Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Consecration Of The Derby Allcroft Lodge, No. 2168.
CONSECRATION OF THE DERBY ALLCROFT LODGE , No . 2168 .
THE fonnclers of this latest addition to the Lodges of the metropolis are to be congratulated on the success whioh attended their opening meeting , and if we may form an opinion thus oarly of the future in store for thia new Lodge , we predict for it a career of great prosperity . The first Worshipful Master , Bro . John
Derby Alloroft , Past Grand Treasurer of England , is a host in himself , aud we are assured that anything with which he is associated will not fail from any shortcomings on his parfc ; but when , iu addition , we consider those who have associated themselves with him in the establishment of this Lodge , failure seems impossible . The Lodge
was consecrated on Tuesday , at the Athenaeum , Camden-road , by Bro . Colonel Shadwell H . Gierke , Grand Secretary , who was assisted by Bros . Thomas Fenn President Board General Purposes as S . W ., Edgar Bowyer P . G . S . B . as J . W ., Eev . R . J . Simpson P . G . C . as
Chaplain , and Frank Richardson as P . G . D . Director of Cers ., while among those present were other Grand Officers aud a large number of distinguished members of the Order , viz .: —Founders—Bros . Jas . Fitzgerald P . M . 1364 , R . D . Cummings P . M . 1677 , T . Eccleston
Gibb 34 , J . Corbett W . M . 22 , E . F . Storr P . M . 22 ; H . Halliday ,
J . Smith , J . Derby Alloroft , W . J . Wettenhall , and E . Y . Jolliffe . Visitors : —E . Letchworth P . G . D ., Rev . C . W . S . Stanhope P . G . C , J . Peters P . G . Sword Bearer , Fred . Binckes P . G . Steward , H . Sadler G . Tyler , George Kenning P . M . 192 , 1657 P . P . G . D . Middlesex , Jas . Salmon P . G . R . Essex , W . Cook P . M . 22 , John Paul J . D . 1287 , A .
Prince I . G . 901 , J . F . Haskins 1364 , G . Lyell Walker 429 , W . Maolin P . M . 1677 , W . Brown 1599 , J . C . Learn 1194 , W . Harding W . M . 169 , W . Kirkland 1949 , Franklin Clive 1319 , L . V . Walker S . W . 22 , Joseph Edgar J . W . 1287 , Henry Percy P . M . 22 , J . W . Dixon J . W . 27
F . Johnson J . W . 95 , E . R . Smith Assistant Director of Ceremonies 1044 , H . Palmer 1041 , A . H . Cornforth 1044 , S . Johnson 1319 , W . J . Charles 22 , Ernest Wrigley 1364 , G . P . Britten P . M . 183 , G . S . Ayres P . M . 95 , Thomas Goode P . M .. 1677 , J . F . Davey , G . E .
Fairchild P . M . 1196 , W . E . Haycock P . M . 1196 , J . B . Reid 1364
T . H . Squire 1633 , F . J . Potter 1321 , W . Kent 1321 , A . Greatrex P . M . 22 , F . Crockford P . M . 515 , Albert Storr 2146 1657 , D . J . Bridgroome I . G . 1364 , Louis Bamberger P . M . 1366 , George Glover 1677 , F . G . Baker 704 , G . J . Pope 1364 , R . P . Stevens J . W . 901 , J . Barber Glenn 3 , H . Massey P . M . 619 1928 , S . R . Lamble P . M . 27 , W . Jolliffe
569 , Alfred Brookman P . M . 1657 , Henry Lansdell , D . D ., P . M . 4 , G . C . Garratt P . M . 1366 , P . Saillard W . M . 2020 , R . Homan 1602 , C . W . Brander J . D . 1563 , J . Kift 1791 , H . W . Schartau 1549 , Arthur Thomas 1319 , Henry Tinney W . M . 1319 , and others . The Lodge having been formerly consecrated , the following were appointed as
the first Officers ( Bro . J . D . Allcroft having first been installed as Worshipful Master ) : —E . Y . Jolliffe I . P . M ., Thos . Eccleston Gibb S . W ., J . P . Fitzgerald J . W ., Rev . R . Adams Chaplain , E . F . Storr Treas ., R . D . Cummings Secretary , Harold Halliday S . W ., Joseph Corbett J . D ., Muir Smith I . G ., Huntley D . C , David Steward , and Haskins
Organist . The usual concluding business having been disposed of , Lodge was closed , and the company sat down to banquet under the presidency of the Master , who in due course submitted the customary toasts . The first on the list was that invariably honoured amongst Masons , as amongst all Englishmen , the Queen , and with
this was coupled the Craft . In one part of the day's proceedings they had had reference to the fact of next year being the Jubilee year of Her Majesty ' s reign . They hoped that God might spare her , not only to celebrate the jubilee of a fifty years' reign , but also for many years beyond it . Great benefits had occurred to the country
since Her Majesty's accession to the throne , while the example she had set to her subjects , and the constitutional way in which she had managed the affairs of her Empire , had won for her the esteem and regard of her people . Her silent influence on the country had been great ; as an instance of this the Worshipful Master called to mind
