to the consecrations of new ones this coming year’

Peterborough Hospital.

I have watched my peers battle the pandemic on the front line, and it has been an exhausting two years.

The hours are long and the work emotionally and physically challenging. However, every member of staff starts the new day with a fresh measure of hope.

Hope and faith can be difficult to find in the dark winter months, which seem to stretch long beyond their welcome. But we have the choice to look forward, with excitement, to everything that this busy year ahead has in store for us. If we here at Freemasons’ Hall have anything to do with it, I can assure you that 2022 will keep you on your toes.

I am personally looking forward to celebrating the 300-year anniversary of Lodge No. 10, Westminster & Keystone, of which I am the Worshipful Master.

It will also be exciting to see a host of other Lodges who will be commemorating their Tercentenaries and other significant anniversaries this year. The records rooms at Freemasons’ Hall are a whirlwind of activity as archivists confirm Lodge histories, and ensure warrants and certificates are in order before planning can begin in earnest. Although few Lodges have celebrated such a momentous milestone, I know as time passes more and more will be joining their number.

We welcome Lodges and Chapters marking such notable events as these, and we would be delighted to host your special evenings at Freemasons’ Hall.

Fine food and drink, friendship, and a merry atmosphere are easily found within these walls.

As much as we enjoy seeing the celebrations of our most established Lodges, we are also looking forward to the consecrations of new ones this coming year. Plans are well underway for the FMT Spring 2022

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consecration of Lodge No. 10,000, Lodge Sine Nomine. This Lodge has been carefully planned and designed to encourage and engage younger Freemasons from across the Constitution, and will be the first unattached Lodge reporting directly to the Grand Master for many, many years.

We also remember those Lodges and Chapters that have passed into history, each one bringing to a close a period of Masonic service that will have touched the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals. We hope that for those remaining brethren or companions, a new home can be found to welcome them in continuing their Masonic journey, and that as new patterns and traditions are created, we do not forget those who worked so hard to establish those traditions we all hold so dear.

To be human is to be full of uncertainty, but also to be full of hope.

I have faith in our collective dedication to deliver a better future; I have faith in our ability to support one another in the face of any challenge, however long enduring; and I have faith that the lessons I have learned from my time as a Freemason will see me through whatever lies ahead.

I hope you all feel the same.

I wish you all a safe and successful start to 2022 and look forward to seeing you all in Freemasons’ Hall at some point in the coming months.

Dr David Staples Grand Secretary & Grand Scribe E

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Contents

The official journal of the United Grand Lodge of England Issue 57 – Spring 2022

Editor Donna Hardie Editorial Panel Michelle Worvell, Shaun Butler, Guy Roberts, Martin Cherry, Julian Perry (Culture editor) Published by Sunday, 207 Union Street, London SE1 0LN, www.wearesunday.com for the United Grand Lodge of England, Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ Editorial Manager Shaun Butler editor@freemasonrytoday.com Freemasonry Today, Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ Advertising contact Gaynor Garton gaynor@square7media.co.uk 020 3283 4056 Square7 Media Ltd, 3 More London Riverside, London SE1 2RE Circulation fmt@freemasonrytoday.com 020 7395 9392 Masonic enquiries editor@freemasonrytoday.com 020 7831 9811 www.ugle.org.uk Printed by Acorn Web Offset Ltd

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Welcome 3 From the Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe E Dr David Staples welcomes you to the spring issue

Out and about 6 News and views from the Provinces The 1723 Constitutions. Plus stories of community and Masonic charity

Stories

Contact us editor@freemasonrytoday.com

20 High hopes

Freemasons fund lifesaving ladder

24 In memoriam

Honouring fallen brethren with a poignant Freemasons’ Hall multimedia display

Cover image: Jooney Woodward

FreemasonryToday UnitedGrandLodgeofEngland SupremeGrandChapter @unitedgrandlodgeofengland @freemasonrytoday @freemasonshall

The Royal Arch 56 An aristocratic legacy

Saintly provenance of Royal Arch jewel

Culture 62 Book reviews and crossword

32 Together again

In the community

New and Young Masons Clubs reconvene

34 Comfort and joy

67 Charity and the Craft

Helping young people at Christmas

How the MCF and Freemasons support members and their families nationwide

A daily advancement

Fraternal world

38 Philatelic mythology

71 Home and abroad

42 Masonic treasures

74 Your tweets

Grand Lodge

The fascinating and unusual

The By Laws Book of City Lodge

UGLE Lodges around the world

82 Thēsauros

46 Quarterly Communication Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes on the resilience of Freemasons

48 Solomon Live

Interactive discussion between brothers FMT Spring 2022

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Renovation of the museum’s south gallery

The first Masonic beer Lodge

History of the Masonic Peace Stamp @freemasonry2day @ugle_grandlodge @grandchapter

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52 The big reveal

26 Cheers to the Craft! © United Grand Lodge of England 2022.

The opinions herein are those of the authors or persons interviewed only and do not reflect the views of the United Grand Lodge of England or Sunday.

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Out & about Bedrock of brotherhood

Celebrating the Tercentenary of the 1723 Constitutions

As we approach the 300-year anniversary of the Constitutions, Dr Ric Berman explains the fundamental principles and philosophy that form the foundations for modern Freemasonry

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Ossian Lang, History of Freemasonry in the State of New York (1922)

ext year, 2023, marks the Tercentenary of the publication of the first Constitutions of the Freemasons. What is little understood is that one section – the key section – of that document, Desaguliers’ Charges of a Free-Mason, underpins what we regard today as modern Freemasonry. This is true not only for England, but for all those Grand Lodges around the world that followed England’s lead.

The Charges set down moral and intellectual foundations for Freemasonry. They are a product of an Enlightenment philosophy and their adoption a function of intellectual, political and religious imperatives that included ‘the Glorious Revolution’, which alongside the Bill of Rights ushered in a constitutional monarchy in Britain. Other influences encompassed the threat to the newly installed

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Image: Museum of Freemasonry

‘If anyone doubts that Freemasonry as it is practised today was derived from the Grand Lodge of England, let him compare the new Charges with those of an older date. He will find that the severance from any and all pre-existing connections was as fundamental and complete as was the severance of the American colonies from England after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence… The history of Freemasonry begins with a declaration of principles. These are set forth in the New Constitutions promulgated by the Grand Lodge of England and form the basic law of the Fraternity throughout the world. Indeed, the story of Freemasonry is merely the working out of those principles.’

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Bedrock of brotherhood Out & about

Hanoverian King, George I, and his Whig ministry from ‘the King over the water, James Stuart; and the legacy of almost 200 years of religious conflict in Europe, not least the state-sanctioned persecution of Protestants in France.

The Charges promote and require Freemasons to adopt several fundamental principles, among them:

Above: Picart's List of Lodges (1736)

eligious tolerance: ‘That Religion in which R all Men agree, leaving their particular Opinions to themselves’; Respect for civil law and constitutional government: A ‘supreme legislature’ rather than a divinely-appointed absolute monarch; Meritocracy: ‘Preferment among Masons is grounded upon real Worth and personal Merit.’

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The Charges also advocate a teleological (‘be all that you can be’) approach to personal development and an enjoinment to improve oneself and society through education.

Alongside the Charges sits George Payne’s General Regulations that govern the operation of Lodges and Grand Lodge. The Regulations introduced a new framework to Masonic governance, creating a federal structure and advancing democratic ideas: ‘All matters are to be determined… by a majority of votes.’

Article 10, for example, states that a ‘majority of every particular Lodge, when congregated, shall have the privilege of giving instructions to their Master and Wardens… because the Master and Wardens are their representatives’.

Remarkably, the principles set out in the Regulations were adopted not just by Freemasons but by virtually every club and society that followed, nationally and internationally, and created what has been described as ‘schools for government’.

The ideas set out in the Charges and Regulations were radical at the time. Indeed, they remain progressive philosophical ideas today. And they provided the foundations for Freemasonry’s expansion.

In short, modern Freemasonry started with the 1723 Constitutions. They were adopted by Grand Lodges across Europe in the subsequent decades, and in America, where in 1734 Benjamin Franklin reprinted the Constitutions verbatim and distributed them not just in Philadelphia but from Boston to Charleston.

The ideas the Constitutions endorsed propelled and sustained the growth of Freemasonry across the world, and their underlying principles continue to challenge and inspire Freemasons today.

We will celebrate the Tercentenary with an especial meeting of Grand Lodge on 31 January 2023. The Museum of Freemasonry will launch an exhibition the same month. And we intend to hold events across the Provinces and Districts throughout the year.

2023 will also feature a conference in Cambridge under the banner ‘Inventing the Future’.

But the Tercentenary will not only be celebrated under the auspices of UGLE. It will also be marked internationally, not least in the United States and France, where Enlightenment principles were at the root of the political and social development of both countries.

More information on the Constitutions and its legacy is available at www.1723constitutions.com This will be complemented by further articles in FMT and talks and seminars in 2022 and 2023.

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Out and about Word of honour

Support for military Masons Dorset Freemasons celebrate a memorable day to mark their signing of the Armed Forces Covenant and a special bond with their military brothers During a unique event at the AFV Gunnery School, Lulworth Camp, Dorset Freemasonry have signed the Armed Forces Covenant.

The partnership aims to support members of the armed forces community and ensure they have the same access to government as well as commercial services and products as any other citizen.

Provincial Grand Master of Dorset Graham Glazier and his wife Gail attended. They were accompanied

by Michelle Worvell, Director of Communications and Marketing at United Grand Lodge of England and Communications Manager Shaun Butler.

Colonel Johnny Brooking, Commander of The Armour Centre, warmly welcomed the guests and introduced them to Lieutenant Colonel John Stone, Commanding Officer, and Armoured Fighting Vehicle Schools Regiment and Lieutenant Colonel Nick Berchem, Chief of Staff ARMCEN, as well as the rest of the ARMCEN instructional staff.

After a safety brief, the PGM and his wife experienced a Challenger 2 tank up close. The group was fascinated by the full firepower capability brief from the military instructors who were in the process of training male and female soldiers to become tank commanders. They were also privileged to witness a Challenger 2 battle tank firepower demonstration from students under instruction.

A silver-service lunch was enjoyed at the magnificent officers’ mess where the historic relationship between the military and Freemasonry was discussed. At either end of the dining room were full-sized portraits

of two prominent Freemasons: the Duke of Wellington and King George V. At the end of an excellent meal, the Commander and the PGM signed the Armed Forces Covenant.

Graham said, ‘Dorset Freemasons commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the armed forces community. We recognise the value serving personnel, both regular and reservists, veterans and military families contribute to our country.

‘The Provincial Grand Lodge of Dorset is proud of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.’

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Signing the Armed Forces Covenant is a pledge of support from Freemasons

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UGLE Provinces Out and about

1 N AT I O N W I D E

Charity and the craft

Image: Colin Pizey

Freemasons have continued to raise huge amounts of money despite the challenges that have affected fundraising and events during the past two years.

The end of 2021 saw the conclusion of four appeals, including the first Festival supporting the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity) and the last for the former charities.

The Province of West Lancashire had the honour of hosting the first MCF Festival at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool in September, raising £3.5 million following a four-year appeal.

In November, the Province of South Wales concluded the last Festival appeal in support of the central Masonic Charities at an event in the Cardiff City Stadium. The appeal raised more than £5.6 million for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI).

The Province of Northumberland also finished a Festival appeal for the RMBI, raising £3.2 million; and Herefordshire raised £441,000 for the Masonic Samaritan Fund which is now part of the MCF. MCF Chief Executive Les Hutchinson said, ‘Even in the most challenging of circumstances, Freemasons across the country have shown enormous resilience and generosity towards Festival appeals, which are a vital source of funds for the MCF. It was a pleasure to be able to attend Festival events after the cancellations of the previous year and celebrate with those who have worked so hard to support us.’

Below left: PGM of Surrey Ian Chandler with Freemason Roy Miller

members of the Provincial Executive. A year later, Roy was installed into the Chair of the Lodge and, following his installation, the Provincial Grand Master made a field appointment to Past Provincial Grand Steward, which made this a very special day for Roy. However, Saturday 9 October, 2021 must have been even more special for Roy. The board of governors at Sutton Masonic Hall decided to name the bar after one of our oldest and most decorated members. That day, he thought he was attending a Lodge social – well he was, but it was a bit more than that. Roy had no idea of the events that were about to unfold. Arriving at the centre just after midday with his family, he was greeted at the door by Nigel who led him into the bar where everyone gave him a round of applause.

The Provincial Grand Master of Surrey, Ian Chandler, talked about Roy and his distinguished career and brought him to the bar to have a glass of rum saying, ‘When you take that drink Roy, it will be the first drink by anyone in the newly named Miller Bar.’ You should have seen the joy on his face.

A plaque and picture were then uncovered to more applause and happiness for Roy and his family.

Everyone then had a lovely buffet in the front dining room, with a big thank you to Fino’s Kitchen, Shelley, Jeff and Chloe.

At the grand age of 97, Roy looked extremely happy with his day.

3 CAM BRIDGESHIRE

Comfort food

Cambridgeshire Freemasons donated £10,000 to those in need over the festive season. Following the upheavals of the pandemic, food banks across England and Wales were predicting an unprecedented demand for their services due to supply chain problems and rising fuel bills. The donations helped around 4,500 people in seven food banks across Cambridgeshire during the Christmas period.

Masonic Lodges in March, Ely, Cambridge, Wisbech and Newmarket gave towards the grant, with fund-matching and additional support from the Province of Cambridgeshire Charity for Care and Relief and the national Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.

2 SURREY

Miller’s Bar

Surrey Freemason Nigel Feltham describes ‘a special day for our oldest subscribing member’.

‘Roy Miller is a well-loved and highly respected Freemason who is a decorated war veteran and has served the Province of Surrey for many years.’

Roy is perhaps best known as a Past Second Provincial Grand Principal and Past Provincial Grand Scribe Ezra in the Holy Royal Arch. He was initiated into the Craft in 1965 and has served as PJGD and PPJGD. He was also advanced into the Mark Degree in Croydon Mark Lodge No. 168 in 2015 at the age of 91.

Present was our Provincial Grand Master, and all the FMT Spring 2022

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Out and about UGLE Provinces

5 NORTHUMBERLAND

On the ball

4 LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND

A score for Leicester Tigers

One of the eagerly anticipated dates in the calendar is the Province's Sportsman’s Dinner. After successfully raising money and entertaining the audience in previous years, this year had much to live up to.

