News Archive
The justice secretary is scrapping a rule about freemasonry declarations that he played a role in introducing 12 years ago.
Sometimes life goes round in a circle. Twelve years ago, shortly before the 1997 general election, Jack Straw said that freemasonry should be a "declarable and registrable interest" for members of the judiciary. Labour won and a rule was introduced saying that anyone who was made a judge or a magistrate had to declare whether or not they were a mason.
Today, with an election looming that is likely to bring Labour's term in office to an end, Straw has just issued a statement saying that he is scrapping the rule about freemasonry declarations that he played a role in introducing.
What happened was that the masons threatened to take the government to court. Rather than decide to fight them, Straw chose to back down.
He explains his decision today in a written ministerial statement.
The United Grand Lodge of England made representations in May. They drew attention to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in Grande Oriente d'Italia di Palazzo Guistiniani v Italy (no 1) and Grande Oriente d'Italia di Palazzo Guistiniani v Italy (no 2) and indicated that they might seek judicially to review the application of the policy to the judiciary. In the light of my consideration of those representations I decided to review the policy.
As a result of this review we have decided to end the current policy of requiring applicants for judicial office to declare membership of the freemasons.
The review of the policy operating since 1998 has shown no evidence of impropriety or malpractice within the judiciary as a result of a judge being a freemason and in my judgment, therefore, it would be disproportionate to continue the collection or retention of this information.
According to the Ministry of Justice, there are 3,808 judges in England and Wales and 5.4% of them (205) are masons. There are also 29,702 magistrates, of whom 6.4% (1,900) are masons.
The government introduced the declaration rule after it was recommended by the Commons home affairs committee in a report published in March 1997. The committee said that "nothing so much undermines public confidence in public institutions as the knowledge that some public servants are members of a secret society one of whose aims is mutual self-advancement". At the time Straw said Labour supported the recommendation.
But, in his statement today, Straw stressed that the 1997 report "made no finding of impropriety in the conduct of the judiciary arising from membership of individual members of the judiciary of the freemasons".
He also said the existing safeguards, such as the oath, the availability of a complaints procedure and the independent appointments commission, were enough to support "the proper performance of judicial functions".
19th August 2009
By Morwenna Blake
Salisbury Journal 19 August 2009
FREEMASONS from Salisbury based Elias De Derham Lodge have donated £7,000 to Salisbury District Hospital's Stars Appeal by funding state-of-the-art equipment for two important areas of the hospital's work.
The money will be used to purchase specialist 24-hour monitoring equipment that will be used to diagnosis 'silent' arrhythmia, which can be a risk factor for stroke.
The donation will also fund a flow meter to assist the work of surgeons assessing patients with urinary symptoms, many of whom have prostate cancer. Judy Cronan, from the hospital's stroke unit said: “We are extremely grateful to the masons for their generous donation to the stroke fund to enable us to purchase this important monitoring equipment.”
The Elias de Derham Lodge is the oldest Lodge in Salisbury and is thought to date back to 1720. It takes its name from Elias of Derham, the master mason designer generally cited as the architect of Salisbury Cathedral.
Many thanks to the Salisbury Journal for this story
(Angle is in Pembrokeshire, and is close to the port of Milford Haven)
There will be celebrations today as Angle’s new Tamar class lifeboat is named by HRH Prince Michael of Kent.
The lifeboat was funded from a £1.6M donation from the Grand Lodge of the Mark Master Masons, a branch of the freemasons, and by RNLI supporters in Pembrokeshire who donated over £400,000.
HRH Prince Michael of Kent, The Grand Master of the Order of Mark Master Masons, will name the lifeboat Mark Mason during a ceremony this afternoon.
Angle’s Tamar, which was declared operational on 23 March 2009 has already proved her worth, having already launched on five rescue missions.
Call-outs have included escorting a fishing vessel taking on water, assisting a power boat with engine problems, searching for two missing boys and investigating a sighting of red flare.
John Allen-Mirehouse, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager at Angle said: "The volunteer RNLI crew have really got to grips with this fantastic new boat and can’t praise her enough. She is faster, which means they can reach casualties more quickly but she is also a more comfortable, safer ride, which is especially important at many of our shouts are long towing operations.’ An appeal to fund the new lifeboat was launched in Birmingham in 2006, to celebrate the historic links between the city and the sea.
RNLI supporters in Pembrokeshire also threw their weight behind the fundraising drive, which raised just over £400,000. The £1.6M donation from the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons, completed the task to foot the bill of the £2.7M lifeboat.
Mr Allen-Mirehouse adds: "We can’t express our gratitude enough to everyone who contributed to the fundraising appeal which has made this dream a reality for Angle. Today is the culmination of three years of hard work and the ceremony will give us the opportunity to thank the Grand Lodge of the Mark Master Masons and the people of Birmingham and Pembrokeshire who have given so generously."
The ceremony will be attended by RNLI Chairman Admiral Lord Boyce, who will accept the new lifeboat on behalf of the RNLI Council. The service of dedication will be led by the Team Vicar Reverend Matthew Dobbs, Angle Parish Church and will include music by Pembroke Silver Brass Band and Pembroke Choir.
The Tamar class is the latest design of RNLI all-weather lifeboat and features cutting edge technology to enhance its lifesaving capabilities. The new lifeboat replaces the station’s Tyne class all-weather lifeboat, which was built in 1986. Compared to the Tyne, the Tamar is bigger – 16 metres as opposed to 14 – and faster, with a speed of 25, rather than 17 knots.
Extensive modifications have been carried out to the boathouse and the slipway at Angle to allow the new larger lifeboat to operate. The Tamar has more safety features built in to protect the crew, including a new seat design that will reduce loadings on crew members’ spines in rough weather.
A new on board computer known as SIMS (Systems and Information Management System) further improves safety because a lot of the lifeboat’s functions can now be managed remotely. This means the crew do not have to move around the boat while underway, reducing the risk of accidents. Using SIMS also allows better task sharing between crew members, as the various functions required to operate the lifeboat can be accessed via screens at any of the six crew positions.
Thanks to the Western Telegraph for this story
At their regular meeting on 22 January 2009, the members of Macartney Lodge agreed to donate the sum of £3000.00 to the Ellenor Lions Hospice at Northfleet.
Evesham police will be reviewing CCTV footage after vandals ripped up a poppy wreath laid down in Remembrance Sunday services.
The Mayor of Evesham, Cllr Alan Booth, said he felt ‘bitter' after discovering a wreath laid down by the Freemasons in Evesham's service last Sunday was found to have had all its poppies ripped off.
The discovery was made at a service being held at the memorial in Abbey Park on Tuesday.
While he doesn't believe the Mason's poppy wreath was targeted specifically, Cllr Booth said he was sad to see another example of vandalism.
“I found the wreath with all its poppies pulled off during another service on Tuesday and I can tell you no one was very happy about it” he said.
“I don't think it was a personal attack on the Freemasons, their wreath was probably targeted because it was the one on the end.
“It's just another example of mindless vandalism and it leaves me feeling bitter.”
West Mercia Police have said they are aware of the incident and would like to hear from those who may have seen something.
Spokesman Richard Bull said: “This is a despicable act that shows no respect for those who died during two world wars, and police will be reviewing CCTV footage of the area.
“If anyone has any information about the incident we would like to hear from them on 08457 444 888 quoting reference number 259N/111108.”
Copyright Evesham Journal
The Birmingham Post
Sep 17 2008
By Tom Scotney
They are popularly known as a shadowy organisation connected with the Holy Grail, the global illuminati and who knows what other manner of shadowy conspiracy theories.
But now the freemasons are hoping to reveal a new image to the public after years of misinformation.
Richard Goddard, the provincial grand master for Worcestershire, says he is hoping to radically modernise the public profile of freemasonry with a new policy of openness.
The secretive order was driven underground by persecution from the Nazis in the darkest days of the Second World War, and has kept itself hidden from the public eye ever since.
But Mr Goddard – whose order takes in much of Birmingham and has its headquarters in Kings Heath – said he wanted to shed the secret image.
And the order started last weekend with an open day answering questions from visitors at the Worcestershire main lodge on the corner of Alcester Road South and Wheelers Lane in Kings Heath.
After the freemasons disappeared from the public eye following the Second World War, many myths sprang up, which Mr Goddard said he wanted to dispel.
He said the masonic “grip” – otherwise known as the handshake – was never used outside ceremonies, and is not a secret signal to fellow members.
But he added masons did still roll up one of their trouser legs – or both – to prove they did not have any weapons on them during ceremonies.
Graeme Collins, from Kidderminster, has been a mason for about 20 years. As the press officer for a secret society he has not had much to do until now.
He said: “We have been our own worst enemy for a long time.
“The Freemasons have been around for hundreds of years, and it used to be a very public thing – we would hold parades in the street and have appointments covered in the press, that sort of thing.
“But after the war, there was really a state of defensive secrecy and although we enjoyed a heyday of membership, with numbers rising exponentially, it just became a state of mind, so we laboured on for years with the same attitude towards the press and outsiders who criticised us.
“But we're not secret so much as private.”
He said the secrecy surrounding the order had led to many unfounded rumours and bizarre myths being made up about the order.
He said a woman he met on holiday refused to talk to him after hearing he was a mason, because she blamed the order for poisoning her grandfather and giving him stomach cancer.
Mr Collins admitted the Freemasons were “an organisation like no other”, adding: “It's not a club, it's not a society, it's a fraternity.
“It's an organisation that's worldwide. To become a member you just have to have a proposer and a seconder who trust you, and then once you're a member, that's a passport to any lodge in the world.”
Much of the Freemasons' time is taken up with raising money for charity – they are one of the largest sources of charitable income in the country.
Anyone is eligible for the masons as long as they are over 21 and male – although there are similar orders for women – as well as “sociable, amenable and of good character”.
They also have to believe in a “supreme being” – although this does not have to be the Christian god, and there are many Hindu, Muslim and Jewish freemasons among others.
There are currently 3,400 masons meeting at the 127 lodges in the province of Worcestershire, meeting at 14 masonic centres – Bromsgrove, Dudley, Evesham, Halesowen, Kidderminster, Kings Heath, Malvern, Northfield, Redditch, Stechford, Stourbridge, Stourport on Severn, Tenbury Wells and Worcester.
The boundaries of the masonic province of Worcestershire remain based on the old county boundaries as they stood nearly two hundred years ago and include approximately half of Birmingham, as well as Dudley, Halesowen and Stourbridge.
Copyright Birmingham Post
Ipswich Evening Star
27 August 2008
by James Martson
WHAT'S it really like to be a freemason? Is it really a secret society bound together by strange rituals? JAMES MARSTON investigates.
Provincal Grand Master of Suffolk, Barry Ross and David Harries at the Freemasons Hall in Ipswich
STRANGE symbols, mysterious initiation ceremonies, secretive membership, funny handshakes and, of course, rolled-up trouser legs.
Are they a rather strange sect in a strange world of their own? Or a group that keeps secrets and doesn't say much? Is this your view of the masonic movement?
You might be forgiven for thinking all of the above - the Masons have been a bit cagey about what they are and what they do.
But there was a reason for this.
Trevor White, a member of the Ipswich-based Gippeswyk Lodge, and information officer for the Suffolk's Freemasons' Hall in Soane Street, explains.
James Marston, centre left, quizzes members of the Masons
He said: “We are much more open about Freemasonry now. Being a Mason is not something you shout about either and nor would we deny if it asked.
“I think the secrecy arose during the war years when Hitler persecuted the Masons and we tended to be a bit inward looking after that. Like any group we have our secrets but we aren't a secret society.
“We do have handshakes and signs that we use but they aren't used much outside the lodge. There's no need.”
The fact that there's even an information officer to the county's masonic community is something that might surprise many but today the Freemasons are far from hidden - in fact there are details of much of their activities and membership lodged in the county's libraries in the Suffolk Freemasons' Year Book.
Setting up an interview was easy and journalists are now welcomed by an organisation keen to dispel some myths and highlight the group's serious work.
Barry Ross, a 70-year-old retired oil executive, is the current Provincial Grand Master of Suffolk.
Trevor White
He is keen to show off the fascinating interior of the Soane Street building.
With the feel of a gentleman's club and the décor in the classical tradition, the building is an architectural treat that you might expect from an organisation that had its foundations in the medieval stone masonry guilds.
We start with a morning coffee in the building's bar
Barry said: “Around the world there are about five million members so it's a large organisation. In this province - which is basically the county, there are 3,000 members that support 66 lodges across Suffolk.