the time when he first came to London , a short time after the accession of Her Majesty . It was then the custom for the parks to be filled every Sunday with riders and sightseers , but this was stopped shortly after Her Majesty's reign began . The Queen , he said , had no more loyal subjects than the Freemasons , and if he might consider
the relation of her sons towards the Order , we might reasonably feel tbat her Majesty had some idea that Freemasonry had been of some use in raising her people to their present high position . The next toast was the M . W . G . M . H . R . H . the Prince of Wales . Members of the Masonic body felt how much they were indebted to the Grand
Master for the honour hejconferred on them by presiding over their affairs . The W . M . could well remember that at the time the Prince of Wales accepted the Grand Mastership the number of Lodges in England was something like 1500 , now they were celebrating the consecration of No . 2168 , which proved how great had been
the spread of Freemasonry of late years . This prosperity must be a groat joy to the Grand Master , who , as they had recently heard , had more applications for new Lodges than he was able to grant warrants for . He felt that every Muson would join with him in wishing long life and happiness for the Grand Master , and hope
that when , in the providence of God , he might be called upon to rule over a larger number even than ranged nnder the banner of Free-Masonry he might be able to do so with equal ability , so that we might then be able to say we had a Sovereign well able to follow in the footsteps of our present illustrious Queen . The Worshipful
Master next proposed the health of the Grand Officers , feeling it was a great advantage to the Craft that it had so distinguished a body of Officers at its head ; the example they set was worthy of imitation , while their desire was at all times to be as useful as possible to the body to which they belonged . From their high
position they could show forth more light , and possibly might be a greater vise , than they were before , while no donbt much of the success of the Order was due to the influence they exercised over its members . Rev . R . J . Simpson P . G . C . replied . He felt he had trespassed so long upon their attention that day , that after having thanked them
Consecration Of The Derby Allcroft Lodge, No. 2168.
most heartily for the toast he would be satisfied with simply mentioning one point whioh was suggested by the Worshipful Master ' s speech . He would put it in the form of an ardent hope that tha honour conferred by the purple , of which the Worshipfnl Maater had spoken , might be given to a larger number than conld at present
possibly possess it . The nnmber of Lodges at the present time waa , he believed , exactly double what it was forty years ago , bnt they had stood still in regard to the nnmber of officers in Grand Lodge . ( No , no , from Bro . Fenn ) . Well , Bro . Fenn said No , bnt at all events they had been for a long time standing still in regard to Grand Officers ,
and while Masonry had nearly doubled , the number of offices in Grand Lodge had not , by logical sequence , been doubled also , although they found a great number of noble and deserving men who would deem it an honour to be decorated with the purple . He hoped he might live to see the day when the number of Grand Officers would be much
increased , and the honours of the Craft dispensed as widely as possible . The W . M . next proposed the Consecrating and Instilling Officers . He felt all who had been present would carry away a very pleasing recollection of the manner in which the ceremony of the day had b ? en performed . It was an impressive ceremony at all time ? ,
but had that day beon particularly so . Although it had been conducted by officials of Grand Lodge , the manner in whioh thoy had carried it out had proved they regarded it as no mere official duty . Tbe heartiness with which they had performed their work would bo a stimulus to a great many who might feel that in yoira
to come they might be the centre of suoh a ceremony , just as he ( the W . M . ) had been the centre of the one performed that day . Bro . Fenn replied . The Installing Master , Colonel Shadwell Gierke , havinc been obliged to leave , had commissioned him to acknowledge the compliment whioh he anticipated would be paid him , and to
express the pleasure he had felt in consecrating a Lodge named after so distinguished a Mason ns Derby Allcroft . He also commissioned him , as his Senior Warden , to perform another duty which would have devolved upon him , to offer the health of the Worshipful Master . Bro . Simpson had already expatiated on tbe many good
