The Province Of Shropshire.

Avhen any signs of his calling appears I drink a glass ot genuine wine , which drives him from the head and stomach into the feet where he takes up his abode , and then in a little while he is off . " It would be interesting if some of the port loving brethren of the present day would try this cure and report results for

the benefit of the Fraternity in general . Egerton having been many years absent from the province , in the year 1819 the Salopian Lodge , No . 262 , complained to Grand Lodge , and a new Provincial Grand Master , in the person of the Hon . Henry Grey Bennett , was appointed . He probably 0 A \* ed his

appointment to the fact that he had represented the borough of Shrewsbury in Parliament for several years prior thereto , and in that year retained his seat after a contested election . His A \* ork for the province , so far as it can be traced , consisted only of the presentation of an address to King

George IV . from the Salopian Lodge in the year 1820 , and the grant of a dispensation for the initiation of Sir Andrew Vincent Corbet , Bart ., a minor , in the same lodge . Although there is no formal record of the fact it Avould appear that Bennett ultimatel y appointed this young Mason to be his

D . P . G . M . He , himself , did not contest the election for Shrewsbury in 1826 , Avhich year also marks the termination of his rule over the province .

After the year 1826 the province remained for a quarter of a century without even a nominal head . It is true that the Ficciuasoiis' Calendar includes "Sir Andrew Corbett , Bart . " ( by whom was doubtless meant the Sir AndreAV Vincent Corbet already mentioned ) , in the list of Provincial Grand Masters the date given as that of his appointment

being 18 43 , but it is clear from the minute books of the Salopian Lodge , No . 262 , that , from motives of economy , he returned his patent , and never acted . During this period only the IAVO Shrewsbury Lodges , Nos . 262 and 117 , were really actively Avorking , though the names of the Mercian

Lodge in Ludlow and the Agenorian in Bridgnorth Ave re retained upon the register till the years 18 32 and 1853 respectively . There were , however , not Avanting some slight signs of further Masonic activity . Two new lodges , the one at Woore , founded in 1836 , and the other at Wem , founded

18 4 6 , sprang into existence . No names of members of the former were registered in Grand Lodge after 18 40 , and the only payment made to Grand Lodge from the latter was for its foundation fees , so that they have left no permanent mark upon the history of the province . The year 18 43 also saA \* the foundation of the Salopian

Chapter , 262 . The brethren of 262 had , apparently , under the warrant of the Craft Lodge , but not in meetings of the Craft , Avorked the Royal Arch ceremony at inteiwals from 1797 to 18 30 Avithout any Charter . In 1830 , in consequence of a communication from Grand Chapter , this illegality Avas

discontinued , and the Charter was applied for and granted as above mentioned . Several attempts Avere , moreover , from time to time made to obtain the appointment of a Provincial Grand Master , but owing to the apparent apathy of the Grand Lodge officials , no step in this direction was taken for many years .

In the year 1852 , however , these efforts were at last crowned Avith success , as Sir Watkin Williams Wynn , Bart ., Avas then appointed to preside over a newly-formed province of North Wales and Shropshire . The North Wales portion of the province then included only I AVO lodges , namely , St . David ' s , Bangor , now No . 3 ^ 4 and St . Cybi , Holyhead ,

, now 597 . With this appointment a fresh Avave of Masonic activity swept o \* er the country , clue , beyond a doubt , to the high social position , uniform kindness , genial disposition , and unwearying industry of Sir Watkin himself . One of his first pieces of Masonic work undertaken before he A \* as actually

installed , was the procuring of the cancellation of a somewhat curious agreement by which the IAVO Shrewsbury lodges had in the year 1851 informall y and illegally amalgamated , and Avere working under the Warrant of 262 . The loss of precedence to the province involved in the probable erasure ,

in consequence of this amalgamation , of such a IOAV number as 135 from the roll of lodges about to pass under his care , Avill easily explain his anxiety upon the point . He continued

in olhce until his death , in the year 1885 , and saw no less than eight new lodges founded in Shropshire , and 16 in North Wales , at the consecration of all of which he v \* as , with but two exceptions , present . The Shropshire lodges so founded , have all continued to llourish . After the death of Sir Watkin , the joint provinces was , owing to its

unmanageable size , again divided into IAVO , and Sir Offley Wakeman , Bart ., who had been D . P . G . M . since the year 1882 , was appointed Provincial Grand Master of the reconstituted Province of Shropshire , a post which he has still continued to hold to the great advantage of the whole Province . Sir OfHey was initiated in the Churchill Lodge , 478 , in the year

1871 , served the office of Provincial Grand Secretary of Oxfordshire in 18 72 , and was appointed S . G . W . of the same province in 1878 . He was also W . M . of the Salopian Lodge , 262 , in the year 1880 . During his tenure of Office , lodges have been founded at

Ellesmere and Whitchurch , so that every town in the county of any size , except Wem , now possesses its own lodge . The province also possesses IAVO Royal Arch chapters , the one at Shrewsbury , and the other at Wellington , the latter , liOAvever , being practically defunct , a Mark Master Mason ' s lodge at Shrewsbury , and a Rose Croix chapter in the same town .

In Mark Masonry , Shropshire is , however , joined to Staffordshire fc r Provincial Grand Lodge purposes . The province is a small one , there being only twelve lodges in all , Avith a total of 405 subscribing members , but it is exceedingly well organised , and its compactness allows its

members to know each other Avell and to work together with that unanimity and heartiness which must underly all successful work . The province has reason to be proud of its own Charitable Association , which has always been successful in obtaining for its candidates the benefit of the Great Masonic Charities to an extent which the funds at

W * 0 . WILLIAM HAXTKIt , 1 'IiOV . ( IliAXI ) TREASURER . its disposal could hardly warrant . For tin ' s result a heavy debt of gratitude is due to the organising skill of the worth y P . G . Secretary , Bro . W . H . Spaull , P . A . G . D . of C , and his

brothers , Bros . A . C . Spaull and F . R . Spaull . At the present time there are two Shropshire boys and IAVO girls in the schools , and IAVO annuitants receive benefit from the Benevolent Institution , but in the year 18 9 8 the numbers Avere three , five , and IAVO respectively . In the year 1887 ,

Avhen the Provincial Grand Master presided as chairman at the 99 th Anniversary Festival of the Girls' Institution , the contributions from the province to that Institution reached the hand some totalof / . " io = o , and at the Centenary of the Boys'