Centenary Festival Of The Lodge Of Peace, No. 149, Meltham.

CENTENARY FESTIVAL OF THE LODGE OF PEACE , No . 149 , MELTHAM .

The centenary festival took place on Friday , the 15 th t at Meltham . The weather was beautiful , the sun fining with all its splendour the whole of the day . The ? dee was opened at twelve o ' clock in the Infant School-: Lrn bv the officers of the lodge , Bro . Charles Rayner , BroDCairnsSWBroSaml

pM acting as W . M ., . . , .., . . Sutrden , J . W ., Bro . George Heywood , P . M ., as I . P . M ., Bro . lohn Ellis , S . D ., Bro . Wm . Sugg , J . D ., Joseph W . Sykes , 1 G and Bro . Buckley , Tyler . There were brethren present from twenty different lodges in different parts of England and Scotland , viz .-. — -No . 61 , Probity , Halifax ; 265 , Boyal Yorkshire , Keighley ; 275 , Harmony , Huddersfield ;

•> Sn Fidelity , Leeds ; 290 , Huddersfield Lodge , Huddersfield 3 ° 7 > Prince Frederick , Hebden Bridge ; 324 , Moira , Staiy bridge , East Lancashire ; 333 , St . George's , Glasgow , Scotland ; 337 , Candour , Saddleworth ; 439 , Scientific , Bing ley , 448 , St . James , Halifax-, 495 , Wakefield ; 521 , Truth , Huddersfield ; 910 , St . Oswald , Pontefraet ; 971 , Trafalgar , Batley ; 1102 , Mirfield Lodge , Mirfield ; 1147 ,

St . David ' s , Manchester , East Lancashire ; 1514 , Thornhill , Lindley ; I 52 r , Wellington Lodge , Wellington , Province of North Wales and Shropshire ; 1542 , Legiolium , Castleford ; 164 ^ , Colne Valley , Slaithwaite . After the lodge had been opened in the Third Degree , the Worshipful Deputy Provincial Grand Master , Bro . T . W . Tew , J P ., Bro . Bentley Shaw , W . P . D . P . G . M . of West

Yorkshire , P . G . D . of England , D . L ., and other Provincial Grand Officers , were announced , and conducted to their places in the lodge , Bro . George Milnes presiding at the harmonium , when Bros . Tew and Bentley Shatv were saluted with honours in the usual manner . Bro . Rayner , as W . M ., then rose and said : Brethren , we are assembled here to-day for the purpose of celebrating the one

hundredth birthday of this our good old Lodge of Peace . It is an event such as rarely occurs in any province ; an event which will no doubt be long looked upon as a red-letter day in the annals of the old lodge , not only by its present members , but also by their successors in time to come . I feel sure you will excuse me for seizing upon this the earliest opportunity of expressing the pleasure and

the gratification it gives me to see you all here to join with us in our rejoicing on this auspicious day . I sincerely hope that we shall all enjoy ourselves , that we shall all make ourselves happy and comfortable , and that when the day ' s proceedings are over we may be all able to part with a full consciousness of having assisted in carrying out those proceedings in a manner both creditable to

ourselves and honourable to the Craft . I will not iurther take up your valuable time with any remarks of my own , but will at once ask the W . D . P . Grand Master to take the chair , and lavour us with the address he has so kindly promised to give us . Bro . Rayner then left the chair , which was afterwards occupied by the W . D . P . G . M ., Bro . Tew , who then read a most interesting address on Freemasonry , prepared

for the occasion . Bro . BeiAley Shaw , W . P . D . P . G . M . next addressed the brethren , and read a communication he had received from a friend in London , giving a short account of the earliest history of the lodge . That it was first opened at the Cock Inn , Barnsley , on the ist of April , 1777 , and that after having been in existence only one year it ceased

working until the year 1804 . He also alluded to the laying of the foundation stone of the Meltham Church Tower by the Freemasons , in the year 1835 , and of the laying of the foundation stone of the Convalescent Home by the Marquis of Ripon and Provincial Grand Lodge , in the year 1868 . The banquet was prepared in the National School-room ,

for two o ' clock , Bro . Joseph Knight , of the Swan Inn , Meltham , being the ho ; t . The room was a very suitable one for it , large , lofty , and well ventilated , and altogether accommodation was provided for about one hundred persons . The tables were decorated with very rare plants , from the conservatory at Thickhollins Hall , kindly lent by Bro . J . W . Carlile for the occasion . Each napkin had in

it a splendid bouquet for the coat , which had been sent down from Covent Garden Market , London , that morning . On the top or cross table we noticed that the Worshiplul Deputy Provincial Grand Master of the Province of West Yorkshire , Bro . T . W . Tew , J . P ., occupied the chair in the centre of the table as Chairman ; on his right were seated tbe W . P . D . P . G . M ., Bro . Bentley Shaw , P . G . D . of England ,

