Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cheshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF CHESHIRE .

BY command of Bro . the Right Hon . Lord de Tabley , R . W . P . G . M . the annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Cheshire was held ou Wednesday the 17 th inst , in the Mechanics' Institution , Stockport , where there was an exceedingly large and highly-inuuential gathering of brethren from every portion of the province , Masonio enthusiasm being thus shown in the support of a chief who

is so deservedly popular , as well as in the direction of giving continued vitality to the cause of the fraternity generally . Afc present his lordship rules over a province which embraces 37 Lodges , with a total membership of upwards of 1700 ; and on this occasion the whole of the Lodges in the province were represented , without a single exception , there being altogether upwards of 400 brethren present to

assist at tho annual business meeting of the province . This is probably the largest meeting of brethren which has ever been held in connection with tho province , and amongst the Lodges most numerously represented were the Lodge of St . John , No , 101 , Stock , port ; the Lodge of Peace , No . 322 , Stockport ; the Lodge of Concord , No . 323 , Stockport ; and the Warren Lodge , No . 1276 , Liscard . The proceedings commenced at one o'clock p . m . when Bro . tbe

Right Hon . Lord de Tabley P . G . M . was received in duo form by the assembled brethren , amongst the P . G . Lodge Officers present being Bros . G . W . Latham , Past G . D . of England , acting as D . P . G . M ., R . Beales P . P . G . J . W ., A . E . Cokayne P . G . S . B ., Llewellyn Making P . G . J . D ., J . Tomlinson P . P . G . S . B ., Rev . R . Hodgson P . G . C , W . Nicholls P . G . P ., J . Cavanagh P . G . A . D . C , Rev . Augustus A . Bagsshawe , M . A ., P . G . C . and P . P . G . S . W . Derbyshire , G . A . Fernley

P . P . G . J . W ., J . Hibbert P . P . G . J . D ., J . P . Piatt P . P . G . J . W ., J . H

Sillitoe P . P . G . D . C . East Lancashire , Captain Turner P . P . G . S . W . Derbyshire , J . A . Birch P . P . S . G . D ., Captain J . W . Arrowsmith P . P . G . S . B ., R . C . Mellor P . P . G . J . D . North Wales and Salop , Rev . C . W . Spencer Stanhope Grand Chaplain , H . C . Lisle P . P . G . S . D ., W . Matthews P . P . G . A . D . C , J . Samuel P . G . P ., T . Smith P . P . G . J . D ., J . Salmon P . P . G . S . D ., J . Wood P . P . G . R ., T . Marwood P . P . G . J . W ., F .

Smith P . P . G . S . of W ., T . H . Kirk P . P . G . O ., G . P . Brockbank P . P . G . S . D . E . Lancashire , J . BeresfordP . P . G . S . D ., J . W . P . Salmon P . P . G . D . C . East Lancashire , J . Beech P . P . G . P ., S . Wilkinson P . P . G . S . D ., J . Twiss P . P . G . O ., B . Taylor P . P . G . D . C . E . Lancashire , T . Chesworth P . G . D . C , T . M . Lockwood P . P . G . S . of W ., W . Greatrix

P . P . G . P ., J . C . Cheetham P . P . G . S . B ., P . Wadsworth P . P . G . A . D . C , J . E . Anderton P . G . R . East Lancashire , C . J . Howard P . P . G . J . W ., E . H . Griffiths P . G . Sec , F . Jackson P . G . Treas ., J . Chadwiok P . G . S . East Lancashire , E . Hardon P . P . G . S . D ., C . Dntton P . P . G . S . W ., H . Bnlley P . G . S . B . of England , Rev . J . W . Newell Tanner P . P . G . C , W . Fair P . P . G . S . B . & c .

Tho P . G . Lodgo having been opened in due form letters of apology for non-attendance were announced by the P . G . Secretary ( Bro . E . II . Griffiths ) from Bro . the Right Hon . W . Egerton D . P . G . M . ( who has gono to Italy ) , Bro . Horatio Lloyd P . P . G . S . W ., Bro . Le Gendre Starkio P . G . M . of East Lancashire , Bro . Mclutyro G . Reg ., and a

number of othor provincial Grand Lodge Officers . The roll of Lodges was then called over , and it was found that all wore represented , tho total attendance being about 450 . The minntes of the previous annual meeting , held at Nantwich , were read and unanimously confirmed .