“There are a total of 21 masonic centres that we either rent or own. The province was founded in 1772 and the Grand Lodge in the UK was founded in 1717.
“We operate a movement that has been very successful for a long time. It is based first and foremost on having a great deal of fun.
A peek inside one of the rooms at the hall
Some of the details inside the hall
“It is only available to men but ladies have a strong and independent movement of their own with more than 800 lodges throughout England and Wales.”
Barry said the organisation operates on a three pronged remit:
BROTHERLY LOVE - “This is about promoting mutual respect and understanding amongst men.”
RELIEF - Every lodge has an almoner and he looks after the welfare of the members of the lodge. We also get involved with supporting outside events in the community in terms of physical support and fundraising.
“We have raised more than £250,000 during the last four years that has gone to non-masonic charities such as the hospices. Nationally the Freemasons spend about £2.7million a year on non-masonic charities.”
Barry said there are also a number of masonic charities that the members support.
- The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution which runs 19 care homes for Masons and their relatives.
- The Masonic Trust For Girls and Boys which offers support for the education of children and youngsters including undergraduate and post graduate studies.
- The Masonic Samaritan Fund used to support those in need of health care.
- The Grand Charity which is used to assist in times of national disasters across the world and UK national charities.
Funding for the charities comes from the Masons themselves, fundraising events and subscription.
TRUTH -“We abide by the laws of the country. We are non political and non religious at our meetings and these two things are not expected to be discussed. We are keen to maintain harmony in the lodge.”
Barry Ross outside the freemasons Hall and in ceremonial wear
Freemasons' Hall is used by each of the town's 18 lodges.
John Elmore, chairman of Freemasons' Hall and a retired scientist, said: “The hall was built in 1879 and it is grade two listed including the staircase. It is owned by a public company called the Ipswich Masonic Hall Trust.”
As we walk through the lobby and up the stairs there are several portraits of former provincial grand masters hanging on the walls - each is in full masonic regalia which include a colourful apron and collar.
At the top of the stairs is a landing, there are swords and other objects and plaques decorating the walls and sitting on tables, commemorating anniversaries and events.
Masonic symbolism is everywhere, stained glass depicts the square and compass logo of Freemasonry, even the doorways are angled representing the imperfect world of the outside and the masonic world and its codes of behaviour within.
Each of the town's 18 lodges use the hall for monthly meetings and after using the building's robing room to put on their regalia assemble in the hall's temple.
Inside there are chairs set out in choir fashion - facing each other. At one end of the room is the lodge master's chair. The lodge secretary and other officials have their own set places. At the other end of the room is a pipe organ and on the floor is a black and white pattern rather like a chess board representing night and day. Around the walls are shields of each lodge that uses the temple.
David Harries, 56, a Felixstowe retailer and provincial secretary, is a member of the Felix United Service Lodge that was founded in 1918.
He said: “Music is an important part of the meetings. We sing an opening and closing hymn which we call odes and we often sing the national anthem. Each meeting is followed by a meal in our dining room, which we call a festive board.”
David said each lodge also has a tyler - a position that guard's the privacy of the lodge meeting.
He said: “The tyler stands outside and carries a ceremonial sword. He also organises people to sign the presence book which records attendance and is useful for fire regulations.”
Upstairs there is a second temple which houses masonic artefacts and a collection of jewels.
John Elmore
Rather like medals, the jewels are awarded to masons for carrying out different functions.
Trevor said: “If you give a certain amount to charity or join another masonic order or take on a particular role or found a lodge you are awarded a jewel which becomes part of your regalia.”
Downstairs the panelled dining room is where the lodge members assemble after meetings. It is also hired out for events such as wedding receptions.
David said: “There is a structure to the masons that a lot of men like. Lewdness is frowned upon. It's very civilised and well mannered.
“We have drink in the bar after the meeting and before the festive board. We always say grace and we always toast the Queen and the grand master the Duke of Kent. But it very relaxed as well and there is a great atmosphere.”
You can't help getting the impression that being a mason is rather like a grown-up version of the boy Scouts.
There are codes of behaviour, an emphasis on fun and conviviality and a serious side to membership that takes its obligations to the community and fellow Masons seriously.
Trudie Tricker and Carol Taylor man the kitchens
What there isn't is much evidence of secrets and mystery - and throughout the tour no question goes unanswered.
But what about the rolled-up trouser leg stories - myth or reality?
Barry puts the record straight.
He said: “The initiation ceremony is an important event for new members and a memorable event. I don't want to go into too many details and spoil it by telling everyone what happens.
“It is correct that candidates roll up their trouser legs during the three ceremonies they go through when being admitted to membership. Taken out of context this may seem amusing but like much of freemasonry it has a symbolic meaning.”
So who can join?
THE essential qualifications for admission are a belief in a supreme being - though the Masons are a non- religious body - and to be over 21.
Barry said: “We have about 150 new members in Suffolk a year. You have to ask to be a member. It is also important that partners are supportive of membership and aware of the commitment as there are social events that exclude partners.
“It's basically a hobby. Members are often friends or acquaintances of existing members.”
“It costs between £70 to £100 a year in subscriptions and the meal afterwards costs about £14. People also give what they can to charity but there's no pressure and family always comes first.”
Did you know?
The oldest masonic lodge in Ipswich is the British Union Lodge founded in 1762.
Copyright Ipswich Evening Star
11 August 2008
The Star, South Yorkshire
It's a goal: Rovers' managing director
Stuart Highfield and Peter Brindley, of
the West Riding Masonic Charities,
hand cheques to officials of Doncaster NSPCC
A CHILDREN's charity is more than £3,000 better off thanks to soccer fans at Wembley stadium and local Freemasons. Representatives of the NSPCC attended the Keepmoat Stadium before the friendly match against Bolton Wanderers to receive a cheque for £3,300 from Doncaster Rovers managing director Stuart Highfield.
The club donated the £1,600 they received as their share of the proceeds of last season's Community Shield match at Wembley and the sum was matched by the West Riding Masonic Lodge.
Mr Highfield, who is also a mason, and Peter Brindley, of the West Riding Masonic Charities, presented the cheque in front of crowd of more than 3,000 people.
Thanks to South Yorkshire Star for the above story
North Norfolk News - 18 June 2008
FREEMASONS will gather this weekend to mark the 250th anniversary of the North Walsham, Norfolk-based Lodge of Unanimity.
Sunday's 3pm celebration service, in North Walsham Parish Church, is open to the public, and organisers hope it will help dispel any remaining myths about the secrecy of the organisation.
Founded in 1758, the lodge has 90 members from all over Norfolk, plus a few further afield.
In the past three years they have donated over £6,700 to local causes.
Meetings have been held in North Walsham since 1827, but the lodge began life in Norwich, later moving to Coltishall, Wroxham and Bungay.
Nowadays freemasons come from all walks of life, according to former North Walsham High School headteacher Keith Johnson, secretary of the lodge's 250th anniversary committee.
“There are very few restrictions to becoming a freemason nowadays,” he said. “Our criteria are that someone who wants to belong should benefit the lodge and society, and believe in a supreme being.”
Anniversary events have included the dedication of a specially made lodge banner at the installation earlier this year of the new worshipful master, Simon Cole.
“I don't think people feel threatened by freemasonry any more,” said Mr Johnson, who has been a mason for 30 years. “It's not about what people can get out of it - it's what they can put in. Anyone who thinks they can use freemasonry to pull strings for themselves is wrong.
“There's nothing at all secret any more - it's all out there on the web!”
Unanimity is known as a moon lodge. Its meetings are held at North Walsham Community Centre, between September and April, on the Monday nearest to the full moon. For more information visit www.norfolk-masons.org.uk
Thanks to North Norfolk News for the above story
11 April 2008
By Will Hurst of BD - The architects' website
Royal Iinstitute of British Architects (RIBA) president Sunand Prasad seeks compromise after new rule on declaring affiliations fails
The RIBA has been forced into an embarrassing U-turn over its pledge to ensure senior figures at the institute reveal membership of organisations such as the Freemasons.
A year ago, BD reported that RIBA Council had approved strict new rules proposed by then president Jack Pringle requiring council members, trustees and senior staff to declare interests of political parties and other groups. Pringle — who suspects masons have a secretive influence within the institute — singled out the group by name.
The wide-ranging measures were introduced in the wake of BNP member Peter Phillips' bid for the presidency in 2006. They put the institute at odds with other bodies such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Institution of Civil Engineers, and were opposed by incoming president Sunand Prasad.
But confidential agenda papers from the RIBA Council meeting last month — seen by BD — reveal that masons on council have refused to formally declare their membership and that Prasad is unwilling to force the issue by “hounding people”.
He is suggesting a compromise requiring councillors to sign a statement agreeing to treat all people they deal with fairly, regardless of their outside affiliations.
The RIBA pointed to an incident where an architect appearing before the institute's discipline committee sought to unfairly influence the decision by revealing himself as a mason.
“To cater for the possibility that some Freemasons might feel bound by their codes not to declare membership, [the fair treatment] proposal was put to council,” the RIBA added.
Prasad said the latest proposal — still to be ratified by council — was a minor amendment aiming to promote “good practice”, adding that declaring interests had to remain voluntary.
“I've heard personally from masons that they don't want to declare their interests,” he said. “But it is true that [the organisation] has become much less secret. I'm not going to go hounding people because they are not filling out their declaration of interest forms properly.”
Pringle insisted he had no regrets about his action, claiming there remained an obligation on senior RIBA figures to disclose all affiliations. “I don't particularly like the masons or any secret society which appears to work together in an undisclosed way. I understand there are a number of masons on RIBA Council.”
But critics lambasted the RIBA, claiming it exposed the folly of Pringle's measures. Association of Consultant Architects president Brian Waters said: “I'm exasperated by the things the RIBA finds to waste time and money on.”
A spokesman for the United Grand Lodge of England — which represents a masonic organisation it describes as one of the world's oldest secular fraternal societies — said he was surprised by the RIBA's action as Freemasons should declare their membership if asked. “It is the singling out of Freemasonry that we don't like.”
Thanks to BD - the architects' website for the above story
"Local" Masons celebrate the organization's 275th Anniversary with Open Houses
with thanks to the Winchester Star, Winchester, Massachusetts, USA
Winchester, MA - In 1733, Henry Price, a Boston merchant and tailor, received a charter from the Grand Lodge of England allowing him “to Constitute One or More Regular Lodge or Lodges as he shall think fit.” On July 30 of that year, Price exercised his authority and 18 Freemasons were empowered to work as a Masonic lodge.
On the basis of this precedence, the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts were effectively established; 2008 marks its 275th Anniversary. It now holds the distinction of being the third oldest Grand Lodge in the world and the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. A Grand Lodge is the governing body that oversees the activities of the lodges within its jurisdiction.
On Saturday, March 8, The Brethren William Parkman Lodge, Mt. Horeb Lodge and Mt. Herman Lodge of the Woburn Masonic Building (comprised largely of Winchester and Woburn residents), 17 Arlington Road, Woburn, will join 235 lodges throughout the state and host an Open House to kick off a year-long commemoration that recognizes Massachusetts as The Birthplace of American Freemasonry.
Members of the lodge will be on hand to give tours of their building, and to help the public gain a better understanding of the fraternity, its history, and the positive impact it has on its members, their families, and the community.
“The 275th Anniversary of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts is an occasion that everyone in our state — whether a Mason or not — can be proud of,” said Roger W. Pageau, the Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts and the presiding officer of 40,000 members. “Since our founding in 1733, Massachusetts Masons have been a corner stone in the formation of our country, the history of our state, and the development of our communities. Although many have heard of us, very few are aware that for 275 years we have been part of an unbroken tradition of great men who have changed our world in ways both large and small. Paul Revere, John Hancock, and Joseph Warren were all Massachusetts Masons before achieving the greatness we recognize them for. And today we count men like New England Patriot and Pro Football Hall of Fame member John Hannah, retired Chief Justice of the Superior Court Robert L. Steadman, and former Boston Red Sox team physician Arthur M. Pappas as members. There are countless other great men, whose names are not widely known, that made their families, workplaces, and communities better because they were Masons. I warmly invite the public to join us on March 8.”
The origin and history of Freemasonry is clouded in uncertainty. It is thought to have arisen from English and Scottish guilds of practicing stonemasons and cathedral builders in the Middle Ages. Others have speculated that the order descended from the Knights Templars. Over the years, researchers have never been able to conclusively determine exactly when, where, how, or why Freemasonry evolved.