D . L . ; W . P . G . S . W . of West Yorkshire , Bro . Booth ; W . P . G . J . W . of West Yorkshire , Bro . John Hirst , jun ., J-P . ; Bro . Simuson , W . P . P . G . W . ; P . G . Sec . of West Yorkshire , Bro . Henry Smith , and Bro . Charles Rayner , I . P . M . Lodge of Peace . On his left were seated Bro . Rev . W . T . M . Sylvester , P . P . G . C . -, Prov . Grand Chaplain of West Yorkshire , Bro . Rev . R . Oldfield ; Bro . J . W . Carlile

Bio . . A . Haigh , P . AI . Lodge of Peace and P . P . G . D . ; Bro . Jonas Craven , P . P . G . S . W ., and Bro . Dr . Spark , P . P . Grand Org . of Leeds . The choir consisted of Bros . George Milnes , Joe Wood , William Todd , and B . Stocks ; Bro . ' j . Marshall , piano . The cloth having been removed , "The Queen" was given by the Chairmanand having been duly honoured ,

, The Most Worshi pful Grand Master of England , His Koyal Hi ghness the Prince of Wales , K . G ., " was next received with cheers . The next toast was " M . W . Pro G . M ., the Right Hon . the Earl of Carnarvon ; also R . W . Dep . G . M . the Right Hon . Lord Skelmersdale , and the r . st of the Grand Officers

, Past and Present , " proposed by the Chair , and responded to by Bro . Bentley Shaw , P . G . D . of England . I he Chairman , in giving the toast of " The R . W . P . G . M ., " - ¦ eut .-Col . Sir Henry Edwards , Bart ., " said : We could nardl y expect to be favoured with the presence of Sir nenry Edwards on this occasion—but you will echo this entiment—we rejoice in this opportunity to drink his pood

Centenary Festival Of The Lodge Of Peace, No. 149, Meltham.

health at Meltham . Although absent , he desires me to express his congratulations to the brethren assembled on the . hundredth year of the existence of this excellent and valued lodge , and I , as his Deputy , shall have to inform him of the admirable order in which I find the Lodge of Peace , and on the whole with which this day ' s arrangements have been organised . I am requested to

inform you that our summer meeting is on the 18 th of July , at Sheffield , and you will see Sir Henry Edwards in his place on that occasion . We have Bro . Bootji from the Loilge of Probity , the same lodge as that to which Sir Henry Edwards belongs ; we have also the late Deputy-Provincial Grand Master present with us . It is gratifying to every one of us that he has recovered so far from his

indisposition , as to give us the light of his countenance and the sunshine of his genial and ever welcome presence . I can only say that the excellences of our Provincial Grand Master are now so well known amongst the Craft as to need no special eulogy on my part . It is his popular characteristics which have endeared him to us all , and 1 think no more worthy gentleman could have been selected

to fill the position of Prov . G . Master than Sir Henry Edwards . 1 now call upon you , brethren , to join me in expressing the hope that the Great Author of the Universe will bestow His blessing upon our P . G . M ., and give him health and long life to preside over our assemblies and the Craft which he adorns with every moral and social virtue . The toast having been drunk with honours ,

Bro . J . W . Carlile proposed " The Worshipful Deputy Provincial Grand Master , Bro . T . W . Tew , J . P ., also W . P . D . P . G . M . Bro . Bentley Shaw , D . L ., and all Present and Past Officers of the Provincial Grand Lodge of West Yorkshire . " Bro . T . W . Tew responded , and said—I feel it to be no light responsibility to fill the office of D . P . G . M . of this

province . In 1875 I was to all of you an untried Mason , and to have been chosen representative to our Prov . Grand Master of so large a Masonic constituency as is this West Yorkshire is to me the most complimentary privilege of my life . You have been good enough to receive the toast of my health to-night in a manner much more worthy of the close of my official connection with the province than my

first years of labour as your Deputy . I attribute your kind reception of me more to your indulgence and forbearance than to any Masonic talents of my own , because I feel 1 am continually being brought into contact with brethren in this province of greater talents and erudition than myself . I greatly regret that my business and other multifarious occupations do not leave me free and

