PAST MASTERS

Jonathan Spence joins an exclusive club within Freemasonry as Pro Grand Master. There have only been 15 Pro Grand Masters before him. Of these, two became Grand Master, one took the role after standing down as Grand Master and only the most recent has not been a nobleman.

The first men to be in the position of what we now call Pro Grand Master never held the actual rank. Thomas Howard, third Earl of Effingham, and Francis Rawdon, Lord Moira, were the Acting Grand Masters of the premier Grand Lodge during the Grand Mastership of the Duke of Cumberland and, later, his brother George, Prince of Wales.

This established the tradition of Royal Grand Masters appointing a peer of the realm to act for them when they were unable to attend, although the first Duke of Sussex did not appoint one for the first 16 years of his time as Grand Master of UGLE. The first Earl of Zetland became the first Pro Grand Master in 1834, and was later succeeded by his son.

When the Duke of Sussex died in 1843, there were no royal Freemasons, so the second Earl of Zetland became Grand Master, followed by Earl de Grey and Ripon who, as a young man, was expected to be in office for many years. Two unexpected events changed all this: first, the initiation of the Prince of Wales during a visit to Sweden, which led to his appointment as Past Grand Master and, shortly afterwards, Ripon’s resignation when he converted to Catholicism.

These events led to the appointment of the Prince of Wales as Grand Master in 1874, remaining until he became King. The royal link continued with his youngest brother the Duke of Connaught, who served until 1939. Their Pro Grand Masters included men as varied as a veteran of the Crimean War and a Viceroy of India.

The shortest-serving of the Pro Grand Masters was the first Lord Cornwallis who was promoted to the rank in 1935, but died before his investiture. He was succeeded by Lord Harewood, who served during the latter years of Connaught’s tenure and that of Prince George, Duke of Kent. He became Grand Master after the death of the Duke on active service in 1942 and was followed by the Dukes of Devonshire and Scarbrough. The latter stepped down as Grand Master to allow the present Duke of Kent to take office and became Pro Grand Master to assist him.

To date, the current Grand Master has had seven Pro Grand Masters, reflecting his time as the longest-serving Grand

Master. Six were peers of the realm, but the appointment of Peter Lowndes set the precedent that any member can become the Pro Grand Master, whether ennobled or not. That continues with Jonathan Spence.

All of these men brought wisdom and experience from their lives outside Freemasonry and have been influential in the way that English Freemasonry has developed throughout an ever-changing world. Their long tenure emphasises how much of Freemasonry’s history has had the honour of being led by members of the Royal Family.