Skip to main content
Museum of Freemasonry

Masonic Periodicals Online

  • Explore
  • Advanced Search
  • Home
  • Explore
  • The Freemason's Chronicle
  • Feb. 19, 1881
  • Page 1
Current:

The Freemason's Chronicle, Feb. 19, 1881: Page 1

  • Back to The Freemason's Chronicle, Feb. 19, 1881
  • Print image
  • Articles/Ads
    Article THE APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE R.M.B.I. Page 1 of 2
    Article THE APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE R.M.B.I. Page 1 of 2 →
Page 1

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Approaching Festival Of The R.M.B.I.

THE APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE R . M . B . I .

WEDNESDAY next , the 23 rd instant , has been fixed by His Royal Highness the Grand Master for the Anniversary Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . It will be held , as usual , in tho Great Hall of the Freemasons' Tavern , and Sir Henry Edwards , Bart .,

Prov . Grand Master , and Prov . Grand Superintendent of West Yorkshire , has kindly undertaken to preside . Our Right Worshipful Brother will be supported by , certainly , tho largest Board of Stewards ever known , even in the annals of our Festival History , West Yorkshire alone being

represented by over one hundred and fifty brethren . At this latter fact no one can have the slightest reason to be surprised . It is indisputable in all Masonic circles that West Yorkshire is one of the strongest and most consistent sup . porters of all our Masonic Institutions . We cannot call to

mind a single occasion of late years on which , to use a wellworn expression , it has been " conspicuous by its absence . " On the contrary , its contributions at each successive Festival , whether of the Boys' or Girls' School , or of the Benevolent , have all that character for largeheartedncss and

unbounded liberalit y by which the folk , to say nothing of the brethren , of Yorkshire have always been distinguished . This being the case , we are justified in believing that the gathering of Wednesday next will prove a grand success . When a supreme effort in support of the presidency on

behalf of a particular Institution of an esteemed and respected chief is made by a Province , which can boast of its seventy Lodges more or less , and habitually contributes its hundreds at each and every of the Festivals that is held annually in connection with Freemasonry , we are , we

repeat , fully justified in expecting that results unusuall y brilliant will follow , and we take leave to congratulate Bro . Terry on the prospects that await him next week , when Sir Henry Edwards , with all the eloquence he can command , will plead the caase of the aged and distressed Freemason and his destitute widow .

As our readers are aware , the Benevolent is the youngest of our three Institutions , though it is by no means the least worthy of support . It was established as recently as the year 1842 , by Grand Lodge itself , which set the example of commending it to the favourable consideration

of the Ci-aft generally by voting an annual subvention of £ 400 . There are those , perhaps , who will claim for it a somewhat earlier origin—earlier , that is to say , by just a h \ v years . It is but the other clay that , in certain miscellaneous addenda to our history of the St . Michael ' s Lodo-e

, No . 211 , we drew attention to a circular on behalf of " The Asylum for the Aged and Decayed Freemason . " This circular , which was signed " Robert Field , Secretary , " quoted the testimony of " Grand Lodge of 6 th December

1837 to the effect that this Grand Lodge recommend the contemplated Asylum for the Aged and Decayed Freemasons to the favourable consideration of the Craft . " It fixed the date of the particular Festival for which it was

• raxious to receive tho support of the St . Michael ' s LocW for the 15 th June 1842 , and it added , "For your information I beg to state that the Festivals of this Charit y have been always conducted upon such well-considered princi ples , " & c . & c . Tho Asylum here referred to is the

present Asylum at Croydon , and some years subsequentl y to the year mentioned , was amalgamated with the Benevolent offspring of our Grand Lodge munificence ;

The Approaching Festival Of The R.M.B.I.