unfettered in thought and action , so that I could devote the whole of my time to gain that perfect knowledge and experience of Masonic life amongst you , without which no Master Mason can thoroughly succeed in the office of D . P . G . M . of this province . I thank you for your invitation to-night , and promise that , to-the best of my poor ability , I will try in the future to do what I have tried to do in the

past , to make the administration of this province under Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Edwards prosperous , illustrious , and brilliant . I feci that the gathering to-day is not only a welcome to Bro . Bentley Shaw , but an enthusiastic expression of your belief in the beauty of the Masonic principles of piety , justice , and virtue ; of your abiding faith in the permanency of the organisation

of Freemasonry which has led to the prosperity of the Order and its developmentamongst all nations on the earth In this direction the labours of your previous D . P . G . M . have been crowned with success . You have trusted Prov . G , Officers in the past . Will you trust those now newly

elected ? as they feel you will trust those who come in the future , so that we , your officers , may feel sure that in giving confidence to our government in dealing with great Masonic affairs you would leave matters , as in the past , so in the present in our hands , trusting to our watching over the honour and Masonic interests of our beloved

province . " The Old Lodge of Peace " was proposed in a suitable speech by Bro . Bentley Shaw . Bro . T . A . Haigh , in responding , begged to tender his sincere and heartfelt thanks on behalf of the rest of the brethren , to Bro . Shaw , for the very kind expressions and kind remarks he had been pleased to

make respecting the lodge , and he hoped that so far as the future of the lodge was concerned , those wishes and expressions might be fully realised . Bro . Hai gh also begged to thank the numerous brethren present from other lodges in this and other provinces , for the enthusiastic reception they had given to the toast . The lodge , he said , had been in existence over 100 years , having been

first opened in the town of Barnsley in the year 1777 , but in the year 1778 it is supposed to have ceased working for a lengthened period . There was no record of its proceedings from that date until the year 1804 , when it was revived by warrant of confirmation , granted March 28 th of that year , and removed from Barnsley to Dewsbury , and held its meeting at the Traveller ' s Rest , in the

latter town , until the year 1815 , when , on the 26 th August , it was agreed , first , to pay all expenses that might be brought against the lodge ; and , secondly , to dispose of the lodge to the best advantage . In a few years after this time the lodge regalia and warrant were purchased by brethren residing at Honley , and the first lodge meeting was held there on July 20 th , 1820 . It did not long

remain at Honley , as on the 26 th August , 1826 , it was agreed to remove to Meltham , and accordingly the first Freemasons' lodge meeting was held in this village September 13 th , 1826 , and the Lodge of Peace has now been located here for nearly 51 years , and during the last

half century it has had its times of adversity as well as its times of prosperity , but at the present time , he thought , it might be safely said to be in a more prosperous state than it ever was during any period of its existence . The lodge had during the time of its existence in Meltham taken a prominent part in the following interesting occasions ,

Centenary Festival Of The Lodge Of Peace, No. 149, Meltham.

viz ., on the 15 th October , 1827 , the brethren of the lodge assisted in laying the foundation stone of South Crosland Church , and the trowel used on the occasion was now in the possession of the lodge . On March 5 th , 18 35 , under the auspices of the lodge , the foundation stone " of Meltham Church Tower was laid by our late Bro . Charles Lee , the then D . P . G . M . of this province , and a sermon

preached by our late Bro . Dr . Naylor , the Provincial Grand Chaplain . He concluded by again thanking them . Bro . Charles Rayner , I . P . M . Lodge of Peace , then proposed the next toast . He said : Brethren , the toast which I have the honour and the pleasure of proposing is that of " The Visiting Brethren . " It is a toast which is always well received in this lodge , but on the present occasion I

feel sure that it will meet with a most enthusiastic rccrption . We have amongst us here to-day vUiting brethren who have spent great portions of their lives in working hard , not only for the good of their own lodges and the good of their provinces , but also for the good and the interest of the Craft generally ; brethren who have attained to high honours in the Craft , honours which have been

well earned and which are well deserved , and my fervent wish and ardent hope is that the Great Architect of the Universe may give them long and happy lives to enjoy those honours . We are very proud to have amongst us the hard working W . D . P . Grand Master of this province , a brother who , in filling the hi gh office which he now holds in the province , has proved himself to be a worthy

successor to his most excellent predecessor , Bro . Bentley Shaw . Wc also feel greatly honoured by the presence of our much respected W . P . D . P . G . M ., Bro . Bentley Shaw , a biother whose Masonic zeal is well known and greatlyappreciated throughout the whole of this provin-e , whose genial temperament , kind heartedness , and whose noble and generous sentiments have won for him both the

respect and the admiration , I believe , of all who have ever had the pleasure of coming in contact with him . We are greatly delighted and highly honoured in having tare today so many of the Present and Past Officers of Provincial Grand Lodgr . They are all brethren who have worked very hard in the Craft . And lastly , brethren , I see before me a large number of visiting brethren whose love for

Masonry none ) can doubt , brethren whose Masonic labours , like my own , are in a more humble sphere than those I have before mentioned , and many of them who , like myself , may perhaps neuer hope to reach the higher honours in the Craft , but whose labours for the good of Masonry will be none the less incessant on that account . They are brethren whose familiar faces may be found wherever there is any Masonic work to be done .

