Craft News
- Written by: John Fergusson
The Beatles were in their prime when, in the early 1960s,WBro Mike Richards PAGDC frequently visited New York on business. Being the keen Mason he has always been, on each and every trip he would soon become a regular visitor to the Grand Lodge building at 71 West 23rd Street and eventually, he was invited to become a joining member of Britannia Lodge No: 1166, a membership which he has maintained to this very day.
It was in late 1989 that WBro Mike was inspired to suggest to a number of locally based Masons the possibility of putting together a visiting party to New York to perform a demonstration of a First Degree ceremony as practiced under the English Constitution, to be hosted by the Brethren of Britannia Lodge. The stage was set.
With arrangements in place and after many rehearsals, a party of 14 Brethren and their wives/partners, predominantly Northamptonshire & Huntingdonshire based, arrived in New York in October of 1990. Our visiting party included the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, in charge at that time – VWBro Brian Smith and his wife Joy.
With immaculate ritual, in Dinner jackets and black tie, the ceremony was performed to a full house in some 90 degrees of humidity in the ornate Renaissance Room on the 6th floor of the Grand Lodge building. Our demonstration ceremony was received with much acclaim and not least a barrel of Sam Smith’s finest ale.
It was our newly installed Provincial Grand Master, RW Bro Brian Smith, who later suggested that our success was such that we should consecrate a new Lodge in Northamptonshire & Huntingdonshire, firstly to commemorate such a successful and enjoyable sojourn and, secondly, with a view to promoting further Anglo/American Masonic relationships.
Taking its name from the village of Sulgrave in the South West of the Province and the family home of the Washington family on their relocation from Durham, Sulgrave Lodge No: 9462 was consecrated in Northampton on 15th April 1992 by the Provincial Grand Master of Lincolnshire, RW Bro Geoffrey Cooper.
Sulgrave Manor and its surrounding grounds remains under the joint sovereignty of the UK/USA Governments and is now a world famous Museum dedicated to the history of the Washington family and the memory of George Washington himself who was to become, a few generations later, the first President of the United States and with it, a prominent and dedicated Freemason.
With a number of our new Masonic friends in New York also becoming Founders and joining members, the pattern was set for regular visitations back and forth across the Atlantic. Spreading our wings and with other American Brethren hearing of our reputation, in the following years we also graciously accepted invitations to Lodges on Long Island and in Youngstown, Ohio and where we were able to demonstrate our Second Degree ritual under the English Constitution.
Back home, the early popularity of Sulgrave Lodge in the early 1990s was influences in no small way by the proximity and certain personnel of local USAF bases at Alconbury, Molesworth, Chicksands and Chelveston and with whom we made initial contact with a view to developing reciprocal visits to American Lodges operating on their respective bases.
The possibilities were soon to change however and the closure and downsizing of the USAF bases locally and with the advancing years of our Founder Members, it was soon to become a major challenge to sustain the early momentum that we had so successfully established in our early, formative years.
Meeting just twice a year at Rushden, it has increasingly become difficult therefore to determine a new direction for Sulgrave Lodge; the visitations to New York and reciprocal visits from our American Brethren continue but in much smaller numbers. As enjoyable as these occasions may be however, they are not sufficient in themselves to revive and sustain the enjoyment of our earlier years with any certainty.
With only one available Meeting after the Installation, rarely do we entertain Degree work as such; very occasionally we have performed a ceremony for a local Lodge looking for assistance to accommodate their full programme but, for ourselves, we now have to seek an influx of new joining members to keep the momentum going, to help us seek out other American Masonic connections in the UK as need be, and to support and participate in the programme of Anglo/Foreign Lodge meetings that are frequently arranged at Great Queen Street.
If you feel that you would like to support Sulgrave Lodge and become a joining member and then to participate in events both here and in New York, then we would be delighted to hear from you. On both sides of the Atlantic, you will be assured of a very warm welcome. Our next meeting at Rushden will be on Friday 3rd November 2017. Come and join us.
We shall be delighted to hear from you.
- Written by: Simon Key
On Saturday the 30th September 2017, Freemasons from every continent attended the Grand Ball at Freemasons Hall to celebrate the founding of the Premier Grand Lodge in London in 1717.
Tickets were at a premium, having taken less than 60 seconds to sell out when they went on sale a year ago. Despite this, a handful of Masons from the Province, together with their partners, managed to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event.
From left, Mrs S. Summerfield, WBro J C. Summerfield, Mrs E. Spence, WBro D. Genner, WBro J. Spence and Mrs P. Genner
- Written by: Simon Key
On Thursday the 5th of October 2017, the Provincial Grand Charity Steward, WBro Gerry Crawford, featured as a special guest on BBC Radio Northampton's Helen Blaby Show.
WBro Gerry Crawford with Helen Blaby (click for larger image)
WBro Gerry updated Helen and the show's audience about the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) Community Awards allocated to a number of charities in the Province by public vote.
The Provincial Grand Master, RWBro Max Bayes, will present the awards on the 9th October 2017 at Northampton and the 11th of October 2017 at Peterborough.
- Written by: Simon Key
WBro Richard Powell's Installation as Master of Lodge of Fidelity No. 445 took place on Wednesday the 4th of October 2017 at Towcester Masonic Hall; it proved to be a most memorable occasion.
WBro Paul Logan did a super job as Installing Master, and WBro Powell distinguished himself during the investiture of his officers, the remainder of the meeting, and the festive board.
WBro Martin Dimmock, Provincial Senior Grand Warden, attended the ceremony as the official representative of the Provincial Grand Master, RW Bro Max Bayes.
All of the brethren present were most touched to hear that WBro Powell's "new" Master's apron had been given to him by Linda, the widow of WBro Mike Pusey, who was his proposer. WBro Pusey sadly passed away in 2013.
At the conclusion of the installation ceremony, WBro Trevor Sherman, a member of Piscator Lodge No. 7557, presented a historic Past Master's Jewel to WBro Powell, as a gift to the Lodge.
From left, WBro Martin Dimmock ProvSGW; WBro Richard Powell, WM of Fidelity Lodge No. 445; and WBro Trevor Sherman, PPGSuptWks & PM of Pomfret Lodge No. 360 (click for larger picture)
The jewel had originally been presented to WBro I.T. Wright, who was installed as Fidelity Master in 1957, some 60-years previously.
WBro Sherman explained how he first became associated with Lodge of Fidelity as a regular visitor, and how he had subsequently acquired the Jewel. He said,
I was Worshipful Master of Pomfret Lodge No, 360 in 2004. I had two personal ambitions at that time: to visit all the old 3-digit Lodges in the Province, and to start collecting Masonic Jewels and memorabilia
After explaining that he had continued to visit Lodge of Fidelity for a number of years, WBro Sherman went-on to say,
I was in contact at that time with a fellow collector in Staffordshire. He was cutting-down his collection and this was one of a number of items I acquired from him. He in turn had bought the jewel from an Antique Dealer in Toronto.
WBro Sherman suggested that the jewel, which, like all Past Masters' jewels, belonged to the Lodge, might be put to good use and presented to another Past Master, perhaps WBro Powell after his year in the Chair.
It was clear that WBro Sherman would welcome a well-deserved invitation to see that presentation being made!