SHAKESPEARE LODGE CELEBRATE 175TH ANNIVERSARY

A wonderful night in celebration of Spilsby's Masonic history took place when the Masonic Hall was filled to overflowing on the 175th Anniversary of Shakepseare Lodge No:426.

The 1,724th meeting of the Lodge was attended by the Provincial Grand Master and the Provincial Team along with many other distinguished guests and members.

The Provincial Grand Master for Lincolnshire, Rt.W.Bro. Graham Ives, poses with the Officers of Shakespeare Lodge after the 175th Anniversary meeting.

Front Row - left to right: Bro. Shaun Wright, Senior Warden; Rt.W.Bro. Graham Ives,Provincial Grand Master; W.Bro.Timothy Bird, Master of Shakespeare Lodge; W.Bro. Robert Hodgson, Immediate Past Master/Secretary; W.Bro. Tim Dodds, Assistant Provincial Grand Master and member of Shakespeare Lodge.

Middle Row - left to right: Bro. Mark Roberts, Acting Tyler; Bro Simon Taylor; Senior Deacon; Bro. Anthony Marston, Steward; Bro. Gideon Hall, Inner Guard; W.Bro. Peter Bark, Director of Ceremonies; Bro. Gary Linmb, Junior Warden; W.Bro. Andrew Ellerny Almoner/Acting Junior Deacon

Back Row - left to right: Bro. Graham Long, Steward; W.Bro. Howard Gosling, Assistant Secretary; Bro. Mike Booth, Steward; Bro. Mark Foster, Steward; W.Bro. Nick Markham, Treasurer; W.Bro. Gerald Howden, ADC; Bro. Andrew Gosling, Steward

As part of the celebration, W.Bro. Tim Dodds, the Assitant Provincial Grand Master, gave an address on the History of Shakespeare Lodge.

The Festive Board was held in the hall adjoining the Masonic Hall and, during the evening, the Provincial Grand Master was presented with a cheque for £2000 towards the 2014 Festival by W.Bro. Bill Isherwood on behalf of the Shakespeare Brethren.

Also during the Festive Board 'The Lincs Effect' close harmony ensemble entertained the Brethren with a selection of amusing and entertaining vocal renditions which were warmly applauded.

Further photographs:

The Provincial Grand Master, Rt.W.Bro. Graham Ives (left) with the Master of Shakespeare Lodge, W.Bro. Timothy Bird. The photograph shows the wonderful Shakespeare Lodge Master's Chair with the Fleur-de-Lys and behind it the unique terrestrial and celestial globes on their columns

A special photograph showing the Current Provincial Grand Master, Rt.W.Bro. Graham Ives (left), the Immediate Past Provincial Grand Master, Rt.W.Bro. Gordon Walkerley Smith (right) and Past Provincial Grand Master (2nd right), Rt.W.Bro. Geoffrey Mawer Cooper along with the Worshipful Master of Shakespeare Lodge.

This photograph shows three Provincial Grand Masters for Lincolnshire - out of a total of only sixteen who have held that office since 1792.

Here the above are joined by the Provincial Deputy Grand Master (left), V.W.Bro. John Hockin and the Provincial Assistant Grand Masters, W.Bro. John Board (back left) and W.Bro. Tim Dodds (back right).

The above joined by W.Bro Robert Holland, Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies (back left); W.Bro. David Richardson, Provincial Grand Charity Steward (2nd back left);p W.Bro. John Crutchley, Provincial Junior Grand Warden (back right) and W.Bro. Chesney Brocklesby, Past Provincial Grand Secretary (2nd back left).

The Provincial Grand Master, Rt.W.Bro. Graham Ives, proposes the Toast to the Shakespears Lodge

W.Bro. D.R.N. Smith P.Pr.S.G.W. responds to the Toast to the Shakespeare Lodge

 

ADDRESS ON HISTORY OF SHAKESPEARE LODGE No.426

BY W. Bro. T.F.Dodds PSGD APGM (and Member of Shakespeare Lodge).

