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Article CENTENARY OF THE LODGE OF UNIONS, No. 256. Page 1 of 2 Article CENTENARY OF THE LODGE OF UNIONS, No. 256. Page 1 of 2 →
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Centenary Of The Lodge Of Unions, No. 256.
CENTENARY OF THE LODGE OF UNIONS , No . 256 .
rPHE brethren of this Lodge have reason to be prond of - * - the way in which their centenary banquet passed off on Monday , at Freemasons' Hall , under the presidency of Bro . Henry Greene P . M . and W . M . of the year . All the
offices of the Lodge are now filled by Past Masters , the younger brethren , as the Master said , having stood by , and enabled the Past Masters to fulfil the duties of Officers . The first business was the initiation of Mr . J . 0 . Wilbee , after which Bro . Reuben ft . Davis read the following : —
"A few facts connected with the history of the Lodge of Union ? , No . 256 , extracted from the minutes by Bro . R . R . Davis P . M . 256 P . Z . No . 7 . " W . Master , Bro . Visitors , and Brethren of the Lodge of Unions—As it is intended shortly to place in the hands of all of you a printed
sketch of the history ot the Lodge , I do not propose , on the present occasion , to trespass upon you more than for a very few minutes in briefly stating some of the more prominent facts in connection with
the past century . " I may , perhaps , say that we are fortunate enough to possess our minute books perfectly complete , and in a good state of preservation , from the day of consecration to the present time .
" The only record we have of the consecration is very concise . It is simply"' That on Monday , 31 sfc October 1785 the R . W . M . Lowe , of the Crown and Cushion Lodgo , Parker ' s Lane , by virtue of a dispensation
of the Grand Master , the Duke of Cumberland , summoned the brethren to the " Fox , " Castle Street , Southwark , and opened a Lodge in dae form , and constituted Bro . Morton R . W . M ., who appointed Bro . Stevens S . W ., Bro . Wright J . W ., Bro . Crump Treasurer , and Bro . Tatham Secretary . '
" For live years the Lodge was held afc the ' Fox , ' and I may mention that I have visited that house , and have been shown a clubroom , in which the consecration probably took place ; and also a highbacked Windsor chair , which was most likely used on the occasion .
" For two years the meetings were held at the' Red Lion , Borough ; and in 1792 the Lodge was removed to the ' Spread Eagle , ' Pratt Street , Lambeth , where it continued to assemble for exactly a quarter of a century .
" During these 32 years very little of importance occurred , excepting that , in the early life of the Lodge , ifc had a hard struggle for existence—it was in a chronic state of financial difficulty—and the Grand Secretary had occasion to reprimand the brethren for nonpayment of dues—and that the W . M . appeared before Grand Lodge to make his apologies in this respect .
" From 1817 to 1851 the Lodge continually migrated from one tavern to another . I need not detain you by recapitulating them . " From 1851 to 1865 it met at Freemasons' Tavern , and from 1865 to the present date at Freemasons' Hall . " Among the chief events of importance , I may mention the
following : " In 1822 Bro . Peter Giikes was elected a member . He did not , however , remain one till his death , which took place iu December 1833 ; and , as most of you are aware , there is a tablet to his memory in the parish church of St . James ' s , Piccadilly .
" In August 1825 the late Bro . William Farnfield P . A . G . S . ( father of the present Secretary of the Lodge ) was initiated ; and , later in the same year appointed Secretary of the Lodge—an office he continued to hold until his death , upwards of half a century afterwards . " From 1831 to the present time the ' Emulation Lodge of Improvement ' has worked under the sanction of this Lodge .
" In 1834 Bro . Zachariah Watkins ( a P . M . of the Bank of England Lodge ) was admitted a joining member . He served as W . M . in 1836 , and although , unhappily , his state of health has long prevented his being among us , yet he is still on our roll as an honorary member . " On 19 th March 1836 our present W . M ., Bro . Henry Greene , was
initiated . He served as Master in 1856 , a position to which he wonld have attained long before bnfc for his absence in one of our Colonies . For the last 15 years ho has discharged tho important dnties of Treasurer , and wo have thought it an appropriate complinienfc to him , as well as nn advantage to tho Lodge , to ask him , as fche ' Father , ' again to preside over us in this our centenary year .