Bro . tho Right Hon . Lord De Tabley P . G . M ., who was received with loud cheers , said that ho had again to thank tho G . A . O . T . U . for being once more permitted to preside over the P . G . Lodge of Cheshire . He did so with very sincere gratitude , and especially when he again found himself , after a lapse of 13 years , in the good old town of Stockport , where he had always met with a cordial and

hospitable reception . The Masonio gathering which he had now the honour to address in no way lost its previous reputation , or fell short of what he had reason to expect . He thought that no Prov . G . Master ever addressed so large and influential a meeting as that which was there assembled . Every Lodge bad answered to its name , and several of them were most largely represented . What was still more satis .

factory to bis feelings , and must be to every Mason , was the fact that during tho year every Lodge had nobly done its duty in promoting the noble and sacred cause of charity . It would perhaps be invidious for him to particularise any individual Lodge , but be felt tbat he must mention the Lodge of St . John , No . 104 , Stockport , as being prominent in its support of the Girls' School in London dnring the last year . Other Lodges , however , had nobly done their duty , and tho

result was that during the year their success had been unprecedented . They carried their ihree candidates for the Girls' School and the Iloyal Benevolent Institution on the first application . Besides this , £ 10 had been voted by the Fund of Benevolence to a distressed brother at Hyde , and £ 10 which had been voted to another distressed brother had been increased to £ 40 through the efforts of one of their brethren . His lordship then referred to a case in which the daughter of a deceased brother was a candidate for the Girls' School on the

representation tbat her father belonged to the province of Cheshire , bnt he desired to state that this was not the fact , because , although her father had been initiated in Cheshire , he actually had been a subscribing brother in Wiltshire . Ho would therefore ask the brethren to reserve their votes till the next spring election , when they Would have three bona fide Cheshire candidates for the

Charities , whose election he trnsted they would secure through the same excellent arrangements which had distinguished them in times past . He was happy to say that dnring the past year tho peace of the province had been undisturbed ; no dispute of any sort bad been bronght under his notice , and he was glad to know

that the vitality of the province was shown by tho fact that there was now a total membership of 1731 in connection with the Lodges . No doubt it was very satisfactory to find that Masonry had so greatl y increased in that portion of the kingdom , but there was one circumstance upon which he wished to make a few remarks . From the

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cheshire.

returns of the various Lodges be found that out of the 1731 members there were no fewer than 114 defaulters in the way of subscription . That was a very serious matter , and he accordingly wished to call the attention of the brethren , especially of the W . M . ' s of the various Lodges , to the fact . Those brethren who were behind in the sub scriptions ought to be struck off the roll of the Lodge , as

each Lodge had to pay a certain amount to the grand Lodge in fees , even for those who did not meet their subscriptions . This was a very serious matter , and bo ( Lord de Tabley ) was sure he had only to montion it to secure immediate attention and a speedy remedy . The Cheshire Educational Institution , under the chairmanship of Bro . J . P . Piatt , had also flourished greatly during

tho year , and there was now a very considerable number of children supported through its instrumentality . The montion of this charity vividly called to his momory the loss which their Order had sustained by the death of Bro . Thomas Piatt during the year , whoso exertions and energy wero so conspicuous in the cause of Masonry and tho Educational Institution of Cheshire—an oxample which they might

all very worthily follow . He ( tho P . G . M . ) had only to express , in conclusion , his deep responsibility of the position whioh he hold as tho head of that province , and he could assure the brethren that his great anxiety was to do the duty which tho Grand Master had placed npon him fairly and impartially . He had hitherto groat reason to thank the brethren for their cordial support , and he could only hope that ho would continue to merit that in the future .

Bro . F . Jackson P . G . Treas ., submitted his annual financial statement , from which it appeared that there was a balance to the credit of tbe Provincial Grand Lodge amounting to £ 537 15 s 7 d and to the Fund of Benevolence of £ 713 17 s 4 d . The P . G . Treasurer congratulated the brethren upon the fact that the province was now out of debt , and he trusted that they would be able next year to vote

a sum of money m charity . Lord do Tabley said it was most satisfactory to find this state of things , especially after the munificent subcription of 1000 guineas which had been voted a few years ago to secure a perpetual presentation to tho Boy ' s School . The financial statement was passed ; and on the motion of the P . G . M ., seconded by Bro . Latham , acting D . P . G . M ., Bro . F . Jackson was re-elected P . G .

