100 Years Gala Meeting
Author: OFadmin
Potted History of the Lodge
You can download the up to date file of the Lodge History by clicking here
Patron Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution. Patron Royal Masonic Institution for Girls. Patron Royal Masonic Institution for Boys. Patron Royal Masonic Hospital
GOLD CERTIFICATE ‘2000 FESTIVAL’. VICE-PATRON CHELMSFORD CATHEDRAL APPEAL
HALL STONE LODGE
We are a very friendly and sociable lodge, who are in 2018 celebrating our centenary year. We have many fun-filled meetings and various fund-raising events. These include ceremonies for the initiation of new candidates who want to become freemasons, Lectures, White tables, Ladies Nights, Cricket days, golf days, quizzes and other community based fund-raising events.
Brief history. The Lodge of Old Friendship was issued a warrant on December the 8th 1918 and consecrated by the RW Provincial Grand Master Lord Lambourne on the 24th March 1919 at Freemasons Hall, Great Queen Street, London . We latterly met at the White Hart Hotel, Nr Market place, Romford. After various meeting places, we moved to Chingford in 1946, There to remain for the next 50Yrs. We eventually moved to Upminster and back home to Havering – The place of our infant nurture in 1999 – We are still there and still going strong.
Our Membership. As a Lodge which is 100 years old, we have many established traditions which we enjoy and embrace, these have been added to and embellished into rich traditions over the years. Our ages ranges from early 30’s to late 60’s – but we do have a few in their late 70’s. Our members range across many different professions, ranging from, teachers, accountants, police officers, to French polishers and graphic designers, some are retired but all are an interesting range of people with a common interest in helping others, less fortunate than themselves. Most live in Essex, London, Some as far as Suffolk.
Meeting dates: We meet formally five times a year at the Upminster Masonic Hall in Deyncourt Gardens, Upminster, on the fourth Friday in January, March and October and the first Friday in May (Installation,) and ( carols) second Friday in December
The Lodge of Instruction is currently held every Monday from September to June at 7:30At Bretons Manor, Upper Rainham Road, Hornchurch..
Are you interested in joining our friendly lodge? If you are a decent, honest and trustworthy person over 21 are interested in helping your fellow man and have a healthy interest in learning about the history and mysteries of Freemasonry and wish to be a part of a worldwide fraternity whose members enjoy each other’s company- then please get in touch , we would certainly love to welcome you in: W.Bro Paul Towsey Lodge Mentor.
Lodge Banner has been approved
Which Masonic Jewel Should I Wear Today?
Full article available at the top link. Freemasons are Us – https://freemasonsareus.wordpress.com/
Which Masonic Jewel Should I Wear Today?
By Bro. Mike Lawrence
I followed this meeting with several visits in quick succession and this only compounded that confusion and I therefore decided to research the subject of jewel wearing. I will not go into the origin of jewels nor shall I make any claim that the information collated in this article is all correct, but least to say I have made prudent enquires from the Book of Constitution, Grand Lodge Officers and Senior brethren of my Province and have arrived at these short guidelines.
I must make it quite clear to all that this is not the definitive article for jewel wearing and I would always advise brethren to seek further advice as to the appropriate wearing instructions for the jewel that they have purchased or have been presented.
So! Here we go:
Past Master Jewels are worn at Craft meetings only for the duration of the period before honours are received. This jewel should not be worn with Provincial, London Grand Rank or Stewards regalia.
Past Masters Jewel
Founder’s Jewels for Craft can be worn at Craft meetings; founder jewels for Royal Arch Chapters should only be worn at Chapter Convocations.
Craft and Chapter Founders Jewels
Permanent Grand Lodge Charity Jewels can be worn at Craft meetings.
Charity Jewels are valid for the year in which they were earned and can be worn at Craft meetings for that duration only. Charity jewels are not worn after the close of that event.
Festival Jewels unique to the Province which issued them, can be worn at Craft or Chapter meetings within that Province for the duration of that Festival.
Quatuor Coronati Correspondence Circle Membership Jewel can be worn at Craft meetings.
Lodge and Chapter Centenary and Bicentenary Jewels are worn by bona-fide members only and are considered permanent Jewels. The Chapter Centenary Jewel in not worn at Craft meetings.
Lodge and Chapter Centenary Jewels
Hall Stone Jewels are worn on a collaret by Masters of Hall Stone Lodges.
Hall Stone Jewell
Royal Arch Chapter Jewels which are presented to all Companions of this Order should be worn at Craft and Chapter meetings, closest to the heart. No other Jewel should be worn to the right or in front of this Jewel.
Companion, Excellent Companion and Grand Chapter Jewels
Royal Arch Past Zerubbabal Jewels are worn at Chapter meetings only.
Past Zerubbabal Jewel
Jewels struck to commemorate new Grand Lodges, etc., are generally only worn at Craft meetings within the designated boundaries of that area.
Other general points of guidance:
It is the common practice these days, because of spiralling costs, of having Past Masters or Past First Principal Jewels entrusted rather than given. You should therefore be especially mindful of returning these jewels once promotion has been received. In such cases it is the general practice of having your name engraved on the Jewel.
Jewels from any other Orders are not worn at Craft or Chapter meetings.