qualities of the Worshipfnl Master , and it was unnecessary to asaia enumerate them . Bro . Allcroft was a member of a Lodge of which he ( Bro . Fenn ) was one of the oldest members—the Prince of Wales Lod ^ e and he conld therefore testify to his ability as a Mason . Bro . Fenn hoped he might have health and strength to perform the dnties of
his office in a manner whioh would prove satisfactory to the members and beneficial to the Lodge . The W . M . tendered his thanks . He felt he came amongst them as a stranger—a stranger in presence , if he must qualify it—and he thanked them for all the kindness they had expressed towards him . If he did not propprly fulfil his
duties in the chair during his year of office he hoped the members would bear in mind that he was an old Mason , and that age was apt to rob one of memory . His hands and his head were full of a great deal of work , and notwithstanding his love for the Craft he shonld not like to neglect his many public duties . The hearty reception
accorded to him that evening had convinced him that the membera had made np their minds to accept him for better or worse . He had fully made up his mind to strive for the better . He fully appreciated the honour paid him in giving his name to the Lodge , and in doing so conld but rocal the last of the three graces referred to by
their Chaplain , that of humility , whioh he thought was the hardest of all to bear . He hoped he might so conduct himself in their miHst as to be an example to all who attended , and that the work mi ^ ht not suffer under his hands . He came not as a great master in the Craft , bnt as one who wonld do his best . He next proposed the toast of the
Visitors . He considered it a very useful custom among Lodges 11 give invitations one to another , so that every Mason might have an opportunity of seeing the way in which Freemasonry was carried out in other Lodges . Bros . Rev . Spencer Stanhope , Haycock , B nckes , and Greatrex responded , after which the W . M . proposed the Officers ,
in doinc which he referred to the influence which all Officers should exercise over their Lodges . He hoped any influence from h m elf would be of good , but in securing this he looked forward to receiving great help from his Officers . The Wardens having replied , the toast of the Treasurer and Secretary was given . Speaking of the dnties
of the Treasurer , the Master hoped that at the regular meeting * of the Lodge the charity box would be sent round , as that gave every brother an opportunity of expressing his feelings at a time when his heart was warm . The Master had a personal acquaintance , of many years standing , with their Treasure ** , and fe't that Bro . Storr was in
no small way answerable for having secured the first Master of their Lod » e . He hoped he might so manage the finances that at the end of his term the brethren would re-elect him . Much of what he had just said applied equally to their Secretary , to whom he also tendered his best wishes . Bro . Storr replied , heartily falling in with the views
of the Worshipful Master in regard to the charity box . He felt it a great honour to be recogu ^ ed as a part of the Derby Allcroft L d , 'e , tho ceremony of consecration of which had been beautiful , the dinner all that could be desired , while their prospects were of the brightest . The intention was to make the Lodge a family party ; they in'en led to
be very careful who they admitted to the Lodge , and would not he . misrepresented by having any one among them who was unworthy of the name of Mason—if they conld prevent it . The Secretary followed- There were moments , he said , in a man ' s life when he sincerely wished he had the power of making a speech , but that of
power had never been in his possession . For the purposes saying all he that night desired to say , he could but wwh he had the ability of a Salisbury , a Gladstone , or even a Storr , so that he might put hia feelings into words and so express all he felt . His desire was to assist in making the name of the Derby Allcroft Lodge honoured throughout the globe . The Tyler ' s toast brought the proceedings
to a conclusion . The Lord Mayor of London was among those who sent apologies for non-attendance ; he was prevented at the list moment from being present , having received a telegram summoning him to Marlborough House to meet the Prince of Wales . The banquet was supplied by Messrs . Beale and Co ., of Holloway-road , and , as the Treasurer said , was all that could be desired .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Consecration Of The Derby Allcroft Lodge, No. 2168.
