A History of the Lodge of Warwick
In 1963 Thirty members of Greville Lodge
No. 4773 proposed to form a new Lodge
"
Lodge of Warwick "
The proposed Master and Wardens
designate were :
W.Bro. Garnet Hartley Worshipful
Master
W.Bro. George Jewell Senior Warden
W.Bro. Ian McMerdow Junior Warden
Following an application to Province,
and the granting of a Warrant from Grand
Lodge
preparations were made for the
Consecration ceremony.
By kind permission of the Earl of Warwick,
this was held at 4pm in the Great Hall
of
Warwick Castle on 10th March 1965
with many distinguished Brethren in
attendance.
The Provincial Grand Master, The Right Worshipful The Reverend Michael Clarke MA consecrated, dedicated and constituted Lodge of Warwick Number 8011 according to established custom.
117 Brethren returned the short distance to Alderson House for a celebratory seven course Banquet at a cost of 30 shillings per head .
The Lodge Banner features the Coat of Arms of the town of Warwick. The design has been in use by the Borough of Warwick with only slight variations since 1545 during the reign of King Henry VIII.
The Borough shield depicts a walled town.
A gated tower representing Warwick Castle s
flanked by two towers :Warwick`s East and West gates which still stand today.
Each gate is manned with a watchman winding a horn. Between these two towers rise the two spires of St. Mary`s and St Nicholas Churches.
A six pointed star and a crescent moon appear on either side of the outer towers.
Above the shield is a helmet with flowing Rambrequin. Set upon the helmet is the black bear supporting a ragged staff.
This ancient and famous device has been associated with Warwickshire for centuries and has been the badge of the Earls of Warwick since 1268.
The Latin motto “ Antiquum Obtinens “ is translated as “ Possessing antiquity “ or “ Holding fast to tradition “
The embroidered Lodge Banner itself depicts this coat of arms along with the Lodge name. This superb work was hand made by Mrs Taylor and presented to the Lodge by W. Bro. Jack Taylor.
Each founder made a contribution to equipping the Lodge.
Three Gavels were designed and made from an oak beam rescued from an old Georgian house – this beam was estimated to be about 600 years old and represented the antiquity of Freemasonry.
The Gavels also contain gold, silver and bronze and are used by the master, and senior and junior warden respectively.
record the names of the Consecrating Officers and the First Worshipful Master, W.Bro. Garnet Hartley are engraved on the master’s gavel.
The following is taken from the publications Freemasonry : An approach to Life, and from Your Questions Answered both published by The United Grand Lodge of England in 1999.
Mr Elias Ashmole records in his diary that he was initiated into a Lodge in Warrington, in October 1646.
This is the earliest documented ‘making‘ of a Freemason .
The Grand Lodge of England was established in 1717 by representatives of four London Lodges meeting at the Goose and Gridiron Tavern in Covent Garden, London.
By 1736 both Ireland and then Scotland had set up Grand Lodges to regulate Freemasonry.
All the Grand Lodges in the World trace themselves back to one or more of these Grand Lodges in the British Isles.
Many of the early Lodges were linked with the military . Over the centuries as the British Empire expanded so Freemasonry travelled to the four corners of the globe.
In America George Washington wore his Masonic regalia at the laying of the cornerstone to the Congress building.
Even today Masonic emblems still appear on the U.S. Dollar bill.
The Grand Lodge of England is the highest authority of freemasonry in England and
Wales It regulates “ the Craft “ under our Grand Master H.R.H. The Duke of Kent .
What is Freemasonry ?
Freemasonry is the UK’s largest non-
It is not a secret society, but Lodge meetings, like those of many other groups, are private and open to members only.
The rules and aims of Freemasonry are freely available to the public from Grand Lodge.
Masonic meeting places are well known and often used by the local community for activities other than freemasonry.
Members are encouraged to speak openly about Freemasonry and Grand Lodge has a number of publications freely available
Secrets
The secrets in Freemasonry involve the traditional modes of recognition of other Masons.
These are not used indiscriminately but solely as a test of membership – such as when visiting a Lodge where a member is unknown to their members.
Meetings
Our meetings are in two parts. As in any association there is a certain amount of administrative procedure – minutes of the last meeting, proposing and balloting for new members, discussing and voting on financial matters along with news & correspondence.
Following this at the Lodge of Warwick there is always a formal dinner or Festive Board.
Are you a religious or political organisation ?
Emphatically not. Freemasonry requires a belief in God ( or a Supreme Being ) and its principles are common to many of the worlds great religions.
Every candidate is urged to practice his religion and to regard its Holy Book as the unerring standard of truth.
However Freemasonry does not instruct its members as to what their religion should be.
Whilst individual freemasons will have their own political views , Freemasonry as an organisation never expresses any Political views.
Discussion of both religion and politics are strictly prohibited at Masonic meetings.
Who can join ?
Membership is open to men of all faiths who are law abiding, of good character and who acknowledge a belief in God.
Freemasonry is a multi-
Traditionally freemasonry has been restricted to Men. Historically the early stonemasons were all male , and Lodges for centuries have carried on this tradition
Women are welcome to join a separate Grand Lodge exclusively for Women of which there are two in England and Wales.
Freemasonry Today
Today there are some 320,000 Freemasons in England and Wales. And worldwide there are probably 5 million members.
Most Lodges meet between 5 – 7 times per year,and we help to raise substantial sums of money for Charities Including St. Johns Ambulance and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI).
Other charities have been founded by Freemasons such as The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution, The New Masonic Samaritan Fund, The Masonic Housing Association, The Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, and the Grand Charity.
Records of all the money collected and distributed are available from Grand Lodge however over the last decade ( since 1994 ) the total Charity funds collected by English Freemasonry amounts to over £100 Million Pounds
Provincial Grand Lodge of Warwickshire
Warwickshire Masonic Temple
2 Stirling Road, Edgbaston,
Birmingham B16 9SB
Telephone 0121 454 4422
United Grand Lodge of England
Freemasons' Hall Great Queen Street
London WC2B 5AZ
Telephone 0171 831 9811
Tours are available of this building, please telephone for details, or visit the web site.
Disclaimer :
Please note we cannot guarantee that the links from this page have been approved by the United Grand Lodge of England or the Provincial Grand Lodge of Warwickshire. Neither can we guarantee that all the links from their pages are recognised by or approved by the United Grand Lodge of England or the Provincial Grand Lodge of Warwickshire.
Copyright © Lodge of Warwick -