A big name was needed to attract as many members as possible to the grandstand event. Subsequently, Kevin Keegan was billed as the guest of honour and nearly 800 members and guests descended on the Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium, home of the Leicester Tigers rugby union team.

Master of ceremonies for the evening was Roger Dakin, who played hockey for England in the 1970s.

Dakin welcomed everyone and warmed the audience up with a quick-fire round of jokes, before the Provincial Grand Master delivered his opening welcome. As is usual for Sportsman’s Dinners, raising money for the 2022 Festival was the focus.

After an entertaining raffle to win memorabilia, test match cricketer, motivational speaker and charity auctioneer Ed Giddins and his team auctioned sporting collectibles and holidays to event tickets.

Last but not least was the evening’s main attraction, Kevin Keegan. He took the audience on a trip down memory lane, from when he was a young lad through to the many highlights of his hugely successful career.

He played for Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton, Newcastle and England, before going on to be manager of Newcastle, Fulham, Manchester City and England.

He good-heartedly stayed to the early hours, signing autographs and posing for photographs.

The amount raised on the evening exceeded £75,000, which will be attributed to the 2022 Festival and made available for local charities and good causes.

With the conclusion of the Festival scheduled for June 2022, the organising committee remains focused and determined to reach its target of £1,800,000.

The culmination of five years of fundraising will be their end-of-Festival party at Welford Road on 22 June 2022.

Provincial Grand Master Peter Kinder said, ‘What a superb evening. I would like to thank Roger, Ed and of course Kevin for entertaining us. I would also like to thank Dale Page and Richard Barnett for organising such a successful evening so magnificently.’

Above left: Kevin Keegan (centre) at the Sportsman's Dinner

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With help from Northumberland Freemasons, Newcastle United Foundation’s Down’s syndrome football team has given a passionate supporter the chance to be part of the Newcastle United family.

Local fan Emily, 18, began searching for inclusive opportunities to play football, and found DSActive’s free accessible football sessions for young people living with Down’s syndrome. Part of the Foundation’s Football For All disability programme, DSActive welcomes children, teenagers and young adults to weekly sessions overseen by dedicated football development coaches working within the official charity arm of Newcastle United.

Emily’s family were thrilled to find DSActive running in Blaydon, and knew it would be an opportunity to build her self-confidence and give her the chance to maintain an active lifestyle.

Caroline, Emily’s sister, said, ‘Emily has never taken part in any type of group event before outside of school and she was very nervous to start with. But she has come out of her shell and loves every minute of it.

Emily has always struggled to make friends, especially with her own age group, so it’s heart-warming to see her make new connections and friendships. She loves being part of a team. It’s also helping with her reflex skills and coordination – she does have hypermobility, so it is helping a lot with that too’.

Emily said, ‘I love going to football and I like scoring goals and seeing my new friends.’

DSActive runs sessions every Tuesday from Blaydon Youth and Community Centre and is among a number of free disability football clubs for children and teenagers offered by the Foundation. Its disability programmes rely on donations from organisations with a shared goal of creating fully inclusive communities. A portion of the DSActive team programme is funded by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Northumberland, with this sum matched by the Masonic Charitable Foundation.

Stuart Cairns, Provincial Grand Secretary for the Freemasons in Northumberland, said, ‘It was a unanimous agreement among our trustees to apply funding from our Benevolent Fund to support Newcastle United Foundation and specifically to sponsor its Down’s syndrome football club.

‘We are thrilled to see the terrific support and service that the Foundation gives to the local community, and our Masonic Charitable Foundation in London agreed to match our grant to award a total of £10,000. Freemasons Northumberland sincerely hope this funding helps to provide a fun and inclusive opportunity for the region’s young people to enjoy sport, making friends and staying active.’

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UGLE Provinces Out and about

cross-section of society to better understand the military, its ethos and its purpose.

‘I am delighted to have formally recognised, in this document, the relationship that has always existed between our great institutions.’

Could Lincolnshire have a Forces Lodge? It’s not out of the question. Visit the website members’ area and read Dave’s Craft Lodge address to the Provincial meeting for a tantalising hint.

6 LINCOLNSHIRE

Pledge of pride

To mark the landmark of the 500th Lincolnshire Freemason having signed up to a regular giving pledge in support of the #Lincs2025 Festival, the trustees of the Province’s Old Provincial Benevolent Fund have added £50,000 to the running total.

Saying that this was a very welcome injection of funds, Festival Chairman Jez Hyland hoped it would spur others into making the same commitment.

He said, ‘I appreciate that while some members might feel reluctant to attend meetings, these have nevertheless started again. I hope it will give a renewed focus to our Freemasonry, and the good that can be done through the Masonic Charitable Foundation by donating to the Festival. Support for Freemasons and the wider community is needed now more than ever, and the outcomes we are able to achieve through our financial help are remarkable.

Imagine the support for thousands of people made possible because of Festival donations. That’s something to be really proud of.’

Jez added that the Old Benevolent Fund existed to support Freemasons and their families, so the trustees had insisted that the Masonic Charitable Foundation should ring-fence their £50,000 donation and ensure it was used exclusively for that purpose.

7 SU FFOLK

Gift horse

Honour-bound

Lincolnshire’s Freemasons have signed the Armed Forces Covenant in recognition of the high regard in which they hold the armed forces – a tangible demonstration of a continued commitment to those who serve.

The landmark document was signed by Provincial Grand Master Dave Wheeler on behalf of Lincolnshire Freemasons, and on behalf of the Ministry of Defence

by Major Mitch Pegg, CO of 4 (Lincolnshire) Company, 3rd Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment.

Dave said, ‘Our Lodges, through the centuries, have always had a close relationship with those who serve in the armed forces. Servicemen have found that our values of integrity, friendship, respect and charity are a natural fit with their own, and many ex-servicemen say that the camaraderie they find in a Lodge is second only to what they have experienced whilst serving. It is also true to say the experiences and friendships they form help a much wider

Above right: Freemasons raise funds for the Suffolk Punch workhorse

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Suffolk Freemasons are playing a significant role in the preservation of the endangered and oldest breed of workhorse – the Suffolk Punch.

Their ongoing support, currently standing at £19,000, has enabled the Suffolk Punch Trust to purchase start-up equipment for an artificial insemination programme that will help them to supply the Suffolk Punch bloodline around the country and overseas.

The trust is a registered charity dedicated to helping protect this critically endangered breed via its established breeding programme, raising public awareness and training a new generation of professionals to work with these iconic heavy horses.

The trust is based at the Hollesley Bay Colony Stud, home to a rich legacy of equine and agricultural history that deserves to be saved for future generations.

Last October, BBC Radio Suffolk was at Hollesley Bay to broadcast the opening of the new artificial insemination unit live on its early morning show hosted

by Mark Murphy. Ian Yeldham, Provincial Grand Master of Suffolk Freemasons, was invited to open the unit in the presence of a large number of other local businesses and individuals who also support the work of the trust.

Andrew Fane, chairmen of trustees said, ‘I would like to thank Suffolk Freemasons most warmly for their support, both financial and personal, for the current programme of works at the trust. I felt that the opening of the new AI unit at Hollesley on 28 October was a great success, and Mark Murphy was an extraordinary ambassador for the Suffolk Punch.’

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Out and about UGLE Provinces

9 N O R T H WA L E S

Care package

8 ESSEX

Members of St Cyngar Lodge in Porthmadog once again stepped up to the mark to support the local Barnardo’s group in supplying much-needed Christmas hampers to families with children in need. Well done St Cyngar!

Having a ball

At the end of an impressive tree-lined drive in the Essex countryside is the stunning Braxted House with its secret walled garden, enchanting pavilion and exquisite orangery. It was there, back in October, that members of the Essex Cornerstone Club welcomed fellow Freemasons, their families and friends to an evening of dining, live music and dancing.

The Autumn Ball black-tie event celebrated the launch of the Essex Cornerstone Foundation, a new charity set up to support local good causes, particularly those helping young people. The foundation unites the charitable efforts of the Essex Cornerstone Club and the Essex Cornerstone Lodge, the world’s first Lodge for young Freemasons.

One of the main guests, Nick Franklin, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Essex Freemasons, said, ‘I was absolutely thrilled to attend the wonderful Autumn Ball along with many other members of the Essex Provincial Executive. This new charity has been set up to support some very worthwhile causes around Essex, which is something we can all get behind.’

Nick further explained that, ‘The Essex Cornerstone Club has become an integral part of Essex Freemasonry over the past five years since it was established, and has been a driving force among New and Young Masons Clubs across the English Constitution.’

After dinner, but before the young Essex Freemasons danced the night away, a raffle was held for the Essex Cornerstone Foundation. Prizes included a Ferrari driving experience, afternoon tea at Harrods and signed sports memorabilia. More than £2,000 was raised for the new charity and will be donated to Essex good causes.

Discover how to make new friends while having a great time with a focus on charity and find out more about the Essex Cornerstone Club and Lodge at www.essexscornerstone.com

10 E A S T K E N T

Props and pints

To support the game that is loved by so many across the East of Kent – from New Ash Green to Folkestone and from Cranbrook to Thanet Wanderers – an amazing 2,000 bottles of Spirit of Rugby IPA was given to the 27 rugby union and rugby league clubs across the area.

The tasty ale was specially brewed by the Nelson Brewery in Chatham’s historic dockyard and was sponsored and paid for by the Spirit of Rugby Masonic Lodge, in a unique initiative to support the game throughout the region.

Founded in 2016, the Lodge grew from a social group of more than 100 rugby enthusiasts, including many past and present players and their families and friends. It was created by a group of Freemasons who recognised that many values such as integrity, respect, charity and benevolence are shared by the game of rugby and Freemasonry.

And, of course, a love for good beer!

The ale project, initially conceived by Spirit of Rugby Lodge member Craig Collins, has been driven by fellow members Mark Lawson and Matt Mitchell, supported by a host of others who assisted in distributing and presenting the ale to the clubs.

‘It is wonderful to be able to offer this tangible support to our local rugby community,’ said Mark.

He told reporters that part of the raison d’être

Right: Freemasons from East Kent enjoy a bottle of Spirit of Rugby IPA

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UGLE Provinces Out and about

of the Lodge when it was founded was to work hard to apply those shared values in supporting the amazing work that the game of rugby does within local communities.

Matt added, ‘Rugby is such a special game that often creates strong and lifelong friendships and camaraderie with those you meet along the way; not to mention the enjoyment and satisfaction of playing the game, then sharing the company of your teammates and opponents in the bar afterwards.

In the wake of the lockdowns, which created so many challenges for rugby clubs everywhere at all levels, this initiative to offer tangible support to the grassroots rugby community has been well received.

Rugby is alive and well in East Kent – and long may that continue. For more information about the Spirit of Rugby Ale project, visit www.freemasonsrugby.com/latest-news/

remembrance were included, featuring the playing of the Last Post, a poppy fall, and the laying of wreaths.

The service was arranged by the Province’s Military Lodge, Combined Services No. 9900.

12 D U R H A M

Helping hand

A substantial donation from Durham Benevolence to the tune of £10,000 has been made to the Sunderland and Durham Foodbank. Although a lot of food is donated, there can be a shortfall in some items.

The money will be used to buy these items to complete the food parcel so that there is a balanced diet for the whole family. The Masonic Charitable Foundation has generously matched this amount, making a total donation of £20,000.

The smooth running of Sunderland and Co Durham Foodbank is ensured by many hard-working volunteers, such as Freemasons Jonathan Stapley, Andrew Thompson, Tom Foster and John Thompson, supplying 35 foodbank distribution centres spread around the Province. Over the past 12 months, it has supplied emergency food and toiletries to 24,000 people in financial crisis across the region, including more than 5,000 children.

Durham Benevolence surprised the Foodbank by adding 150 large teddies to be given to children who would not otherwise be able to celebrate Christmas as they would hope.

Peter MacLellan, chief executive of the Durham Christian Partnership (the parent company that looks after the foodbank) expressed his thanks to the Durham Freemasons for their contribution, which will benefit many families throughout the Province.

11 B E R KS H I R E

Commit to the Covenant

The Provincial Grand Master for Berkshire, Anthony Howlett-Bolton OBE, has signed the Armed Forces Covenant on behalf of the Berkshire Province. The signing took place when Berkshire Freemasons and their families gathered at Sindlesham for a service of Remembrance on Sunday 7 November last year.

Anthony said, ‘There has always been a special relationship between the armed services and Freemasonry, since both institutions value the same principles of integrity, respect and friendship.

With so much conflict existing in the world and with the evidence of selfless commitment shown on daily by men and women of the armed services, it is only right that Freemasons publicly support and uphold the Armed Services Covenant. So it has given me great pleasure to sign it on behalf of the Province of Berkshire.’

The covenant was jointly signed by Brigadier John Kendall, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Also in attendance was the High Sheriff for the Royal County Berkshire Willie Hartley Russell, who was there to witness the signing.

The event was staged as a military-themed Drumhead service and marked the 100th anniversary of the Royal British Legion. All the usual ingredients of

Above right: Durham Freemasons are keeping those in need supplied with essentials

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Out and about UGLE Provinces

13 C O R N WA L L

14 H A M P S H I R E & I S L E O F W I G H T

Kit and caboodle

Close to you

Penwith Lodge, which has held meets in Freemasons’ Hall, Foundry Square, Penwith since 1973, has a long tradition of helping community-based charities and clubs. As part of this local outreach and ongoing community support in nearby Hayle, they have donated a football kit with the Lodge’s emblem printed on the back, to Hayle Predators U7 football team.

The team formed in July 2021, takes part in the Kernow Youth Football league and plays its matches at Hayle football club on their 4G all-weather pitch.

They were presented with their new kits by the Worshipful Master of Penwith Lodge Tim Miller and the Lodge Charity Steward Anthony Wilkins at their training ground.

Tim said, ‘We’re proud to be supporting Hayle Predators for the remainder of the season. As a fraternity, we have an ongoing commitment to help our local community, and it’s so rewarding to see the joy the gift of the kit has upon the boys and girls of the club.’