In shoit , visiting brethren , I beg to thank you all with the greatest sincerity and from the very bottom of my heart , both 011 my own behalf and on behalf of every member of tt is , the old Lodge of Peace , for the great honour you have conferred upon the lodge by your presence on this great occasion . The toast was received with the greatest enthusiasm , and then Bro . W . T . M . Sylvester proposed "The Masonic Charities . "

Bro . Nimrod Earnshaw , the W . M . of the lodge , subsequently took the chair ; and Bro . Jonas Craven , P . P . G . S . W ., responded to the toast of "The Masonic Charities . " He spoke of the large sums of money subscribed every year in support of these charities , and of the good that had been done generally . After rv few songs , the remainder of the evening was in

spent a very harmonious manner , and the proceedings terminated soon after eight o'clock . The committee of management consisted of Bros . Nimrod Earnshaw , W . M . ; C . H . Redfearn , P . M ., Sec . ; D . Wood , P . M ., Treasurer of thelodge ; Wm . Haigh , P . M . ; Wm . Myers , P . M ., and C . Rayner , I . P . M ., Chairman of the Committee .

Consecration Of The Guelph Lodge, No. 1685.

CONSECRATION OF THE GUELPH LODGE , No . 1685 .

The Guelph Lodge , No . 1685 , was consecrated on Saturday last , at the Red Lion , Leytonstone , by Bro . John Hervey , Grand Secretary , who was assisted by Bro . Joshua Nunn , Past Grand Sword Bearer , as Senior Warden , Bro . W . T . Howe , Assistant Grand Pursuivant , as Junior

Warden , Bro . H . G . Buss , Assistant Grand Secretary , as Director of Ceremonies , Bro . Christian , as Inner Guard , and Bro . W . H . Lee , as Secretary . The attendance of the brethren to witness the ceremony was sufficient testimony to another lodge being required in the neighbourhood , the number of visitors being very large , and composed mostly of local residents . The

following is a complete list of the brethren who were present at the ceremony of consecration : —Walter Claridge , Ebenezer Skelt , J . W . Francis , S . N . Griffiths , George C . Young , Edw . Brown , Daniel Sayer , R . Vincent , fohn Hervey , G . S . ; Joshua Nunn , P . G . S . B . ; H . G . Buss , Asst . G . S . ; W . H . Lee , W . M . 975 ; G . Martin , 879 ; W . H . Allaway , 159 8 ; J . J . Woolley , 604 ; H . Massey (

Freemason ) , 619 ; W . T . Howe , A . G . P . ; Thos . Burford , P . M . 55 i J Hurst , 1572 ; N . S . Pargeter , 1598 ; A . Lewis , 1426 ; D . Blunsum , 742 ; W . Christian , W . M . 1662 ; jas . Pinder , P . M . 1 G 62 ; J . M . Hunt , P . M . 16 G 2 ; J . W . Margctts , 11 ( 72 ; Jas . Buchanan , 949 ; W . Crouch , 989 ; W . Thomas , 1598 ; A . Oldroyd , J . D . 1227 ; H . W . Godbold , 1598 ; Isaac Buscall , S . W . 1528 ; W . Brown , 1598 ; W . Groome , W . M . 861 ; W . Penny , 1 598 ; Geo . E .

Walters , W . M . 1598 , Sec . 1445 ; Walter J . Nicholls , 463 ; Charles B . Payne , G . T . ; D . W . Litson , nofi ; W . II . Martin , 174 ; J . Galluher , 1228 ; W . G . Hallows , 8 fn ; Jas . Conbro , 1150 ; Robert T . Wragg , 1228 ; James Pick , Doric ; and W . Sutherland , 18 9 . The lodge having been dul y formed and opened , the ceremony of consecration was proceeded with , and as no Chaplain was present , Bro . Hervey fulfilled the duties o Chaplain , in addition to those of Consecrating Master . He