23rd APRIL 2010.

WM. Rt. W .PGM, Distinguished Guests & Brethren.

I preface this short address by mentioning 2 of our sadly departed Brethren. W.Bro.Sam Wright PPrSGW who passed away last year had been a member of the Shakespeare Lodge for over 50 years had for much of that time been our Librarian. He was well known throughout the Province of Lincolnshire and beyond both in the Craft and in many other side degrees. His Knowledge, Love of and generosity to the Shakespeare Lodge was legendary.

W.Bro. James Shaw PPr.JGW sadly died suddenly last November and he had been our unofficial Historian for many years. If he had been here this evening he would have been delivering this address. W.Bro. Shaw was a real character, he had a great sense of humour and I don’t think it is unfair to say that he was a little eccentric.

It was to him that we owed our exposure on national TV when he took it upon himself to load up a van with most of our wonderful furniture and artefacts and took it to the East Kirkby Aerodrome where the Antiques Road Show was being filmed. Once the experts from Christies had seen the treasures he had on board, he was duly taken into the make up vehicle ("treated like a celebrity with coffee & sandwiches") and put in front of the cameras and interviewed not only about the Lodge history but also Freemasonry in general, An event for which he was somewhat un-prepared - as were we when we learnt of the values given by the experts!!

So it is with these 2 much missed Brethren in mind that I deliver this short address as I know that they would have revelled in this evening's celebration of 175 years of continuous Freemasonry in the Shakespeare Lodge.

So, how do you encompass 175 years into 10 or 12 minutes or so? The answer is with great difficulty! I have spent many hours going through the old minute books which has been fascinating. We all know that the Lodge was Dedicated in 1835 on the Petition of 10 Brethren, members of Lodges in the Province of Lincolnshire & Oxfordshire. Amongst their professions where an Army Major, a Brewer, Chemist, Clerk in Holy Orders, Land Agent, Surgeon, 2 Solicitors!! - (they are always affluent)

One of the Petitioners was a Bro. Thomas Sanders the Governor of the Spilsby County Prison. He came from Warwickshire and, to cut a long story short, was able to purchase much of the Lodge furniture from a Bro Machin for the sum of £15.00. This included the 2 Soldiers on the landing which are of course not Masonic. This furniture had been used by various Lodges in Birmingham & Stratford -on - Avon where the original Shakespeare Lodge met at the White Lion Inn being Warranted in 1793 and subsequently erased.

The Shakespeare Lodge No. 617 was Consecrated by the DPGM W.Bro. Rev'd George Oliver. The PGM Rt.W.Bro. The Rt.Hon. Charles Tennyson D'Eyncourt MP was not involved. There were 57 Brethren & visitors present on this occasion and during the course of the ceremony they all processed in full Regalia to St.James' Church for the service of the day and to attend to a sermon preached by the Rev'd George Coltman the 1st JW of the lodge and Rector of Stickney - he was only 24 years old at the time!

And so the Lodge was formed with the Master Designate being Major Sir Edward Brackenbury who also continued in the Chair for the following year. The Lodge met in the Town Hall in the town centre for the first 50 years.

In March 1836 the JW & SD were each fined 1/- for absence and 4 Brethren 6d each for late arrival at the meeting! Two months later the DPGM decreed that the practice of fining Brethren should cease immediately and that the fines should be repaid. One could speculate that, if the same event had occurred today then of course, the DPGM would have banned the practice but would possibly have ordered that, instead of repaying the fines to the Brethren, they should be paid on a Gift Aid basis to the 2014 Festival Appeal!!

Remarkably, Provincial Grand Lodge was held in Spilsby in 1837 only 2 years after the formation of the Lodge when Province issued the following order that "The the PGDC do issue such orders for the proper attendance of Musicians, Bell Ringers and such necessary aid as would most contribute to the honourable reception of the PGM and his officers as may appear necessary"! Well PGM, I don’t know whether you heard the Church Bells ringing when you entered Spilsby this evening - but we do have some Musical entertainment for you later at the Festive Board!!