The formation of the first Grand Lodge in London in 1717 marks the beginning of the Modern (or “Speculative”) era of Freemasonry, when members were no longer limited to working stonemasons. The Grand Lodge of Ireland was organized in 1725. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts came next in 1733.
Freemasonry seeks to bring together men of every country, religion, race, background, age, income, and opinion and develop the bonds of friendship between them. Through a large variety of North American Masonic philanthropies, more $3,000,000 is give to charity every day, 70 percent of which benefits the general public.
During its initiation ceremony, which uses symbolism and allegory, its members are encouraged to value principles, ethics, and morality and to live their lives accordingly. By “making good men better,” Freemasonry positively benefits its members, families and communities. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts represents 40,000 members and 235 lodges throughout the Commonwealth.
The Sir Edward Elgar Lodge No 9837 will be the first new Lodge to be consecrated in East Kent in over seven years. As you may guess from the name, this new Lodge will have a bias toward musical matters and may prove to be a useful source of that diminishing resource, Lodge organists!
And Macartney Lodge member W. Bro. Ian Blowers will be one of the founder members.
The consecration of this new Lodge will take place at the Winter Gardens, Margate on Friday 15 February 2008. The Provincial Grand Master and the Provincial Executive intend the consecration to be a really special occasion, and W. Bro. Ian would be delighted if as many members of Macartney as possible will be able to support him by attending the consecration meeting.
Please contact W. Bro. Ian by email or telephone if you are able to support the prologue of this new musician's Lodge by attending at Margate - Ian's email address and telephone number are listed in the Member List section of the Members Only area of the website. Dinner, including wine, at the Winter Gardens will be available at a cost of £30.00
WASHINGTON (AFP) — A sequel to the blockbuster thriller "The Da Vinci Code" is set to lift the veil on mysterious Freemason symbols carved into the very fabric of the historic streets and buildings of the US capital.
Novelist Dan Brown has set the new adventures of his hero, scholar-adventurer Robert Langdon, right in the heart of Washington, which could reveal some astonishing facts for history buffs.
Brown "had a contact with us but then cut it short. We are all sitting around waiting for his book to come out but nobody knows what he's going to say," Akram Elias, grand master-elect of Washington's Grand Lodge, told AFP.
According to the pre-publicity, the book -- working title "The Solomon Key" -- will feature Langdon hero of the mass-selling "The Da Vinci Code" and who was played by Tom Hanks in the hit film version.
"For the first time, Langdon will find himself embroiled in a mystery on US soil. This new novel explores the hidden history of our nation's capital," Brown wrote in a posting on his official website.
Washington has strong historic roots in Freemasonry -- an old and widespread fraternity which traditionally practised secret rituals.
Despite its reputation for secrecy, the Freemason community is noticeably open in the United States: lodges are advertised in the phone book and their signs are prominently displayed.
The first US president after whom the city is named, George Washington, was a Mason, as were his fellow founding fathers James Madison and Benjamin Franklin, plus James Hoban, the architect of the White House.
The broad steps, stone sphinxes and colonnades of a Masonic temple dominate a corner of 16th Street near the city center -- one of a number of Masonic lodges in the capital -- and just a stone's throw from the White House.
Elias cites theories that the city's streets themselves are laid out in the shape of secret Masonic signs. "It may be a coincidence, but there are indications that are difficult to ignore," he said.
Establishing the nation's capital, George Washington is said to have demanded that it be laid out in a symbolic square.
"It's fascinating. If you take an aerial view of Washington, you cannot but see the perfect square and the compass which are the universal symbols of Freemasonry ... meaning rectitude and equality," he said.
"Was it on purpose? I don't know, but I think it's difficult to ignore those mysterious aspects," he added. "It adds another level of mystery to the city of Washington."
The shape of a square and compass is also formed by drawing a line on the map between two of the city's major landmarks, the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, and along the walls of the White House and the Jefferson Memorial.
At the center of these stands the George Washington monument, a vast brick obelisk whose dimensions themselves are symbolic: 555 feet high by 55 wide (170 meters by 17).
The number five is said to refer to the traditional five orders of architecture, which in turn relates to the Freemasons' regard for geometry as a symbol of order, and of "the great geometrician" -- the supreme being.
Inside the Capitol building, the heart of US lawmaking which sits at the dead center of the square city boundaries, lies a cornerstone laid by George Washington himself, dressed in his ceremonial apron, in a Masonic ritual in 1793.
"Here goes Washington heading a ceremony in order to lay the cornerstone of the Capitol, using corn, oil and wine to send a very powerful message to those who will be working in the parliament," Elias said.
"Their mission should be to work in achieving prosperity, peace and happiness for the American people."
Some play down the perceived prominence of Masons and their symbology, for fear of encouraging conspiracy theories which may be harmful to Freemasons.
"Freemasonry has a very important role in the history of the US and the early American republic," said Mark Tabbert, director of collections at the Washington Masonic memorial in nearby Alexandria, Virginia, and author of the book "American Freemasons."
"But that role is not based on any kind of political or religious construct."
Tabbert offers an alternative to claims of Masonic design in Washington's city plan.
"The design of the US capital is based more on neo-classical style, more related to the attempts to create a new republic based on an ancient Roman republican model than anything that related to freemasons," he said.
Codes and secret signs were Brown's stock-in-trade for the staggering success of "The Da Vinci Code" however.
"I'm nervous about it because I don't think he does very good research," Tabbert said of Brown and his new book. "But fiction writers are fiction writers."
By ANTHONY McLEAN
Court reporter
A FREEMASON who stole nearly £50,000 from two Northumberland Masonic lodges has been jailed. David Glass worked voluntarily as a treasurer for the Masonic movement as he plundered the cash to pay off his spiralling debts.
The former financial advisor stole just over £48,000 from the Bedlington-based Northumberland Provincial Grand Lodge and the Farne Lodge of Mark Master Masons between November 2004 and November 2005.
But Glass, of Spelvit Lane, Morpeth, was caught when fellow Masons became suspicious of the missing cash and began to investigate, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Glass, 55, was arrested and pleaded guilty to 20 charges involving theft, false accounting and using a false instrument on the day his trial was due to start at Newcastle Crown Court.
Judge Guy Whitburn jailed Glass for 21 months and said he had committed a gross breach of trust. "How it is that a man of good character commits theft on this scale is quite difficult to understand," Judge Whitburn said.
The court heard that Glass was on a £70,000-a-year salary working as a financial advisor for Barclays. But in 2001 the company "restructured" and Glass left to work as an independent advisor in Morpeth.
Caroline Goodwin, defending, said his income dropped to around £12,000 a year. "He found the change in lifestyle quite difficult to manage," she said. "When the debts began to mount up he went to the funds from the lodges, which were available to him."
Ms Goodwin said that Glass took out individual loans from Barclays, Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer to keep on top of his spiralling debt. But in 2004 the money ran out and Glass, who had been a Mason for 15 years, began to steal from the two Masonic lodges.
He stole a total of £15,150 from the Provincial Grand Lodge, where he worked voluntarily as a treasurer. He also plundered £33,000 from the Seahouses-based Farne Lodge, where he worked as a secretary but was left in charge of financial affairs.
Glass admitted 17 counts of theft, two counts of using a false instrument and one charge of false accounting when he appeared in court.
Ms Goodwin added that Glass had to sell his family home in Crumstone, Seahouses, to pay off some of the debt. He is now living in a rented home in Morpeth but still owes around £30,000 said Ms Goodwin.
Ian Graham, prosecuting, said the money stolen from the lodges may have been used for charitable purposes in the local areas.
Jailing Glass, Judge Whitburn, who was dealing with the court case because he has no affiliation with the Freemasonry movement, said: "You held these jobs voluntarily because of the skills gained in your financial employment until your brethren, as they saw you, became suspicious of what had happened to their funds. In order to maintain the lifestyle you had been used to you took up an extremely large amount of debt.
"This is theft on a fairly massive scale over a fairly short time period."
Last Updated: 03 August 2007 12:41 AM
From the www.newspostleader.co.uk website
Copyright Johnson Press plc
Masons in turmoil as sacking at top shocks secret brotherhood
Members furious at being kept in the dark over unprecedented dismissal
Patrick Barkham
Friday May 5, 2006
The Guardian
It is the ultimate secret society, a fraternal organisation of influential men who attract almost as many conspiracy theories as members. But the brotherly bonds and code of silence that link 800,000 freemasons are under strain after the unprecedented dismissal of the chief executive of the United Grand Lodge of England.
The peak body for 10,000 masonic lodges was plunged into crisis after Robert Morrow, a former executive at NatWest bank, was hauled in front of a disciplinary hearing a day before the lodge's annual ceremony in London, attended by the Duke of Kent, the grand master of the United Grand Lodge of England. Ordinary members only realised Mr Morrow had not been reappointed to his £100,000-plus post when he failed to appear at the annual investiture ceremony at the historic Freemasons' Hall, the masonic headquarters in Covent Garden. Nor was he present at the lavish post-ceremony dinner in the nearby New Connaught Rooms. "It's a bit like going to Tesco's AGM and finding Sir Terry Leahy is not there," said one disgruntled mason.
The annual reappointment of the grand secretary is normally a formality. Members of the lodge said they had never known their chief executive to be, in effect, sacked. As grand secretary, Mr Morrow was responsible for the day-to-day running of the United Grand Lodge of England, a job demanding all the skills of a chief executive managing a lucrative set of London properties with an unusual amount of discretion.
Since freemasons combined lodges in London in 1717 and the first masonic rulebook was published six years later, their arcane rituals and grandiose titles have attracted members and curiosity in equal measure. Queen Victoria's son Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales, was a masonic grand master, but resigned his post on becoming king in 1901. Other prominent freemasons include Winston Churchill, Peter Sellers and Rudyard Kipling. A growing number of public figures are now obliged to declare membership, including judges, police and probation officers - but not MPs.
Although masons tackle the conspiracies that proliferate via the internet and the Da Vinci Code by insisting they are not a secret society, Mr Morrow's abrupt departure is, like most masonic business, shrouded in secrecy. They may follow principles of brotherly love, relief (charity) and truth, but ordinary masons are furious that they have not been given a reason for the dismissal of their grand secretary, who was appointed in 2002 and would normally be expected to serve at least 10 years. Masonic machinations in Spain - where masonry was banned and masons persecuted under General Franco - is understood to be one of the key charges against Mr Morrow, who was hauled before a grand lodge disciplinary hearing on April 25.
With so many expat businessmen living in Spain, some British masons are members of masonic lodges in England and Spain. When the Grand Lodge of Spain came to elect a new grand master, a number of British masons living in Spain were able to vote in the elections.
According to one English mason, Mr Morrow was accused of manipulating the election by urging his British members to back a particular candidate in Spain, a charge which allegedly led to the grand master of Spain to write to the English lodge, condemning Mr Morrow's behaviour as "absolutely outrageous". It is understood that he categorically denies the charges. Documentary evidence that he did not interfere in the affairs of the Spanish lodge will form part of an internal appeal against his sacking.
"There is a great deal of speculation," Mr Morrow said last night. "All masonic rumours are inherently true, especially those with no basis whatsoever in fact. There are many stories going around and I would rather not comment on any."
One mason, who preferred to remain anonymous, called for a proper explanation for his dismissal. "We all pay enormous amounts of subscriptions to these people yet we are not considered to be worthy of knowing what is going on."
A spokeswoman for the United Grand Lodge of England confirmed that Mr Morrow's dismissal was "unprecedented in recent history".
The lodge said in a statement: "On the 25th April 2006, following a disciplinary hearing, Bro Morrow was dismissed and as a consequence was not re-appointed as grand secretary.
"The reasons related to the implementation of the agreed policy of United Grand Lodge of England in relation to overseas grand lodges and his reporting of his activities in this area. The disciplinary process is continuing, and steps to appoint a grand secretary will not be taken until after it is completed."
The spokeswoman said the appeal process would take up to four weeks.
Copyright The Guardian 2006
NEW
LOOK FOR MASONIC HALL
Reproduced with
grateful thanks to Sunderland Echo
The
painstaking reconstruction
of a Sunderland building – brick by brick – will help lift the lid
on a secret society, as SARAH STONER found out.
IN today's Internet-obsessed society, where news travels the world in seconds,
there can be few groups who still enjoy the secrecy which surrounds the Freemasons.
Despite a history dating back 450 years, and an illustrious membership of kings
and presidents, relatively little is publicly known about the Masonic Movement.
A £1million project to rebuild a former Sunderland Masonic Hall at Beamish
Museum will, however, lift that veil of mystery a little.