" In 18 15 the late Grand Secretary , Bro . John Hervey , who had been initiated the previous year in the Royal York Lodge of Perseverance , No . 7 , became a joining member , and was three times
elected to the chair . Ou the last , occasion the installation took place ou the 1 st January 1 S 66 , when ho snid he should like to make the Lodge a New Year ' s gift , ami presented tho set of ebony and ivory gavels which are now in use .
"In 1852 Bro . Figg ( who has twice passed through the chair ) was initiated , and as the second member iu point of seniority he this year holds the office of S . W . " In 1853 Bro . J . Newton Tomkins resigned , and on doing so
presented £ 5 5 s , which was used to form fcho nm-U-us of a Chanty Fund . " Upon the death of Bro . John Hervey , this L' . dg ,. , in conjunction with the Royal York , set en foot the ' John Hervey Memorial Fund , ' and were fortunate enough to secure tho hearty co-operation of Bro . Sir Johu Monckton as chairman . " As to the work which haa beeu dune in the Lud ^ e , 156 candidates
Centenary Of The Lodge Of Unions, No. 256.
havo been initiated , passed , and raised ; 167 brethren have been ad . mitted as joining members . The sum of £ 319 Is 6 d has been voted from Lodge funds for charitablo purposes , of which £ 280 has been given during the last- 30 years , while the contributions of individual members to the three Masonic Charities may be taken as having beeu for many years £ 100 per annum . "
This was followed by an oration by Bro . the Rev . B > . J . Simpson Past Grand Chaplain , and then , on the motion of the Worshipful Master , seconded by
Bro . J . A . Farnfield , votes of thanks were accorded to Bros . Davis and Simpson for their addresses . These brethren having briefly acknowledged the compliment , Bro . Farnfield announced that he had received letters of
regret for absence from several brethren , after which Lodge was closed , and the brethren adjourned to a superb banquet at Freemasons' Tavern . At the conclusion of the banquet the usual toasts were proposed . Bro . F . A . Philbrick Grand Registrar replying for the Grand
Officers , said he discharged the duty of returning thanks with great pleasure . Whenever the Pro Grand Master ' s name was mentioned among Masons it invariably commanded esteem and respect . Now that he was in the neighbouring isle discharging the duties of Viceroy , Masons , who recognised no politics but their common
profession , no religion but that great tie of religion which had been so eloquently alluded to in the Lodge , wished him Masonically and thoroughly hearty success in the discharge of his difficult task . The Deputy Grand Master , who was well known almost throughout the length and breadth of the land , commanded the affection , regard and
esteem of every Mason . Lord Lathom was one of those distin . guished characters who , while they received dignity from Masonry , shed a lustre npon the Order . For the rest of the Grand Officers the distinguished array of brethren now rising in response to the toast made his task in responding for thom somewhat difficult ,
there were so many who could answer for themselves better than he , aud who had a better right . The centenary of a Lodge so distinguished as the Lodge of Unions was an occasion of no ordinary interest . That it was so the presence of so many distinguished brethren testified . Long might the Lodge , which had lasted so long ,
continue . Long might it go on cliff using the principles ifc had spread so wide . Long might the brethren carry into practice tho principles taught in tho Lodge aud which they had so much at heart . Might ifc be distinguished in the future as in the past . Might ifc be prosperous in its concerns , happy in its choice of those it received into
the Lodge , and might it go on without any of those incidents which would affect its prosperity or diminish its harmony ; and this was the sincere and hearty wish of the Graud Officers for whom he returned thanks . Sir John B . Monckton P . G . W . proposed the toast of the W . M ., and , he might say , one and indivisiblv with it , of course ,
the Lodge itself . Ifc was a long time to look back to , 100 years ; and it was a long time to look back to fche period when the W . M . was initiated in the Lodge , when he took the interesting step which had beeu taken by the initiate that evening . Bro . Greene had been spared by the G . A . O . T . U . to tako the chair on this occasion . There wore many
interesting facts connected with the Lodge , but not the least of fche interesting Masonic associations connected wifch ib was that Bro . Henry Greene , who was initiated in it in 1836 , was once again Master of the Lodge . He hoped , therefore , that the toast would be drunk with all Masonic fervour . The Worshipful Master
felfc he need scarcely tell the brethren this was- a peculiarly proud moment for him . It was one that ho could scarcely ever have expected to be present at . If he carried his mind back to the year 1838 , when , as a comparative youngster , he entered theLodge . After some years of travelling about , he rejoined it in 1850 . He did
feel proud at being iu that position—the father of the Lodge and the Master , and to find himself associated for the year with so many good old friends and Past Masters who had accepted office . This was indeed a remarkable day in the history of their old Lodge . They could not , as the Provincial Grand Chaplain had said ,
expect to see another centenary , but they could wish to look forward aud believe and hope that there would bo successors who would fill their place 100 years hence , and read the books they had prepared for them , keep the minute books , receive the charter , and be able to see the warrant for a centenary signed , as it was , by Bro . Colonel
Shadwell H . Gierke . He saw no reason why they should nob anticipate the 200—the bi-centenary of the Lodge . At all events , he hoped that Masonry would flourish and continue till timo should be no more . He next proposed the Initiate , and Bro . Wilbee replied , The Worshipful Master next proposed the Visitors , to which Bro .
