Temple Lodge

101

Temple Lodge 1813-1963

Temple Lodge traces its origins from the Grand lodge of Ancient or Atholl Masons. Its warrant was signed on the 2nd of July 1813 and was given the number 136; it was one of last to be issued prior to the Union.

The reason that we now bear the number 101 comes about as follows – In accordance with the Eighth Article of the Union the senior lodge on the register of its respective Grand lodge balloted for priority, the lot fell to the Grand Masters Lodge of the Ancients who became No 1 on the roll of the United Grand Lodge and the Lodge of Antiquity of the Moderns became no 2, Temple Lodge in its turn became no 163.

In 1832 and 1863 renumbering again took place to close up the vacant numbers, when we became 118 and 101 respectively.

The consecration took place on the 13th of July 1813 at the Crown & Anchor Tavern in the Strand, there were eight founders present one of which was the landlord of the Queens Head little Poultney Street where the new lodge was to meet.

The lodge moved to the White Lion, Oxford Street between 1817 and 1818 and meetings were held monthly with an average of eight members attending

The lodge moved again in January 1828 to the Ship Tavern, Gate Street, Lincolns Inn Fields where it remained until 1836.

The brethren felt that they had been meeting at the Ship Tavern long enough and removed to the George & Vulture Tavern Cornhill which Charles Dickens described at the time as “very good, old fashioned and comfortable quarters”.

Whether it was the Influence of Dr Crucifix or a more congenial atmosphere the lodge began to increase in size both from initiates and joining brethren, this led to the Tyler’s fee being raised from 5 shillings to 7/6 per meeting because the increase in his duties which included the hand delivery of summonses to each member.

The first minute book in the possession of the Lodge ends with the meeting of the 2nd February 1847, the lodge at this date had approximately forty-five members with an average attendance of twenty.

In 1875 the lodge became a Vice Patron of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Insinuation and the Worshipful Master was invited to represent the lodge at the Installation of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales at the Albert Hall.

The centenary meeting was held on the 2nd July 1913 at the Holborn Viaduct Hotel, a full account was given by the The Freemasons Chronicle. A centenary warrant and jewel were issued.

In 1919 The Grand Master HRH the Duke of Connaught proposed that a Masonic Memorial Fund be set up for the purpose of erecting a Masonic Peace Memorial Building to the memory of Brethren who had fallen in the 1914-1918 war. Each lodge was invited to contribute ten guineas for each member thus qualifying as a Hall Stone Lodge. The Hall Stone Qualifications were attained in 1926 and the Worshipful Master received the Hall Stone Collaret s from the hands of the Grand Master.

In 1923 the Lodge qualified as a founding lodge of the Freemasons Hospital then known as the Royal Masonic Hospital.

In 1936 our present banner was presented to the lodge and dedicated to W. Bro J.E. Paine.

A signal honour fell to the lodge in December 1937 when R.W. Bro, Brig General W.H.V. Darell assistant Grand Master visited the lodge, one of the first private lodges to receive such a visit as the office and rank of Assistant Grand Master had only instituted by the Grand Master earlier that year

During the Second world war the lodge moved from The Café Monaco due to bomb damage to Mark Masons Hall and finally to Great Queen Street but continued to meet regularly all through the war. A dispensation was given to meet at 2pm on a Saturday so members could be home before the blackout.

On December 16th, 1947 the lodge was again honoured with a 2nd visit by the assistant Grand Master, R.W. Bro Brig General W.H.V. Darell C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., three degrees were worked and received praise from the visiting Grand Master.

During 1953 the lodge was asked to act as hosts to visiting overseas brethren during the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the June meeting was therefore something very special with guests from all over the empire. The letters received afterwards complimented the lodge on its work and overwhelmed by the cordial and fraternal welcome received from all the brethren.

 

 

1963-2013

The first contentious moment was the permissive variations of the penalties in 1965. This was rejected by the Lodge, a subject that would reoccur in the future.

In 1966 Lodge subscriptions rose to £9.9s.0d and meals at the Connaught rooms rose to £1.16s.0d.

In 1972 a formal request was made to the Lodge, at the Grand Secretary’s suggestion, that Temple Lodge 101 sponsor or sanction the Lodge of Instruction of the “Association for Taylors Working” this was agreed three years later in the Lodge, either a very long debate or a contentious one!!

In 1976 the Lodge agreed to purchase the thirty remaining 1908 Taylors Ritual books, contemporary with Temple Lodges workings, with a donation from the Lodge of Instruction.

The Lodge rejected Grand Lodge’s offer to send a selected Grand Officer on official visits to its meetings.

In 1981 W.Bro. H.H Smith was awarded Senior London Grand Rank, the first person in the Lodge to receive this high honour.

In 1985 the Lodge’s damaged Centenary Warrant was found in a cupboard at Freemason’s Hall, it was restored by W. Bro Arthur Branson and is on display at all meetings.