Matthew Gendall, who is the team’s manager, and a colleague of the Lodge’s Secretary Chris Wadsworth said, ‘I couldn’t believe it when Chris offered on behalf of the Lodge to provide the kids with a new kit. It’s wonderful to receive this kind of support and I can’t thank them enough. The kids absolutely love the new kit. It has kept them warm during the past few months and they look so smart arriving at matches all in the same gear.’

‘I am delighted that Hampshire and Isle of Wight – and in particular Winchester – Freemasons have been able to show their support in some small way for the new local hospice’ 14

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Burrell House, in the grounds of the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, was converted into Winchester Hospice and opened in September following the success of a £4.4 million community-backed fundraising campaign. The hospice has 10 ‘cuddle beds’, which make a big difference to patients and their relatives – with the press of a button the beds open up, making room for two people.

Local Freemasons raised and donated £18,000, and a further £2,000 was secured from the Masonic Charitable Foundation.

Nick Vaughan, chair of Winchester Hospice Fundraising Charity, said, ‘We are very grateful to the Freemasons for funding our latest cuddle bed.

We now have one in each of the 10 bedrooms, creating a home-like environment for every one of our patients.

As we continue the charity’s fundraising campaign to ensure the delivery of enhanced care and support for patients and their loved ones, the additional funds we received from the Freemasons are much appreciated.

This support will also enable the hospice team to employ the specialist skills of an art therapist who will provide a valuable form of psychotherapy support.’

Jon Whitaker, who heads Hampshire & Isle of Wight Freemasons, said, ‘Freemasons throughout the country have supported the hospice movement for many years.

I am delighted that Hampshire and Isle of Wight – and in particular Winchester – Freemasons have been able to show their support in some small way for the new local hospice.’

While Winchester Hospice Fundraising Charity has raised more than £4.4 million through charitable donations, it needs to continue fundraising to help staff to deliver enhanced care and support to patients and their loved ones. Winchester Hospice is run by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which has hospitals in Winchester, Basingstoke and Andover.

Above right: Local Freemasons have funded a ‘cuddle bed’ for Winchester Hospice

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Stories UGLE Districts and Groups

COVID restrictions are no match for the perseverance and steadfast desire of one newly initiated member and two New and Young Masons Clubs, which prepared him for his initiation into Freemasonry. Watchman Fong, 23, began his journey to become a Freemason when he was studying law at the University of Exeter in September 2019.

Watchman noticed that just a brisk walk away from his university campus was a building of interest – the Exeter Freemasons’ Hall. Taking the first step, he inquired inside and was soon put in contact with the members of the Chisel Club, a New and Young Masons Club in the Province of Devonshire. Watchman was soon a regular attendee at the club’s social events, before formally asking to become a Freemason.

Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions, Masonic activities were suspended, and in this timeframe, Watchman moved back to his hometown, Hong Kong. Recognising a keen Freemason in Watchman, Mark Lewis, PrGMO, of the Chisel Club reached out on his behalf to Bryan Carter, PAGDC, District Grand Secretary of the District of Hong Kong & the Far East, who then passed his contact to Daniel Yu, Founder and current Chairman of the One Kennedy Club (1KC), the corresponding New and Young Masons Club operating in Hong Kong, the first and only club in a District outside of the UK. Watchman then attended a variety of events hosted by 1KC. This included social mixers with an average attendance of 65 New and Young members and potential candidates representing 20 Lodges in the District. As the newest introduction from the Chisel Club, he was accepted and welcomed with open hearts by the members in Hong Kong.

When asked how he felt about his journey into Freemasonry, he said, ‘I started my Masonic journey in Devonshire and ended up being initiated in Hong Kong. As a newly initiated young Freemason, the Chisel Club in Devonshire and One Kennedy Club in Hong Kong illustrated the standard of worldwide brotherhood to me through my journey to become a Freemason, and I am now proud to be called a brother.’

Moving ahead, Watchman looks forward to contributing to the continued growth of 1KC, who took him in as an extension of New and Young Masons Clubs under the United Grand Lodge of England, and to the Lodge of Lu Pan who welcomed him in as family.

From starting his journey visiting a local Masonic Hall in Devonshire to being initiated in Hong Kong, it goes to show the importance of a united New and Young Masons Clubs global network, ensuring that young, keen gentlemen are supported in their Masonic journey to becoming active members in their community.

Watchman was proposed by Daniel Yu, seconded

by Vivian Lee, initiated on 14 December 2021 in the Lodge of Lu Pan No. 9387, and attended by Vivian’s successor, the new District Grand Master, Michael Lintern-Smith.

His initiation was augmented by a heartfelt nine-minute video address from the Province of Devonshire, Colin Gale (PSGD, Assistant Grand Master), Mark Lewis (PrGMO), Glenn Weaver, David Goode (PrSGD), Ben Newell, Al Porte, and Greg Marks.

When travel restrictions subside, 1KC hopes to send committee members to the UK and attend future New and Young Masons Clubs’ conferences, meet other club members and further strengthen international Masonic bonds, building upon a previous visit to the conference held in Cardiff hosted by The Colonnade Club in 2018.

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15 H O N G KO N G

Come together

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Thanks to the New and Young Masons Clubs, Watchman Fong is a Freemason

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Stories

Contents Stories

People, places, history and more

20 Higher ground

32 We meet again

Metropolitan Freemasons fund lifesaving ladders

The New and Young Masons Clubs Conference returns

24 Roll of honour

34 Care at Christmas

The Remembrance memorial projected onto Freemasons’ Hall

Looking back at a festive feast for young people in need

26 Fancy a brew?

Welcome to the first official Lodge for lovers of Craft beer

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Stories Tower of strength

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GREAT HEIGHTS Unveiled at the 2021 Lord Mayor’s Show, London Fire Brigade’s impressive new ladder comes thanks to a £2.5 million fundraising effort by the Metropolitan Grand Lodge

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Tower of strength Stories

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ondon Fire Brigade’s newest piece of kit was unveiled at the Lord Mayor’s Show in November 2021, taking up prime position next to Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London. This remarkable machine was a fire engine with an enormous 210-foot ladder, the largest in the UK, that seemed to go on forever. It towered into the sky above the City to gasps from the gathering crowd. When the Lord Mayor came over to have a look for himself, he had to hold his feather-trimmed tricorn hat in place as he craned his neck to see the top.

Watching with pride were members of the Metropolitan Grand Lodge, which ran a two-year campaign to raise the £2.5 million needed to design, develop and deploy two super-aerial, extendedreach 210-foot turntable ladders – double the size of anything in the fleet. These machines give London Fire Brigade more options when fighting tower block fires like the blaze at Grenfell Tower in 2017.

‘The Lord Mayor’s Show was the first time we could reveal to the public what we were funding and it was the first time that London could see the appliance,’ says John Parry, Metropolitan Grand Inspector, organiser of the Metropolitan Grand Lodge entry into the show. ‘It was a moment of personal and collective pride. Our members were amazingly generous, even with COVID, so raising the money wasn’t any more difficult, I am constantly amazed by the generosity of Freemasons.’

Andy Roe, commissioner of London Fire Brigade, said, ‘I am very grateful of our partnership with Freemasons of London. The ladders are the tallest in the UK and will improve our ability to respond to a variety of incidents by allowing us to reach greater heights. Each of the vehicles has a rescue elevator to transport firefighters and casualties to the ground from height safely and quickly, and can deliver 2,500 litres of water per minute at any height. On behalf of London Fire Brigade, I express my gratitude to Freemasons of London and their members who have raised an extraordinary amount to fund vehicles that will help us protect Londoners.’

The fire appliance fundraiser follows two previous campaigns by the Metropolitan Grand Lodge to fund an Air Ambulance and a CyberKnife, a robotic radiotherapy device that can reduce some cancer treatments from six months to two hours.

All three projects are united by a desire to support London’s frontline services by providing them with potentially lifesaving equipment.

‘They are ploughing the same furrow,’ says John.

‘That means members have faith in us. They know that we have done our research and will have found a project they can support that will improve life for Londoners. We actually exceeded the target for the air ambulance, so we bought five rapidresponse vehicles too.’

The decision to target the extendable ladders was the result of an informal chat between a London Freemason and a member of London Fire Brigade. When the Freemasons made an approach, it was not even known whether London’s streets could support extendable ladders of this size,

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London Freemasons ran an impressive two-year campaign to raise the £2.5 million needed for the new 210-foot ladder, unveiled in front of the Lord Mayor last November

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Stories Tower of strength

Constructed in Germany, the two vehicles funded

by Freemasons were delivered for London’s Lord Mayor’s Show

Show that goes back 14 years. At first, it had been difficult to persuade Freemasons to take part in the show, and the first float was pretty low-key – a London bus with a thermometer on the side showing the amount of money that had been raised that year. Now, Freemasons are annual attendees, carrying banners that celebrate supported causes. The Freemasons’ float is accompanied by representatives of these different charities and, in 2021, Freemasons from The Order Of Women Freemasons and Freemasonry For Women joined the parade for the first time.

‘Fourteen years ago, the public perception was

as the narrow roads would restrict how large the base vehicle could be. While London Fire Brigade did its research, Freemasons got into action.

Funds are raised through individual Freemasons’ donations, summer parties, balls, auctions and other occasions, and one such event took place in 2019, where prizes such as Novak Djokovic’s tennis racket were on offer. But the pandemic meant Freemasons had to improvise – devising new events such as online magic shows and Zoom quizzes.

Once the technical challenges were resolved, the vehicles were constructed in Germany and delivered to London in time for the Lord Mayor’s Show.

London Fire Brigade purchased three – two with money from Freemasons and one from their own funds. These are being located in Wimbledon, Old Kent Road and Dagenham. Both of the Freemasons’ vehicles were at the Lord Mayor’s Show: one in the procession, the other deployed at Mansion House.

This was the latest chapter in a relationship between London Freemasons and the Lord Mayor’s

‘When you see the results of the money we have given – where we have helped feed the hungry or saved a life – that is a source of great pride’ 22

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quite negative and along with many other things our presence at the Lord Mayor’s Show has served to change that perception,’ says John. ‘Some Freemasons were cautious wearing their regalia as we can’t usually wear it in public. They said they felt as if they were walking out into the streets naked and everybody would be staring at them. But during the parade, you are surrounded by fire-breathing teenagers turning somersaults on stilts, so 50 chaps on a bus wasn’t that radical. Every year, the people who take part are glowing, and the response of the public is so positive. There is nothing but praise.’

So, on a fine weekend in November, these two threads came together and London’s Freemasons were able to display the two vehicles they had bought for their home city. When John, a Freemason for 30 years, sees the results of the fundraising, it reminds him of why he became a Freemason in the first place. He likens it to his professional career as a BBC sound recordist and independent producer where he made groundbreaking documentaries about Greenpeace, homelessness, and early IVF treatment that transformed lives for those impacted.

‘When you see the results of the money we have given – where we have helped feed the hungry or saved a life – that’s a source of a great pride,’ he says.

‘It shows that somebody such as myself, an ordinary chap without the means to do any of these things on my own, is part of an organisation that with its numbers and its mindset has enabled myself and others to instigate enormous change.’ And with another successful campaign completed, John and the Metropolitan Grand Lodge are already eyeing up their next mission, which again focusses on supporting London’s emergency services by providing them with life-changing equipment.

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Stories Point of honour

WE W I LL REMEMBER THEM

In November, UGLE presented a poignant multimedia display at Freemasons’ Hall to mark Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, and to honour our fallen brethren

T

o mark Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday last November, the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) projected images of falling poppies, poems and silhouettes of soldiers onto Freemasons’ Hall. The display was live from 00:01 on 11 November to 23:59 on 14 November.

Images included four famous war poems: In Flanders Fields by John McCrae, The Soldier by Rupert Brooke, Dulce et Decorum Est

by Wilfred Owen, and On Somme by Ivor Gurney. The event also included footage of a wreath being laid at the Roll of Honour by The Grand Master HRH The Duke of Kent, KG and other serving Freemasons, including Victoria Cross recipient Colour Sargent Johnson Beharry VC, COG. Dr David Staples, Grand Secretary and Chief Executive of the UGLE said, ‘The history of Freemasons’ Hall is directly linked to the Great War. More than 3,000 Freemasons were killed in action during World War I. In honour of those members, 24

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Freemasons’ Hall was rebuilt as a peace memorial to all the Freemasons who gave their lives for their country. To us, it is an honour to remember their ultimate sacrifice.’

Freemasons have always had a strong relationship with the armed services, and the UGLE has worked with the Remembrance Penny initiative, which has donated a bronze poppy in a case, inscribed with the words: ‘They shall not grow old. For those Freemasons who died for their country’.

Funds raised from the sale of the Remembrance Pennies support Combat Stress, a charity that delivers life-changing specialist services to veterans across the UK. The bronze poppy will be permanently situated in the vestibules at Freemasons’ Hall as a symbol of reflection and contemplation for those men and women who have served their country.

In October 2021, the Freemasons signed the Armed Forces Covenant, led by His Royal Highness, The Duke of Kent, KG.

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Point of honour Stories

The partnership supports members of the armed forces community to ensure they have the same access to government, commercial services and products as any other citizen.

By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, UGLE will be able to demonstrate its help to members of the armed forces in areas such as education, family wellbeing, finding a home, starting a new career and access to healthcare, financial assistance and discounted services.

To find out more about the role Freemasons have played during periods of national war, members of the public can view the Brothers In Alms website at www.brothersinalms.org.uk.

This exhibition of rare photographs spans the period from the Second Boer War through to the end World War II, and features those who led and those who served on land, sea and in the air.

It portrays the landscape of conflicts across all continents and the diversity of the participants.

Freemasons honour the fallen in a spectacular display of remembrance images projected onto Freemasons’ Hall

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Stories Beer with brothers

Roll out the barrel

Members of the Masonic Craft Beer Society explain how their passion for ale and socials led to the first fully-fledged beer Lodge. We join them in conversation W O R D S P E T E R WAT T S P O R T R A I T S J O O N E Y W O O D WA R D

N E I L-TH O MAS ALLE N The Masonic Craft Beer Society (MCBS) grew out of the first lockdown. Some of us belong to a WhatsApp group, which we used to stay in touch and to keep each other sane. Every Friday night we met on Zoom and we’d start by talking about the different beers we were drinking. There was a lot of interest and we saw this could become a thing. We launched on Facebook with the initial idea of creating an online database of all the beers we’d been trying, with a description and rating. Within 24 hours, we had around 300 members who were keen to get involved.