Colonel Shadwell H . Gierke , Grand Secretary , replied . Tho institution of brethren visiting Lodges was more valuable than perhaps brethreu sometimes thought of , because , were it not for tho practice of visiting , Lodges would be isolated bodies ; would work without any common bond of union , and would not know whether
thoy were right or wrong m their procedure . Bub by fche hospitality which was shown in Masonic Lodges in England , brethren men together , aud brethreu saw how the work was done . He had felt very strongly on this matter , because ib had been hia lot in former years , as a soldier , to be a Mason in every quarter of the globe , and
ib had been his privilege to be permitted to visit Lodges wherever he had been . He supposed no brother had witnessed more hospitality than he , aud therefore he appreciated thoroughly the feeling of hospitality that was shown in several Lodges all over the world . The visitors congratulated the W . M . aud the other brethren very siucerely ,
feeling that they had douo a good work . They all desired iu tho future , thi : i Lodge of Unions might continue to meet , work , and flourish . The Worshipful Master next proposed the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , the very child of the Lodge of Unions . To this Bro . Thomas Fenn P . G . D . responded , supplementing the allusion : ! which had beeu made to the Eniulatiou Lutlge of Improvement by
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Centenary Of The Lodge Of Unions, No. 256.
CENTENARY OF THE LODGE OF UNIONS , No . 256 .
rPHE brethren of this Lodge have reason to be prond of - * - the way in which their centenary banquet passed off on Monday , at Freemasons' Hall , under the presidency of Bro . Henry Greene P . M . and W . M . of the year . All the
offices of the Lodge are now filled by Past Masters , the younger brethren , as the Master said , having stood by , and enabled the Past Masters to fulfil the duties of Officers . The first business was the initiation of Mr . J . 0 . Wilbee , after which Bro . Reuben ft . Davis read the following : —
"A few facts connected with the history of the Lodge of Union ? , No . 256 , extracted from the minutes by Bro . R . R . Davis P . M . 256 P . Z . No . 7 . " W . Master , Bro . Visitors , and Brethren of the Lodge of Unions—As it is intended shortly to place in the hands of all of you a printed
sketch of the history ot the Lodge , I do not propose , on the present occasion , to trespass upon you more than for a very few minutes in briefly stating some of the more prominent facts in connection with
the past century . " I may , perhaps , say that we are fortunate enough to possess our minute books perfectly complete , and in a good state of preservation , from the day of consecration to the present time .
" The only record we have of the consecration is very concise . It is simply"' That on Monday , 31 sfc October 1785 the R . W . M . Lowe , of the Crown and Cushion Lodgo , Parker ' s Lane , by virtue of a dispensation
of the Grand Master , the Duke of Cumberland , summoned the brethren to the " Fox , " Castle Street , Southwark , and opened a Lodge in dae form , and constituted Bro . Morton R . W . M ., who appointed Bro . Stevens S . W ., Bro . Wright J . W ., Bro . Crump Treasurer , and Bro . Tatham Secretary . '
" For live years the Lodge was held afc the ' Fox , ' and I may mention that I have visited that house , and have been shown a clubroom , in which the consecration probably took place ; and also a highbacked Windsor chair , which was most likely used on the occasion .