Treasnrer . His lordship then appointed tho following brethren as his officers for the ensuing year : —The Hon . Wilbrabam Egerton , M . P ., 321 Deputy P . G . Master , * Bro . John Wood 321 P . G . Senior Warden , Francis Arthur Dickson 425 P . G . Junior Warden , Rev . Richard Hodgson * 1045 P . G . Chaplain , Rev . George Frederick Dean 537

P . G . Chaplain , Ferdinando Jackson jun . * 295 P . G . Treasnrer , John Hibbert 1166 P . G . Registrar , Edward Hounsum Griffiths * 293 P . G . Secretary , William Harrison 101 P . G . Senior Deacon , William Hick . ton 322 P . G . Junior Deacon , Stanhope Bull 425 P . G . Supt . of Works , Herbert Finch 101 P . G . Dir . of Cers ., Thomas Brookes 323 P . G . Assist . Dir . of Cers ., George Henry Holden 295 P . G . Sword Bearer ,

Edward Cuzner * 425 P . G . Organist , William Nicholls 941 P . G . Pur . suivant , J . H . Holtaway * 1289 P . G . Tyler , William Booth 104 , Edward Stevens 104 , John Leigh 287 , William Henry Brown 322 , Josiah Hill 323 , John K . Green 323 , P . G . Stewards . The P . G . M . reappointed Bro . J . P . Piatt as the Chairman of the Fund of Benevolence , and invested him with a clasp in recognition of

services again given as Steward to the Girls' School . The P . G . M . also presented and invested the following brethren with charity jewels , to which they had entitled themselves by twice serving the office of Steward to the London Charities : —Bro . Simcock 1357 , Bro . Cnnnah 721 , Bro . Harrison W . M . 104 , Bro . Kirk I . P . M . 104 , Bro . T . Burrows J . W . 104 , Bro . H . Finch P . M . 101 , and Bro .

J . Stafford 101 . The P . G . M . announced that he would hold the next meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge at Enncom ; and a vote of thanks having been given to the Rev . Matthew Pugb , M . A ., rector of St . Thomas ' s Church , for the use of that building for divine service , thoP . G . L . was closed in solemn form .

The brethren were now marshalled in procession , the County Lodges first , followed by the past and present P . G . Officers . Tbe Sacred Law was borne on a crimson velvet cushion placed upon an altar or pedestal of garter-blue and gold with white staves , by four Master Masons' sons , each of them wearing a garter-blue collar and silver "Lewis" attached , bearing a suitable inscription , with which they had been invested

by the P . G . M . The square , level plumb-rule and mallet borne in the procession were the same as used in laying the corner stone of St . Mary ' s Parish Church in the year 1813 , and now iu possession of Lodge Unanimity 287 . The Wardens' columns and the tracing boards of the three degrees were carried by the W . M . ' s of local Lodges . Favoured with beautiful weather , the procession passed off

with great success , and was witnessed by a vast concourse of people . Spectators and carriages lined either side of the streets leading to the Church , and almost every window and piece of vantage ground was occupied along the route . Arrived at St . Thomas ' s Chnrch , tho procession opened out to allow the P . G . M . and Provincial Officers to pass into the building , thus

inverting the order iii which the brethren walked from the Mechanics ' Institution . Proceeding along the north side of the church the mem bers were met by Bros . Hornby and Nield , tho churchwardens . The body of the church was reserved for the brethren , and as they entered , the choir sang , " Onward , Christian soldiers . " The musical portion of the service was under the direction of Bro . E . Cuzner P . G . O ., assisted by Master W . E . Cuzner , Misses Florence , Alice ,

and Essie Cuzner , Bros . Edmondson , Humphries , and T . Knowles , and Mr . R . H . Williams . Bridgewater ' s cautata in A , " O , sing unto tho Lord a new song , " and the anthem , " God is a spirit , " from Sterndale Bennett ' s "Woman of Samaria , " were very beautifully rendered , and listened to with rapt attention . The service waa intoned by tho Rev . Graham Jones , of Newton , aud tho lesson read by the Rev . Spencer Stanhope , G . Chaplain of England , the pre . icher being the Rev . It . Hodgson , M . A ., I ' . G . Chaplain , who took for his text the 17 th .