N E I L MARS HALL What is craft beer? That is a contentious question but we take a general view that the brewery should be relatively small and innovative.

TI M H I LLI E R - B ROO K Part of my thought process was that we were all drinking slightly different styles. My dad in his Lodge in Brighton is a best bitter guy, while I was drinking over-the-top super-hoppy IPAs, and, of course, there is so much stuff in between. I felt we could build on this as there is so much to appreciate with the different types of beer. All it takes is some 26

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Beer with brothers Stories

The Masonic Craft Beer Society at The London Beer Factory’s Barrel Project. Their first meet as Horus Lodge No. 3155 takes place in Freemasons’ Hall in May

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Stories Beer with brothers

Clockwise from top left: Neil-Thomas Allen, Tim Hillier-Brook, Gur Samuel, Neil Marshall

sharing and open-mindedness, which for me is what Freemasonry is all about. It was a social way to take our mind off lockdown while sharing, educating and opening the mind.

had Lesser Light, which was named for the Wax Chandlers. We raised £500 for charity and everybody felt like friends. It was a lovely, relaxed day and a real highlight after that first lockdown.

ADAM M I LLS Soon, we had about 2,500 people in our Facebook group. We began to contact a few breweries to see if they were interested in sitting down with us on a Zoom call and we’d go through their selection in a sitting, bringing the taproom into the home.

The first was Thornbridge, and they sold boxes to our members and then talked us through a virtual tasting. So we helped out the brewery, and our members had a great evening. We’ve done four or five more since then. We realised that if people were doing it on Zoom we could transition to in-person.

GU R SAM U E L We were then approached and asked if we were interested in taking over a failing Lodge. We were introduced to Horus 3155, which has a fantastic history but which was going to struggle to stay open post-COVID. May 2022 will be our first meeting and we will be balloting for more than 100 members.

The MCBS has members from Durham, Lancaster, Kent, Dorset, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Bolivia, Canada and Ghana. And one of our members from the US hopes to come to the meeting in May.

AN D R E W BO N D One of our members is the Beadle at Wax Chandlers’ Hall and he offered us the use of the building for an event in summer 2020. That social had about 70 of us with three beers brewed by a member who is a commercial brewer. Two had Masonic names.

We had a stout called 9pm Toast; we had Sunken Dreams, which was a New England IPA; and we 28

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J OS H UA WO R LE Y We are planning two meetings a year. The idea is to get together at Freemasons’ Hall in Lodge Room 10, the Egyptian Temple, which suits the Horus name very well. We will have a Festive Board in the gallery suite and the anteroom will be our cash bar for the different breweries that we will invite to participate. There will be tastings after the meetings, so it will be an event, something our FMT Spring 2022

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Stories Beer with brothers

members will really look forward to. We want to be an e-Lodge so will have a fantastic website, all subs will be paid online and we have newsletter called the Horus Herald.

NTA We have talked about brewing our own beer, but one of our goals is to celebrate existing breweries. We want to support those craft breweries rather than commercialise the society and we are really keen to support what is already out there.

We can do that through the Lodge. We will bring in a different brewery at every meeting.

AB We will continue the fortnightly Zoom meetings and tastings independent from the Lodge. The aim is to be as open as possible, and always offer a range of tastes at any meeting, so we cover the full spectrum of flavours and variety. People only need to try a third of a glass, enough to get a taste and experience it in a safe and fun environment.

GS Lots of new beers have been discovered through the MCBS but we may also have inadvertently created one. When we arrange tastings we email different breweries to see if they are interested. One brewery, S43, which some of us really like, didn’t get back to us. Then a few months later they released a beer we inspired that’s like a coffee stout. Some of the members have tried it and say it’s very nice, but

I am saving mine. Another beer, Secret Handshake, was made by Steam Machine Brew Co and was released commercially.

NTA We are the first beer Lodge and people might think that is very raucous and boozy and a bit disrespectful. But that’s not what will happen.

Our aim is to celebrate beer and treat it very much like wine-tasting. Every member has a serious interest in beer and brewing and the craft behind it.

AB One thing we are very proud of is the charity aspect. Early on, we created some MCBS badges.

We sold 99 of them but kept back badge 100, which was then sold in a raffle raising more than £1,000 for charity. We are keen on maintaining those Masonic values through raising money.

JW At the time we were presented with the opportunity to take on the Lodge, we thought long and hard about how to brand Horus. We had ideas for various names based on beer and brewing but Horus is a Hallstone Lodge and one former member is on the Roll of Honour. We felt there was too much history so we kept the name and created a new badge that has retained the original elements of the Horus badge. Our virtual happy hour will still continue in parallel with Horus. But Horus is now our official home.

Clockwise from top left: Andrew Bond, Joshua Worley, Adam Mills

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Stories Rules of engagement

Clubbing together

After a halting start and a year’s delay, Hertfordshire’s Fleet House Light Blues Club hosted the New and Young Masons Clubs’ Conference, a resounding success

B

ringing together New and Young Masons clubs from all over the UK, the New and Young Masons Clubs’ (NYMC) Conference is a popular and prestigious event. In 2019, it was hosted by Leicestershire and Rutland Light Blues Club. At the end of that conference, NYMC Secretary Mitchell Merrick-Thirlway announced that Fleet House Light Blues Club of Hertfordshire had won the privilege of hosting it in 2020 thanks to their excellent pitch.

Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic put a stop to the 2020 conference. However, a new date was set for October 2021 and the Fleet House Light Blues Club were fully committed to producing an informative and engaging conference. The event

went ahead in St Albans, Hertfordshire, where more than 80 delegates were joined by the Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes, who was attending his first NYMC conference.

The theme of the conference was ‘Engaging your membership’ and provided all New and Young Masons Clubs with ideas on how best to engage Freemasons outside of the Lodge room. The Fleet House Light Blues Club is renowned for the variety of its social events and Masonic education, and this was a chance to pass on that knowledge.

After an update on Solomon, delegates welcomed Tom Rainsford, marketing director of Beavertown Brewery. Rainsford is not a Freemason but offered a valuable opinion on how to brand internal clubs.

Clockwise from top left: UGLE Communications Manager Shaun Butler, attendees pose questions, Luke Crouch, Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes

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Rules of engagement Stories

Clockwise from top left: Andrew Murray, The Order of Women Freemasons join the organisers, Daniel O'Connell from Fleet House Light Blues Club

Daniel O’Connell, a founder of the Fleet House Light Blues Club, also gave a presentation on how to engage members. As creative lead at the National Lottery, Daniel provided some vital tools and techniques on how to survey and implement a good communications strategy.

The conference programme also featured a variety of break-out sessions, including a wonderful presentation by Shaun Butler, Communications Manager at UGLE. Luke Crouch, Andrew Murray and Steven Gordon-Wilson all provided insightful sessions on how to attract New and Young Masons, giving the delegates plenty to think about and discuss. Topics ranged from social media

‘More than 80 delegates were joined by the Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes, who was attending his first NYMC conference’

guidance to a presentation on inclusivity and diversity in Freemasonry.

Gareth Jones, the UGLE liaison for NYMC, gave a short address on New and Young Masons Clubs before handing over to the Pro Grand Master for the keynote address – an interesting look at his Masonic experience including some advice on how new and young members can help older members with technology, especially during the pandemic.

The conference was a great chance to spread new and progressive ideas, allowing members from different Provinces to share experiences and build even better engagement with their members.

After the conference closed, there was a special meeting of Salisbury Union Lodge. The temple at Ashwell House, St Albans was full, and members were treated to a wonderful multi-initiation ceremony and a lively Festive Board.

The University Scheme Lodge has strong links with the Light Blues Club, creating a synergy in the Province of Hertfordshire.

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Stories Care at Christmas

I

hadn’t really known what to expect when we first opened the doors of our Lodge – Ashfield House in Burtonupon-Trent – to 30 young people who had been invited to spend Christmas lunch with us because they had left care and were living alone. But I realised the importance of that gesture within a couple of hours. It was around the time when all 30 of those young people, plus their carers, were raising their voices and singing along to Christmas carols seemingly without a care in the world.

This is not how life is for them the other 364 days of the year. Nor is it how they would usually spend Christmas.

In fact, for one young man (we’ll call him Trevor), that lunch was the first time he had ever received a Christmas card.

Not that he opened it to find out what it was all about. Instead, after carefully tearing off the top corner of the envelope to have a tiny peek inside, he tucked it into the pocket of his coat.

‘I’m going to save it for Christmas Day,’ he told me. ‘It’s the only one I’m going to get this year.’

That was three years ago, and it was when I first understood the difference a Christmas lunch would make to the lives of children who had previously been in care. And it was when I truly understood the meaning of the charity we pledge to undertake when joining the Freemasons.

There are plenty of other examples, such as the two sisters who had been sold into prostitution by their own parents and only saw each other when they came to our lunches. Or the young man who walked in shyly and silently with his carer and tried to hide in a room full of people.

One hour later, he was singing along to The 12 Days of Christmas and his carer was in tears. ‘That’s the first time I’ve ever heard him speak,’ she said.

Then there was the young man who walked for hours through the snow when his train was cancelled. He finally arrived three hours late, but was determined not to miss out.

COMFORT A N D J OY

Derbyshire Freemason Malcolm Prentice looks back at how he and fellow Derbyshire members and Provincial office staff have been making a difference to the lives of local young people in need

Thanks to the kindness of a team of volunteers, these young people realise that someone cares about them

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Care at Christmas Stories

Before COVID, our lunches had become a tradition ever since the leader of Staffordshire County Council’s care-leavers team Trandeep Sethi got in touch to ask if he and his staff could use our Lodge to provide a Christmas meal for the 16-to-25-year-olds they work with.

He offered to pay but we were having none of it. Instead, I told him to bring everyone along and we would do the rest. Thanks to the kindness of a team of volunteers and the generosity of performers who gave us their time for free, we did. And it became something of a Christmas tradition until last year.

As a magistrate for 30 years and a prison inspector for many years too, I have seen a lot. But the stories of these young people really affected me. They are blameless – just trying to live their lives having been given the worst start that any child could have ever had.

Trevor, for example, had been in care since he was eight, simply because his mum had a new boyfriend and didn’t want him any more. Some 10 years later, he was living alone in a bedsit in Lichfield.

These are the children I think about when I sit down at Christmas lunch with my family and the wine is flowing, the food is steaming hot and the presents are waiting for us under the tree.

We are the lucky ones. The least I can do for children who are not so fortunate is to make a difference to their lives once a year. They aren’t the kids in care you read about in the media, who have been caught stealing or attacking someone. Instead, they have grown up through the care system and have then been found homes that are often far away from friends and their families – many of whom are the cause of their problems. They might be living a couple of miles away from you or walking past you in the street.

Because of COVID, we have been unable to provide lunch for the past two years, so we gave everyone hampers instead.

I haven’t had the chance to see these young people again and so can only imagine the look on their faces when they open their hamper, find the presents and the Christmas card and, I hope, realise that someone cares about them.

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Another aspect I found very rewarding was that we were starting to inspire Freemasons to host lunches in other parts of the UK. No matter what we do in Burton, we are only dealing with a tiny number of young people from the care system, which means that there must be thousands of other across the country who are simply forgotten.

Maybe the Freemason movement can help them to feel remembered? I’d like to think it can. We have a few more plans up our sleeves about how we can help young people at other times of the year as well, but would love to hear from any other Lodges that might want to organise a Christmas meal.

In that respect, we can tell you how it’s done and prepare you for what you need. However, one thing we can’t prepare you for is how you feel when you’re talking to a young man or woman who is sitting down for the first hot meal they have had in days, among more people than they have met in an entire week, and holding the only Christmas card they will receive that year.

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A daily advancement Extending knowledge of Freemasonry

38 By Royal approval The philatelic mythology around the Masonic Peace Stamp

42 The By Laws of City Lodge Museum Archivist Louise Pichel on a tome to treasure

King George VI had final approval for the designs of the 1946 Masonic Peace Stamp

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Daily advancement Keeping the peace

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Keeping the peace Daily advancement

Stamp of approval

Prestonian Lecturer for 2022 John Hawkins addresses the philatelic mythology around the so-called Masonic Peace stamp

Images: Stamp Design Royal Mail Group Ltd (1946), Getty

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nyone who has taken the tour of Freemasons’ Hall is likely to have been given the opportunity by the guide to purchase, for a modest sum, an example of the so-called threepence (3d) ‘Masonic’ Peace stamp.

Unfortunately, the mythology that has grown up around it relating to its Masonic significance is largely just that.

On 11 June 1946, two Victory stamps were issued by the General Post Office (GPO) to commemorate the end of the Second World War and the commencement of reconstruction. The fi rst suggestion that such an issue be made for propaganda purposes had occurred, somewhat prematurely as it turned out, in 1941, and the idea was revisited in 1943 and 1944. By that time, there seems to have been a governmental decision that when victory was achieved it should be celebrated in a low-key way not by a new issue, but by a special cancellation stamp, i.e. postmark. The idea of a special issue would not disappear, however, and from late 1944 the GPO began to receive unsolicited designs for Victory or Peace stamps and there was a clear public demand, at least among the philatelic community. The New Zealand Post Office placed orders for Peace stamps with three British printers and other Commonwealth countries soon followed suit. Gradually, and belatedly, the GPO began to bow to the inevitable.

In January 1946, preparations for an issue on an accelerated timescale began in earnest, although at this stage it was not even clear what the denominations should be, partly complicated by the fact that it was quite possible that inland postage rates would be adjusted in the forthcoming budget. The fi nal decision was that there should be two denominations – 2½d and 3d – and that they should be made double the standard size (0.86in x 1.51in) with the theme ‘peace and reconstruction’ rather than ‘military victory’.

This recommendation was put to the Cabinet by the Postmaster General (PMG) and Prime Minister in February, and was approved subject to the inclusion of the King’s head on both stamps, one of the options considered having been to omit this on one or both.

For issues such as this, the practice of the GPO was to seek recommendations regarding the suitability of potential designers – the three bodies initially approached being the Royal Fine Art Commission (RFAC), the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland (RFACS) and the Council of Industrial Design (CoID).