" For two years the meetings were held at the' Red Lion , Borough ; and in 1792 the Lodge was removed to the ' Spread Eagle , ' Pratt Street , Lambeth , where it continued to assemble for exactly a quarter of a century .
" During these 32 years very little of importance occurred , excepting that , in the early life of the Lodge , ifc had a hard struggle for existence—it was in a chronic state of financial difficulty—and the Grand Secretary had occasion to reprimand the brethren for nonpayment of dues—and that the W . M . appeared before Grand Lodge to make his apologies in this respect .
" From 1817 to 1851 the Lodge continually migrated from one tavern to another . I need not detain you by recapitulating them . " From 1851 to 1865 it met at Freemasons' Tavern , and from 1865 to the present date at Freemasons' Hall . " Among the chief events of importance , I may mention the
following : " In 1822 Bro . Peter Giikes was elected a member . He did not , however , remain one till his death , which took place iu December 1833 ; and , as most of you are aware , there is a tablet to his memory in the parish church of St . James ' s , Piccadilly .
" In August 1825 the late Bro . William Farnfield P . A . G . S . ( father of the present Secretary of the Lodge ) was initiated ; and , later in the same year appointed Secretary of the Lodge—an office he continued to hold until his death , upwards of half a century afterwards . " From 1831 to the present time the ' Emulation Lodge of Improvement ' has worked under the sanction of this Lodge .
" In 1834 Bro . Zachariah Watkins ( a P . M . of the Bank of England Lodge ) was admitted a joining member . He served as W . M . in 1836 , and although , unhappily , his state of health has long prevented his being among us , yet he is still on our roll as an honorary member . " On 19 th March 1836 our present W . M ., Bro . Henry Greene , was
initiated . He served as Master in 1856 , a position to which he wonld have attained long before bnfc for his absence in one of our Colonies . For the last 15 years ho has discharged tho important dnties of Treasurer , and wo have thought it an appropriate complinienfc to him , as well as nn advantage to tho Lodge , to ask him , as fche ' Father , ' again to preside over us in this our centenary year .
" In 18 15 the late Grand Secretary , Bro . John Hervey , who had been initiated the previous year in the Royal York Lodge of Perseverance , No . 7 , became a joining member , and was three times
elected to the chair . Ou the last , occasion the installation took place ou the 1 st January 1 S 66 , when ho snid he should like to make the Lodge a New Year ' s gift , ami presented tho set of ebony and ivory gavels which are now in use .
"In 1852 Bro . Figg ( who has twice passed through the chair ) was initiated , and as the second member iu point of seniority he this year holds the office of S . W . " In 1853 Bro . J . Newton Tomkins resigned , and on doing so
presented £ 5 5 s , which was used to form fcho nm-U-us of a Chanty Fund . " Upon the death of Bro . John Hervey , this L' . dg ,. , in conjunction with the Royal York , set en foot the ' John Hervey Memorial Fund , ' and were fortunate enough to secure tho hearty co-operation of Bro . Sir Johu Monckton as chairman . " As to the work which haa beeu dune in the Lud ^ e , 156 candidates
Centenary Of The Lodge Of Unions, No. 256.
