Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cheshire.

pillars of brass . " At the close of the service a collection was mad for tbe Benevolent Fund of the Provincial Grand Lodge . Later in the day about two hundred brethren sat down to a banquet , at the Town Hall , nnder the presidency of Bro . Lord Egerton of Tatton

P . G . M ., who was supported by the great majority of the more distinguished visitors present at the bnsiness portion of the proceedings . The customary toasts were proposed , interspersed with a choice selection of music .

Mark Masonry.

MARK MASONRY .

— : o : — LEICESTER , NORTHAMPTON , DERBY AND RUTLAND . WE have perused with interest the report of the proceedings at the Annual General Communication of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Masters , held at Leicester , last May , and which is to be laid before the

annnal meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge , at Ilkeston , on Wednesday next . The annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodsre and General Communication

of Mark Master Masons of the Province was held at the Freemasons' Hall , Leicester , nnder the banner of the " Fowke" Lodge , No 19 , on Thursday the 27 th May

1886 . The chair was occupied by the then Prov . Grand Master , Bro . William Kelly , who was supported by a full attendance of Prov . Grand Officers and other brethren .

The Fowke Lodge having been duly opened , the Prov . Grand Master and the Officers of the Prov . Grand Lodge entered tbe Lodge-room , and were received in due form , and tbe customary salutations were made . On the roll

of the Lodges being called , only one was found to be unrepresented ; and when the roll of Prov . G . Officers was called , in each case the absentees had sent satisfactory apologies . After the reading of minntes , and some other

routine business had been disposed of , the Worshipfnl Masters of Lodges and the Prov . Grand Secretary ( Bro . Clement E . Stretton P . G . Steward ) , presented reports , which showed that every Lodge in the Province was

working very efficiently , particularly the Derbyshire Lodges . The General Purposes Committee reported that Mark Masonry continued to make progress , and the prosperity of the Order was evidenced by the satisfactory

accounts which had been received from the several Lodges . During the year a new Lodge had been consecrated in Derbyshire , held at Ashbourne , and named the Dove

Valley Lodge , No . 353 , The Prov . Grand Registrar ' s ( Bro . J . H . Lawson ) summary of tbe returns showed a considerable increase in the number of subscribing

members , and such increase would be even more apparent had not a number of members whose subscriptions were some years in arrear been removed from the rolls . The statement of accounts presented by the Prov . Grand

Treasurer ( Bro . S . Cleaver ) showed that the financial position of the Provincial Grand Lodge continued satisfactory . A vote of thanks was accorded to Brother S . Cleaver Prov . G . Treasurer , for his valuable services ,

and after he had thanked the Prov . Grand Lodge for the compliment he was unanimously re-elected Prov . Grand Treasurer for the ensuing year . In a lengthy and interesting address the Prov . Grand Master observed

that m Northants the most noteworthy event had been the recent advancement , in the Simon de St . Liz Lodge , No . 245 , of Bro . Butler Wilkins , P . G . Standard Bearer , the highly esteemed Deputy ( ancl in reality the acting ) Prov . Grand Master of the Craft Province o " f Norths and

Hunts . Many of the older members of the Craft in the different towns of that province had hitherto stood aloof from Mark Masonry , but he trusted the accession to its ranks of so popular ancl distinguished a P . G . officer as Brother

Wilkins would have a great effect in making tho Mark Degree more popular in that Craft Province . Speaking of Leicestershire , he mentioned that the Howe Lodge , No . 21 , which had met since 18 o' 8 at Melton Mowbray , had

been authorised by Grand Lodge to hold its meetings also at Market Harborough and Oakham , each in turn . Bv this arrangement the county of Rutland had been brought into the Mark , as it had long been under the Prov . Grand

Lodge of the Craft . This led him to remark that the seal which had Jong been in use in the Prov . Grand Mark Lodge of Leicestershire , as ifc still is , was qaite inappropriate hcraldically , and was quite unworthy of the present Province , having on it the arms of the Masons' Company

Mark Masonry.