A fi nal list was drawn up of 20 designers, including the in-house teams of three printing fi rms, all of whom were approached in late February. By the due date of 11 March, 11 invitees responded with 20 different designs, which were then reviewed by an internal committee. Of these, nine were considered suitable, six suitable if modified and five unsuitable. Two of the designs considered as suitable if modified (nos. 10 and 12) and one considered unsuitable (no. 11) had been submitted by Alan Reynolds Stone.

Reynolds Stone, CBE, RDI, was born 13 March 1909 at Eton College, where both his father and grandfather were assistant masters. He was descended from the artist Joshua Reynolds. After education at Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in history in 1930, he undertook a two-year apprenticeship at the Cambridge University Press, including a secondment to the Wessex Press under the typographer and designer Eric Gill. He then spent two years working at printing fi rm Barnicott and Pearce in Taunton, Somerset. During this four-year period, he came to realise that his forte was not printing, per se, but design in general and wood engraving in particular.

He spent the rest of his life, with a break for war service in the RAF from 1941 to 1945, working as a freelance designer, specialising in book decoration, but also producing advertising material, armorials, banknotes and postage stamps. His work was commissioned by many public bodies, including the Arts Council, the British Council, the National Trust and HM Stationery Office. In 1965, he designed and executed the Winston Churchill Memorial in Westminster Abbey.

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King George VI had final approval of the 1946 Victory Stamps

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Daily advancement Keeping the peace

THREE OF A KIND Three designs by Alan Reynolds Stone for the Victory issue were described and ranked by the committee as: No. 10 Trowel, compasses and square; dove; ornamental ‘flourish’ forms border. CoID/ RFACS 1st choice.

Images: Stamp Design Royal Mail Group Ltd (1946)

No. 11 Trowel, etc; dove; London ruins and rebuilding.

No. 12 As 10 minus dove; trowel, etc more prominent. CoID second choice.

Stone’s design No. 10 was therefore the first choice for two of the three organisations (the CoID and the RFACS) who had been asked to review the designs.

Following consultations with the CoID, the RFACS and the Post Office Advisory Council (POAC), it was decided that colour essays (trials) should be produced of three designs for submission to King George VI, including Stone’s design 10, which he was asked to modify slightly in terms of its lettering and a lightening of the King’s head. On 29 March, the three designs were submitted to the King, with alternative essays for each in blue and violet. There were two 2½d designs,

by Edmund Dulac and HL Palmer, an employee of Harrison & Co, the printers, as well as Stone’s 3d design.

On 1 April, the PMG was informed that the King had approved the Palmer and Stone designs, the latter subject to an improvement to the dove’s tail and a curtailment of the flourish surrounding the central design. It was decided that the 2½d should be printed in blue and the 3d in violet.

Stone was reputedly disappointed not to have had his 2½d chosen, since he had gone to considerable trouble in redrawing the value tab to his own satisfaction, and possibly also because he would have been aware that the lower denomination would have wider circulation.

Palmer and Stone each received 125 guineas for their designs, in addition to the 25 guineas paid to all those who contributed one or more designs.

Stone was not a Freemason, but he would have been aware that King George VI was and, although his design would first have to pass the committee stage, this may have encouraged him to incorporate emblems that 40

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might be considered to have Masonic significance, in particular the trowel, the square and compasses and the dove of peace. The trowel shown next to a wall is symbolic of rebuilding, the dove is a symbol of peace and the square and compasses have appeared regularly as a decoration in books on architecture and building since at least the 16th century. Also, as pointed

out many years ago by the late Terry Haunch, a former Librarian and Curator of Grand Lodge, the square and compasses are not depicted in the way they would be if the intention of the symbolism were Masonic.

Moreover, on close examination of the three original designs, it is quite clear that the symbolism was never intended to be specifically Masonic. Although Masonic tools are sometimes shown as superimposed, as in designs 11 and 12 (for example on Chinese exportware porcelain from the 18th century), the absence of the level and plumb rule and the inclusion of what is clearly a hammer rather than a maul is strongly suggestive of their practical rather than speculative significance. In design 11 the compasses are absent.

The king may have liked the 3d design because of its Masonic connotations, but this can be no more than speculation and, since there was only one 3d design, he had relatively little choice but to give his approval.

The issue on 11 June was accompanied by a press release, a radio talk by the PMG on the preceding evening and an address by the PMG to the Imperial Press Conference at Grosvenor House on the day itself.

Almost immediately, it was spotted that certain stamps had a defect, the olive branch having seven ‘berries’ (actually olives), rather than six. They also existed in some of the 2½d stamps, the ship having three portholes rather than two. Opinion was divided on the Stone design and the Masonic elements were noted as early as 14 June when a correspondent of the Darwen News suggested that Stone’s design ‘represented the nightmares of the president of a racing pigeon club after a hectic night out at his masonic lodge’. A later embellishment in Gibbons Stamp Monthly suggested that the calligraphic flourish was ‘plotting the course of the returning reveller’.

It also became apparent subsequently that the CoID had assumed that a single design would have been chosen for both stamps (with different colours) and that if they had realised there were to be two, they would strongly have recommended Stone’s for the 2½d issue. One of the CoID committee members, Sir Sydney Cockerell, also expressed his displeasure in The Times (25 June 1946) and wrote privately to the PMG that he had excellent authority for believing gossip that the King had been forced to accept the Palmer design for the 2½d despite the aesthetic objections of the Queen.

No record has been found of either the King or the artist having been asked about the Masonic significance of the stamp, if any, but the elements of its design have given hours of pleasure to speculators in Masonic iconography and a few pounds of profit to the tour guides at Freemasons’ Hall. I have my example before me as I write.

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31/01/2022 21:17

Daily advancement Museum of Freemasonry

The frontispiece of the By Laws of City Lodge depicts a drawing of the King of Sweden

A to m e to t re a s u re

The second rotation of our ‘Treasures’ display showcases some of the wonderful items in Museum of Freemasonry’s Library and Archives – from documents to prints and papers. Archivist Louise Pichel highlights another of her favourites

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any Lodge records have passed through my hands over the years. As the archivist responsible for cataloguing and making the records of erased Lodges available for research, I’ve seen a lot of the same sorts of material. Buried in with the minute books, signature books and declaration books, I often come across By Laws books, recording the rules of the Lodge, signed off by members. These volumes can be pretty dry – it’s not easy to make a list of rules exciting after all.

The By Laws of City Lodge, meeting in London in the latter part of the 18th century, are a pleasing exception. The cover is smartly embossed with the Lodge name and number, but it’s the frontispiece that’s the real star of the show. On opening the volume, the reader is presented with a precisely drawn depiction of the King of Sweden, alongside a collection of fine illustrations of Masonic symbolism.

This seemingly random inclusion of the King of Sweden in a book belonging to a London Lodge presents a bit of mystery.

The embossing on the front of the volume suggests that the book belonged to United City Lodge No. 84, meeting at the India Warehouses. A quick search of

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Lane’s Masonic Records gave no clue as to why the King of Sweden might be the feature of this particular frontispiece.

Had the binder made a mistake? The

By Laws themselves were dated 1765, so was there another Lodge with a similar name founded around that time?

After another Lane’s search, the mists cleared. City Lodge No. 330 was formed in 1765 and its first meeting place was the King of Sweden pub in Wapping Dock.

It seems fitting then, that a depiction of what may well have been the tavern sign, be included in recognition of the Lodge’s first home. They shared a meeting place with United City Lodge, moving to the India Warehouses from 1776, so it is possible that records got mixed up or there was some crossover in membership.

We’ll never quite know, but the book was clearly produced to be used by the first members of City Lodge.

My next question was ‘what do we know about the person who produced the unique frontispiece?’ Rather handily, the page opposite the frontispiece includes a handwritten note that reads: ‘Drawn and written by Michael Devon, Dep G Sec’ and signed ‘HS’, Henry Sadler, Museum of Freemasonry’s first Librarian and

Curator. Digging through our records reveals that Michael Devon worked as an assistant in the Grand Secretary’s office of the Moderns Grand Lodge from 1758 to 1769.

While working in the Grand Secretary’s office, he introduced two styles of Grand Lodge warrants and patents; a plain copy for two guineas and an embellished version for five guineas. The latter documents included elaborate calligraphy and stylised Masonic symbols. One of these symbols features an intermingled set square, compasses and Bible, as seen at the bottom of the By Laws frontispiece, became his signature design. It was copied onto many other Masonic items, including commercially produced porcelain, some of which survives in the museum collections.

Our records don’t mention which Lodges Devon was a member of, although one index notes his status as a ‘skilled penman’ and records details of some of the warrants and patents he worked on.

We have several of them in the collection, but we would love to know if any more survive and are still in use today. You can admire this volume for yourself in our ‘Treasures’ exhibition, open now in Museum of Freemasonry.

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Museum of Freemasonry Daily advancement

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15/02/2022 09:46

Grand Lodge News from Great Queen Street

46 Quarterly Communication The resilience of Freemasons in the face of adversity

48 The premiere of Solomon Live Compelling discussions on different aspects of Freemasonry

52 Art Deco delight

The original 1930s splendour of the museum’s south gallery restored

Image: Alamy

Freemasons’ Hall in 1933 when the original Art Deco south gallery was built FMT Spring 2022

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14/02/2022 11:30

Grand Lodge Quarterly Communication

Community and camaraderie

In his December message, Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes celebrates the resilience, positivity and charity of Freemasons, against all odds

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rethren, I am sure that, like me, you were very much hoping and, dare I say, expecting today’s meeting to be getting close to normality. Yet here we are looking at each other over masks. Of course, it is right that we are doing so as it is essential that we set the right example, as I believe we have done throughout the pandemic.

Setting a good example is something that Freemasons have been doing since Freemasonry started all those years ago. To have done so, and to be seen to have done so, during these difficult times is no surprise – it comes naturally. Evidence of all that has been achieved throughout the country and beyond is there for all to see. It has even been noted in some of the media. I have said frequently, 46

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and this was stressed in our earlier talk, that Masonic charity is not all about money, and so much of it involves work in our communities. And what brilliant work has been done in that regard.

However, the financial side is obviously of great relevance, and I have heard numerous times how much the work of the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity), has been appreciated in every part of our Constitution.

The liaison between the local areas and the MCF has been exemplary and long may that continue.

Where does the MCF get its money from? We all know the answer is from Freemasons. It is astonishing that there has been no let-up in the ability of our brethren to continue fundraising through all adversity. I would never have believed that the South Wales Festival for the RMBI could raise more than £5 million – or more than £1,000 per member. Their PGM was confident this would be the case, and how right he was and how well he knows the generosity of his brethren. I don’t want to single out our Welsh brethren as I am certain all Provinces are capable of the same, but, nonetheless, what a performance and a big thank you to them.

Just to confirm what I have said about other Provinces, during even more problematic times earlier in the year nearly £7 million was raised by Durham and West Lancashire at their Festivals.

Both are remarkable performances. Raising more than £12 million during some of the most difficult months many of us have known says an awful lot about Freemasonry and Freemasons themselves.

Well done to all concerned.

Over the past few months, I have been lucky enough to attend a good number of meetings and it has been noticeable how much enjoyment has been garnered from them. The sheer joy of being back together sharing ceremonies and even the odd glass or two afterwards. I have said on several occasions that, once our meetings started again, there would be no reason for poor ritual with the excuse of lack of learning time being used.

My impression is that I was right in this and the ceremonies I have seen have been of high quality. All concerned have derived so much enjoyment out of watching the work being done so well. Long may this continue.

Brethren, I don’t know about you, but after listening to our speakers today I am looking forward even more to 2022 and beyond. It is clear that this is not an organisation that will be allowed to stand still and decay. There is a tangible and growing sense of reinvigoration based on our core values and fitted for the modern day.

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Quarterly Communication Grand Lodge

Images: Dom Tyler

Clockwise from top right: Freemasons’ Hall, UGLE face masks, the Grand Temple

Today, we have seen and heard about many of the people who care so deeply for Freemasonry in general and UGLE in particular. They are totally dedicated to making the organisation better for our members, enriching their experience, enhancing their enjoyment, and educating and challenging them too. The work of the Strategy Group is just one aspect – there are many other working parties, such as Membership, Pathway, and Hermes, with members from around the country working towards the same goal. They have lively, often differing views as to priorities and emphasis that they are keen to express and debate.

‘It is astonishing that there has been no let-up in the ability of our brethren to continue their fundraising through all adversity’

It is so important that we shape a vision and strategy that is well thought through, responds to the aspirations and needs of our members, but, above all, inspires them as well.

Freemasonry is a journey that starts with our initiation and continues throughout our lives: making that journey more meaningful, so that we do not fall into a rut but are constantly reinvigorated, surprised, delighted and improved as people – that all seems to be central to some of the strategic thinking of which we caught a glimpse of today.

Brethren, as you have seen, UGLE is embarked upon a thorough and absorbing exercise designed to make it a more relevant, attractive and, essentially, a thriving membership organisation going forward.

I hope that, like me, you are looking forward to seeing how this unfolds. In the meantime, I hope you all had a happy Christmas holiday period and I wish you a happy new year and hope that 2022 will be an enjoyable one for you all.

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Grand Lodge Solomon

Clockwise from top left: UGLE Grand Secretary and CEO Dr David Staples, the HFAF’s Grand Master Christine Chapman and Third Grand Principal Gareth Jones OBE

YO U R DA I LY A DVA N C E M E N T LIVE! After digesting its online wisdom, the Solomon team realised there was an appetite for interactive discussion between brothers – so Solomon Live was born W O R D S O M A I D H I WA I Z I P O R T R A I T S D R S TA P L E S A N D M A R K O R M R O D - J O O N E Y W O O D WA R D , C H R I S T I N E C H A P M A N - C R I S T I A N B A R N E T T, M I C H E L L E W O R V E L L - A L U N C A L L E N D E R

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olomon Live was launched during the COVID-19 lockdowns to help Freemasons continue making a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge.

The Learning & Development Group had been discussing how the power of the Solomon platform often emerged through the conversations that are sparked after a paper or nugget is read, building on the learning experience of the content.

Also during lockdown, there had been a rise of webinars on Freemasonry.

However, many of these followed a standard format of a presentation (often on an obscure topic), a speaker reading monotonously, followed by never-ending questions. They’d go on and on, with the occasional audience member unmuting and complaining about their tea.