havo been initiated , passed , and raised ; 167 brethren have been ad . mitted as joining members . The sum of £ 319 Is 6 d has been voted from Lodge funds for charitablo purposes , of which £ 280 has been given during the last- 30 years , while the contributions of individual members to the three Masonic Charities may be taken as having beeu for many years £ 100 per annum . "
This was followed by an oration by Bro . the Rev . B > . J . Simpson Past Grand Chaplain , and then , on the motion of the Worshipful Master , seconded by
Bro . J . A . Farnfield , votes of thanks were accorded to Bros . Davis and Simpson for their addresses . These brethren having briefly acknowledged the compliment , Bro . Farnfield announced that he had received letters of
regret for absence from several brethren , after which Lodge was closed , and the brethren adjourned to a superb banquet at Freemasons' Tavern . At the conclusion of the banquet the usual toasts were proposed . Bro . F . A . Philbrick Grand Registrar replying for the Grand
Officers , said he discharged the duty of returning thanks with great pleasure . Whenever the Pro Grand Master ' s name was mentioned among Masons it invariably commanded esteem and respect . Now that he was in the neighbouring isle discharging the duties of Viceroy , Masons , who recognised no politics but their common
profession , no religion but that great tie of religion which had been so eloquently alluded to in the Lodge , wished him Masonically and thoroughly hearty success in the discharge of his difficult task . The Deputy Grand Master , who was well known almost throughout the length and breadth of the land , commanded the affection , regard and
esteem of every Mason . Lord Lathom was one of those distin . guished characters who , while they received dignity from Masonry , shed a lustre npon the Order . For the rest of the Grand Officers the distinguished array of brethren now rising in response to the toast made his task in responding for thom somewhat difficult ,
there were so many who could answer for themselves better than he , aud who had a better right . The centenary of a Lodge so distinguished as the Lodge of Unions was an occasion of no ordinary interest . That it was so the presence of so many distinguished brethren testified . Long might the Lodge , which had lasted so long ,
continue . Long might it go on cliff using the principles ifc had spread so wide . Long might the brethren carry into practice tho principles taught in tho Lodge aud which they had so much at heart . Might ifc be distinguished in the future as in the past . Might ifc be prosperous in its concerns , happy in its choice of those it received into
the Lodge , and might it go on without any of those incidents which would affect its prosperity or diminish its harmony ; and this was the sincere and hearty wish of the Graud Officers for whom he returned thanks . Sir John B . Monckton P . G . W . proposed the toast of the W . M ., and , he might say , one and indivisiblv with it , of course ,
the Lodge itself . Ifc was a long time to look back to , 100 years ; and it was a long time to look back to fche period when the W . M . was initiated in the Lodge , when he took the interesting step which had beeu taken by the initiate that evening . Bro . Greene had been spared by the G . A . O . T . U . to tako the chair on this occasion . There wore many
interesting facts connected with the Lodge , but not the least of fche interesting Masonic associations connected wifch ib was that Bro . Henry Greene , who was initiated in it in 1836 , was once again Master of the Lodge . He hoped , therefore , that the toast would be drunk with all Masonic fervour . The Worshipful Master
felfc he need scarcely tell the brethren this was- a peculiarly proud moment for him . It was one that ho could scarcely ever have expected to be present at . If he carried his mind back to the year 1838 , when , as a comparative youngster , he entered theLodge . After some years of travelling about , he rejoined it in 1850 . He did
feel proud at being iu that position—the father of the Lodge and the Master , and to find himself associated for the year with so many good old friends and Past Masters who had accepted office . This was indeed a remarkable day in the history of their old Lodge . They could not , as the Provincial Grand Chaplain had said ,
expect to see another centenary , but they could wish to look forward aud believe and hope that there would bo successors who would fill their place 100 years hence , and read the books they had prepared for them , keep the minute books , receive the charter , and be able to see the warrant for a centenary signed , as it was , by Bro . Colonel
Shadwell H . Gierke . He saw no reason why they should nob anticipate the 200—the bi-centenary of the Lodge . At all events , he hoped that Masonry would flourish and continue till timo should be no more . He next proposed the Initiate , and Bro . Wilbee replied , The Worshipful Master next proposed the Visitors , to which Bro .
Colonel Shadwell H . Gierke , Grand Secretary , replied . Tho institution of brethren visiting Lodges was more valuable than perhaps brethreu sometimes thought of , because , were it not for tho practice of visiting , Lodges would be isolated bodies ; would work without any common bond of union , and would not know whether
thoy were right or wrong m their procedure . Bub by fche hospitality which was shown in Masonic Lodges in England , brethren men together , aud brethreu saw how the work was done . He had felt very strongly on this matter , because ib had been hia lot in former years , as a soldier , to be a Mason in every quarter of the globe , and
ib had been his privilege to be permitted to visit Lodges wherever he had been . He supposed no brother had witnessed more hospitality than he , aud therefore he appreciated thoroughly the feeling of hospitality that was shown in several Lodges all over the world . The visitors congratulated the W . M . aud the other brethren very siucerely ,
feeling that they had douo a good work . They all desired iu tho future , thi : i Lodge of Unions might continue to meet , work , and flourish . The Worshipful Master next proposed the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , the very child of the Lodge of Unions . To this Bro . Thomas Fenn P . G . D . responded , supplementing the allusion : ! which had beeu made to the Eniulatiou Lutlge of Improvement by