of London , in nse before the Union of 1813 , and having only " Leicestershire" upon it . It was formerly an old silver seal of St . John ' s Lodge , Leicester , which , after being lost for many years , and the present seal

substituted for it was altered to suit its present purpose . He had been in communication with the Grand Mark Secretary on the subject of a proper seal , and it had been suggested that , as the county of Rutland had just

been brought into this Province , ihey should adopt the arms of Leicestershire , Northants , Derbyshire , and Rutland on a keystone quarterly , surrounded by the names of the four counties . This the Prov . Grand Master

considered would be a very appropriate design , and if the assembled brethren agreed in that view , he should be happy to superintend its being carried into effect . Turning to the abstract of the Treasurer ' s accounts it was seen that ,

beginning the year with a balance in hand of £ 43 Os ld , after paying the ordinary expenses , & c , in addition , a grant of £ 10 10 s to the Mark Benevolent Fund and £ 4 4 s for the very handsome State sword , to-day officially used for the first time , they ended the year with a balance of

£ 50 8 s ld . Reference was made to the enforced retirement of Bro . Stretton from the office of Prov . Grand Secretary , in consequence of the pressure of professional engagements ; and a warm tribute was paid to him for the efficient

manner in which he performed his duties during the years that had elapsed since the death of our lamented Bro . McAllister . The only way in which the Prov . Grand Master could mark his high appreciation of Bro . Stretton ' s

services was by appointing him to the office of Provincial Grand Senior Warden for the ensuing year . With regard to the highest office in his gift , that of Deputy Prov . Grand Master , held for the past three years by Bro . the Rev . Dr .

Saunders , as representing Northamptonshire , he had now a feAV observations to make . In the county of Derby the Mark Degre had spread so rapidly that it already had four Lodges ( as many as the old Province itself ) with the

probability of a fifth being founded very shortly at Ilkeston . ' With every desire to do his duty as the ruler of the Provinced by visiting as many of the Lodges as possible , he now found that from his advanced age and somewhat impaired health ,

it was beyond his power to do so much in this way as he formerly did , and could wish to do still . He therefore felt it due to the Derbyshire brethren , so long as they might honour him by remaining under his rule as a

constituent part of the Province , that they should have an efficient and respected Past Master of their own as the Deputy Provincial Grand Master , to take a general supervision of , and to pay those visits to , their Lodges

which ho should be pleased and bound to do if he were able . He had selected for that honourable and important office Bro . Thos . Cox P . P . GJ . W ., a Past Master of tbe Derby Lodge , No . 302 , and who , he believed , was the first

brother advanced to the Mark Degree in Derbyshire , Bro . Cox was then conducted to the East , and his patent of appointment having been read by tho Provincial Graud

Registrar , he was dnly obligated , installed , proclaimed , and saluted as Deputy Provincial Grand Mark Master Mason of the Province . The Provincial Grand Officers were then appointed and invested ; and , on the motion of

Bro . Thos . Cox , seconded by Bro . S . S . Partridge , it was

resolved that R . W . Bro . William Kelly be recommended to the M . W . G . M . for re-appointment as Provincial Grand Master for the ensuing three years . A committee was

appointed to revise the bye-laws of the Provincial Grand Lodge , and the selection of a new seal was left in the hands of the Provincial Grand Master . The sum of five

guineas was voted to the Mark Benevolent Fund , and after some routine bnsiness Provincial Grand Lodge was closed in due form , and the work of the Fowke Lodge resumed .

Wednesday next will be an interesting aud busy day at Ilkeston , when the new Mark Lodge referred to above , the Ilkeston , No . 373 , will be consecrated by the Prov . Grand Mark Master Mason , Bro . \ V . Kelly , F . S . A ., & c . Bro . G .

Maltbv W . M . 302 is the W . M . designate , Bro . J . E . Whitehead , 302 , S . W . designate , and Bro . W . Fletcher , 302 , J . W . designate . The Consecrating Officer will be assisted by Bro . Thomas Cox D . P . G . M . M . M . and the Officers of the Prov . Grand Mark Lodge . At the close of the day ' s business there will be a banquet afc fche Rutland Hotel .

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