Also in..1985 with numbers within the Lodge falling and no new candidates for some time, the Lodge made the big decision to move the meetings to Southgate Masonic Centre. The membership did not improve so it was decided to return to Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen St. in 1993 and to reduce the number of meetings from five a year to four. The work in the lodge was still regarded as being of a very high standard so Constitutional Lodge 55, with whom Temple Lodge had joint LOI’s for several years, requested the Lodge to conduct the Ceremony of Passing for three initiates in their Lodge.

In 1986 Grand Lodge ordered by edict that the physical penalties be removed from the ritual by June 1987.

A bronze Jewel was awarded in 1990 to the Lodge in recognition of its contributions to the New Samaritan fund, no mean feat for a small Lodge.

In 2003 the Lodge voted by a small majority to pay £5 per member to become a Founding Lodge of the new Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London, which was consecrated on 1st October 2003.

The Lodge ceased meeting in April and revived the June meeting to the third Wednesday in June so that we could have all our festive boards at the splendid Cross Keys public house, and enjoy excellent cuisine.

At the beginning of 2005, the Temples at Great Queen Street, having been closed for the removal of asbestos, were still lacking alternative heating for the February meeting, which was freezing, as a result our Treasurer refused to pay the Temple hire fee.

In 2006 the Lodge was awarded the rank of Grand Patron of the Royal Masonic Trust for Boys and Girls.

After a tremendous amount of work by W. Bro Arthur Branson a comprehensive and definitive Temple Ritual as taught at Lodge of Instruction and practiced in the lodge during the 20th century was finished in 2007.

After several generous donations the new Ritual Book was privately printed in 2009, at last containing the true Temple Lodge working of the Taylor’s Ritual.

In 2011 the Grand Metropolitan Inspector Graham Roper visited the Lodge to award three 50 years service certificates to, W.Bro. Barry Shiers; W.Bro. Arthur Branson; and W.Bro. Joe Smith.

The Grand Metropolitan Inspector highly commended W. Bros John Boys; Richard Lee and Arthur Branson on demonstrating all three Tracing Boards.

In 2012 the Lodge was ask to send a representative to St Bart’s Hospital along with other London lodges for a formal gathering with the Grand Master attending. This was held to say thank you for the magnificent donations by many Lodges towards the Cyber knife appeal. This amounted to £ 2.5 million, to purchase a computerised laser machine for the advanced treatment of cancer.

In 2013 the membership stood at thirteen full members and eight country members with one honorary member.

 

Heroes and villains of Temple Lodge

In January 1821 a visitor attended for the first time and installed the W. Master in an impressive manor this brother was Bro Peter Gilkes, a student and exponent of the agreed ritual as recommended by the Lodge of Reconciliation and later commencing in 1823 as taught by the Emulation lodge of Improvement. Bro Gilkes was initiated in a Modern Lodge in 1789, he attended the Lodge of Reconciliation regularly and later became a notable figure in the Emulation Lodge of improvement, and he devoted his life to teaching the ritual and often travelled long distances to do so. As at that time printed rituals were entirely taboo he was much sought after for the Brethren were eager to learn the correct version which had been agreed by the Lodge of Reconciliation and adopted and taught by the Emulation Lodge of Improvement.

He was elected an honorary member in 1832 and died in 1833.

His last attendance was in May 1833. Between 1821 and 1833 he attended regularly and in view of the services he rendered it is fair to say the lodge probably owes its existence today to him.

In July 1830 Bro George Claret engraver became a joining member, a keen & and strict ritualist &  and a disciple of Bro Gilkes with whom he had visited the lodge. He often assisted Bro Gilkes in his classes of instruction. Bro Claret quickly made himself useful in many of the duties of the lodge and was appointed secretary in 1831.

In 1832 he was charged, that he offered for a sum of money to commit to writing the whole of freemasonry for the purpose of instruction to a member of the lodge this was confirmed by a second member that he too had been approached.

Bro Claret declined the investigation and resigned from the lodge.

In 1838 he published a ritual at a price of one guinea, claiming it to be as taught by the late Bro Gilkes. It is very probable that as the two worked so closely together that the manuscript version was in their position possession? long before publication. The original manuscript is available in the Grand lodge library for perusal and differs very little from the Taylors ritual now used in this lodge

In 1834 W.Bro Robert Thomas Crucifix M.D joined the lodge; he was an outstanding Freemason and was installed master in 1835. He was a prime mover in the formation of a fund for the erection of an asylum for Worthy and Decayed Freemasons, and in 1834 became the editor of the Freemasons quarterly review which he used to help forward his aims in regard of the fund. He was chairman of the first festival in 1836 when nineteen stewards collected £700.00. His popularity was such that in 1841 he was given a public festival at which he was presented with a handsome candelabrum now on view in the Grand lodge museum.

He had the pleasure of seeing the foundation stone laid for a building to house fifty old people in Croydon, the next year the Asylum was amalgamated with the Royal Masonic Benevolent Annuity Fund and renamed The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution and its record is well know today.

Bro Crucifix was appointed the treasurer and the first payment to the actual fund shown in the register of the R.M.B.I. is

April 20th Members of Temple Lodge no 118 £4, 4s, 0d.

The lodge continues to support this institution.

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