Records Of Phœnix Lodge, No. 331.

spite of a Petition "signed by several Brn . who had formerly been in office in the Phcenix Lodge , " asking for a renewal of the old Warrant , it was refused by G . L . Nothing appears to have been done until June 2 nd , 1810 , when the present Warrant which originally was granted to a Lodge at Wrexham , then defunct , was assigned to this L ., which was constituted by a P . G . L . held here on the 25 th . The initiation fee was 4 gnas ., joining fee ios . 6 d ., subscription ios ., each member attending to pay as towards expenses and the L . the rest . The L . met at the " Red Lion . " and refreshments were had every night , visiting Brn . paying 5 s . or ( if supper )

7 s . od . On the 7 th March , 1811 , the No . of theL . is first stated , 620 ; it retained this untiltheActof Union ( 1 S 14 ) , when it became 627 . By this time ( 1811 ) the L . seems to have settled into a monthly meeting on the ist Thursday . It appears to have granted its own Certificate to a candidate after raising , e . g .: " Bro . raised and certificate granted signed by the proper officers . " This occurs again

and again , and on one occasion 12 certificates were signed in one night . The ist and 2 nd Dgrs . were usually g iven to a candidate at once , and on 7 occasions between 1810 and 1817 candidates received 3 degrees in one day . In July , 1811 , we hear of a local regiment now defunct , viz .: " The Royal Roseland Regiment of local Militia , " as Bros . Corfield and Ruddiman are respectively described as Captn . and Qr .-Mr . of this Corps . The election of officers was half-yearly , but the same

seem to have so frequently gone through the chairs , or ( at all events ) done the work , that it made Tittle difference . The L . used to meet , work , get to ist Degree "call off , " sup , " call on" when the cloth was drawn , and remain open in that Deg . the rest of the evening . In Oct . the day of meeting was altered to the ist Tuesday . In this year St . John ' s day celebration began at 11 a . m ., and noon seems to have been the usual time . On the ist March , 1814 , the Articles of Union

between the two Grand Lodges were read , and " were haiied by the Brn . as a great acquisition to Masonry in general . " At this meeting the L . subscribed 2 guineas to " Germans suffering from the war . " The meetings now begin to get irregular . In Dec , 1815 , Bro . Taunton ( ist W . M . ) was requested to place the Warrant "in the Pedestal ; " he appears to have kept it himself hitherto . Scarcely any meetings were held for nearly 2 years ; till in June , 1817 , it was agreed " that every Bro . of

this L . shall be considered only one year in arrear , " and " that members attending P . G . L . at Penzance shall pay £ 1 each , 16 s . to be refunded when the L . can afford it , " but that day never came . The L . was always hampered and short of funds , owing to the cost of refreshments , and of the W . M . and Wardens at P . G . L . being paid out of L . funds . The difference between those days and these is markedly shown by the fact that Ls . of Emergency were always held before a P . G . L . to

arrange for going , as private or hired conveyances were the only means usually available ; not even a coach ran further West than Truro at that time . It may be interesting at this point to observe the rates of postage paid by the Treasurer , viz .: London , is . old ., double letter ( i . e . 2 sheets ) , is . iod ., Penzance , Sid ., Helstone , 7 I & ., Falmouth , 5 M ., Redruth , 4 M . In June , 1817 , Bro . Warren , D . Prov . G . M ., was requested to lay the foundation-stone of Waterloo Crescent ,

but declined , on the ground that it was not a building of a public character . In June , 1818 , a candidate received 3 deg ' s . in one day . On the 3 rd July we find " the Landlord having put two beds in the L . room , it was proposed that the highest hill or the lowest vale , even the Valley of Jehosaphat would be preferable as a meeting place ; " but in spite of that the majority of the Brn . decided to remain there . In