It has taken eight years to accomplish, but the new exhibit will finally be
unveiled on April 19 by the Duke of Kent – a Masonic Grand Master.
"The Masonic Hall must be one of the most intriguing and fascinating exhibits
to open at Beamish," said Trish Hall, marketing manager for the museum.
"We've already had coach groups booking specifically to see it, and hundreds
of enquiries as well. It will be the only Masonic temple permanently open to
the public in Europe."
The new attraction, which originally stood in Park Terrace, now part of Toward
Road, was built in 1869 for the St John's Lodge and was Sunderland's main Freemasonry
centre for years.
By 1933, however, it was home to 17 lodges and bulging at the seams. A new base
was therefore built at Burdon Road, leaving Park Terrace empty.
The Grade I listed temple was used as a warehouse for several years, but eventually
fell into disrepair. By 1998, it was almost derelict and doomed to demolition.
Eric Heaviside, Assistant Provincial Grand Master for Durham, said: "We
only heard about the plans at the last minute and our members immediately visited
the site.
"We reached an agreement with the builder to save the ornate frontispiece
of the hall just 24 hours before it was to be demolished. It was that close
to being lost."
Dozens of photographs and drawings were made of the temple's frontage before
it was dismantled, with each individual brick being measured and numbered.
The pieces were then stored until enough money was raised to fund the rebuilding.
Beamish and the Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham shared the £1million
bill.
"The frontage was painstakingly rebuilt brick by brick," said Trish.
"The rest of the building was built behind it on an East-West axis, just
as Masonic buildings ideally are."
Museum experts used an old photograph of the temple's interior to create an
authentic look, complete with black and white marble floor and gothic fireplace.
Three impressive mid-18th century chairs, symbolic boards and original Masonic
paintings, all donated by lodges around Britain, add to the authenticity.
"In addition, the building also houses other traditional Masonic rooms,
including a Robing Room, Tyler's Room and a Museum Room upstairs," said
Trish.
Hundreds of Freemasons will gather at Beamish on April 19 to celebrate the opening
of the rebuilt Masonic Hall – donning ceremonial robes for a grand procession.
"We raised £500,000 towards the project and it's been a bit of a
hard slog at times," said Mr Heaviside. "But it's all been very worthwhile
in the end.
"The building has been done to the highest quality and it gives people
the opportunity to see what a Masonic Hall looks like, as well as learning what
goes on inside.
"It is the only purpose-built Masonic Hall within a museum in Europe and
we are expecting people from all over the world to be interested in visiting."
The new Masonic exhibition is expected to open to visitors during the Easter
school holidays, when specially-dressed guides will show people around.
"The hall shows the important role the Masons played in 19th and 20th century
and unravels many of the mysteries and myths surrounding them," said Trish.
"So, if you've ever wondered why Mason's roll up their trouser legs, have
a secret handshake or what they do in Masonic meetings, find out more at Beamish."
City's centre for Freemasons
SUNDERLAND has
been at the centre of Freemasonry for centuries.
The first lodge formed in Sunderland was the Phoenix Lodge, which dates back
to 1755.
The Queen Street Masonic Lodge, a Grade I listed building, was built in 1785
and is the country's oldest surviving Freemason's hall. It was home to the Phoenix
Lodge.
In 1757, the Palatine Lodge was created, which met at a temple in Burdon Road,
and by 1761, the St John's Lodge was underway too.
Park Terrace Masonic Hall was built for St John's Lodge in 1868 and was the
main centre of Freemasonry in Sunderland.
By 1905, the Vedra Lodge was meeting regularly at Burdon Road, with members
including top medical men and health administrators.
A new Masonic Hall, the Wearside Masonic Temple in Burdon Road, was built in
1932, after the popularity of Freemasonry led to overcrowding at Park Terrace.
The Civic Lodge was formed in 1941, with its meeting place a stone's throw from
the Civic Centre. Past members included a director of social services and an
ex-Tory councillor.
Today, there are 201 lodges and 10,000 Freemasons in the Province of Durham,
which includes Sunderland.
The Park Terrace hall, last used as a Masonic meeting place about 1932, was
later became a warehouse before falling into disrepair. It was demolished in
1998.
The Beamish scheme to rebuild the hall as an exhibit was adopted as the Millennium
Project of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham.
Wearside Masonic Temple, a Grade II listed building, was put up for sale last
year "due to relocation", with an asking price of about £650,000.
A long and much-debated history
THE origins of
Freemasonry are the subject of great debate, although it is believed to be connected
to the stone masons who built medieval cathedrals.
The first record of the "making" of an English Freemason dates from
October 16, 1646, when antiquarian Elias Ashmole became a member during a lodge
meeting at his father-in-law's home in Warrington, Cheshire.
Organised Freemasonry started in June 1717, when four London lodges formed themselves
into a Grand Lodge. The first rule book was published in 1723.
By 1730, the Grand Lodge had more than 100 lodges in England and Wales under
its control, with other lodges in Madrid and Calcutta.
A growing number of aristocrats and landed gentry started to seek admission
and, in 1737, the first Royal Freemason was made – Frederick Lewis –
son of King George II.
The popularity of the organisation led to the spread of British Freemasonry
around the world in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, from America to
Africa.
Soon there were lodges and halls in most English towns, including those throughout
the old County Durham. Indeed, in 1922, the Durham Grand Lodge had grown so
much that it was granted its own coat of arms.
Today, Freemasonry under the United Grand Lodge of England is the UK's largest
secular fraternal and charitable organisation.
It has more than 300,000 members working in more than 8,000 lodges throughout
England and Wales and 30,000 more overseas.
© Sunderland Echo 2006
NATIONAL
TREASURE
By Eleanor Evans, Benton County Daily Record
26 August
2005
The Masons were the keepers of a billion-dollar hidden treasure in the 2004 film "National Treasure."
Masons in Arkansas have kept their eyes on a real national treasure for more than 50 years.
That treasure — a stone from the original White House — will be on display at the Bentonville Masonic Temple, 805 N. W. Eighth St., from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday.
The brick has a great amount of history, said local Mason Gan Nunnally. "To look at this, it’s just a rock; it’s a paperweight," Nunnally said.
But the tale behind it reveals so much more.
The original "President’s House," now referred to as The White House, was dedicated by the Masons in a ceremony called "Laying of the Cornerstone" on Nov. 15, 1792, when the first stone was laid in the southwest corner of the house.
It would be 158 years before any other major rebuilding projects were undertaken at the White House.
President Harry Truman ordered the inside of the White House to be gutted and replaced with a new interior structure.
During the process, 102 stones were discovered that had the mark of a freemason.
Truman, a Mason himself, ordered that the stones be saved and "preserved in the archives of the Grand (Masonic) Lodges of the nation," according to a letter he sent to the Grand Master of Masons in Washington, D. C.
The stones, each carrying an insignia of the freemason that created it, were distributed among masonic lodges all across the country.
On Nov. 22, 1952, coincidentally 11 years to the date before President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Truman sent a letter along with the stone to the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons in Little Rock. "These evidences of the number of members of the Craft who built the President’s official residence so intimately aligns Freemasonry with the formation and the founding of our Government that I believe your Grand Lodge will cherish this link between the Fraternity and the Government of the Nation, of which The White House is a symbol," the letter read.
Each stone was delivered to lodges across the country by 1954, and each stone is embedded with a brass plate signifying that it is "Official White House Material taken in 1950."
After it makes its display at the Bentonville lodge Saturday, the stone will circulate throughout the state, particularly in elementary schools, to offer some American and state history to students.
Thanks to the Benton County Daily Record, Bentonville, Arkansas, United States
Plaque to mark first Grand Lodge
On Wednesday 15
June at 3.00pm, the Lord Mayor of London unveiled a blue plaque near St. Paul's
cathedral to mark the site of the world's first Grand Lodge of Freemasons.
It is sited approx 25yds from the front entrance of St. Paul's. (On first step
looking at the entrance to St. Paul's - turn left - 25yds ahead)
Follow this link for some photographs of the event.
Furry little friends are ready to give kids at Luton and Dunstable Hospital accident and emergency department some teddy loving care.
Youngsters waiting to be seen can be cheered up by a special hug with the teddy bears waiting at the hospital.
A little bit of TLC for injured or sick children has been provided by the Teddies for Loving Care scheme run by Bedfordshire Freemasons.
The idea was dreamed up to make emergency visits a little less traumatic and relax children, which helps with their medical treatment.
Bedfordshire Provincial
Grand Master Martin Foss is a former L&D consultant and said he was delighted
by the enthusiastic response to the teddies from patients and staff.
With thanks to Luton Today website
Clubs join Freemasons on AMs' disclosure list
THE National Assembly yesterday passed a controversial motion which places members of groups including Rotary International and the Cardiff & County Club in the same category as Freemasons.
Assembly Members must declare their membership in such private clubs and societies or face investigation by the Standards Committee.
The legislation was introduced to prevent the Assembly being prosecuted on human rights grounds for discriminating against Freemasons.
During yesterday's debate Conservative AM William Graham asked for assurances that members of churches with specific membership requirements would not be forced to reveal their religious affiliation.
Kirsty Williams, who chairs the Standards Committee, said, "I can't give you the assurances you are looking for... The rules are the rules."
She said she expected that the vast majority of religious groups would not fall into that category.
Dan Boucher, the Assembly Liaison Officer for the Evangelical Alliance Cymru, later said, "If it transpires that those AMs who are members of religious organisations will be forced to declare this fact or face legal action then this seems intrusive and wholly at variance with the values of a liberal society."
Ms Williams had earlier argued for the change in the rules on the grounds that the reform would improve general transparency. She said, "To put this in context for colleagues, the point has been made that while Freemasonry is required to be registered, there is no requirement for a member to register their membership of the Ku Klux Klan."
Labour AM Huw Lewis opposed the change in the rules and wanted Freemasonry to continue to be singled out, regardless of the risk of legal action. He said, "This chamber is the voice of the people of Wales and not the voice of the lawyers of Wales." He said he was concerned about Masonic influences on public life because "there are actual oaths of secrecy and that creates unease. The reality behind it may not be sinister but the perception matters."
James Bevan, Provincial Secretary of the South Wales Eastern Division of Freemasons, said he was shocked by the attitude of AMs. He said, "What bothers me is the uninhibited bigotry... A lot of the younger people seem to be directed rather than think for themselves."
While he welcomed the broadening of the rules he regretted that it was the threat of a lawsuit which had spurred the Assembly to action.
He said, "They are not responding to any sense of fair play. They are trying to excuse their decision because they say we were about to beat them over their head with a big stick."
AMs voted in favour of the changes by 37 votes to seven, with two abstentions, thereby gaining the necessary two-thirds majority.
Thanks
to the western Mail
Copyright
2005 Western Mail
The
Sunday Times - Scotland
April
17, 2005
Freemasonry
rolls up its trousers in public
For the first time, a Mason has written openly about the organisation’s
obscure rituals and their impact. Dr Robert Lomas explains why he’s lifted
the lid on his experiences. Freemasonry has always puzzled and attracted me.
Its rituals are weird, its history is obscure and its purpose unclear. I had
my first experience of it as I stood in the ladies’ toilet of Eaglescliffe
Masonic Hall. Next to me a man wearing a white lambskin apron menaced me with
a sword.
“Get your clothes off . . . and put your watch and rings in that tray.”
“Everything?” I asked. “Is this some sort of ritual naked mugging?”
“No,” he said, his expression totally serious. “You can keep your underpants on.”
As I pulled my trousers down, he produced what looked like rough linen pyjamas. “Put these on,” he ordered.
The glow from the single bare light bulb sparkled on his sword as he pointed. I gulped but did as I was told.
Not until much later did I begin to understand what was done to me that night; at the time I felt confused and even a little let down. I donned the pyjamas, then the swordsman opened my jacket to expose parts of my body and rolled up my sleeves and trouser legs. I could see no rhyme or reason for his actions, but he continued to fiddle with my flimsy rags until he was satisfied.
“Wait here,” he said, closing the door as he went out — as if I were likely to run out into the street and risk frostbite or arrest for indecent exposure. “Why did I get myself into this?” I thought at the time.
In the 406 years of Freemasonry’s recorded existence (the earliest minuted masonic meetings took place in Edinburgh in 1599) there have been hundreds of exposés of its ritual secrets. One of the first was a book called Three Distinct Knocks, written by Samuel Pritchard in 1760; one of the latest is Stephen Knight’s The Brotherhood, published in paperback in 1990. All have one thing in common: they quote Masonic ritual in order to expose an evil secret at its centre. After so much bad press, I decided, as a Freemason, to set the record straight in my new book, Turning the Hiram Key.