This got us thinking that a great formula for a Solomon webinar could be a lively conversation, like two friends in a coffee shop discussing a topic, with other friends listening and chipping in here and there. So the idea for Solomon Live was born: short, lively discussions 48

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featuring popular and interesting topics on different aspects of Freemasonry, delivered monthly as entertainment rather than a lecture.

Solomon Live premiered on 6 April 2021, with UGLE Grand Secretary and CEO, Dr David Staples, answering the question ‘What is Freemasonry?’ posed by host Brody Swain, Provincial Communications Officer of Worcestershire, who is also an experienced broadcaster. A total of 1,281 people watched the lively discussion with David, who gave us a thorough overview of progress at UGLE, his exchanges with the media and his future plans.

Next on was Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons/Freemasonry for Women Grand Master Christine Chapman

‘Lively discussions featuring popular and interesting topics on different aspects of Freemasonry’

who discussed ‘Freemasonry – for Women’, including its origins, how it enhances women’s lives and future plans.

Her analogy between male and female football teams – ‘same rules, different teams’ – to explain how male and female Freemasonry happily but separately coexist really resonated.

Then, 1,215 tuned in to ‘Mysteries of the Royal Arch’. Here, Third Grand Principal Gareth Jones OBE drew back the veil on the Degree: its history and its teachings.

He explained the Royal Arch’s connection with the Craft as an arc of four stages: birth, life, death (Craft) and our relationship with God (Royal Arch).

‘Freemasons & Charity’ was our next topic, where Deputy Grand Master Jonathan Spence explained the aspect of being charitable in our nature, and Les Hutchinson, CEO of the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity), giving an overview of our grants and donations.

Things then took an interesting twist with ‘Freemasonry from a Non-Mason’

FMT Spring 2022

09/02/2022 15:16

Solom

Your Journey of Masonic Learning and Development

Join us on Solomon for access to papers, quizzes and a host of interactive material covering the Craft and Royal Arch.

Explore our Solomon Live webinars covering a range of topics including interviews with the Pro Grand Master and Grand Secretary.

All this and more at your fingertips.

Start your journey

https://solomon.ugle.org.uk

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09/02/2022 15:16 17/01/2022 11:22:28

Grand Lodge Solomon

Clockwise from top left: Deputy Grand Master Jonathan Spence, Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes, UGLE Director of Communications & Marketing Michelle Worvell, veteran Mark Ormrod MBE

with Professor John Dickie, author of The Craft, stepping through his research on how Freemasonry came about, its place in global history and influence on culture, past and present. The connection between early Freemasonry and the curiosity of the enlightenment era was particularly interesting, as was his conclusion that Freemasonry is as relevant today as it ever has been.

Next was ‘A Day in the Life of the Pro Grand Master’ with our Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes. He told us about what the role involves, his journey in the Craft (via Grand Director of Ceremonies), his view on the state of Freemasonry and his vision for our future. Sharing his most and least favourite Festive Board experiences brought amusement to the more than 1,000 viewers.

We then returned to the topic of Women’s Freemasonry with ‘The Brothers of Women’s Freemasonry’ with Zuzanka Penn, Grand Master of the Order of Women Freemasons, who shared their origins (from Co-Masonry), their link with the Suffragettes, and the positive impact they have on women today. Interestingly, 50

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Zuzanka was open to the possibility of a conversation with HFAF about a future closer relationship.

‘Freemasonry & the Armed Forces’ allowed us to meet the incredible Royal Marines veteran Mark Ormrod MBE, 11 times Invictus Games medalist, along with past Royal Navy officer Mark Stollery, who shared their experiences of the armed forces, and described common themes between the two.

In December, we came up to date with new and young members Shayan Aziz, Matthew Wainwright, Harsheel Ishwar and Jig Pattni answering the question ‘How is Freemasonry relevant today?’

They shared their journeys as Freemasons, what it means to them, and what advice they would give to someone starting out.

We began 2022 with another contemporary and important topic, ‘Communicating Freemasonry’. UGLE Director of Communications & Marketing Michelle Worvell shared her ‘outsider looking in’ approach to promoting Freemasonry to the public and insights on how she’s achieved so much in her three years in the job.

In our first 10 months, we’ve had more than 13,000 registrations for Solomon Live.

As we go forward in 2022, we’ll return to discuss The Royal Arch and cover topics ranging from Freemasonry across the world through to understanding how UGLE works. There will be the chance to meet more of the Rulers as well as regular members.

We’re always looking for new ideas for topics and new members in the production team. If you’d like get in touch please email omaidhiwaizi@gmail.com Finally, a big thank you to the whole production team fronted by Brody, backed up by William Halsey, Ken Wootton, Shaun Butler, Craig Johnson and John MacGregor, under the sponsorship and guidance of L&D Group Chairman Anthony Howlett-Bolton.

FMT Spring 2022

09/02/2022 15:17

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26/01/2022 12:39

Grand Lodge Museum of Freemasonry

Above: the south gallery in 1933 and as it is now, restored to its Art Deco splendour

Transformations and treasures Museum of Freemasonry Curator Mark Dennis talks us through the stunning renovation of the museum’s south gallery to its 1930s glory

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09/02/2022 15:04

Museum of Freemasonry Grand Lodge

The newly acquired tracing board of Silurian Lodge and the Sussex Plate take pride of place

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ast summer we took the opportunity, with the help of UGLE’s maintenance staff and a specialist contractor, to transform the south gallery of the museum. As seen in this rare photograph (above left), this is how the space looked in the 1930s.

Many of the items in the photograph are still in the collections and the larger cases remain in use, although upgraded with dimmable LED lights.

The museum first opened to the public in the early 1980s – before that it was for members only. Since then, we have held many different exhibitions here. Over the years, extra display cases have been added, some borrowed from other museums and others built by the in-house team in the 1970s. They made the gallery look a muddle and the windows were blocked up many years ago to show regalia and paintings. Compared with the north gallery created in 2016 and the Library, it was looking very tired.

In July, we got the go-ahead from UGLE, which was funding the specialist sanding and resealing of the floor. This was a big job. In just seven weeks, we removed 800 objects, scrapped 22 display cases and relocated 47 more. We opened up the window apertures, installed conservation blinds, restored the floor and put back nearly 200 carefully selected items with new captioning and carefully targeted LED lighting.

All the craftsmen of Freemasons’ Hall got involved with the works. Walls were painted and plastered, cases rewired, mouldings repaired and French polished and redundant wall fittings removed.

Everything was ready in time for around 3,000 people to see the result during Open House London in September.

There were some surprises. The warm

brown bands on the floor were made from a rare tropical hardwood, unlike the rooms around it where it was just a painted-on stain.

If you are a regular visitor, you may find the new look of the gallery surprising as it hasn’t appeared like this for nearly 90 years. First-time visitors tell us that spacing out the objects helps them to focus on what they are seeing, and that they find the space welcoming and bright.

The new positioning of the cases gives us full wheelchair access for the first time, which means we can now welcome all our visitors equally. We’ve added QR codes to some of our collection’s favourite videos and if you’ve already seen them you can now find all those objects on display.

Hanging on the stairs at the end of the gallery is a new acquisition. The tracing board of the Silurian Lodge, later inherited by the Lodge of the Marches, has just arrived from Ludlow where it has been held since the 1780s.

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In the revised cases, we’ve themed items around simple captions and focused on the glass, ceramics and silver that were in the original gallery. Down the sides, we’ve brought out early aprons and regalia from overseas.

However, not everything has changed.

The Sussex Plate, a huge table centrepiece given to commemorate the First Duke of Sussex’s silver jubilee as Grand Master, has pride of place, just as it has since 1933. We’ve also taken the opportunity to display some beautiful items that haven’t been seen for a while. This is only the beginning in the gallery, which is finally the beautiful, accessible and flexible space that we hoped to create.

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Contents The Royal Arch

The Royal Arch Thoughts from the Supreme Grand Chapter

Masonic jeweller Thomas Harper

56 Precious provenance

Image: Museum of Freemasonry

The saintly and aristocratic history of a Royal Arch jewel

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Royal Arch

Rites of passage Past Grand Superintendent of Hampshire and Isle of Wight, EComp Dr Roger Jago on the saintly provenance of the Royal Arch jewel to be worn by his successors

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ack on 1 September 2021, I presented this Royal Arch breast jewel to be worn by my successors at the Provincial Convocation. It was made by the famous Masonic jeweller Thomas Harper in 1818 and was fi rst presented to a Cambridge undergraduate, the Hon George Spencer, in 1819.

The Hon George Spencer was the youngest of the six sons of the 2nd Earl Spencer. He was educated at Eton College and went up to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1817, where he studied divinity. He was not a diligent student and spent his days socialising and playing cards – nevertheless he graduated with fi rst-class honours. While at university he was initiated on 28 April 1818 in the Cambridge New Lodge No. 549, which met in the Red Lion Hotel in Petty Cury in the city.

On 19 June 1819, he was exalted into the Royal Arch in the School of Plato Chapter No. 549 and was presented with a Thomas Harper breast jewel engraved with his name.

After leaving Cambridge, George followed the expected career path for the youngest son of an aristocratic family. He was ordained in the Church of England in 1822 and priested in 1824. His father presented him with the benefice of Brington and he became totally committed to the care of his parish, regularly visiting the sick and dying, and dispensing food, clothes and monies to its poorer members.

During his time at Brington, George began to question his Anglican faith and a series of meetings with Ambrose Phillipps de Lisle, an English convert to the Catholic Faith, set George on his own road to conversion. He resigned his living at Brington and in January 1830 was received into the Catholic Church.

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Royal Arch

This was considered an outrageous act for a member of the aristocracy. To escape the resulting publicity, George went to Rome to study at the Venerable English College. Here, he came under the influence of Father Dominic Barberi, a member of the Passionist Order, who vigorously espoused the need to convert England back to the Catholic faith.

George was later ordained as a Catholic Priest in 1832 and returned to England to act as a curate at the Catholic Church in Walsall. His reputation flourished and soon he was preaching across the country. During a visit to France in 1838, George met with the Archbishop of Paris and together they hatched their Unity in Truth plan for the conversion of England back to Catholicism.

The plan met with opposition from within the English Catholic hierarchy, Bishop Peter Baines using a pastoral letter to reprimand the activities of what he referred to as ‘certain converts’.

However, it received the blessing of Pope Pius IX, who granted a number of indulgences for those who would pray for England. George’s plan was the fi rst to have the unity of all Christians as its aim, and it is in this context that he is often hailed as the Apostle of Ecumenical Prayer.

George had contemplated entering a religious order and, in 1846, he entered the Passionist Congregation, receiving his habit from his mentor Father Dominic Barberi. He took the religious name of Father Ignatius of Saint Paul and, eight years later, after the death of Father Dominic, took over as head of the Passionist Congregation in England and Belgium. However, he never stopped preaching sermons throughout Great Britain and Ireland, calling for prayers for the conversion of England.

On returning from a mission in Scotland, Father Ignatius stopped off at Carstairs in Lanarkshire to visit an old colleague. Leaving his luggage at the station, he started walking down the country lane towards his friend’s house when he suffered a heart

‘George Spencer, or Father Ignatius, was the great, great, great uncle of Diana, Princess of Wales and is a four-times great uncle of HRH the Duke of Cambridge’

attack and died alone in a ditch on 1 October 1864.

He was buried alongside Father Dominic Barberi and Mother Elizabeth Prout, the founder of the Passionist Sisters, in the Church of St Anne and the Blessed Dominic in St Helens, and Father Ignatius’ long journey towards sainthood then began.

Over the years, the graves in St Helens became a focus of Catholic pilgrimage and when Father Ignatius’ body was exhumed in 1973, in order to be reburied in a newly erected shrine, it was noted that, unlike the rest of his body, his tongue had miraculously not decayed since the day of his death.

In March 2007, the English Catholic Church announced that the fi rst stage of Father Ignatius’ cause for beatification had been completed, and on 20 February 2020 Pope Francis decreed that he had lived a life of ‘heroic virtue’ and should thereafter be styled ‘Venerable’. The fi nal step in the process of his canonisation as a saint is for two miracles attributed to him to be verified.

George Spencer, or Father Ignatius, was the great, great, great uncle of Diana, Princess of Wales and is a four-times great uncle of HRH the Duke of Cambridge. So, in the foreseeable future, the Grand Superintendents of Hampshire and Isle of Wight will be wearing a Thomas Harper jewel originally presented to an ancestor of the King of England and possibly even a saint – some provenance!

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Steve Allum (above), the new Grand Superintendent of Hampshire and Isle of Wight. The Royal Arch jewel was made by Masonic jeweller Thomas Harper

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Culture Book reviews and the crossword

62 Read all about it From the Templars to the British psyche, the best Masonic reads

64 Masonic word play Test your knowledge with our Craft-inspired crossword

Discover the Knights Templar in Brian W Price’s book In the Steps of the Templars

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Culture Book reviews Steps of Templars-cover [31]_Layout 1 10/08/2021 07:28 Page 1

The rear of the jacket depicts: the first Grand Master of the Masonic Knights Templar – Thomas Dunckerley – with a Seal he used after 1791.

The current Grand Master – Paul R. Clement in the regalia of the modern Masonic Orders of the Temple and of Malta.

Brian W. Price The Great Priory of the Masonic Orders of Knights Templar and Knights of Malta in England and Wales celebrated its bi-centenary in 1991 with the publication of Brethren in Chivalry written by Frederick Smyth, the respected Masonic author.

Brian W. Price

Over the last 50 years he has written many Masonic histories and lectured extensively on a wide range of Masonic topics. He is currently Grand Historiographer of the Order of the Allied Masonic Degrees, and Grand Historian of the Order of Knights Beneficent of the Holy City; other masonic honours include Past Great Herald in the Great Priory of Knights Templar, the 32nd degree in The Ancient and Accepted Rite; and grand rank in several other orders.

Representations of two Seals with a Templar theme: an impression of the Seal of Robert Fitzwalter; a Templar Knight who was given the chivalric title of ‘Marshal of The Army of God and Holy Church’ specifically for the mission establishing the Magna Carta.

He later joined the Fifth Crusade c1213-1219 AD [British Museum] and a widely-used ancient depiction of two knights on one horse, the meaning and symbolism having been lost.

in the steps of the templars

in the steps of the templars

Installation as a Knight Templar came in 1981 in De Ros Preceptory No 213, Harrogate, and shortly after, military duties took him to the United States where he joined a number of York Rite bodies including Nathaniel Greene Commandery No 81 in Xenia, Ohio.