CONSECRATION OF THE DERBY ALLCROFT LODGE , No . 2168 .
THE fonnclers of this latest addition to the Lodges of the metropolis are to be congratulated on the success whioh attended their opening meeting , and if we may form an opinion thus oarly of the future in store for thia new Lodge , we predict for it a career of great prosperity . The first Worshipful Master , Bro . John
Derby Alloroft , Past Grand Treasurer of England , is a host in himself , aud we are assured that anything with which he is associated will not fail from any shortcomings on his parfc ; but when , iu addition , we consider those who have associated themselves with him in the establishment of this Lodge , failure seems impossible . The Lodge
was consecrated on Tuesday , at the Athenaeum , Camden-road , by Bro . Colonel Shadwell H . Gierke , Grand Secretary , who was assisted by Bros . Thomas Fenn President Board General Purposes as S . W ., Edgar Bowyer P . G . S . B . as J . W ., Eev . R . J . Simpson P . G . C . as
Chaplain , and Frank Richardson as P . G . D . Director of Cers ., while among those present were other Grand Officers aud a large number of distinguished members of the Order , viz .: —Founders—Bros . Jas . Fitzgerald P . M . 1364 , R . D . Cummings P . M . 1677 , T . Eccleston
Gibb 34 , J . Corbett W . M . 22 , E . F . Storr P . M . 22 ; H . Halliday ,
J . Smith , J . Derby Alloroft , W . J . Wettenhall , and E . Y . Jolliffe . Visitors : —E . Letchworth P . G . D ., Rev . C . W . S . Stanhope P . G . C , J . Peters P . G . Sword Bearer , Fred . Binckes P . G . Steward , H . Sadler G . Tyler , George Kenning P . M . 192 , 1657 P . P . G . D . Middlesex , Jas . Salmon P . G . R . Essex , W . Cook P . M . 22 , John Paul J . D . 1287 , A .
Prince I . G . 901 , J . F . Haskins 1364 , G . Lyell Walker 429 , W . Maolin P . M . 1677 , W . Brown 1599 , J . C . Learn 1194 , W . Harding W . M . 169 , W . Kirkland 1949 , Franklin Clive 1319 , L . V . Walker S . W . 22 , Joseph Edgar J . W . 1287 , Henry Percy P . M . 22 , J . W . Dixon J . W . 27
F . Johnson J . W . 95 , E . R . Smith Assistant Director of Ceremonies 1044 , H . Palmer 1041 , A . H . Cornforth 1044 , S . Johnson 1319 , W . J . Charles 22 , Ernest Wrigley 1364 , G . P . Britten P . M . 183 , G . S . Ayres P . M . 95 , Thomas Goode P . M .. 1677 , J . F . Davey , G . E .
Fairchild P . M . 1196 , W . E . Haycock P . M . 1196 , J . B . Reid 1364
T . H . Squire 1633 , F . J . Potter 1321 , W . Kent 1321 , A . Greatrex P . M . 22 , F . Crockford P . M . 515 , Albert Storr 2146 1657 , D . J . Bridgroome I . G . 1364 , Louis Bamberger P . M . 1366 , George Glover 1677 , F . G . Baker 704 , G . J . Pope 1364 , R . P . Stevens J . W . 901 , J . Barber Glenn 3 , H . Massey P . M . 619 1928 , S . R . Lamble P . M . 27 , W . Jolliffe
569 , Alfred Brookman P . M . 1657 , Henry Lansdell , D . D ., P . M . 4 , G . C . Garratt P . M . 1366 , P . Saillard W . M . 2020 , R . Homan 1602 , C . W . Brander J . D . 1563 , J . Kift 1791 , H . W . Schartau 1549 , Arthur Thomas 1319 , Henry Tinney W . M . 1319 , and others . The Lodge having been formerly consecrated , the following were appointed as
the first Officers ( Bro . J . D . Allcroft having first been installed as Worshipful Master ) : —E . Y . Jolliffe I . P . M ., Thos . Eccleston Gibb S . W ., J . P . Fitzgerald J . W ., Rev . R . Adams Chaplain , E . F . Storr Treas ., R . D . Cummings Secretary , Harold Halliday S . W ., Joseph Corbett J . D ., Muir Smith I . G ., Huntley D . C , David Steward , and Haskins
Organist . The usual concluding business having been disposed of , Lodge was closed , and the company sat down to banquet under the presidency of the Master , who in due course submitted the customary toasts . The first on the list was that invariably honoured amongst Masons , as amongst all Englishmen , the Queen , and with
this was coupled the Craft . In one part of the day's proceedings they had had reference to the fact of next year being the Jubilee year of Her Majesty ' s reign . They hoped that God might spare her , not only to celebrate the jubilee of a fifty years' reign , but also for many years beyond it . Great benefits had occurred to the country
since Her Majesty's accession to the throne , while the example she had set to her subjects , and the constitutional way in which she had managed the affairs of her Empire , had won for her the esteem and regard of her people . Her silent influence on the country had been great ; as an instance of this the Worshipful Master called to mind