Freemasonry is a highly successful organisation that has been a powerful force in helping to shape our modern scientific and democratic society. Members such as Sir Robert Moray, the founder of the Royal Society, George Washington, the first president of the United States, Sir Winston Churchill, Britain’s wartime saviour, Wolfgang Mozart, the composer, and Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, all drew inspiration from its rituals.
What accounts for the wide appeal that Freemasonry has had during the past four centuries and still has today? Why does Masonic ritual inspire its practitioners to become creative, balanced individuals? The traditional answer to this question has always been “it’s a secret”. But why is it a secret? Is it because Freemasons have something to hide? I am much more inclined to believe that most Freemasons simply don’t understand why Masonic ritual inspires and encourages them, and they cover up this ignorance by refusing to talk about the spiritual impact of their Masonry.
I first entered a Masonic temple blindfolded and my confusion remained for some time. Whatever other mysteries there are in Freemasonry, trying to second-guess the form of words the Lodge wants to hear when its Master asks a question is the most puzzling. At least that’s what I thought, until, in that first initiation, I experienced the oddest postural instruction I’d yet known. I heard the instruction . . . but what did they mean? Could I twist my body into such an odd position? Goodness knows what strange endorphins were released into my brain as I struggled to keep my body still, using only the kinetic feedback of my stretched muscles to judge what was happening. But only when this contorted question and answer session to “make me a Mason” was complete would the blindfold be removed.
I waited. I could feel a sense of anticipation building. There was the rustle of movement about the room, as though hidden watchers were readying themselves for some expected event. A voice rang out, in a dramatic crescendo: “Let the boon of light be bestowed.”
As the blindfold was ripped from my eyes, a muffled clap sounded from the watchers. The light in the room was so bright that I found it hard to focus. The single clap, performed by about 40 white-gloved men, sounded surreal.
I blinked and tried to focus. Before me was the Master of the Lodge, surrounded by a bright halo of light. He was wearing an elaborate V-shaped collar of blue and white. Behind him was some sort of ornate carved wooden chair with a triangular headrest. I was struggling to see any detail in the light.
From that day forward, I took great pleasure in attending meetings, but the Order remained largely unknown to me. I had learned how to memorise and recite large chunks of ritual. I exposed various parts of my body to the curious gaze of the Brethren. At each step of this journey, I had been told: “Just do this next bit and all will become clear to you.” But until I decided to research it for myself, it never did.
In my book I set out to achieve three things: first, to explain what had happened, how I felt and how I changed as I was initiated; second, to analyse how ritual, symbols and myth combined to create the uplifting spiritual experiences; and third, to consult the oldest document in Scottish Masonic history and see if its symbols told the same story.
And they did. The Kirkwall Scroll in Orkney is a great cloth, 18ft 6in long and 5ft 6in wide. It was once put on the floor of the Lodge, so that a Masonic candidate could walk through the symbols as he carried out the rituals. The centre section has been radiocarbon-dated to about AD1490. This is a significant period of history, soon after the time when Freemasonry was first established in Scotland by the St Clairs of Roslin.
At the heart of Freemasonry’s influence is the power of symbolism, and its role in feeding our emotional appetites. The enormous success of Dan Brown’s thriller, The Da Vinci Code, shows how he has latched onto a deep spiritual hunger and so managed to attract millions of readers worldwide.
Brown sets the climax of his story in Rosslyn Chapel in Mid-Lothian, celebrating two symbols that are part of that building. He calls them the blade and the chalice. But the same symbols are known to Freemasons as the square and the compasses. And they combine to form the oldest sacred symbol in the world, a diamon shape that archaeologists call a lozenge. It is a symbol found in Africa, in the most ancient art drawn by human hand and in the stones of Skara Brae in Orkney.
When I was commissioned to write Turning the Hiram Key, my publishers pointed out that many clues regarding the identity of the man who inspired Brown’s character, Robert Langdon, lead to me — not least the fact that Langdon is, like me, an internationally known expert on spiritual symbolism and myth based in a university with a world-ranking business school. Langdon, however, seems to lead a more exciting life than I do. If I had to solve murders as well as teach, research and write, I’d never have any spare time.
Brown, who is rumoured to be a Freemason, is certainly aware of the power of myth and symbol. Having noted its current appeal, is that why he is using Freemasonry as the inspiration for his next book, The Solomon Key? He knows that some myths and symbols are popular because they appeal instinctively.
My own research suggests that humans are programmed by evolution to be attracted and soothed by particular symbols and stories. Freemasonry uses this secret knowledge to work its spiritual magic.
So why have I decided to break with 400 years of Masonic obtuseness? I have been fortunate in my publishers, Lewis Masonic, who have been enthusiastic supporters, lending my book a kind of semi-official status, despite the opposition of some within the Grand Lodge of England. It is my belief that Freemasonry is an ancient science that can drive human ambition and achievement. It can offer great insights into the mystery of the inner self — whether you call it soul, spirit or state of consciousness — that do not conflict with modern science. It is a heritage of ancient spiritual teaching held in trust by us to pass on to our sons and daughters. I want others to feel as I did when I experienced the high point of Masonic ritual.
I could see a bright, five-pointed star shining on the eastern wall of the blacked-out Lodge. I gazed, fascinated, at the star, which seemed to hover above the Master’s chair and which, in the surrounding darkness, cast a bright narrow beam of light towards the west. As I looked back at the white shroud covering the Lodge floor, the ray from the rising star illuminated a skull placed above a pair of crossed thigh bones. In the faint light of the star, they looked real. The Master let me gaze for a long moment before speaking.
“Let those symbols of morbidity, which the rising of the Morning Star has illuminated for you, help you to reflect on your ineluctable fate and direct your thoughts towards the most valuable of all studies, the knowledge of yourself.”
Dr Robert Lomas is a lecturer in technological management at Bradford University. Turning the Hiram Key is published by Lewis Masonic
Thanks
to Times Newspapers
Copyright
2005 Times Newspapers Ltd
Radio
Free Mason Launches March 1st, 2005
Hinton,
Alberta – February 24th, 2005
On March 1st, 2005 a new era in Masonic education and entertainment will be born with the broadcast of our first show.
"Radio Free Mason" is a monthly online audio broadcast on all aspects of Freemasonry; news, reviews, interviews and editorial points of view.
This project was started by Worshipful Brother Stephen Dafoe, a Past Master of Moira Lodge A.F.&A.M. No. 11 GRC, and currently a member of Hinton Lodge A.F. & A.M. No. 178 GRA. Dafoe is also the publisher of www.thelodgeroom.com and the Masonic Magazine, "A Fourth Part of a Circle."
The first episode of the show, recorded in the aptly named Studio 3-5-7, is just under one hour in length and features contributions from Canadian, American and English Freemasons.
Radio Free Mason has been in the works for the last six months and the web site is now live at www.radiofreemason.com
For further information on the broadcast, please contact us at:
info@radiofreemason.com
30
December 2004
from Kent Online
the Kent Messenger Group website
Macartney Member Vic Walters' brother caught in Tsunami Disaster
A Father who clung on to a tree to escape a monster wave has told how he pulled bodies from the rubble after the disaster hit.
Roderick Walters, 37, was on holiday on the Thai holiday island of Phuket with his partner Sharon Wood, 34, and their three children when the tsunami struck their ocean-facing hut on Patong Beach.
Marine biologist Rod, of Parrock Avenue, Gravesend, tried to run for cover when the 30-foot wave engulfed the beach resort, but was hit by a massive swell that dragged him hundreds of yards into a tree.
He managed to climb to safety under breaking branches before realising he had only seconds to save the rest of his family-- including son Jake Walters, 13, and daughters Chelsea, 10, and Eloise, five.
As the wave withdrew he ran to the stilted hut, grabbed his family and piled them into an abandoned jeep which still had its keys in the ignition. He drove them to safety on high ground before returning to help others.
There he discovered washed-up bodies strewn across the devastated resort. Mangled wreckage surrounded him as he pulled screaming survivors and bodies free from the debris.
Mum Sandra Myatt only heard her loved ones were safe on Monday -- two days after the shattering earthquake. The 54-year-old, of Ebbsfleet Walk in Northfleet, had to take sleeping pills and was sick with worry for her family.
She said: "I heard about the disaster on the television. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I couldn’t sit down and was walking around like a zombie crying and screaming.
“We just didn’t have a Christmas -- we didn’t know whether they were dead or alive. We just didn’t know anything."
Anxious brother Vic Walters of Burch Road, Northfleet, had desperately appealed for information about his sibling on two news internet sites. Rod was eventually able to call his mum at 9pm on Monday.
She said: "It was a fuzzy line but I cannot describe the relief at hearing his voice. He just kept saying: ‘It’s me mum, it’s Rod--we’re all fine.’"
The Walters family drove for two hours to reach a safe hotel. Unable to get an earlier flight, they will be returning home this Saturday.
Reproduced with thanks to Kent Online, The Kent Messsenger Group website
American
Freemasons end their stonewalling and put faith in PR
By Philip Sherwell in Washington
With thanks to the Telegraph Group Limited
After centuries of obsessive secrecy and medieval rituals, Freemasons have turned to the modern arts of public relations and advertising for an unprecedented recruitment campaign in America.
The days when newcomers could join only by a whispered invitation from an existing "brother", followed by a lengthy initiation, are coming to an end, after a steady fall in membership.
Grand Master Daniel Wilson inside the Grand Lodge in New Jersey
The Grand Lodge in New Jersey has launched its most energetic recruitment drive
so far, investing about $100,000 (£51,000) in newspaper and cinema advertising
to publicise a one-day entry "class" in March. Robert Leonard, a New
York public relations executive handling the campaign, needed no introduction:
he is a Mason.
"If you're looking to make a difference, take a look at Freemasonry," read the adverts in 12 New Jersey papers. "We are committed to charity, brotherhood, friendship and faith and do so through philanthropic and humanitarian acts. Become a better man, father, husband and citizen at the Freemason's one-day class on March 19."
Daniel Wilson, the state's grand master, makes no apology for the new tactics. "Freemasonry has long been thought of as a secret society," he said. "We thought it was time to educate people about what Freemasonry is all about.
"There has been a steady decline in membership numbers and it is time to turn that around. I believe there are plenty of men looking for the camaraderie and fraternalism that we provide."
The website features a greeting from Mr Wilson in full regalia, a fact sheet on Freemasonry and a list of prominent Masons ranging from George Washington (one of 14 presidents) to Harry Houdini and John Wayne.
Membership in America peaked at 4.1 million in 1959, largely the result of a surge in new members who had fought in the Second World War. But now it is only about 1.7 million, many of them getting on a bit. There are no official links between American Freemasonry and the British organisation.
The main thrust of the campaign is the one-day entry class. Previously, it could take months to complete the three Masonic "degrees" required to become a member, a complicated process that lodges believed was deterring applicants.
Conspiracy theorists accuse Freemasons of secretly plotting to take over the world's governments while some religious groups label them a dangerous cult.
Such perceptions exasperate members who point out that their charitable work raises more than $750 million a year.
Grand Master Richard Fletcher, head of the national Masonic Services Association, hopes to capitalise on interest in Freemasonry resulting from National Treasure, a new film starring Nicolas Cage and Sean Bean. The plot features a fabled treasure safeguarded for the nation by the Freemasons, whom it depicts as honourable and trustworthy.
In New Jersey, home to 32,000 Masons, several hundred people have already signed up for the March session. Other states have also used the one-day classes to good effect, even without newspaper advertising: in Ohio and Pennsylvania, they brought in several thousand new members.
The New York state lodge, which has run the commercials, had a harder time after an unofficial initiation ritual went horribly wrong.
Albert Eid, a veteran Freemason, thought the gun he was firing at a new recruit held blanks, but instead accidentally shot him dead with a live bullet.
Although Masonic leaders said guns were banned from lodges, the incident was unwelcome publicity.
Freemasonry, which has its roots in the guilds of stonemasons who built the castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages, has historically shied away from public exposure and relied on a code of signs and rituals at meetings held behind closed doors.
The new approach has annoyed some traditionalists but Grand Masters Wilson and Fletcher said the colourful customs and traditions would not be abandoned. The special handshakes, the recitations and the rolled-up left trouser leg are here to stay.
Nor are women about to be admitted to the male-only inner sanctum, although in America they are allowed to join affiliated organisations.