Jewels should never be worn on collars.
Maybe it might just be time for you to review the Jewels you might be wearing and make sure they are appropriate for the meeting you are attending. It is always better for us to make those decisions and saves the embarrassment of being told when we are wearing something we should not.
Masonic ancestry features in BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? magazine
Masonic ancestry features in BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? magazine
Tracing masonic ancestry
An article about tracing ancestry through Freemasonry has appeared in the March issue of the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? magazine. It was produced through a collaboration between St David’s Lodge, No. 393, Berwick-upon-Tweed; The King’s Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB) Association Regimental Museum; and Berwick Record Office.
‘We get a lot of people researching family trees asking us about their masonic ancestry and we can trace Freemasonry in Berwick back to 1647,’ said Master of St David’s Lodge, Steve Newman.
‘The regiment had its own lodge,’ added KOSB Association secretary and lodge member Ed Swales. ‘Many soldiers joined St David’s Lodge when they were stationed here at the depot.’
New Logo for UGLE has been published
Emulation Lodge of Improvement Annual Festival 2016
Bookings are now being taken for the 2016 Annual Festival.
Emulation Lodge of Improvement will hold its Annual Festival at Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London on Friday 26th February 2016. The Lodge doors open at 4.00pm and the Festival will start at 5.00pm.
There will be a demonstration of four Sections of the Lectures under the watchful eye of VW Bro Graham Redman, PGSwdB, DepGSec. The sections to be demonstrated are as follows;
• Section 2 of the 2nd Lecture
• Section 3 of the 2nd Lecture
• Section 4 of the 2nd Lecture
• Section 5 of the 2nd Lecture
This year the Provincial Grand Master for Warwickshire, RW Bro David F Macey is to Preside and it is expected that he will be joined by several very senior Brethren from London and the Provinces. Ticket costs are £41.50 for Temple and Dining and £7.50 for Temple Only. Dinner will be served at The Grand Connaught Rooms.
This event is open to all Master Masons and Past Masters regardless of Rank or ritual background.
A Booking Form is attached overleaf. Should you wish to attend please return your cheque, made payable to Emulation Lodge of Improvement, to Scott Cargill at the address as shown.
To purchase tickets electronically click here.
To submit a booking form and pay by cheque, click here for Part 1 and for Part 2 here
The oldest Lodge Minute – 9 January 1599
The oldest Lodge Minute – 9 January 1599
Source: The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland
Oldestlodgeminute.jpeg
On Saturday last we posted an image, transcription and translation of the oldest Lodge Minute in the world being that of Lodge Aitcheson’s Haven. We also provided a contemporary map (1610) in order that you could see the exact location of the Lodge and also use that to locate it on a modern map – an interesting exercise on it own.
We also promised that today we would discuss the importance of this Minute and attempt to ‘tease out’ information from this brief entry in a Minute Book from 417 years ago.
Before doing so there is some background information would be helpful for the discussion to follow.
This Lodge Minute is the oldest in the world but the Lodge became dormant in 1852. The oldest Minute of a Lodge which still exists in that of The Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel), No.1 and which is dated 31 July 1599.
Although the Lodge Minute of Aitcheson’s Haven is dated 9 January 1599 it is obvious that this was not the date the Lodge was founded because the meeting was held to make Robert Widderspone a Fellow of Craft – meaning that he was already an Entered Apprentice. How no Minute of him being admitted as such exists thereby showing that earlier meetings had been held but were not recorded.
The Minute also records the presence of eight men who were Fellows of Craft but likewise there is no Minute that records their admission to the Lodge. In short then the Lodge was in existence before January 1599 but no Minutes were kept of these earlier meetings. What caused the Lodge (an others) to start to keep written records is due to the First Schaw Statutes issued on 28 December 1598 which, among other things, required Lodges to start to keep written records.
That is Minute records a ceremony is not in doubt: ‘Robert Widderspone was maid fellow of Craft’ but frustratingly there are no details of the ceremony recorded in the Minute – most likely for reasons of secrecy. However, the ceremony of being made a Fellow of Craft appears to have been the beginning of the process because Robert Widderspone had to choose two ‘intenders and instructouris’ strongly suggesting that further education was to follow.
These early Minutes have much to tell us and we hope to return to this subject once more in the near future.
London Hotel with secret Masonic Temple
An ancient thermal grotto, a hidden Masonic temple and a forgotten air raid shelter: The secrets of some of the world’s oldest hotels revealed
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3336602/An-ancient-thermal-grotto-hidden-Masonic-temple-forgotten-air-raid-shelter-secrets-world-s-oldest-hotels-revealed.html#ixzz3wyQOOypi
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Once in a lifetime – 2017 tercentenary of the United Grand Lodge of England
United Grand Lodge of England & Wales
Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes explains why 2017 will be a unique opportunity to share masonic pride across the nation
As the masonic fraternity is a single, indivisible fellowship that is neither divided nor affected by local or national boundaries within our constitution, the word ‘united’ is extremely appropriate as we move forward to our three hundredth anniversary celebrations in 2017. Hence, Metropolitan Grand Lodge, the Provinces and Districts are united as part of one fellowship – that of the United Grand Lodge of England.