Oct . the funds were again at low water , the adverse balance being 40 s ., when Bros . Karkeek and John Heard offered each a , £ 1 note to settle it , to be repaid when the L . could afford it . All dues were to be paid up at once , and each member was in future to pay for his own refreshments . These virtuous spasms occurred periodically . This brings us to the end of Vol . I , which covers a period of rather more than 8 years , from June , 1810 , to Novr ., 1 S 1 S , during which time there were 35

initiations . Vol . II . commences with a list of ali Masons made in the L . from its starting , and a return to G . L . showing that it then had 17 members . In 1818 £ j 8 s . od . were owing to G . L . for dues , which was divided up in proportion to the time each member had been in the L ., ranging from 15 s . to iod ., and raised by a voluntary call . Letters and remittances to G . L . were usually sent by Bro . Symon Clyma ( a

mariner ) , who probably sailed between Truro and London , and who would bring back certificates accordingly . In Feb ., 1819 , the Brn . had a " picnic supper , " after which they did not meet until June , when a L . of Instruction was decided on , but they did not again assemble until Feb ., 1820 , when Bro . Lidgey , who was a plasterer , took off the doves from the tops of the Deacon ' s Columns (?) and replaced them with the celestial and terrestrial g lobes , prior to attending Church

with the Mayor and Corporation at the Proclamation of King Geo , IV . In 1822 , it was decided that Brn . attending P . G . L . pay their own expenses , and the day of meeting was altered to the ist Monday . The 2 nd Book ends with the June meeting in 1823 , when there were 11 members according to the G . L . Return and 14 according to the List of Quarterages due . This Vol . is only about one-third full . Vol . III . commences August , 1823 , and in it we find the following style of

entry : "Mr . A . B ., after going through the necessary trials , was at his own request passed through the ist Deg . " What these trials were does not appear , but the L . now ( 18 S 9 ) possesses certain appliances of a suggestive character . In 1824 , the L . applied for a R . A . Chapter , which , however , was not granted . W . M ., Wardens , Treasr . and Secy , are the onl y officers named in the books until this date . Onl y 3 meetings appear to have been held from June , 1824 , to June , 1829 ,

when there were only 12 members . In 1830 , the L . attended the proclamation of King Will . IV ., and , with one exception , did not meet again till Novr ., 1831 , when but only 5 were present , and there were only nine members . In 1833 , the No . was changed to 415 . In 1835 the L . attended the laying with Masonic Honours of the Foundation Stone of the " Lander " Column , but it was practically then dormant ,

there being no meetings between Feb . and June , 1836 , and in 1837 none at all , except attending the Proclamation of H . M . Queen Victoria . Notes of Attendances at P . G . Meetings by 2 or 3 Brn . are still inserted , but no L . was really worked after 1836 , though the G . L . fees were paid up to 18 3 8 . Vol . III . is Tittle more than half filled .

Now commences a dormancy of 9 years , at the end of which time some of the Brn . viz .. W . Lidgey , R . L . Lidgey , H . Harris and J . Gatley bestirred themselves and with the assistance of other masons re-opened the L ., and Vol . IV . commences 22 nd March , 1847 , with an account of a negotiation by which the L . was allowed to be resuscitated on paying G . L . fees for 7 members from 18 3 8 . The L . seems now to approach a new Departure and great elaboration . In this year the L . of

Instruction was again decided on , but there are no records of its meeting . At the same time Lord Falmouth was solicited to become Patron , but his Lordship declined to do so . Now the bye-laws first appear in the minute book , and they differ from the present ones in these points : I . —Any Bro . absent without excuse to be ( A ) admonished , and ( B ) fined is . 2 . —Expenses of W . M . and Warden ' s to , at and from P . G . L . defrayed by the L . 3 . —Visiting Brn . pay 2 s . 6 d .

