Mark Masonry. Cheshire.

MARK MASONRY . CHESHIRE .

THE annual meeting of this Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons has been fixed to be held at Stockport on Saturday , ioth June .

SINCE the year 188 3 the Mark Masons of the county of Essex have formed a portion of the Province of East Anglia , under the presidency of Lord Henniker , the Province comprising the four counties of Essex , Suffolk , Norfolk , and Cambridgeshire , there being in all thirteen Lodges—seven of which are situate in Essex .

Some months ago a meeting of representatives of the Essex Mark Lodges was held , with a view to consider the advisability of promoting the formation of a separate Province for the county , and as the result a petition to H . R . H . the Grand Master was drawn up and unanimously signed ,

praying that the Essex Lodges might be formed into a Province , and recommending the Earl of Warwick as the first Prov . Grand Master . The prayer of this petition having been granted , Wednesday , 24 th ult ., was fixed for the constitution of the new Province at Colchester , under the banner of the senior Mark Lodge , the Constantine , No . 145 .

The Pro Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons Bro . the Earl of Euston , accompanied by the Earl of Warwick , Col . Lockwood , M . P ., and several other eminent members of the Grand Mark Lodge , travelled by the 11 . 45 a . m . train from London , a special saloon being attached

to the train for their accommodation . They were met at the Colchester Station by Bros . Claude E . Egerton-Green W . M . 145 , John J . C . Turner P . M . 145 P . P . S . G . W ., Richard

Clowes P . M . 145 Prov . G . J . O ., and J . H . Salter P . M . 145 P . P . G . D . C , and most of the party proceeded to East Hill House , where they were entertained to luncheon by Bro . and Mrs . Egerton-Green .

The Masonic proceedings were timed to commence at 2 . 30 , and by that hour the representatives of the Mark Lodges of the county had assembled in the Board Room of the Corn

Exchange , which , under the direction of Bros . Bailey , Eustace , Skingley , and Cheese , had been transformed into a very handsome Lodge Room . On the entry of the Pro Grand Master the Lodge was formed , as follows :

The Right Hon . the Earl of Euston as Grand Master , Sir Reginald Hanson P . G . W . as S . W ., Frank Richardson P . G . W . as J . W ., Rev . Wm . Cree P . G . C . as Chaplain , C . Fitzgerald Matier G . Sec . as Sec , Major C . W . Carrell G . D . C . as D . C , and Rowland Plumbe as I . G . The other Grand Officers present were Bros . J . Strachan , Q . C , G . M . O .,

Richard Clowes P . G . J . O ., A . H . Bowles P . G . D ., V . P . FreemanP . G . D ., and T . J . Railing P . G . D . Grand Lodge having been duly opened , the Earl of Warwick was escorted into the Lodge Room by Masters of the Essex Lodges , and was then installed into his office by Lord Euston , and on taking the chair was heartily applauded . The first official act of the new Provincial Grand Master

was to appoint Col . Lockwood , M . P ., as his Deputy , and that popular Brother had a most hearty reception on his being installed into his Office . The roll of Lodges having been called by the Acting Provincial Grand Secretary Bro . T . J . Railing , and all being found to be fully represented ,

The Earl of Warwick addressed the Brethren . His Lordship commenced by asking the indulgence of those present , as he had been doing military duty as an officer of the Warwickshire Yeomanry , and as most of their drills had taken place in a gale of wind he had almost lost his voice . Their meeting that day marked an epoch in the history of

Mark Masonry in the county , and he felt quite sure that the effect of the formation of that Provincial Grand Lodge would not only be to strengthen the existing Mark Lodges , but also to extend , the working of the degree in the county . Pie was well aware that for about sixteen years the Brethren had

belonged to the Province of East Anglia , and that they all held in high esteem the worthy Brother who had during that time presided over them . He thought it right to say that the Province had not been started with any feeling of antagonism

to Lord Henniker—they all felt the highest respect for his lordship—and he ( Lord Warwick ) would not have been a party to the proceedings of that day if Lord Henniker had not given the movement his fullest sanction . In starting a project of the kind there was naturally several matters which

ESSEX .

