The Consecration
Concecreated in 1908
The petition to form the Earl of Dartmouth Lodge was submitted on 24th October 1907 and was on the recommendation of the St. Stephens Lodge no. 2424 and included 16 petitioners, (listed below).
The cost was recorded on the response letter as £15-15s-0p for the Warrant, plus 5/s per petitioner. Originally the petition stated that the Lodge would meet on the 3rd Saturday in the months January, March, May and September, but prior to its submission September was crossed through and over printed with November.
The Rt. Hon. The 6th Earl of Dartmouth, the R.W. Provincial Grand Master of Staffordshire, whose title and Arms the lodge bears, was present for the consecration ceremony.
V.W. Bro. Sir Edward Letchworth
Consecration Officer
R.W. Bro. The Rt. Hon. Lord Athlumney
J.G. Warden – Senior Warden
V.W. & R. Bro. The Rt. Rev.
The Bishop Of Barking, P.G. Chaplin Consecration Chaplin
W. Bro. R. Percy F. W. Simpson, M.A.
Director of Ceremonies
W. Bro. Henry Times
P. Dep. G.D. Ceremonies
Inner Guard
The consecration jewels are held in store by the Library at Freemasons Hall, Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ and are available for viewing on request providing prior notice is given
Having completed the consecration ceremony, the meeting turned to the lodge business of installing the 1st Master W. Bro John Hinds, P.M., 1671 & 2867. This was followed by the appointment and investiture of his officers. At the meeting honorary membership was bestowed on eight who were present. The Rt. Hon. Earl of Dartmouth, Rt. Hon. Lord Athlumney, Rt. Rev. The Bishop of Barking, Sir Edward Letchworth, Dr. Ralph Gooding, Phillip Colville Smith Esq., Henry Times Esq., and R. Pearce F. W. Simpson Esq.
The banquet was scheduled to commence at 7 p.m. and included a programme of music directed again by W. Bro. Herbert Emlyn. Following Grace and the National Anthem a number of songs were included in the evening’s entertainment such as “The March of the Cameron Men”, by Campbell, “Son of Mine” by W. Wallace and “An Evening Song” by Blumenthal. In addition to the brethren present the following ladies attended the banquet to give the songs balance, Miss Carrie Herwin, and Miss Rose Dallow.
At the banquet the W.M. John Hinds included in his speech, “the Lodge was not formed merely to dine, but to show the importance of Masonry in the neighbourhood, for at the next meeting there would be five initiates”. The minutes of the next meeting and subsequent meeting confirmed this commitment as at a succession of meeting multiple ceremonies were commonplace. Whilst the sentiment expressed by W. M. Hinds has remained with the Lodge to this day dinning was and is still an important element of the proceedings. I would like at this point to share with you the consecration menu.
The Consecration festive board was held at the Holborn Restaurant followed by the Festive Board in the Caledonian Rooms. Subsequent meetings were held at the Green Man Blackheath and then later moved to the Cannon Street Hotel. The Lodge then moved in 1934 to its current home in Freemason’s Hall, Great Queen Street, as a Hall Stone Lodge. Regular meetings on a Saturday were continued throughout the war years, however ceremonies were frequently restricted to opening and closing, with occasional lectures by the late Thomas Rawley L.G.R., a well loved and erudite veteran of the Lodge.