and it must bo clear , even to those who are but slightly acquainted with the history of the Institution , that when Secretary Field speaks of the Festivals anterior to 1842 being conducted on certain well-considered principles , the Asylum which was contemplated in 1837 must , at an early date

thereafter , have been established . However , the question of a few years more or less in tho life of an institution which has now developed to such magnificent proportions is of little moment to the general Craft . We are content , therefore , to accept the official statement in our Grand

Lodge Calendar that the Benevolent Institution first saw the light in 1842 , its chief means of support being the aforesaid annual subscription by Grand Lodge of £ 400 . It was then known as the " Royal Masonic Annuity Fund , " and its benefits were extended only to aged and distressed

brethren . The first election took place on the 19 th May 1843 , when 15 out of a list of 16 candidates were elected , one of them being the then Tyler of the St . Michael ' s Lodge . The fixed income of the Charity was further increased in 1847 by an annual grant of £ 100 from Grand

Chapter . In 1849 was established the Widows Fund , Grand Lodge setting the example of support by voting £ 100 per annum , and Grand Chapter following suit with an annual £ 35 . In the same year , the Asylum for the Aged and Decayed Freemason at Croydon was happily

amalgamated with the Benevolent Annuity Fund , and Grand Lodge , with its accustomed liberality , voted the handsome sum of £ 500 towards the fund that was being raised towards putting the building in a thorough state of repair . In 1854 it voted a further £ 350 to the Building

Fund , and in 1855 it increased its annual grant to the Widows' Fund by a second £ 100 . In 1856 Grand Chapter raised its annual subscription from £ 35 to £ 50 , while Grand Lodge voted £ 1000 to the Male Fund and £ 600 to the Widows' Fund . In 1858 the latter still further

enlarged its grants by giving an additional £ 100 to each of the two Funds , making a total annual subvention of £ 800 , namely , to the Male Fund £ 500 , and to the Female Fund £ 300 , while the contribution of Grand Chapter is £ 150 , namely , £ 100 to Male , and £ 50 to Female Fund . Since

then , however , Grand Chapter has at different times voted no less than £ 2500 to the Institution , that is to say—in 1868 £ 500 to each Fund , making £ 1000 ; in 1873 £ 500 ; in 1874 £ 500 ; and in 1880 £ 500 ; while in 1878 it transferred two amounts of £ 500 Consols each , one

to the credit of the Male , and the other to that of the Female Fund . So much for the official support which is extended to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , and in return for which it is uuder the necessity of giving so many votes

to the W . Master of every Lodge under the jurisdiction of Grand Lodge , and so many to the Z . of every English Royal Arch Chapter at every election that takes place to each Fund . The extra-official support , however , is in evory way worthy of tho Craft , though , as in the case of our

Schools , it was on a very limited scale in the early years of its existence . Indeed , the Benevolent was unfortunately-circumstanced at the outset of its career , in that it was allowed to hold a Festival in aid of its funds only once in three years . However , there soon followed a justcr

appreciation of tho benefits that were being conferred by it , and the proportionate degree of assistance it stood in need of in order to confer those benefits , and the triennial period was first of all changed into a biennial one , and very shortly after into an annual . We need hardly state that these changes were a decided improvement , and increas-

“The Freemason's Chronicle: 1881-02-19, Page 1” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 20 July 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fcn/issues/fcn_19021881/page/1/.
  • List
  • Grid
Title Category Page
THE APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE R.M.B.I. Article 1
IN THE REGION OF IDEAS. Article 2
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 3
GRAND LODGE SCOTLAND AND THE GAEL LODGE, SCOTLAND. Article 3
THE NEW FINSBURY PARK AND SIR HUGH MYDDELTON BALL. Article 3
THE FIFTEEN SECTIONS Article 3
REVIEWS. Article 4
INSTALLATION MEETINGS, &c. Article 5
UNITED MARINERS' LODGE, No. 30. Article 5
LODGE OF FRIENDSHIP, No. 928. Article 6
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Ad 7
MASONIC PORTRAITS. Article 7
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 9
Untitled Ad 9
A ROSICRUCIAN ESSAY OF THE XVIITH CENTURY. Article 9
METROPOLITAN LODGE OF INSTRUCTION, No. 1507. Article 10
MEETING OF THE LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE. Article 11
DIARY FOR THE WEEK. Article 12
NOTICES OF MEETINGS. Article 12
Untitled Ad 13
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 14
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Page 1