In 1855 the Brethren voted to continue their meetings by Candlelight rather than install Gas Lighting. Mains Gas came into Spilsby in 1854.

On the 31st August 1876 the WM proposed that the sum of £5.00 be given to the Tyler to compensate him for the loss of his Pig!! The Treasurer, being prudent proposed an amendment, that the proposition should stand over for the present and that a committee should be formed to investigate the circumstances of the loss. At the September meeting the committee reported that the sum of £2 .9.11 had been expended for the purchase of a new Pig and that the Tyler had recorded his most grateful thanks to the Lodge. A saving of some £2.10.1d on the original proposal. Unfortunately there is no record as to the fate of the Pig!!

So the Lodge continued to grow. In their first year they had Initiated 6 new Brethren and welcomed 4 Joining members. Obviously with such a small membership Brethren rose through the offices very rapidly.

My Great Grandfather for instance was Initiated in November 1873 and just over 3 years later was Installed as WM on 9th January 1877. Not only that, having enjoyed a year as WM he was immediately Invested as Secretary of the Lodge in January 1878 - an office he held for the next 18 years. So life was quite different in those Victorian days!!

In around 1884 the Lodge was offered for the purchase price of £450.00 the Congregational Chapel in Hundleby, (about 1/2 mile from here) a vote was taken and a counter offer of £300.00 was made! Eventually a compromise was made and the building was bought for £400.00. The Lodge then converted the building into a Lodge room and living accommodation for the Tyler. That building still stands today on Masonic Lane and there are still Masonic symbols visible on the interior walls.

These new premises were Dedicated by the PGM Rt. W. Bro. Major Smyth in April 1885. On that occasion the Brethren enjoyed a sumptuous Festive Board at the White Hart Hotel in the town centre and a copy of the Menu and Toast list from that evening has been reproduced on the Toast list this evening. Our only regret is that we have been unable to replicate the actual food trey enjoyed 125 years ago! Thanks to Bros Simon Taylor & Gideon Hall for their expertise in producing this toast list for your interest this evening.

The Lodge then enjoyed having its own premises and met for the next 25 years in Hundleby. In 1910 the decision was taken to sell the building and the Lodge then moved into temporary accommodation under dispensation to the Sessions House, that large building with the 4 huge columns at the front many of you will have driven past this evening. This was also the site of the County Prison and subsequently the Court House and Spilsby Theatre - I have actually made an appearance there -but only in the Dock!!

In 1911 the then secretary W. Bro. J. Jarvis Rainey offered to construct this building for the Shakespeare Lodge. He was an entrepreneur, a very well known personality in the town and a real benefactor to the Shakespeare Lodge. His photograph and a Silver Salver presented to him by the Lodge in recognition of his great service (and of his 25th Wedding Anniversary) hang by the Secretary's table.

These buildings were Dedicated in 1913 by the PGM Rt. W. Bro. The Rt. Hon the Earl of Yarborough and, on that occasion, the Festive Board was held next door in the Drill Hall (as it was then called) where we are holding our Festive Board this evening. On the front of this building you will notice the date 1913 and also, if you look carefully, you will see the initials JJR engraved into a brick above & to the right of the front door in recognition of W. Bro. Jarvis Rainey.

In 1922 the ownership of this building was vested in the members of the Shakespeare Lodge when, W. Bro. Jarvis Rainey handed the Title Deeds to the Worshipful Master in the presence of the DPGM. This building was dedicated to those members of the Lodge who fell in the Great War.

That simple phrase - "ownership was vested"…… came back to bite us some 70 years later when it was decided to apply for Charitable status and, of course, in the eyes of the Charity Commissioners it was not possible for 80 - 90 Brethren to own a share of the building -it took the Legal people some two years or so to sort out that problem. It was duly solved and we have met under the banner of the SMBF since 1993.