4 . —Bye-laws to be read at all initiations and before ballotting for W . M . To these was added in Dec , a 5 s . fine for absence from the Annual Festival , unless detained by sickness . The present set of jewels ( or part of them ) was bought at this time , the L . having had to borrow several from Sergt .-Major Wing to open with . Fines for non-attendance were frequent , and the minute book says in August , 1 S 48 , that " Bros . Gatley and Davies were fined as usual . " In Jan .,

1851 , Bro . W . H . Paddon wrote resigning membership , saying that there mi ght be " Honor" in belonging to the L ., but there certainly was no " Prudence" in the charges 111 ide for refreshments . The L . still met at the " Red Lion , " and the profit on the orders of the Brn . seems to have constituted the rent . On the 19 th May , i 8 5 i , they first met in Pydar St ., and Bro . Macfarland / Heard gave the 3 rd T . B ., and this appears to have been the first time they had a complete set .

Records Of Phœnix Lodge, No. 331.

The members then numbered 28 . On the 17 Jan . of 1853 Bro . Augustus Smith our late P . G . M . became a joining member and the minute expressly states that he was examined in L . in each D . before reception . In 1855 and subsequent years it was customary for a Bro . on receiving a Prov . G . L . Collar to claim a corresponding seat in his L ., which claim being allowed he forthwith waived ; several instances of this appear in the Minute Book of this time . In Jan ., 1856 , the Annual Festival

was held at Mitchell so Ear as the Banquet was concerned . The Bye-laws were again revised in 185 7 and about the same time Bro . Harris gave the L . an original copy of Preston ' s F . My . ; which like Bro . Martin's early and curious copy of the Book of Constitutions , given in 1853 , is missing . This ends Vol . IV . which covers from March 1 847 to August 1858 . This was the first of the larger books , each of which contains about 10 years' minutes .

Vol . V . commences with the first meeting in the then new rooms at the High Cross in April , 1859 . An emergency meeting seems to have been necessary to propose a candidate as well as a written proposition . In i 860 the annual subscription was raised " pro tem . " to 30 s . In this year Bro . Aug . Smith commenced the installation of W . M . by reading the lessons for the day . We now approach a period hardly differing from our own ; the refreshment and Prov . G . L . expenses

are all gone and little remains to notice save the changes of domicile and growth of other Masonic Degrees . The minutes settle down to a regular formal style at all time alike , though on one occasion Bro . T . Hingston Harvey had the hardihood to announce that in July , 1861 , " the Brn . seperated at a somewhat advanced hour of the night in harmony , " & c . It would be interesting to know what the exact hour was . In December of that year Bro . W . H . Christoe proposed that past

officers should present their portraits to decorate the ante-room , which was the origin of the present collection . In 1862 ( 14 th March ) the " Royal Cornubian " R . A . chapter was formed , and in 186 3 was started the K . T . " Cornubian " Encampment , now dormant . In this year the No . of the L . was changed to 331 ; also a Committee was appointed at the request of the " Fortitude " to confer with them

as to the terms on which the latter should have the use of the " Phoenix" rooms , but the negotiations fell through . The L . was afterwards invited to occupy the then-about-to-be-built rooms of the Truro Public Rooms Co ., and an influential Committee appointed to see that they were suitably planned and constructed . This ends Vol . V ., which embraces a period of 11 years from Sepr ,, 1858 , 10 Octr ., 1869 .

Masonic Hall Committee . —Before passing on to Vol . VI ., I should like to mention a thin paper-covered book kept by Bro . Solomon , P . M . ; it is the minute book of the Masonic Hall Committee , and it would surprise one to see how the architects of the Public Rooms Co . proposed to cut up and waste the space at their disposal , and how our late Prov . G . M . proved himself worthy of his office by then drawing out the well-arranged and convenient premises we see around us .

Vol . VI . commences with the last meeting in the High Cross , and the next entry finds the Brn . here on the 20 th Deer ., 1 S 69 , when Bro . T . Oiver , P . M ., was the first Mason made within these walls . There have been altogether 7 6 initiations here . The history now is so much like that of to-day that I should only bore my hearers ( if I have not already done so ) if I carried on this sketch any further . I will therefore only mention that the " Rose Croix " chapter was opened in 1873 .