Page 1

2 Articles
Page 2

Page 2

2 Articles
Page 3

Page 3

5 Articles
Page 4

Page 4

2 Articles
Page 5

Page 5

3 Articles
Page 6

Page 6

4 Articles
Page 7

Page 7

7 Articles
Page 8

Page 8

13 Articles
Page 9

Page 9

4 Articles
Page 10

Page 10

3 Articles
Page 11

Page 11

3 Articles
Page 12

Page 12

3 Articles
Page 13

Page 13

3 Articles
Page 14

Page 14

16 Articles
Page 15

Page 15

14 Articles
Page 16

Page 16

15 Articles
Page 1

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Approaching Festival Of The R.M.B.I.

THE APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE R . M . B . I .

WEDNESDAY next , the 23 rd instant , has been fixed by His Royal Highness the Grand Master for the Anniversary Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . It will be held , as usual , in tho Great Hall of the Freemasons' Tavern , and Sir Henry Edwards , Bart .,

Prov . Grand Master , and Prov . Grand Superintendent of West Yorkshire , has kindly undertaken to preside . Our Right Worshipful Brother will be supported by , certainly , tho largest Board of Stewards ever known , even in the annals of our Festival History , West Yorkshire alone being

represented by over one hundred and fifty brethren . At this latter fact no one can have the slightest reason to be surprised . It is indisputable in all Masonic circles that West Yorkshire is one of the strongest and most consistent sup . porters of all our Masonic Institutions . We cannot call to

mind a single occasion of late years on which , to use a wellworn expression , it has been " conspicuous by its absence . " On the contrary , its contributions at each successive Festival , whether of the Boys' or Girls' School , or of the Benevolent , have all that character for largeheartedncss and

unbounded liberalit y by which the folk , to say nothing of the brethren , of Yorkshire have always been distinguished . This being the case , we are justified in believing that the gathering of Wednesday next will prove a grand success . When a supreme effort in support of the presidency on

behalf of a particular Institution of an esteemed and respected chief is made by a Province , which can boast of its seventy Lodges more or less , and habitually contributes its hundreds at each and every of the Festivals that is held annually in connection with Freemasonry , we are , we

repeat , fully justified in expecting that results unusuall y brilliant will follow , and we take leave to congratulate Bro . Terry on the prospects that await him next week , when Sir Henry Edwards , with all the eloquence he can command , will plead the caase of the aged and distressed Freemason and his destitute widow .

As our readers are aware , the Benevolent is the youngest of our three Institutions , though it is by no means the least worthy of support . It was established as recently as the year 1842 , by Grand Lodge itself , which set the example of commending it to the favourable consideration

of the Ci-aft generally by voting an annual subvention of £ 400 . There are those , perhaps , who will claim for it a somewhat earlier origin—earlier , that is to say , by just a h \ v years . It is but the other clay that , in certain miscellaneous addenda to our history of the St . Michael ' s Lodo-e

, No . 211 , we drew attention to a circular on behalf of " The Asylum for the Aged and Decayed Freemason . " This circular , which was signed " Robert Field , Secretary , " quoted the testimony of " Grand Lodge of 6 th December

1837 to the effect that this Grand Lodge recommend the contemplated Asylum for the Aged and Decayed Freemasons to the favourable consideration of the Craft . " It fixed the date of the particular Festival for which it was