In 1935 the Lodge held its Centenary meeting in the presence of the DPGM -the PGM Rt. W. Bro the Earl of Yarborough did not attend on Doctor's orders. On that occasion 146 Brethren sat down at the Festive Board - approximately 100 of which were visitors. In celebration of the Centenary W. Bro. Harry Bateman of the Brewing family, offered to pay for the installation of electric heating & lighting into these premises which must have been a revelation.

((W. Bro. Bateman subsequently attained Grand Rank and was also promoted in United Grand Lodge to PJGD. Incidentally,when I was promoted to Grand Rank W. Bro.Douglas Handbury who was ill at the time and no longer able to attend, gave me his Grand Regalia which had been given to him by W. Bro. Bateman. W. Bro. Handbury and W. Bro. Ken Tong paid for it to be converted from his Rank to my rank of PAGDC. It was not possible to convert the apron when I was promoted to PSGD however, I still carry W. Bro. Bateman's Grand Lodge case which bears the initials H.B.))

And so the Lodge continued to prosper in its new premises with a steady increase in membership which I think peaked at around 95 - 100 Brethren. In 1947 a vote was taken to form a Royal Arch Chapter in Spilsby and the Shakespeare Chapter No 426 was duly Consecrated.

In 1975 the Lodge was pleased to sponsor the formation of a second Craft Lodge in Spilsby namely the Eccles Lodge No. 8632 which was Consecrated in April 1975. And the two Lodges have continued to work in harmony ever since. We are pleased to welcome Bro. Malcolm Scarboro the WM here this evening together with many members of his Lodge - some of whom are helping next door at the Festive Board. We offer our grateful thanks to them for their assistance this evening.

In 1985 the Lodge celebrated it's 150th anniversary when we were honoured by the presence of the PGM Rt. W. Bro. Geoffrey Mawer Cooper and we are delighted and honoured to have him with us again this evening.

In conclusion Brethren, it is of course inevitable that on such an evening as this we look back and we reflect on the history of this old Lodge. We give thanks to those original founders who had the Courage and Foresight to bring Freemasonry into Spilsby and to lay such foundations that have enabled the Shakespeare Lodge to prosper for 175 years.

It is humbling to think that every member of this Lodge throughout its life has knelt between those 2 wonderful columns and that every Master has sat in that magnificent chair.

But we must not be complacent, the members of this old Lodge today, and in PARTICULAR our younger Brethren, are merely custodians of our wonderful heritage and must work actively to preserve, not only its antique fabric but also its ancient ceremonies and traditions.

We have two unique ceremonies, the wonderful Installation ceremony the like of which you will not witness in the Province of Lincolnshire and of course, the notorious 3rd Degree Ceremony you are about to witness. Both of these remarkable ceremonies regularly attract visitors not only from the Province of Lincolnshire, but from all over the Country.

Change for the sake of change must I believe, always be questioned and resisted. One would not dream of altering a 200 year old antique column or chair, similarly, our ancient customs should remain inviolable.

So finally Brethren, it is always tempting to turn to our namesake William Shakespeare for a suitable quotation - particularly on this day the anniversary of both his birth and death - after all he covered most subjects. However, with your forbearance, I have referred to a Lincolnshire poet who was born in 1809 at Somersby only 3 or 4 miles away from Spilsby. In his most famous poem The Brook, Alfred Lord Tennyson compares the life of a Man with the journey of a river - the Mortality of Man with the Immortality of Nature. Please forgive me for adding slightly to his words.

I come from haunts of Coot and Hern and make a sudden sally.

I trickle out amongst the Fern I bicker down the valley,

'til last by Philip’s farm I glide to join the brimming river,

For Men may come and Men may go but - may Freemasonry and the

Shakespeare Lodge go on forever!