The Province Of Leicestershire And Rutland.

in the country . Excepting the year when he was the first M ister and principal founder , Bro . Thorp has been the indefatigable Secretary ever since , as well as its mainspring , ably editing its transactions , and trusted and beloved by all its members , who warmly appreciate his devotion to their interests and welfare .

As another feature of the Masonic life of Leicestershire , mention should be made of the Union Lodge of Instruction , which meets in Leicester under the joint sanction of the Leicester lodges . This lodge , whose present membership is nearly 400 , was established in 18 47 , and with a short break in the early sixties has continued to work down to the

present time , thus being one of the oldest existing lodges of instruction in the provinces . During the whole of that time the lodge has devoted itself to the training of Masons in all the details of Masonic ritual and ceremony , and there is not a Mason who has risen to eminence in the town of Leicester

but is under some obligation to this important organization . As a guarantee of the continuity of the ritual and working of ihe lodge , it is interesting to know that one of the Preceptors —of whom there are five—has held the office continuously for nearly twenty-five years .

In addition to the Craft lodges , Leicestershire has five Royal , Arch chapters , the senior being the Chapter of Fortitude , No . 279 , Leicester , founded in 179 6 and receiving a centenary warrant in 18 9 6 ; its history has been graphically described by Bro . Thorp , "Annals , 1796-18 9 6 , " published in

1897 . The others are : St . Augustine's , No . 779 , Ashby-de-la Zouch ; Charnwood , No . 1007 , Loughborough ; De Mowbray , No . 11 30 , Leicester ; and St . George's , No . 1560 , Leicester , all of which are highly prosperous .

There are also live Mark lodges ; Fowke , No . 19 , Leicester ; Howe , No . 21 , Loughborough ; Knights of Malta , No . 30 , Hinckley ; Simon de Montfort , No . 194 , Leicester ; and Fidelity , No . 491 , Coalville ; also William Kelly Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners , meeting at Leicester . Of the higher Degrees , there is the St . Margaret's Chapter

of Rose Croix , the Rothley Temple Preceptory of Knights Templar , and the Byzantine Conclave of the Red Cross of Constantine , all of which meet in the county town . Leicester being the only large town in the county , it is naturally the centre of the Masonic life of the district . The

whole of the town lodges , & c , meet in the Freemasons ' Hall , Halford Street , which is one of the oldest Masonic Halls in the provinces , having been built in 1858 and occupied continuously for Masonic purposes from 18 59 to the present time . It is centrally situated , and contains one

of the most extensive Masonic libraries in the country , in addition to a valuable collection of Masonic curios , including about 300 Masonic certificates , amongst which are many rare and curious specimens . From the foregoing account of Freemasonry in

Leicestershire , it will be gathered that the Craft is enjoying the greatest measure of prosperity , and its present satisfactory condition is due , to a large extent , to three brethren , who at different times have ruled over the province , viz ., Sir Frederick G . Fowke , William Kelly , and the present Deputy

Provincial Grand Master , Bro . S . S . Partridge , without a few words concerning each of whom this article would be incomplete .

Sir Frederick Gustavus Fowke , Bart ., son of Sir Thomas Fowke , the first Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire , was initiated in the Prince of Wales Lodge—now No . 259 , London—in the year 1813 . He subsequently became acting Master of that lodge , and was appointed Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of England in 1821 . In 18 33

he became Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire , and for eighteen years performed the whole of the duties of the Provincial Grand Master with the greatest zeal and efficiency . In 1851 , to the great joy of the whole province , Sir Frederick was appointed to succeed Lord Rancliffeand

, presided over the province as Provincial Grand Master till his lamented death in 18 5 6 . It was Sir Frederick Fowke who established the Provincial Grand Lodge on a firm and lasting basis , and Freemasonry in Leicestershire owes more to him than to any of his predecessors in the Craft .

Bro . William Kelly , the Masonic veteran of Leicestershire , was the most indefatigable worker in the Masonic vineyard the province ever had . He was initiated in 18 3 8 in St . John ' s Lodge , Leicester , became Deputy Provincial Grand Master under Sir Fredk . Fowke in 1852 , retaining that post until 1870 , when he was appointed to succeed Earl Howe

as Provincial Grand Master . His history of the Provincial Grand Lodge , published in 1870 , is a most important work and highly valued . He presided over the province for three years , retiring on account of ill-health , but continuing , as Past Provincial Grand Master , to take an active interest in all

branches of Freemasonry in the province . His assistance and counsel were frequently sought and readily given , and his death in 18 94 was a sad personal bereavement for many of his brethren in Leicestershire . The " William Kellv "

Charity Fund has been established in the province to perpetuate his memory . Bro . S . S . Partridge , the present esteemed Deputy Provincial Grand Master , has been for a number of years past the virtual head of the province , the Provincial Grand MasterEarl Ferrers , generally residing abroad . Bro .

, Partridge was initiated in the John of Gaunt Lodge , No . 523 , Leicester , in 1866 , and in 1872 became Provincial Grand Secretary ; this office he held for twelve years , establishing and editing the Provincial Masonic Calendar during the same periodwhich is still published annually and much appreciated .

, He was appointed Deputy Provincial Grand Master in 1884 , and from that time to the present his energies have been freely and ungrudgingly devoted to the welfare and advancement of Freemasonry in Leicestershire . The prosperity of which Sir Frederick Fowke laid the foundations , and which Bro .

William Kelly strengthened , Bro . Partridge has still further developed and extended . He has endeared himself to every Mason in the province , and all unite in the fervent hope that he may long be spared to preside over them . In conclusion , the province of Leicestershire and Rutland

may fairly claim recognition for the excellence of its Masonic work , for the complete and constitutional manner in which the Provincial Grand Lodge is conducted , for its zeal in the cause of charity , for having early recognised the necessity of a lodge of instruction and a permanent home for the lodges ,

and duly arranged for both , and lastly for its devotion to the historical and archa ; ologicaI study of Freemasonry as evidenced by the foundation of the Lodge of Research .

Ar00501

IMPORTANT NOTICE .

In our December issue we gave a reproduction of the most recent Portrait of H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , in the Masonic Regalia of the M . W . Grand Master . The original is a Photogravure from a Photograph taken by Messrs . Downey , to whom His Royal Highness gave

a special sitting a few weeks before his departure for India , and is one of the most successful of the many portraits of the Royal Family emanating from this celebrated studio . The Portrait has been taken in two positionsone as our reproduction § = facesizeframed

, , , , in Dark Wainscot Oak , 21 ^ by i 6 £ inches ; and the other Full-face , seated , size , framed as above , 35 by 27 ^ inches , and may be obtained from the Publishers , flessrs . Spencer & Co ., at the Office of the " Hasonic

Illustrated , " 15 , Great Queen Street , London , W . C . No handsomer or more suitable Presentation could be made to a Lodge . Prices , 21 \ by 16 £ inches , Framed 21 / -

„ „ „ „ Unframed 10 / 6 „ 35 by 27 J „ Framed 63 / - „ „ „ Unframed 42 / -