Mark Masonry. Cheshire.

required putting on a business footing , and he had therefore invited several experienced Brethren to form a Board of General Purposes to consider those matters , and their report was in the hands of all the Brethren . He considered the report a most excellent one , and he personally thanked the Brethren for the trouble they had taken in the matter . He

should like to emphasise one paragraph of the report , namely , the one referring to the forthcoming Festival of the Mark Benevolent Fund . He had been honoured by an invitation to take the chair on that occasion , and he ventured to express a hope that the members of their new Province would

support him in the way that Essex Masons had always done whenever he made a call upon them . He was pleased that the Constantine Lodge was setting a very good example to the other Lodges , as they had already collected amongst their members about / 30 .

Bro . Richard Clowes moved the adoption of the report of the Board of General Purposes . He said one of the chief matters that occupied the attention of the Board was the provision of ways and means to provide for the necessary expenses which had to be incurred in starting the Province . They had gone very fully into the matter , and trusted the Brethren would adopt their suggestion that each Lodge should contribute at the rate of 5 s per member . He was

pleased to have to announce that their new Provincial Grand Master had most kindly contributed twenty guineas to the fund , and that their worthy Deputy had added . ten guineas . He thought , therefore , they had started under the most favourable auspices , and he hoped it would be found at the next meeting that the Province was in a sound financial position .

The motion having been seconded by Bro . Geo . Graveley Lord Warwick put it to the meeting , and it was carried by acclamation .

The next business was the choice of four elective members of the Board of General Purposes , and the following Brethren were duly elected : —Bros . F . W . Imbert-Terry P . M . 377 , Wm . Shurmur P . M . 4 61 , John J . C Turner P . M . 145 , and A . J . H . Ward W . M . 413 . Bro . J . H . Salter P . M . 145 having been unanimously elected Provincial Grand Treasurer ,

The Earl of Warwick appointed and invested the first Officers of the new Province , as under :

Bro . Claud Egerton Green 145 - - - Senior Warden Col . Landon 377 - Junior Warden James Speller 461 - Master Overseer G . H . Scrutton 467 ... Senior Overseer John W . Moss 145 - - - Junior Overseer Rev . Canon Quennell 377 - - - Chaplain

W . S . Wright 205 ... Registrar Thos . J . Railing 145 ... Secretary W . Scott Macdonald 467 ... Senior Deacon J . M . Murphy 205 ... - Junior Deacon Robert Cook 342 . ... Inspector of Works R . Clowes 413 .... Director of Ceremonies

J . G . Mackenzie 342 - - - Assist . Dir . of Ceremonies G . M . E . Hamilton 205 - - Sword Bearer J . E . Pegram 342 ... . Standard Bearer W . G . Puttiek 467 ... Organist R . Haward Ives 145 ... Assistant Secretary

Martin Bleick 461 ... Inner Guard A . S . B . Sparling 145 - - - | „ . , John E . Cheese 145 - - - / Stewards Arthur Wright 145 - - - Tyler .

Votes of thanks were then passed to Lord Euston and the Grand Officers who had assisted in the ceremony of the day , and to the Constantine Lodge for their excellent arrangements . About fifty Brethren afterwards dined together at the

Cups Hotel , under the presidency of the Earl of Warwick , an excellent repast being well served by Mr . and Mrs . Woodward . During dinner the string band of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment performed a selection of choice music , which was much appreciated .

An interesting feature of the day ' s proceedings was the presentation to Bro . T . J . Railing , the first Grand Secretary of the new Province , of the undress clothing and jewel of a Past Grand Deacon of England . The presentation was made by Bro . R . Clowes , who explained that himself and a few friends of Bro . Railing desired his acceptance of these gifts , with their sincerest wishes for his welfare , and the hope that he might long be spared to wear them .

Bro . Railing feelingly acknowledged the presentation . It should be added that a liberal supply of flags for the decoration of the Lodge Room were lent by Bro . Fieldgate , of Brightlingsea , while Mr . Lewis , of East Hill House Gardens , supplied some handsome plants , which added greatly to the adornment of the room . "