the time when he first came to London , a short time after the accession of Her Majesty . It was then the custom for the parks to be filled every Sunday with riders and sightseers , but this was stopped shortly after Her Majesty's reign began . The Queen , he said , had no more loyal subjects than the Freemasons , and if he might consider
the relation of her sons towards the Order , we might reasonably feel tbat her Majesty had some idea that Freemasonry had been of some use in raising her people to their present high position . The next toast was the M . W . G . M . H . R . H . the Prince of Wales . Members of the Masonic body felt how much they were indebted to the Grand
Master for the honour hejconferred on them by presiding over their affairs . The W . M . could well remember that at the time the Prince of Wales accepted the Grand Mastership the number of Lodges in England was something like 1500 , now they were celebrating the consecration of No . 2168 , which proved how great had been
the spread of Freemasonry of late years . This prosperity must be a groat joy to the Grand Master , who , as they had recently heard , had more applications for new Lodges than he was able to grant warrants for . He felt that every Muson would join with him in wishing long life and happiness for the Grand Master , and hope
that when , in the providence of God , he might be called upon to rule over a larger number even than ranged nnder the banner of Free-Masonry he might be able to do so with equal ability , so that we might then be able to say we had a Sovereign well able to follow in the footsteps of our present illustrious Queen . The Worshipful
Master next proposed the health of the Grand Officers , feeling it was a great advantage to the Craft that it had so distinguished a body of Officers at its head ; the example they set was worthy of imitation , while their desire was at all times to be as useful as possible to the body to which they belonged . From their high
position they could show forth more light , and possibly might be a greater vise , than they were before , while no donbt much of the success of the Order was due to the influence they exercised over its members . Rev . R . J . Simpson P . G . C . replied . He felt he had trespassed so long upon their attention that day , that after having thanked them
Consecration Of The Derby Allcroft Lodge, No. 2168.
most heartily for the toast he would be satisfied with simply mentioning one point whioh was suggested by the Worshipful Master ' s speech . He would put it in the form of an ardent hope that tha honour conferred by the purple , of which the Worshipfnl Maater had spoken , might be given to a larger number than conld at present
possibly possess it . The nnmber of Lodges at the present time waa , he believed , exactly double what it was forty years ago , bnt they had stood still in regard to the nnmber of officers in Grand Lodge . ( No , no , from Bro . Fenn ) . Well , Bro . Fenn said No , bnt at all events they had been for a long time standing still in regard to Grand Officers ,
and while Masonry had nearly doubled , the number of offices in Grand Lodge had not , by logical sequence , been doubled also , although they found a great number of noble and deserving men who would deem it an honour to be decorated with the purple . He hoped he might live to see the day when the number of Grand Officers would be much
increased , and the honours of the Craft dispensed as widely as possible . The W . M . next proposed the Consecrating and Instilling Officers . He felt all who had been present would carry away a very pleasing recollection of the manner in which the ceremony of the day had b ? en performed . It was an impressive ceremony at all time ? ,
but had that day beon particularly so . Although it had been conducted by officials of Grand Lodge , the manner in whioh thoy had carried it out had proved they regarded it as no mere official duty . Tbe heartiness with which they had performed their work would bo a stimulus to a great many who might feel that in yoira
to come they might be the centre of suoh a ceremony , just as he ( the W . M . ) had been the centre of the one performed that day . Bro . Fenn replied . The Installing Master , Colonel Shadwell Gierke , havinc been obliged to leave , had commissioned him to acknowledge the compliment whioh he anticipated would be paid him , and to
express the pleasure he had felt in consecrating a Lodge named after so distinguished a Mason ns Derby Allcroft . He also commissioned him , as his Senior Warden , to perform another duty which would have devolved upon him , to offer the health of the Worshipful Master . Bro . Simpson had already expatiated on tbe many good