"We're not changing things willy-nilly," said Mr Fletcher, 70, a retired banker and a Mason for 48 years.
"We're not going to stand on street corners and try to lassoo every passing male. But we do want to attract new members. And we believe there is a generation out there who want to get involved with a value-based organisation again."
Copyright of Telegraph Group Ltd
Reproduced
from Isle of Man Examiner newspaper
ROW OVER VICAR'S BAN ON FREEMASONS
TOP level talks
between the freemasons and the Church have been held over a vicar's decision
to ban ministers and readers who are masons from serving in his parishes.
The ruling made by Reverend Gordon Barker, priest-in-charge of Andreas with
Jurby and Lezayre, has ruffled feathers.
A meeting between Bishop Graeme Knowles and George Peake, provincial grand master of the Island's freemasons, has taken place. Ramsey woman Esther Richmond is appalled at Mr Barker's ruling.
'As a regular attender at Glen Auldyn and on the readers list, I am appalled to learn that the two people, Duncan Robertson and His Honour Henry Callow, who helped so much, with the lay reader Anne Kean, to keep our churches going during a very lengthy interregnum have been told no freemason can preach or take part in services,' said Mrs Richmond.
'People should remember, no matter what their views on freemasonry are, they provide for a lot of charitable causes in the Island and in particular Noble's Hospital where, over the years, they have donated hundreds of thousands of pounds for equipment which has been of benefit to thousands of patients. Is that a non-Christian action?'
'I personally have a lot to thank the masons for and I am not the only one in this Island, my late father High Bailiff Percy Kelly was a freemason and a deeply committed Christian. Due to his death at an early age my two brothers were able to have an excellent education at the Royal Masonic School, in Bushey, and they were not the only ones in the Island to benefit thanks to freemasons.
'I sincerely hope that Mr Barker will have a good rethink about freemasons because if he doesn't I for one, in what are becoming sparse congregations, will leave and go to another church.'
Mr Barker was welcomed to his post at a special service in September. He took over from Reverend Rod Geddes. In a statement, he said: 'I have never said that I would ban freemasons from my parish churches. I have no wish to do so. 'I have never said that I would ban freemasons from being office holders, wardens or parochial church council members in any of my parish churches.
Again, I have no wish to do so. 'I have made it clear on several occasions that I will minister to all people without distinction, freemasons among them, who come within my parishes or who are members of the congregations of my parishes. 'I have said, however, that I do no want ministers who are freemasons to serve in the parishes. That applies only and specifically to ministers and readers. However following recent meetings I am currently reconsidering the effect of such a prohibition on certain members of my congregation.'
He added: 'There is nothing new in all this, the difficulties encountered by Christians who are freemasons was the subject of a report by the Church of England House of Bishops several years ago.' Mr Peake said: 'There are many Christians who are also freemasons and have no difficulty in being both. 'For almost three centuries eminent churchmen have taken pride in being leading freemasons and have found Christianity and freemasonry to be entirely compatible.'
Neither Mr Robertson
nor Mr Callow wanted to comment on the matter but Mr Callow said he was proud
of being a freemason.
with thanks to the Isle of Man Examiner newspaper
Reproduced
from The Financial Times
Freemasonry an honourable society
By Graham Redman
Published: November 23 2004 02:00
From Mr Graham F. Redman.
Sir, In your report "Frattini facing tough interview for European Commission
job" (November 15) you quote Sarah Ludford MEP as suggesting that "abuse
of the masonic pledge of fraternity can lead to miscarriages of justice and
is incompatible with work in the law enforcement field".
She is clearly uninformed about Freemasonry. Freemasons do not swear allegiance to each other or to Freemasonry. Freemasonry specifically demands from its members a respect for the law of any country in which a man may work and live. Freemasons are free to declare their membership and are obliged to declare an interest when appropriate. Freemasonry is an honourable society and its members make considerable contributions to public life.
The only relevance that membership of Freemasonry has to the individual's suitability for public appointment is an added assurance that the person is a member of a group that seeks to nurture good works in public life, and that imposes its own sanctions, up to and including expulsion, on any member whose conduct has fallen short of the high standards of personal integrity expected.
Graham F. Redman, Assistant Grand Secretary, United Grand Lodge of England, London WC2B 5AZ
With
thanks to the Financial Times
Italian
Foreign Minister denies masonic links as EU eyes end to limbo
AFP: 15 November 2004
STRASBOURG (AFP) - Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini denied being a Freemason, as he faced a closely-watched grilling from EU lawmakers over becoming Rome`s nominee for the European Commission.
He was quizzed over his masonic links at a three-hour confirmation hearing at the European Parliament, part of EU efforts to end an unprecedented state of limbo which has delayed the EU executive from taking office.
"I`m not a Mason. I have never been one," he told the justice committee of the EU assembly, which last month voted down Italy`s controversial first choice for its EU nominee, Rocco Buttiglione.
Buttiglione himself made the suggestion that Frattini should be asked if he was a member of a Masonic Lodge last week, after he had bowed to pressure to stand aside over his comments that homosexuality a "sin."
Frattini, after denying the suggestion, was pressed over whether he agreed that membership of a Masonic Lodge should be a declarable activity for public office, given that Masons are bound to help each other professionally.
"I agree with you," he told the British MEP who asked him the question, declining to elaborate further.
The European Parliament is widely expected to finally approve the new Commission led by Jose Manuel Barroso in a vote scheduled for Thursday, but MEPs are promising a potentially bumpy ride.
"It`s not a cosmetic exercise... We are going to put them through the hoops," said Tony Robinson of the 200-strong Socialist bloc, the second biggest in the European Parliament and the key force which scuppered last month`s vote.
Barroso`s new EU executive was supposed to take office on November 1. But he was forced to withdraw his first-choice team at the last minute on October 27 after EU lawmakers threatened to veto it in protest principally at Buttiglione.
This plunged the EU into uncharted waters, with outgoing Commission head Romano Prodi having to stay on as a caretaker in the Brussels EU executive until the situation is resolved.
Buttiglione stood down only after EU leaders made it clear that he could not credibly remain as Rome`s candidate for Brussels.
At the same time Barroso accepted a replacement for Latvia`s disputed nominee Ingrida Udre, while reshuffling Hungarian Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs from the energy portfolio to the taxation brief.
Kovacs, who was widely criticized for not having a command of the energy brief in his first confirmation hearings, is due to be grilled again on Tuesday morning.
Many see the row as part of horse-trading surrounding Buttiglione`s ouster. The Italian was backed by the EPP, which was widely expected to seek a Socialist scalp -- that of Kovac -- in return for his withdrawal.
At the start of his hearing Monday evening, the suave Italian minister stressed his commitment to civil rights and his opposition to discrimination of whatever sort.
"If I am appointed obviously I shall base my activities on the furtherance of fundamental rights," he told the justice committee in the EU assembly, the same MEPs who last month rejected Buttiglione.
Some critics have an even more basic problem with Frattini, arguing that an Italian nominee should not get the sensitive EU justice brief at all, given the web of judicial probes surrounding Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
"Giving Italy (the) justice and home affairs (brief) is like making the poacher into the gamekeeper," said Greens spokesman Helmut Weixler.
with thanks to Agence France Presse.
Copyright 2004 Agence France Presse.
The
Times
10
November 2004
Buttiglione
'outs' his EU successor as a Freemason
From Richard Owen in Rome
From The Times
ROCCO BUTTIGLIONE, the Catholic politician and papal adviser whose views on
homosexuality and marriage cost him his job as an EU Commissioner last month,
yesterday caused further controversy by claiming that his successor was a Freemason.
Signor Buttiglione congratulated Franco Frattini, the Foreign Minister, on his nomination as EU Justice Commissioner, the job for which Signor Buttiglione had been nominated by Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister.
But he went on: "I hope his hearings go well and that nobody asks him if he is a Freemason. If they do they will only be repeating the same injustice that was done to me."
Signor Frattini, who has been Foreign Minister since November 2002, yesterday held talks in Brussels with José Manuel Durão Barroso, the new European Commission President, ahead of confirmation hearings at the European Parliament next Monday and Tuesday. Senhor Barroso hopes his entire Commission will be confirmed next Thursday by Euro MPs, enabling it to take office the following Monday.
Freemasonry, which was banned under Mussolini, flourished under the Christian Democrats in postwar Italy, and remains legal. But it is still viewed with suspicion by the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church.
It has been a highly sensitive issue in Italy since 1981, when a secret and illegal right-wing Masonic lodge known as P2 - Propaganda Due - was broken up amid public scandal.
Nearly a thousand members of P2 were named, including senior figures in business, politics, banking, journalism, the intelligence services and the military. The scandal brought down the Christian Democrat-led Government of Arnaldo Forlani, which had tried to keep the details secret.
Signor Frattini and Signor Berlusconi declined to comment on Signor Buttiglione's outburst. Lapo Pistelli, an Italian left-wing Euro MP, said that it was a "poisoned dart. I have no idea if Frattini is a Mason or not, but I have no doubt that, unlike Buttiglione, he will appear at his hearing fully prepared and there will be no unpleasant surprises."
However, Mario Borghezio, a Northern League Euro MP, said that he hoped Signor Frattini was "independent of the occult powers which control Europe".
Signor Frattini, 47, a parliamentary deputy for Signor Berlusconi's Forza Italia Party since 1996 and former head of the parliamentary commission overseeing the intelligence services, is widely admired for his competence and equanimity.
Last night Signor Berlusconi held a meeting of his Centre Right coalition to discuss the nomination of Gianfranco Fini, the "post Fascist" Deputy Prime Minister, as the new Foreign Minister. Signor Buttiglione, far from returning to relative obscurity as Italy's Minister for European Affairs since his rejection by Euro MPs, has defiantly maintained a high profile through public meetings and interviews, in which he has lambasted the "totalitarianism" of an "over secularised and politically correct Europe".
Last weekend he began a campaign for a return to "traditional religious values" in public life, and said that thousands of people all over Europe had offered support for his campaign to inject "Christian family values" into politics.
A survey this week showed that 61 per cent of Italians were against gay marriage.
5M IN WORLD
Freemasonry is one of the oldest secular fraternities in the world. The first Grand Lodge was established in England in 1717. There are about 5 million freemasons worldwide, with 300,000 in England and Wales.
In the 1930s, freemasonry was banned in Germany and Spain and many members were jailed and killed, causing the organisation to become more secretive.
Candidates have to believe in a supreme being. Discussion of religion is forbidden, as is the discussion of politics.
Members swear not to reveal secret rituals. In 1986, the rules changed so that they no longer had to agree to have throats slit and tongues cut out if they broke their oaths.
The Roman Catholic
Church prohibits Catholics from membership.The Church of England has expressed
concern about Masonic rituals.
With thanks to The Times
16 August 2004
Unlocking secrets of the masons
By Neil Hudson (Yorkshire Evening Post)
MENTION freemasonry to most people and it will most likely conjure up images of secretive, clandestine – perhaps even romantic – ritualised meetings behind closed doors.
It suggests a world
of secret handshakes, esoteric codes and unspoken fellowship. But freemasonry,
with all its myth-making potential, is trying very hard to step out of the shadows.
In about a month's time, the results of an on-line internet survey (www.bradford.ac.uk/masonicsurvey)
into the public perception of the centuries-old society will be compiled and
published.
The aim is to dispel
the raft of urban myths which have sprouted over the decades, many becoming
interwoven with conspiracy theories covering everything from the downfall of
the Church to world domination. Author of the questionnaire and Past Master
Craig Johnson, 39, a lecturer in sales management at Bradford University, said:
"I put the questionnaire together because a lot of information about freemasonry
was anecdotal and I thought that did not show the reality of what it is.
"We wanted
to find out if people thought there was a stereotype associated with freemasons.
"We are an organisation the size of Tesco but no-one has written anything
on it and freemasonry remains a socially significant organisation.
Freemasonry is
understood to have begun among the stone masons working on cathedrals in the
13th century, although no-one knows its exact origins. Some have proposed it
even stems back to the Knights Templar. Its own members refer to it as 'The
Craft' and there is only one way to join its hallowed ranks. In true enigmatic
style: you must "ask the question".
The original concept
was a union for masons but as the trade dwindled, members from other professions
joined and 'free'-masonry was born. Today the stone mason's set square and compass
form one of the symbols of the masonic movement, which has around 330,000 members
in the UK and millions worldwide.