David West

ISBN: 978-0-9957205-9-6

Things to do when you have nothing to do

ways seems to be doing things e usual run of the mill … such a isit your vibrant lodge … we had nt and advancement in Masonic n equal measure … I would never it possible for a triple initiation ell … just like a ballet with each nsuring that all three initiates nal involvement at all was something erriiic evening said they had nything like njoyed it … a uccess by any thank you for o attend such a ing … What a good ly wonderful meeting.

About the author Brian W. Price became a Freemason in 1970 whilst serving in the Royal Air Force and an early visit to the island of Malta triggered a life-long interest in Chivalric Masonry. He is a member of many different Masonic Degrees and Orders.

Since that book was written, much new material has come to light so this work provides a more comprehensive history of the Masonic Orders of Knights Templar and Knights of Malta, the history of the Crusading Orders from which The United Orders drew their inspiration, and the developments over the intervening centuries that preserved the chivalric ethic to provide an environment which facilitated the emergence of speculative Freemasonry in general and the chilvalric Masonic Orders in particular.

www.lewismasonic.co.uk

The front cover depicts a Knight Templar Star worn by a Masonic Knight Templar.

Printed in England

T H I N G S T O D O W H E N YO U H AV E N O T H I N G T O D O

BY DAV I D W E S T

IN THE STEPS OF THE TEMPLARS

BY B R I A N W. P R I C E

How to beef up interest

A significant addition

David West is a Freemason with a vision that could be summed up thus: if you make Lodge meetings interesting, then you will be flooded with initiates, joiners and visitors and the Lodge will thrive.

This latest edition of his book describes the various ways he has made his Lodge meetings (including both festive boards and nonMasonic social life) more fun and engaging – and which could therefore help us all to do the same. West explains how his techniques have resulted in his own Lodge now attracting and initiating four or five candidates a year.

West begins by describing what might motivate someone to become a Freemason and some easy wins to make Lodge meetings more fun, such as ‘improving talks’ and ‘improving the Festive Board’.

The bulk of the book is a series of brief plays that can be used to explain aspects of a ceremony, or something else related to Freemasonry. West provides scripts, costume tips, floorplans for how to stage the

Wing Commander Brian W. Price has been a Freemason for more than 50 years. He is obviously steeped in the Craft, and also has a particular feel for, and affi nity with, the united military Masonic orders of Knights Templar and Knights of Malta.

For more than nine years he researched their history and organisation, and has turned that labour – quite magnificently – into his recent book. He obviously loves the orders but never lets that cloud his objective and sensible assessment.

In some 500 pages, Price gives a superb overview of their history, position in the world and place in Freemasonry. His arguments are founded on footnoted research. It is all cast in carefully arranged chapters.

Each one follows an essentially chronological path through the orders’ history from the 11th century, and every significant event is allotted its own numbered part in each chapter. Thus, it is a moment’s work to fi nd exactly what one

Ways to breathe fresh life into tired Lodges plays, sheet music where required and access to a recording of the same. In anticipation of other Lodges seeing similar success, West also adds what he calls a ‘rubric for a triple initiation’.

The book ends with a series of useful appendices. These include a guide to good public speaking and giving toasts, another brief play, and (most pleasing to this reviewer) a short guide to the role of geometry in Freemasonry.

This new edition is welltimed as it coincides with the recent launch of Grand Lodge’s updated Members’ Pathway.

Any Lodges trying to get to grips with the ‘Engage’ segment, especially ‘Continued Learning and Development’, could fi nd this book an excellent resource.

Review by Geometres Things To Do When You Have Nothing To Do: Never Be Short Of Candidates Again, David West, Hamilton House Publishing, 200pp, £12.99

Impressive research worth every penny wants. The enquiring reader is also helped by a good index and select bibliography.

This is the work of a high and thoroughly well-ordered intellect. The layout and clarity let the book to appeal on so many levels – to the general reader, to the enthusiastic member of those orders and to the academic researcher.

The publishers have done an excellent job and produced a handsome volume that will grace your bookshelf. My only regret is that the budget apparently didn’t allow for photographs, that one might well have expected in a work about such colourful and theatrical orders.

I commend this significant addition to Masonic research without reservation. Its price may seem quite stiff at £25, but don’t be put off – this book is worth every penny.

Review by Stanhope In The Steps Of The Templars, Brian W. Price, Lewis Masonic, 500pp, £25.00

Books wanted for review. FMT welcomes book submissions for review. We will consider all genres, and the only requirement is that the book has a connection to Freemasonry. To submit a book for review, go to the link below and complete the form.

We will let you know if we need a physical copy of the book. The book must have an ISBN and be available for purchase by the general public (printed book, e-book, audiobook). www.freemasonrytoday.com/booksubmission

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Book reviews Culture Rite of Seven Degrees-cover_Layout 1 17/08/2021 10:38 Page 1

www.lewismasonic.co.uk

Printed in England

A N AT O M Y O F A N AT I O N : A H I S T O RY O F B R I T I S H I D E N T I T Y I N 5 0 D O C U M E N T S BY D O M I N I C S E LW O O D

THE RITE OF SEVEN DEGREES

BY DAV I D H A R R I S O N

What makes the Brits tick? Extraordinary stuff History drives the way we see ourselves

A scholarly but very readable account

A sure sign of a good history book is that complicated ideas are described and explained with great clarity. Anatomy Of A Nation does exactly that.

Selwood, who is a seasoned historian and contributor to national media, lays out an enthralling account of how the British mindset has evolved, covering nearly a million years.

He uses 50 extraordinary documents – most of which are not at all well known – as pegs to create a vivid picture of the many profound influences that have shaped Britain and its collective psyche.

A few topics will give readers an idea of the breadth of the book’s scope. These range from Stone Age hunter gatherers, Roman Britain, Beowulf, medieval music and the Gunpowder Plot, all the way to 17th century piracy, Jack the Ripper, Vaughan Williams, Hitler’s targets in Britain and the Sex Pistols.

Of particular interest to Freemasons should be the chapter about the British roots of the Enlightenment, hinging on an anonymous 1696 document, The Forme Of Giveing The Mason Word.

Selwood starts the chapter by relating how, in a country house in Ireland around 1701, the Hon Elizabeth St Leger

The late 18th century was an exhilarating period for European Freemasonry. In the half century before the merger of the Antients and Moderns, exotic and esoteric rituals were plentiful, with none more rich and engaging than those introduced into England by French Freemason Pierre Lambert de Lintot.

De Lintot, by profession an engraver, was a significant figure and his Lodge was one of the three (including William Preston’s Lodge of Antiquity) that formed the short-lived Grand Lodge of England South of the River Trent in 1779.

Harrison not only describes the history and development of the Rite of Seven Degrees, but also its connections in France and Scotland and how elements of it can still be traced in modern Freemasonry.

The rite operated in London from 1772 to 1794 and not only had seven degrees but within those seven were grades or sections, some with grand-sounding titles.

During its short life it attracted aristocrats, intellectuals and many Freemasons keen to extend their knowledge.

Some parts will seem familiar, with similarities to the Royal Arch, Rose Croix and Scottish Rite, while other parts will appear quite strange to

became the fi rst woman Freemason. This leads on to a clear account of how Freemasonry may have evolved from medieval stonemasons’ lodges that gradually became ‘purely philosophical lodges of gentlemen’.

This has, of course, been written about for scores of years, but Selwood tackles it with an unusual clarity.

The author explains the connection between early speculative Freemasonry and the emergence of the Enlightenment well.

Towards the end, Selwood adroitly pulls together all the ideas he explores to shed light on the many current anxieties the British now collectively seem to face. I struggled to put the book down.

Review by Reginald Church Anatomy Of A Nation, Dominic Selwood, Constable, 660pp, £30.00

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English Freemasons. The rite also has links to the Knights Templar and to the crusades.

To add to this fascinating history, the author has had transcribed from the original handwritten French the minutes of Lodge of Perfect l’Observance No.1, which practised the rite. The book contains photographs of those minutes, together with both French transcriptions and English translations and some of de Lintot’s own elaborate engravings. We are then given much of the ritual itself, again in both the French original and English translation.

In a work that is scholarly but thoroughly readable, Harrison has brought to life an exciting era in the development of early speculative Freemasonry.

Review by Richard Jaffa The Rite Of Seven Degrees, David Harrison, Lewis Masonic, 350pp, £25.00

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Culture Crossword

Cryptic crossword

by Palolo ACROSS 1. First person in Paris has business exec in charge of crafty order (8) 5. Some umlaut I remember back in Masonic ceremonial (6) 9. Patient man follows host for lowly post (5) 10. Hate to be a main reformer (9) 12. Uselessness in Victorian four wheel drive (9) 13. In his verse forms poet admits he’s a switch hitter (5) 14. Fix a new lug for topmost planking (7) 15. Obscure film fragments in middle of reel (7) 17. Card game with directions for island group (7) 19. Raids reported in Dodecanese (7) 22. Leg-over cheesecake (3-2) 25. Statesmen destroyed way of limiting claims (5,4) 26. Strangely inapt wine for the nibbles (9) 27. Decline invitation for jolly party (5) 28. Pretend alliance has final solution (3-3) 29. Shelter from the 1723 Constitutions? (8) DOWN 1. Place to start or end - like The Golden Gate Bridge (7-3,5) 2. Royal Arch tarrier is endlessly irritable about short trip (9) 3. Overlapping one another, India and China are both in and outside emerging markets bloc (9) 4. Think about wise men in eastern surrounds (7) 6. Sign first (7) 7. Spike reduced peacekeeping force (5) 8. Internet language “1337”, I’d heard, going with the wind (3,4) 11. Exclamation of support around Benin for Reichenbach’s force (5) 16. And, what’s more, contains fabric rug for table covers (5,4) 18. Men she’s trained to trap (6) 19. Scotsman seen around princess of Jodhpur – or of Shiraz? (7) 20. Ludicrous teacher comes back with good book missing opening (7) 21. Recorded as behind at Wimbledon? (3,4) 23. Orchestral score is so famous (5) 24. Online transfer system not unknown in Vatican (5)

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COMPETITION

Freemasonry in focus Do you have a photo you’d like to share with us that demonstrates what Freemasonry means to you? We’d love to see it and share it in FMT. Email your favourite Freemasonry pic to editor@freemasonrytoday.com along with details of your name, address and Lodge by 3o April 2022. The winning photo will be sent a copy of the Inside the Freemasons DVD. FMT Spring 2022

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Crossword Culture

Solution to Winter 2021 crossword

by Pornopion Last issue’s winner Steffen Deutschenbauer, Munich

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The winner of last issue’s competition is Dr John Hawkins, PJGD. Last week, he recited his first unofficial delivery of the 2022 Prestonian Lecture – The Royal Family and Freemasonry – at William Preston Lodge No. 766.

In the photo, Dr Hawkins is pictured with previous Prestonian Lecturers.

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Please send your completed cryptic crossword puzzle to the Crossword Editor at freemasonrytoday.com/crossword-competition, with your contact details, including name and address. Closing date for entries is 30 April 2022. Open only to members of UGLE. Only one entry per person.

Correct entries will be placed into a cryptic crossword prize draw. Winners wil be announced in a future edition of FMT and will receive a free publication from the shop at Freemasons’ Hall.

For full terms and conditions, go to: www.ugle.org.uk/crossword-competition

Please use this form to receive FMT, to notify us of a change of address or to request to be deleted from the FMT database. Do include the reference number found on the wrapper in which FMT arrived, where this is known.

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Charity

Community care Chief Executive of the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity), Les Hutchinson reflects on a rewarding year Having worked in Masonic charity for more than three decades it is fair to say that the last couple of years have almost certainly been the most challenging. There has been a perfect storm of reduced donations, increased demand for support and continually adapting to new ways of working.

Despite these extraordinary circumstances, it has also been one of the most rewarding times of my career. The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity), working on behalf of all Freemasons, has really stepped up and delivered when it mattered most.

Late last year we published our fi fth Impact Report, which shows that during the height of the pandemic, the MCF awarded £20.5 million in the form of 6,571 grants; a huge contribution towards Freemasonry’s overall charitable giving of £51 million. The report also reveals that over the past five years we have awarded £50,000 per day in charitable support; that works out at £34 every minute! Through our work, Freemasonry was able to award grants to more than 1,000 charities and provide fi nancial support to more than 3,500 individuals. This is a remarkable achievement

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and I would like to thank our staff, volunteers, trustees and, in particular, Almoners and Charity Stewards for working so hard to help us deliver this life-changing support.

I have also been delighted with the new partnerships we have established with other organisations to help us secure better outcomes for those we support, for our donors and for Freemasonry more widely. We are working with leading national charities to fund significant projects aimed at improving early-childhood education, tackling old-age isolation and expanding mental health and domestic abuse services.

Our partnership with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award also means that Freemasonry will be funding 30,000 places on the scheme for young people with special educational needs.

We are working more collaboratively within Freemasonry too, with the MCF, UGLE and the Provinces joining forces to help feed 65,000 people who were facing hunger over the Christmas period by jointly funding £343,000 in grants to food banks.

I am also proud that the MCF followed the example of UGLE and Provinces by signing the Armed Forces Covenant late last year.

This year, we will be turning our attention to the future to ensure the MCF remains able to deliver life-enhancing support, on behalf of Freemasonry, in a manner that is efficient, effective and in alignment with the aims of our partners.

In particular, we plan to continue the trend of looking to the wider community when considering how best to expand our support and services.

The collaborative approach we have taken with UGLE, Provincial Grand Lodges and our charity sector partners during the pandemic provides a fi rm basis for delivering this new strategy.

I am pleased that Lifelites – another important partner – is relocating to the MCF offices. Simone Enefer-Doy, who retired as chief executive after 15 years, led the expansion of Lifelites’ services to all children’s hospices and she was a passionate fundraiser within and beyond Freemasonry.

I wish her well and look forward to working with her successor in the years ahead. I would also like to record my thanks to three retiring trustees: Tim Dallas-Chapman, Ian Sabin and David Watson for their years of service to the MCF and the former charities.

Finally, I would like to thank all of you – Freemasons, families and friends – for your continuing support. Through your generosity, our work is making a profound difference to the lives of so many people while highlighting the increasingly important role that Freemasonry and the MCF are playing in society.