qualities of the Worshipfnl Master , and it was unnecessary to asaia enumerate them . Bro . Allcroft was a member of a Lodge of which he ( Bro . Fenn ) was one of the oldest members—the Prince of Wales Lod ^ e and he conld therefore testify to his ability as a Mason . Bro . Fenn hoped he might have health and strength to perform the dnties of
his office in a manner whioh would prove satisfactory to the members and beneficial to the Lodge . The W . M . tendered his thanks . He felt he came amongst them as a stranger—a stranger in presence , if he must qualify it—and he thanked them for all the kindness they had expressed towards him . If he did not propprly fulfil his
duties in the chair during his year of office he hoped the members would bear in mind that he was an old Mason , and that age was apt to rob one of memory . His hands and his head were full of a great deal of work , and notwithstanding his love for the Craft he shonld not like to neglect his many public duties . The hearty reception
accorded to him that evening had convinced him that the membera had made np their minds to accept him for better or worse . He had fully made up his mind to strive for the better . He fully appreciated the honour paid him in giving his name to the Lodge , and in doing so conld but rocal the last of the three graces referred to by
their Chaplain , that of humility , whioh he thought was the hardest of all to bear . He hoped he might so conduct himself in their miHst as to be an example to all who attended , and that the work mi ^ ht not suffer under his hands . He came not as a great master in the Craft , bnt as one who wonld do his best . He next proposed the toast of the
Visitors . He considered it a very useful custom among Lodges 11 give invitations one to another , so that every Mason might have an opportunity of seeing the way in which Freemasonry was carried out in other Lodges . Bros . Rev . Spencer Stanhope , Haycock , B nckes , and Greatrex responded , after which the W . M . proposed the Officers ,
in doinc which he referred to the influence which all Officers should exercise over their Lodges . He hoped any influence from h m elf would be of good , but in securing this he looked forward to receiving great help from his Officers . The Wardens having replied , the toast of the Treasurer and Secretary was given . Speaking of the dnties
of the Treasurer , the Master hoped that at the regular meeting * of the Lodge the charity box would be sent round , as that gave every brother an opportunity of expressing his feelings at a time when his heart was warm . The Master had a personal acquaintance , of many years standing , with their Treasure ** , and fe't that Bro . Storr was in
no small way answerable for having secured the first Master of their Lod » e . He hoped he might so manage the finances that at the end of his term the brethren would re-elect him . Much of what he had just said applied equally to their Secretary , to whom he also tendered his best wishes . Bro . Storr replied , heartily falling in with the views
of the Worshipful Master in regard to the charity box . He felt it a great honour to be recogu ^ ed as a part of the Derby Allcroft L d , 'e , tho ceremony of consecration of which had been beautiful , the dinner all that could be desired , while their prospects were of the brightest . The intention was to make the Lodge a family party ; they in'en led to
be very careful who they admitted to the Lodge , and would not he . misrepresented by having any one among them who was unworthy of the name of Mason—if they conld prevent it . The Secretary followed- There were moments , he said , in a man ' s life when he sincerely wished he had the power of making a speech , but that of
power had never been in his possession . For the purposes saying all he that night desired to say , he could but wwh he had the ability of a Salisbury , a Gladstone , or even a Storr , so that he might put hia feelings into words and so express all he felt . His desire was to assist in making the name of the Derby Allcroft Lodge honoured throughout the globe . The Tyler ' s toast brought the proceedings
to a conclusion . The Lord Mayor of London was among those who sent apologies for non-attendance ; he was prevented at the list moment from being present , having received a telegram summoning him to Marlborough House to meet the Prince of Wales . The banquet was supplied by Messrs . Beale and Co ., of Holloway-road , and , as the Treasurer said , was all that could be desired .