Freemason of 33
years Keith Madeley, 57, who is chairman of the information committee of the
West Yorkshire Province of Freemasons, is leading the drive to deliver a more
open, more approachable and more accessible side of freemasonry. He told the
YEP: "We have done a lot in recent years to try to change the image of
freemasonry, by showing people round lodges, holding open days and this year
we even had a stand at the Great Yorkshire Show."
To find out more
about freemasonry call 01274 481242.
neil.hudson@ypn.co.uk
Copyright Yorkshire Evening Post 2004
10 March 2004
Macartney Lodge donation to Ellenor Foundation
W. Bro. Joe Waters, Worshipful Master, accompanied by his Wardens, Bro. Colin Plumb and W. Bro. 'Nobby' Clarke, and W. Bro. Roger Hammond, presented a cheque for £1000.00 to Mr Jeff Glover of the Ellenor Foundation in the Gravesend Masonic Temple on 10 March 2004. Many members of the Lodge were in attendance.
Mr Glover thanked the Brethren on behalf of the Foundation for their support.
left-right: W. Bro.
Roger Hammond, Bro. Colin Plumb, W. Bro. Joe Waters, W. Bro. 'Nobby' Clarke,
Mr Jeff Glover
left-right: Bro.
Colin Plumb, W. Bro. Joe Waters, W. Bro. 'Nobby' Clarke, Mr Jeff Glover
25 November 2003
Australian
Anglicans Call on Freemasons to Resign
"Masonry fundamentally and irreconcilably incompatible
with Christian beliefs"
Sydney Anglicans
have sent a clear message to Freemasons across the
state: your beliefs are "contrary to biblical Christianity."
The strongly worded statement is part of a motion passed by Synod that describes the belief system as 'fundamentally and irreconcilably incompatible' with the Christian faith.
The motion calls on Christians who belong to a Masonic Lodge to resign their membership, as a demonstration of their commitment to Jesus Christ.
The Revd Bill Winthrop, rector of Lithgow Anglican Church, introduced the motion, cautioning that the problem of Freemasonry in Sydney congregations would not simply be solved with the passage of time.
He referred to plans by NSW Masonic Lodges to recruit younger members.
"We have an obligation to our church members to emphasise that Freemasonry holds and teaches beliefs that lead people away from Jesus Christ," Mr Winthrop said.
Several speakers warned that the motion would be perceived as unloving, especially by older Christians with strong ties to local lodges. "How will this motion be heard by many people in our retirement villages?" asked Lesley Errington of Revesby. Others, like John Gormloy, a non-practising Freemason from Palm Beach, challenged the notion that the Masonic Lodges were leading people away from salvation. "I believe in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and God - what are the differences between the teachings of the Freemasons?"
However, Professor Barry Newman talked of generations of his family lost to what he described as a works-based belief system. "My father was a mason, but it never showed him the gospel. In fact, it gave him an alternative faith, an alternative gospel."
The motion encourages ministers to not participate in or allow church buildings to be used for services that encourage Freemasonry.
The Rt Revd George Browning, Bishop of the Diocese of Canberra & Goulburn, has released a statement in response to the resolution: "A recent resolution adopted by the Sydney Synod was based on the concept that Freemasonry and Christianity are incompatible.
The resolution was tabled by Reverend Bill Winthrop of Lithgow and is based on his own perception of what Freemasonry represents.
My only gauge of Freemasonry and of Freemasons is my observation of the quality of their lives. In my 37 years of ministry I have generally found Freemasons to be people with integrity and with a heightened sense of commitment to the community.
The Anglican Church is a community in which there is scope for office holders to hold a range of opinions on a number of issues. The debates and resolutions in our synods are indicative of the tolerance and strength of the Church. Although differences in opinion may exist, our community is bound together by a commitment to the over-riding love of God in Christ, and compassion and tolerance that Christ taught us.
Personally, I have been more distressed by incidents where the compassion of the church has been withheld on the simple grounds that family members were Freemasons. It is very difficult to understand how these incidents portray the true Christian spirit.
The resolution is not binding on folk in the Diocese of Sydney and of little relevance to those outside. Therefore this issue is essentially a matter between a rector and members of his/her congregation.
I call on all clergy
and lay people within the Church to meet Freemasons with respect and a listening
ear, and for Anglican Freemasons to be alert to possible issues that may be
a cause of conflict for them in living out their Christian faith."
From 'Scotland on Sunday' 23 November 2003
Masons
to reveal secret list of names
Jeremy
Watson and Claire Gardner
THEY are thick brown ledgers that wouldn’t look out of place in a Harry Potter film. The huge tomes - each containing around 500 yellowing pages crammed with densely-packed, handwritten information - are so heavy some staff are banned from attempting to lift them.
The huge works are the membership registers of the 600 Freemason’s lodges of Scotland, the "secret" order reputed to wield legendary influence in the corridors of power.
And last week, in a historic and unprecedented move, six volumes were thrown open to Scotland on Sunday as part of Freemasonry’s attempts to dispel its secretive image and counter a damaging association with Dunblane killer Thomas Hamilton. It is the first time that an outside organisation has had such open access to masonic files.
The registration books, and the equally-voluminous attendance books for two individual lodges, cover the period during which Hamilton could have been a member or a visitor. Exhaustive searches by senior staff of the Grand Lodge of Scotland - effectively head office - has failed to find any record of Hamilton ever being a mason or even stepping over the threshold of the masonic lodges in Glasgow and Stirling to which he has been most closely linked.
The Grand Lodge is now even considering publishing the relevant membership records on the internet in a further move to reassure the wider public that it has nothing to hide.
Robert Cooper, the museum and library curator of the Grand Lodge in Edinburgh’s George Street, said: "We are going to ask for members’ permission from two lodges that Thomas Hamilton has been linked with to print the membership book on the internet to put an end to speculation over whether he was a Freemason or not. We know he wasn’t but we want everyone else to be sure as well."
It’s not just an academic exercise. The Hamilton connection has haunted the Freemasons since he shot dead 16 children, one of their teachers and himself in the school gym of Dunblane Primary in 1996. Last month, a petition was submitted by a local resident to the Scottish parliament asking for the Cullen Inquiry into the murders to be reopened to re-examine alleged masonic links.
Cooper is more familiar than most with how the theory goes. It sprang, he says, from the clearly-recorded membership of Hamilton’s grandfather, James, a welder who joined the Garrowhill Lodge in the working class district of Baillieston in December 1957 and, after moving home, was a regular attendee at the Royal Arch Lodge in Stirling until his death in 2000.
As the grandfather was a member, then so was the grandson, so the theory progresses. As a mason, Thomas Hamilton would mix socially with other masons, many of them local police officers, the theory dictates. "Thomas Hamilton was unstable but was allowed to keep guns in his house by the police because they were all masons together," Cooper said. "None of this is true."
Membership records
were scrutinised for the years in which Hamilton, who was born in 1952, could
have been a member. They were from 1973, after he was 21 (you can only join
at 18 if your father has been a member), to 1996 when he died. Another two Thomas
Hamiltons were unearthed in Scotland but they were both the wrong ages.
The theory goes police allowed Thomas Hamilton to keep guns because they were
all masons
"We spent months scouring the relevant documentation and no trace was found of him. Of course people will say you would say that wouldn’t you, which is why we are prepared to open the relevant parts of the register and attendance books up to scrutiny."
Cooper hopes it will also dispel the notion that masonic membership is the province of the wealthy and powerful. "I think most people will be surprised about how blue collar our membership really is. I shouldn’t tell you this but there isn’t one sheriff or judge among the Scottish membership."
The registration files themselves, stored in protective safes within the basement vaults of George Street, are kept in much the same format as they were when Freemasonry as a movement began life in Scotland in the 17th century. The broad pages record the new recruit’s name, occupation and age when first attending. A neat row notes the date of the three ceremonies each Lodge member must undergo before the achieve the rank of Master Mason.
A glance through the pages reveals a multitude of trades and professions, including engineers, joiners, labourers, bus drivers, pipelayers, welders, brewery workers and the occasional company director.
There have been attempts to present a more open image to the public. The movement and its 75,000-strong membership throughout Scotland realises that to survive in the long run it has to overcome long-held suspicions. The George Street headquarters is also the movement’s library and museum, stuffed with books and antique glassware and pottery of masonic significance, which are open to visitors.
The building dates from 1911, when it was purpose-built to replace an earlier Grand Lodge. The 30 rooms are an Edwardian time capsule of marbled pillars and warm wooden panelling.
The Grand Hall where the annual general meeting will be held next week has seating for hundreds in cathedral-like splendour. The centrepiece is a traditional black-and-white chequered carpet, which symbolises the choices of good and evil. The many masons initiated here will have had to swear to the three great Masonic principles of Brotherly Love, Relief (assisting others) and Truth (honesty and integrity in personal, business and public life).
Scottish masons who have taken the vows in the past include Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Sir Harry Lauder, Manny Shinwell and King George VI.
The current Grand Master Mason is Sir Archibald Orr Ewing, a retired Stirlingshire businessman. His father held the same position and last Friday, his ceremonial regalia, complete with chains of office and gauntlets, had been lovingly laid-out in his office, with its immaculate Italian marble fireplace and ornate plasterwork ceilings, awaiting his attendance at the AGM.
Copyright
'The Scotsman' 2003
From The Scotsman 21 November 2003
Masons
to catalogue conspiracy theories
by
Stewart Kirkpatrick
Robert Cooper is a mason - and he wants to make it clear that he did not kill
Princess Diana, sink the Titanic, start the French Revolution. Further, he has
no immediate plans to take over the world.
He is the Curator of the library of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and is co-ordinating an attempt by Masons to catalogue the multifarious conspiracy theories they are linked with.
There are thousands of websites that claim that Cooper's organisation is secretly manipulating events so that it can take over the world. The many dastardly acts that Masons have been blamed for by their enemies include:
• The assassination
of Abraham Lincoln.
• The assassination of JFK.
• The death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
• The assassination of John Lennon.
• The attempted assassination of US politician Barry Goldwater, even though
he was a Mason.
• The Jack the Ripper murders.
• The sinking of the Titanic.
• The French Revolution.
• The Russian Revolution.
• Genghis Khan's conquests.
• The moon landings, which were all faked, apparently.
Mr Cooper has a surprising explanation as to why Masons have been linked to conspiracy theories: "I strongly suspect it's our fault. People asked us questions and we didn't answer because it wasn't their business. That is no longer sustainable but you can see the problems it's caused. Because we didn't respond 100 years ago to these allegations there has been 100 years of belief that we're hiding something, no matter how open we are now.
"Let me explain something not a lot of people are aware of. Under no circumstances can any Freemason, as a Freemason, discuss matters of religion or politics. Most of our detractors attack on the basis of religion or politics and we don't defend ourselves. It's a bit like fighting with both hands tied behind your back."
He believes that people reach for conspiracy theories after any major event: "Nobody blames the Freemasons for losing their umbrella on the bus.
"After a disaster, people immediately ask the question, why? And when people die and people are not able to provide an answer to that question, the game is then open for everyone to add their own theories."
However, he also blames the profit motive.
"Conspiracy theories involving Freemasonry are not at all new. In fact we can trace them back to as early as the 1790s. A French priest, Abbe Augustin de Barruel, who was a refugee in London after the revolution, wrote the first "
Barruel's Memoirs of the History of Jacobinism and Freemasonry was followed by Proofs of a Conspiracy against all the Religions and Governments of Europe carried on in the Secret Meetings of the Freemasons, Illuminati, and Reading Societies, collected from Good Authorities by Professor John Robison, a secretary of the Royal Society and academic at the University of Edinburgh.
These books contained the by now familiar claims that Freemasons are silently taking over.
"These books sold amazingly well. Right away one wonders what the motive for these things are. When you see them selling in vast numbers you begin to suspect that there's one real purpose.
"The interesting thing about these two books is that they become a continuous thread that run right up to the present day. They go through various changes by various authors and they end up in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion."
The Protocols purports to be the blueprint of a plan for Jews to take over the world by stealth. It has been used by Adolf Hitler among others to justify their hatred. In fact it was a forgery produced in the 1890s by an agent of the Russian secret police.
Mr Cooper adds: "Though you can see these rather bizarre websites and that's good for a laugh but the bottom line is that millions of people died because some people believed in these things."
Copyright
'The Scotsman' 2003
Latest
News of National Assembly for Wales & Freemasonry
from Province of South Wales website
On Thursday 20 November 2003, the National Assembly for Wales (NAW) took another step in its long-winded efforts to extricate itself from the ludicrous position into which it has navigated itself. The NAW's Standards of Conduct Committee returned to the pressing matter of how to bring an end to the Assembly's own illegal discrimination against Freemasons.