One point , however , remains to be dwelt upon : On the dormancy of the L . in 1836 , it was in possession of several books , jewels , and paraphernalia , e . g ., a lodge Seal engraved with a Phosnix supported by figures of Honour and Prudence , with the words Truro 620 . This was ordered in 1822 to be kept in the Pedestal , and that is the last we hear of it . There were also Finch's lectures , which cost 1 guinea , besides 5 s . 3 d . carriage from London b y coach ; a very handsome Moira Apron presented by Bro . Dennis in 1814 , and which Bro . Whitford in 1818 offered to frame .

The Ashlars and a T . B ., called in some places the Tressel Board , and doubtless other things never mentioned in the books have all vanished , and , although 4 Brn . of 1836 joined in the reopening of 1847 , little beyond the Warrant wouid seem to have been preserved . It would be worth while ( if the representatives of the late Brn . could be traced ) , though it is 50 years ago , to see if any of these things are now in private hands and can be recovered . If this slight sketch of our

Mother Lodge will lead to an increased appreciation of the Craft , and , by strengthening the links which bind us to the past , induce a stronger belief in the continuity of our Order , I shall feel that what has been by me a labour of love has not been in vain . Truro , J H . FERRIS , Oct . 21 , 1889 . P . M . and Sec . 331 , P . Prov . G . Reg . Cornwall .

Consecration Of The Mistley Lodge, No. 2339, Manningtree.

CONSECRATION OF THE MISTLEY LODGE , No . 2339 , MANNINGTREE .

A new lodge—The Mistley—was consecrated at Manningtree on Wednesday , the 12 th inst ., bringing up the total number of lodges in Essex to thirty . The ceremony was to have been performed by Bro . LordjBrooke , M . P ., the Provincial Grand Master of Essex , but his lordship not having recovered from his recent illness , the duty was undertaken and most ably performed by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master ; Bro . Fred . A . Philbrick , Q . C , Grand Registrar .

Great interest was evinced in the day ' s proceedings by the inhabitants of Manningtree , who displayed flags and bunting , and assembled in large numbers to witness the arrival of the expected visitors . The Public Hall , too , in which the ceremony of the day took p lace , was completely transformed , owing to the elaborate decorations bestowed upon it . Through the kindness of the Rev . C . F . Norman

the greenhouses of Mistley place were freely placed at the disposal of the local brethren , and , as a consequence , the platform presented a perfect bank of flowers and ornamental plants , while the body of the hall was profusely hung with flags and bunting . Mr . Norman also most kindly sent his private carriage to convey the Deputy Provincial Grand Master from and to the Railway Station . The flags used in decorating were kindly lent by Bro . ] . H . Vaux and Capt . D . Howard .

The proceedings commenced at two o ' clock , by which time over one hundred brethren had assembled . The D . P . G . M . presided , and the other offices were occupied as follows-. Bros . Lennox Browne , P . G . S . W ., S . W . ; E . H . Baily . P . G . J . ., J . W . ; the Rev . E . H . Crate , P . M . 6 97 , P . P . G . C , Chap . ; T . J . Railing , P . A . G . D . C . Eng ., P . G . Sec , Sec ; A . Lucking , P . G . P . Eng ., Prov . G . D . C , D . C ; and Richard Clowes , P . P . S . G . W ., I . G .

In his address to the brethren the D . P . G . M . said he appeared before them with mingled feelings , for he could truly say he shared with the promoters of the Mistley Lodge , as well as the visitors present , the regret which all must feel at the absence of their beloved Provincial Grand Master , who , he could inform them from the best authority , was confined to the sick room . He had seen Lady Brooke onl y

an hour ago at Colchester , and her ladyship had told him of this ; and also of the regret which his lordship felt at his enforced absence . In Lord Brooke ' s absence it devolved upon him , as his Deputy , to consecrate the lodge , and he assured the brethren that it gave him peculiar pleasure to perform such a ceremony at Manningtree , because his earlier recollections were closel y allied with that part of the