• raxious to receive tho support of the St . Michael ' s LocW for the 15 th June 1842 , and it added , "For your information I beg to state that the Festivals of this Charit y have been always conducted upon such well-considered princi ples , " & c . & c . Tho Asylum here referred to is the

present Asylum at Croydon , and some years subsequentl y to the year mentioned , was amalgamated with the Benevolent offspring of our Grand Lodge munificence ;

The Approaching Festival Of The R.M.B.I.

and it must bo clear , even to those who are but slightly acquainted with the history of the Institution , that when Secretary Field speaks of the Festivals anterior to 1842 being conducted on certain well-considered principles , the Asylum which was contemplated in 1837 must , at an early date

thereafter , have been established . However , the question of a few years more or less in tho life of an institution which has now developed to such magnificent proportions is of little moment to the general Craft . We are content , therefore , to accept the official statement in our Grand

Lodge Calendar that the Benevolent Institution first saw the light in 1842 , its chief means of support being the aforesaid annual subscription by Grand Lodge of £ 400 . It was then known as the " Royal Masonic Annuity Fund , " and its benefits were extended only to aged and distressed

brethren . The first election took place on the 19 th May 1843 , when 15 out of a list of 16 candidates were elected , one of them being the then Tyler of the St . Michael ' s Lodge . The fixed income of the Charity was further increased in 1847 by an annual grant of £ 100 from Grand

Chapter . In 1849 was established the Widows Fund , Grand Lodge setting the example of support by voting £ 100 per annum , and Grand Chapter following suit with an annual £ 35 . In the same year , the Asylum for the Aged and Decayed Freemason at Croydon was happily

amalgamated with the Benevolent Annuity Fund , and Grand Lodge , with its accustomed liberality , voted the handsome sum of £ 500 towards the fund that was being raised towards putting the building in a thorough state of repair . In 1854 it voted a further £ 350 to the Building

Fund , and in 1855 it increased its annual grant to the Widows' Fund by a second £ 100 . In 1856 Grand Chapter raised its annual subscription from £ 35 to £ 50 , while Grand Lodge voted £ 1000 to the Male Fund and £ 600 to the Widows' Fund . In 1858 the latter still further

enlarged its grants by giving an additional £ 100 to each of the two Funds , making a total annual subvention of £ 800 , namely , to the Male Fund £ 500 , and to the Female Fund £ 300 , while the contribution of Grand Chapter is £ 150 , namely , £ 100 to Male , and £ 50 to Female Fund . Since

then , however , Grand Chapter has at different times voted no less than £ 2500 to the Institution , that is to say—in 1868 £ 500 to each Fund , making £ 1000 ; in 1873 £ 500 ; in 1874 £ 500 ; and in 1880 £ 500 ; while in 1878 it transferred two amounts of £ 500 Consols each , one

to the credit of the Male , and the other to that of the Female Fund . So much for the official support which is extended to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , and in return for which it is uuder the necessity of giving so many votes

to the W . Master of every Lodge under the jurisdiction of Grand Lodge , and so many to the Z . of every English Royal Arch Chapter at every election that takes place to each Fund . The extra-official support , however , is in evory way worthy of tho Craft , though , as in the case of our

Schools , it was on a very limited scale in the early years of its existence . Indeed , the Benevolent was unfortunately-circumstanced at the outset of its career , in that it was allowed to hold a Festival in aid of its funds only once in three years . However , there soon followed a justcr

appreciation of tho benefits that were being conferred by it , and the proportionate degree of assistance it stood in need of in order to confer those benefits , and the triennial period was first of all changed into a biennial one , and very shortly after into an annual . We need hardly state that these changes were a decided improvement , and increas-

  • Prev page
  • You're on page1
  • 2
  • 16
  • Next page
  • Accredited Museum Designated Outstanding Collection
  • LIBRARY AND MUSEUM CHARITABLE TRUST OF THE UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1058497 / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2025

  • Accessibility statement

  • Designed, developed, and maintained by King's Digital Lab

We use cookies to track usage and preferences.

Privacy & cookie policy