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Charity

The headlines £20.5M of Freemasonry’s charitable funding was awarded through 6,571 grants to help the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society. £4.7M of this focused on supporting people across society through COVID-19.

Impacting communities The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity) has launched its fifth Impact Report, detailing the life-changing work of Freemasons at a time of COVID-19.

Visit the MCF’s interactive Impact Report to see your charity’s work www.mcf. org.uk/FMT57/impact

Helping your local community Freemasonry, through the MCF, continued to support the health, care and wellbeing, financial stability, and education of disadvantaged people in communities across England, Wales, the Channel Islands and overseas 68

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£1.8M was awarded to support the education of children and young people.

Get the facts and figures of support in your local area: Scan the QR code or access www.mcf.org. uk/FMT57/ community

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Charity

The money

The MCF funded more than 1,000 local and national charities as well as 3,559 disadvantaged individuals and families.

In a year in which the charity sector lost out on billions of pounds of funding, Freemasons continued to fund the MCF’s work, meaning calls for help were answered and those most vulnerable supported.

Discover more headline figures: scan the QR code or access www.mcf.org. uk/FMT57/ year-in-brief

was donated by Freemasons, their families and friends with almost £6M of income coming from festival appeals and £4M gratefully received from gifts in wills.

Deep dive into the money in, money out: scan the QR code or visit www.mcf.org. uk/FMT57/money

£8.4M was given to help cover the daily living costs of those struggling to make ends meet.

£2.4M supported the health, care needs and wellbeing of disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals and families.

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583 people accessed the MCF’s free and confidential counselling service.

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Charity

Lifeline for refugees

Freemasons welcome Afghan refugees with a £25,000 donation to the British Red Cross The effects of drought, floods, COVID-19, and decades-long conflict have culminated in a devastating humanitarian crisis and a mass evacuation in Afghanistan. The world watched as millions of Afghans were forced to seek refuge around the world.

The UK government has promised asylum for 20,000 refugees, and we’re grateful to say that many people – including Freemasons – have been moved to offer what support they can to those going through this unimaginable ordeal.

The British Red Cross has been at the forefront of the UK relief efforts –

helping more than 15,000 people.

Freemasons, through the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity), have donated £25,000 to support their work.

‘We’re very grateful to the Freemasons for this generous grant that makes a major contribution to the Red Cross effort to help Afghans who have mostly arrived in the UK with little more than the clothes on their backs,’ said Kalyani McCarthy, relocations manager at British Red Cross Afghanistan. ‘There’s a huge amount of need among these people

and the Red Cross is doing everything it can to help.’

Since the refugees left the turbulent environment of Kabul airport and arrived in the UK, they have been moved into hotels across the country. This donation is funding essential supplies. The Red Cross is also providing trauma support to those in distress and pre-paid mobile phones to connect families with their separated loved ones. This immediate support will ensure that families have access to the basic items they need to survive.

On top of this donation from the MCF, Freemasons from Middlesex and Essex also utilised the resources of their local Teddies for Loving Care (TLC) scheme – donating nearly 2,000 bears, which would usually be sent to hospitals to comfort children undergoing treatment.

Middlesex Freemason, Paul Sully, had been volunteering to welcome refugees at Heathrow airport when he realised that the cuddly toys would make an ideal gift for the youngest arrivals.

‘To see the sad faces of distressed young toddlers walking up the gangway into the terminal building was something I will not forget for a while. Something that will always remain with me for the rest of my life was the huge smiles from the same children when they received the TLC Bears. I have never felt more proud to be a Freemason.’

Freemasons against domestic abuse Domestic abuse is a national crisis, and the overwhelming majority of its victims are women. According to the Office of National Statistics, an estimated 1.6 million women in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse in 2020.

And this number is rising.

As the problem grows, more needs to be done to tackle it, which is why the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity) has partnered with national charity Refuge to make a difference.

The MCF’s £200,000 grant is supporting Refuge’s 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline. The confidential and non-judgmental service is run seven days 70

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a week by a team of specialist staff and volunteers, offering callers information about their rights and options.

For those wishing to leave their abusive partners, the service also supports them to do so and offers practical help as they start to rebuild their lives.

As many as one in four UK women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime and two women a week are killed by a current or former partner. Natasha Saunders, a survivor of domestic abuse and user of the Helpline, knows this all too well. ‘I can’t thank you enough, and neither can the women who will benefit from Refuge’s services,’ said Natasha. ‘The reality is you may never hear their names

or their voices, but I can assure you that everyone will be grateful that the services they need to save their lives will be running due to Freemasonry’s donation.’

No one should have to experience domestic abuse alone, and this new partnership between the MCF and Refuge means thousands of women will receive the support so they won’t have to.

Watch Natasha’s full story and hear the full impact of the MCF’s funding here: www.mcf.org.uk/ FMT57/refuge

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UGLE Provinces Fraternal world

Fraternal World The UGLE globe at a glance Key

Metropolitan Grand Lodge

Provincial Grand Lodges

Hertfordshire 188 lodges

Buckinghamshire 116 lodges Berkshire 98 lodges Surrey 253 lodges

Middlesex 195 lodges Northumberland 138 lodges Cumberland & Westmorland 77 lodges

Durham 178 lodges Yorkshire, West Riding 198 lodges

Isle of Man 19 lodges

Yorkshire, North & East Ridings 98 lodges

East Lancashire 198 lodges West Lancashire 342 lodges Cheshire 173 lodges

Derbyshire 75 lodges

North Wales 106 lodges

Worcestershire 116 lodges West Wales 27 lodges Monmouthshire 29 lodges

Somerset 89 lodges

Cornwall 80 lodges

Bedfordshire 55 lodges Nottinghamshire 86 lodges

Leicestershire & Rutland 80 lodges

Staffordshire 96 lodges

Norfolk 76 lodges

Cambridgeshire 30 lodges Suffolk 68 lodges

Oxfordshire 55 lodges

Northamptonshire & Huntingdonshire 93 lodges

Bristol 37 lodges

East Kent 181 lodges

South Wales 161 lodges Sussex 161 lodges

Devonshire 131 lodges

Herefordshire 15 lodges

Dorset 49 lodges

Guernsey & Alderney 11 lodges

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Lincolnshire 74 lodges Warwickshire 156 lodges

Shropshire 36 lodges

Gloucestershire 82 lodges

West Kent 178 lodges

London 1,252 lodges

Hampshire & Isle of Wight 255 lodges

Essex 307 lodges

Wiltshire 44 lodges

Jersey 11 lodges

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Fraternal world UGLE Districts and Groups

1 5

2

9

3 6

Across the globe

7

4 8

The Districts and Groups of UGLE

George Georgetown Town Bridgetown Halifax

Montreal

Antigua Kingston Willemstad Port of Spain

Hamilton

Cascais

São Paulo

Nassau Santiago Jamestown

Buenos Aires

Zakynthos

Rio de Janeiro Lagos

Montevideo

Gibraltar Vilamoura

1. CANADA Montreal/Halifax The Group of Lodges in Montreal & Halifax (3 lodges)

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2. CARIBBEAN Kingston/George Town District Grand Lodge of Jamaica & the Cayman Islands (24 lodges) Willemstad Igualdad Lodge, No. 653 Port of Spain District Grand Lodge of Trinidad & Tobago (8 lodges) Bridgetown District Grand Lodge of Barbados & The Eastern Caribbean (21 lodges) Georgetown District Grand Lodge of Guyana (15 lodges)

3. ATLANTIC Nassau District Grand Lodge of Bahamas & Turks (12 lodges) Hamilton District Grand Lodge of Bermuda (5 lodges) Jamestown St Helena Lodge, No. 488

4. SOUTH AMERICA São Paulo/ Rio de Janeiro District Grand Lodge of South America, Northern Division (17 lodges) Buenos Aires/ Santiago/Montevideo District Grand Lodge of South America, Southern Division (11 lodges)

Valleta

5. EUROPE Portugal The Group of Lodges in Portugal (4 lodges) Gibraltar District Grand Lodge of Gibraltar (9 lodges) Valleta The Group of Lodges in Malta (2 lodges) Limassol District Grand Lodge of Cyprus (17 lodges) Zakynthos Star of the East Lodge, No. 880

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UGLE Districts and Groups Fraternal world

Ndola Johannesburg Windhoek

Lilongwe Harare

Kimberley Bloemfontein

New Delhi Kolkata

Gladstone Mumbai

Albany

Durban

Chennai

Cape Town Port Elizabeth

10 11

12

Kampala

Banjul

Dar es Salaam

Accra Nairobi

Freetown

Lagos

6. WEST AFRICA Freetown/Banjul District Grand Lodge of Sierra Leone & The Gambia (21 lodges) Accra District Grand Lodge of Ghana (58 lodges) Lagos District Grand Lodge of Nigeria (42 lodges)

Seychelles

7. EAST AFRICA Nairobi District Grand Lodge of East Africa (48 lodges)

8. SOUTHERN AFRICA Johannesburg District Grand Lodge of South Africa, North (101 lodges) Kimberley District Grand Lodge of South Africa, Central Division (8 lodges) Windhoek District Grand Lodge of Namibia (4 lodges) Cape Town District Grand Lodge of South Africa, Western Division (30 lodges) Ndola District Grand Lodge of Zambia (11 lodges) Harare/Lilongwe District Grand Lodge of Zimbabwe & Malawi (12 lodges) Durban District Grand Lodge of Kwazulu-Natal (26 lodges) Bloemfontein District Grand Lodge of Orange Free State (7 lodges) Port Elizabeth District Grand Lodge of South Africa, Eastern Division (28 lodges)

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Tully

Melbourne

Colombo

9. THE SUBCONTINENT Mumbai District Grand Lodge of Bombay (23 lodges) New Delhi District Grand Lodge of Northern India (5 lodges) Kolkata District Grand Lodge of Bengal (23 lodges) Chennai District Grand Lodge of Madras (18 lodges) Colombo District Grand Lodge of Sri Lanka (10 lodges)

11. AUSTRALIA Albany Plantagenet Lodge, No. 1454 Melbourne Combermere Lodge, No. 752 Tully Geraldton Lodge, No. 3544 Gladstone Port Curtis Lodge, No. 2235

Hong Kong Thailand

Kobe

Auckland

Kuala Lumpur Singapore

Rabaul

Christchurch

Vanuatu Fiji

10. THE FAR EAST Kuala Lumpur/ Singapore/Thailand District Grand Lodge of Eastern Archipelago (40 lodges) Hong Kong/Kobe District Grand Lodge of Hong Kong & The Far East (20 lodges) Vanuatu/Fiji The Group of Lodges in the South West Pacific (3 lodges) Rabaul Rabaul Lodge, No. 4468

12. NEW ZEALAND Christchurch District Grand Lodge of South Island, New Zealand (13 lodges) Auckland District Grand Lodge of North Island, New Zealand (24 lodges)

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Fraternal world Social media

e-masons @freemasonry2day @ugle_grandlodge @grandchapter

22 December @philhall43 A great honour to present EComp Victor Keene MBE with his long service certificate. I christened him ‘Mr Coventry’ to which he naturally demurred, but what a man and Freemason. MBE was for voluntary & charity work, selflessly serving @ Coventry2021 for over 50 years #freemasons

11 January @SouthWalesRA Congratulations to our @GSuptSouthWales, EComp D Gerald Rowbottom who was Installed as RW Provincial Grand Master of South Wales this afternoon.

Congratulations to our newly appointed Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, WBro Christopher Davies & WBro Robert Payne.

15 January @lodge7196 Excellent evening tonight, on the initiation of our Secretary’s son at @CardiffMasonic in the company of @PgmSouthWales and other Grand and

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Tell us what’s on your mind

FreemasonryToday UnitedGrandLodgeofEngland SupremeGrandChapter

Provincial officers from both @SouthWalesMason and @WestWalesMason

16 January @DorsetMason If you would like to know more about #Freemasonry in #Dorset feel free to click on the below link and download our ‘Discover Freemasonry in Dorset’ booklet. dorset-freemasonry.org/ unitpublishedfilesum. asp?1=2&2=1005&10=1&20=4

17 January @UGLE_DrDStaples Last week I had a fantastic time in Nottingham giving a talk to the Nottingham Installed Masters’ Lodge No. 3595 on “Freemasonry Moving Forward”. I had a fantastic evening and thank you to all the Brethren for being so welcoming. #Freemasonry

@unitedgrandlodgeofengland @freemasonrytoday @freemasonshall

@UGLE_GrandLodge It’s a myth that the third Monday in Jan is the “hardest day of the year”. The truth is we all have good days and bad days! So instead let’s turn “Blue Monday” into #BrewMonday – stick the kettle on have a proper chat with friends! Find out more at Samaritans.org/ support-us/campaign/ brew-Monday/

@SarsenClub What a weekend! Thank you to all the Sarsen Club members for joining club chairman @MitchellBryan at his installation! A big thanks to @YoungMasonsClub @TheAdairClub @Porchway @MCRLevelClub & @prorsum_semper for their attendance & continued support of the club #Freemasons

Follow Dr David Staples, UGLE’s Chief Executive & Grand Secretary @UGLE_DrDStaples

@LifelitesOrg Looking to find out more about Lifelites and the work we do?

Then why not check out our 2021 Annual review – where you will find out everything you could need to know about us! Lifelites.org/about-us/ reports-and-accounts

18 January @westkentmasons Super meeting of Swanley Lodge with 50 members and guests present last night with the DPGM in attendance to present 50 year LSCs to Trevor Miles and Brian Goode – two outstanding Provincial stalwarts. And a further £3k for the 2026 Festival #westkentmasons

@CheshirePGL On 11 Jan Prudence with Justice Chapter in Willaston welcomed incoming leaders, or ‘principals’ of the chapter in an excellent ceremony.

Pictured with them is Phil Broadhurst who was principal of the chapter 35 years ago. #CheshireFreemasons #Freemasons

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thēsauros

FMT’s pick of the unusual, striking or just plain fascinating

Image: Museum of Freemasonry

Assemblée de nouveaux Francs Maçons c1757 A cat Secretary and porcupine Treasurer are among the members of this animal kingdom Lodge from a 1757 French engraving that parodies a set of 1745 prints by the Leipzig engraver Johann Bernigeroth. The engraving is currently on display in the Museum of Freemasonry’s ‘Treasures’ exhibition

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