Members had been asked to check with their party groups to determine whether there was sufficient support for the proposed solution to be approved by a vote of the full Assembly.
Indications were that all 12 Plaid Cymru and all 6 Liberal Democrat AMs would vote in favour, as would 7 of the 11 Conservative AMs. The situation among the 30 AMs of the ruling Labour Party was less clear, being described as "fairly evenly split" between acceptance, rejection and abstention.
Changes in Standing Orders require acceptance by two thirds of those present and voting.
The success or failure of the motion could hinge on exactly how any abstentions were made! In the Assembly's electronic voting system, an AM may abstain by pressing the "abstain" button, or by taking no action when called to vote. If (s)he took the former option, the abstention would effectively be a vote against the motion, whereas the latter option would be a true abstention and have a neutral effect on the outcome.
One disappointing feature of discussions was a concentration on the likelihood of AMs facing personal surcharges in the event of a successful legal challenge by Freemasons. This may well have been from a wish to garner further motivation for the "antis" to vote in favour, but it is sad that the threat of personal liability might sway opinion whereas a well-founded appeal for natural justice would not.
The committee agreed to delay its decision until the next meeting which would be on 29 January 2004. The intervening period being allowed for further submissions to AMs including more advice from the Assembly's own Legal Advisor on the likely outcome of a successful legal challenge; and full minutes of all Committee proceedings on the matter.
The Province of South Wales remains available to Assembly Members to discuss whatever concerns they may have. The Province shall be contacting each of them again to remind them of this.
November 2003
Safe
or satanic? Church leaders argue over Freemasonry
From the Jamaica
Daily Gleaner
By Damion Mitchell, Staff Reporter
ANGLICAN CHURCHMEN who are Freemasons have come out in firm defence against charges that they are involved in a 'secret and satanic' operation.
The charges were made by other church leaders who insisted yesterday at the Gleaner's Editors' Forum that "lodges of whatever sort are satanic and not sacred and that the Jamaican society should come out against the movement."
They said that the oaths taken by lodge members demand secrecy and exercise practices which are not consistent with Christian principles.
Membership in Masonic Lodges became an issue at the Sydney Anglican Synod in Australia last month. A motion was passed that said that Freemasonry and Christianity were "fundamentally and irreconcilably incompatible".
In defence of the organisations, the Anglican lodgemen said the movement is "decent and harmonious" and that the perceptions that it is satanic were a confusion with groups that it calls "speculative lodges."
The Rev. Dr. Alfred Reid, Lord Bishop of Jamaica, who many years ago abandoned membership of a service club to become a Freemason said, "I have never come across it (Masonry) as anything satanic."
"There are bodies which style themselves as lodges but we are not in amity with them," said Keith Scott, a Freemason and member of the St. Margaret's (Anglican) Church, Liguanea, in Kingston.
However, Beresford
Keith Ashley, a former member of the Mechanic Lodge who is deacon of the Brown's
Town Baptist Church in St. Ann was unapologetic in
his charges. "The whole atmosphere of the lodge is built on fear hence
this cloud of secrecy (exists within the group)" he said. Relating an ordeal
that he said was compulsory before admission to the Mechanic Lodge, he explained,
"I was dying before I died... I was asked to repeat an oath and the words alone were so fearful."
For his part Rev. Dr. Donald Stewart, Pastor of the Portmore Lane Covenant Community Church said it was important that the society oppose Masonry because it was "a system deceiving young men in particular, drawing them into a network where they became closer to their Lodge brothers than even their own wives."
But Bishop Reid said the "the only secret that is not available to your wife or to the public is how to get into a Lodge meeting."
With over 5,000 members enrolled to the fraternity, the Freemasons present at the Gleaner's forum said that their membership included nearly all the 'upstanding' men in leadership positions in medicine, the judiciary, the police force and even parliament. They stressed the importance of unity, humility and charity among lodge members, as the brotherhood reaches across continents, racial and religious barriers.
Questioned whether the lodge managed to attain unity where the church has failed, Bishop Reid said "we are not trying to save sinners, that is the church's role and if the church continues to fight among itself then it is not going to be able to carry out that role.
He also said that there was nothing wrong with being a Christian and a Mason at the same time and Rev. Dr. Vivian Cohen agreed. "Many Anglicans and other denominations are members and find nothing incompatible with Freemasonry and Christianity," he said.
29 July 2003
Bro. Glyn Hudd Passed to the Grand Lodge Above
Following a lengthy illness with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Bro. Glyn died in the early hours of Tuesday morning, 29 July 2003. The funeral will take place at Holy Trinity Church, Hawley, Hampshire on Wednesday 6 August 2003. Bro Glyn's widow has specifically requested that she not be contacted directly by members of the Lodge during this difficult time.
Bro. Glyn Hudd was initiated into Macartney Lodge on 27 January 1972 and raised on 27 September 1973. Bro. Glyn did not attend the Lodge in recent years, but many of the Macartney 'elders' will remember him well.
19 June 2003
Hartley Church Service for Bro. Michael Meadows
All Saints Church at Hartley was packed on Thursday 19 June for a memorial service to celebrate the life of Macartney's Charity Steward, Bro. Michael Meadows, who died 7 June in hospital.
Bro. Michael's son Andrew and daughter-in-law Leigh combined to give the Eulogy, which was delivered with humour and great fondness. A tribute to Michael was given by Roger Hammond, which included details of Michael's Masonic membership and achievements.
There were 21 members of the lodge at the service and eight of the members were accompanied by their wives. A list of those attending can be found in the Members only section.
Following the service, there was a reception at the Hartley Country Club.
30 April 2003
Masonic Childrens' Trust Now 'Royal'
With effect from tomorrow, 1st May 2003, Her Majesty The Queen is content for the MTGB (Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys) to be named 'Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys'.
The official announcement has been made, today (30th April 2003), by His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, Grand Master of The United Grand Lodge of England, and Grand President of the Trust, at a regular meeting of Grand Lodge in London.
President of the new Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, Andrew Stebbings, said, 'This news is welcomed by the Council of the Trust and is a great honour for all of the members of the Craft throughout England and Wales.'
The Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys is one of the central Masonic charities. The primary aim of the Trust is to assist with the education and welfare of the children of deceased or distressed Freemasons. When funds permit, however, the Trust may also assist non-Masonic children by giving grants to other children's charities.
During last year, over 3,000 individual young people benefited from assistance. Sixty non-Masonic organisations also benefited from donations.
In addition, throughout
England and Wales, 25 children's hospices enjoy the benefits of the Trust's
£7.5 million lifelites information technology scheme. lifelites is a special
fund - established in 1998 as the Trust's millennium project - that provides
networked multi-media communications and computer-aided educational and recreational
facilities to the children in the hospices.
30 April 2003
W. Bro. Ernest Herbert 1920 - 2003
At Darenth Valley Hospital at about 10:15, W. Bro. Ernie Herbert passed to the Grand Lodge above. W. Bro. Ernie was Initiated into Macartney Lodge on 22 September 1955 and was installed as Master in 1970. He was subsequently appointed Past Provincial Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies.
W. Bro. Herbert will be missed by those more senior member of the Lodge who will fondly remember him.
29 April 2003
River
safer now
from Gravesham News Shopper
- with thanks
River users in Gravesend will be safer than ever thanks to a new lifeboat at the town's station.
The new boat, named Olive Laura Deare, was launched at a naming ceremony at Fort Gardens by relatives of the donors whose legacy funded the vessel.
The new lifeboat, which was christened on April 26, is the first E Class lifeboat to be improved and modified especially for use on the Thames.
NB - The Lodge Almoner and unofficial historian, W Bro Albert Axford, informs us that Olive Laura Deare was the wife of W. Bro. Denison Deare, a joining member of Macartney Lodge, who joined 22 July 1937 and died in 1994. He was WM of the Lodge in 1952.
8 December 2002
Favourable Mention in Sunday Times Magazine
The following photograph and short mention appears in today's Sunday Times Magazine (Sunday 8 December 2002 Page 16). As an interesting aside, the Mason standing and holding the camera is W. Bro. Alan Eadie, IPM North Kent Masters Lodge No.9062.
BEST OF BRITISH
Freemasons
Freemasonry is thought to have emerged from the medieval guild of stonemasons, who travelled the country building castles and cathedrals. They were called "freemasons" as they were not bound to any master. Their trade secrets developed into today's rituals and ceremonies. By the early 17th century, the guilds were accepting non-masons. Today there are more than 5m Freemasons worlwide. Last year they gave £27m to charity in the UK. Famous Masons include Jim Davidson and the Duke of Kent.
Thanks to the
Sunday Times Magazine for the above
Provincial Family Lunch at Gillingham Football Club
A new social venture for the Province, the Family Lunch was held at the Banqueting Suite at Gillingham Football Club on Sunday 17 November 2002. Macartney Lodge was represented by Albert Axford, John Abreu, myself and, of course, our wives. We met many other Gravesend based Freemasons in the bars and in the dining room.
Attendance was about 400 Freemasons and their wives or partners. Although billed as a 'family' lunch, there were very few youngsters. The lunch itself was egg mayonnaise to start, roast beef and yorkshire pudding served with roast potatoes, broccoli, mixed vegetables, followed by gateau and cheese and biscuits. Next year, I will try and get a table nearer the kitchen as by the time the food reached us, it was only luke warm.
The facilities at Gillingham FC were absolutely superb, with a huge banqueting room and two bars - well worth a visit. - IRG.
15 November 2002 - from The Independent
New
Archbishop: Masons have no place in the Church
By Jason Bennetto
The new Archbishop of Canterbury has said he believes Christianity and Freemasonry
are "incompatible" and has refused to appoint clergymen to senior
posts because they are members of the Brotherhood.
Dr Rowan Williams, who becomes head of the Church of England next month, told The Independent that he is not in favour of ministers being Masons because it is a "secret organisation" whose views are questionable.
He also voiced doubts in a letter to Hugh Sinclair, who has been investigating the Brotherhood: "I have real misgivings about the compatibility of Masonry and Christian profession ... I have resisted the appointment of known Masons to certain senior posts."
Dr Williams' comments will renew controversy about the Freemasons. In the past 50 years some of its most senior members have been in the Church's higher echelons, and there have been links between the two organisations for centuries. Thousands of leading clergymen and churchgoers are among its 350,000 British members.
The Rev Gregory Cameron, chaplain to Dr Williams, said: "He questions whether it's appropriate for Christian ministers to belong to secret organisations. He also has some anxiety about the spiritual content of Masonry."
A spokesman for the Archbishop said he was "worried about the ritual elements in Freemasonry – which some have seen as possibly Satanically inspired – and how that sits uneasily with Christian belief". He continued: "The other idea is that because they are a society, there could be a network that involves mutual back-scratching, which is something he would be greatly opposed to."
A spokesman for the Freemasons in England said: "As far as we are concerned, there is no incompatibility between Christianity and our organisation whatsoever."
Thanks to The Independent newspaper
13 November 2002 - National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales rejected plans to end their discrimination against Freemasons in a crucial vote late this afternoon. By the advice of its own Legal Officers, it now leaves itself extremely vulnerable to any legal challenge.
The crazy situation that continues to exist is that an Assembly Member (AM) who fails to declare that he is a Mason is de-facto guilty of a criminal offence; whilst a member of the Ku-Klux-Klan in the same situation would not be!
The motion to change standing Orders required a two-thirds majority to succeed. 47 of the 60 AM's were present for the vote. 32 votes was therefore the target for success. The voting was:
For: 29
Against: 15
Abstain: 3
25 October 2002
Macartney 'Domino' Evening
Despite a relatively poor attendance of only 31, those members and guests who turned out on a wet and windy Friday evening enjoyed an excellent evening.
The whitebait starter was not to everyone's taste - mostly due to a lack of courage! - and quite a few diners opted for the soup. Chicken Maryland was the main course, followed by chocolate pudding and cream.
The theme of the evening was 'black and white' and almost everyone made some sort of effort, especially Margaret, with a terrifying black wig, and Lesley with black lipstick and black lace gloves. A nice touch was Sue, Vic's wife, whose toenails were painted alternately black and white. However, it was Marion who won the President's prize for the ladies. The prize for the gents went to Eric, suave in black dinner suit, but with white socks and white hair!
16 October 2002 - from Provincial Grand Secretary
The new e-mail
address for the Provincial office is:
office@eastkentfreemasons.org
The Provincial web site will also be changed and have a new domain. It is under construction and will be www.eastkentfreemasons.org
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