The Friendly Lodge, Barnsley.

The Friendly Lodge , Barnsley .

THE Friendly Lodge , No . 521 , Barnsley , has had an interesting though chequered career . It was originally a London Lodge , No . 557 , warranted in the year 1790 to meet at the Nag ' s Head Inn , Holborn . Two years later the number was altered to 4 66 , and at the Union in 1814 it

was again changed to 521 . In 1816 the warrant was transferred to Barnsley , where the members met at the King ' s Head Inn , Market Hill , under the same No . 521 . A few years

later some six or seven lodges in Lancashire , led by No . 31 , of Liverpool , seceded from the authority of the United Grand Lodge of England in consequence of some real or fancied grievance . Among those which joined in this movement was the friendly Lodge , of Barnsley , and the

members , in order completely to cut themselves off from the United Grand Lodge of England , reverted to the original number of its warrant , No . 557 . The seceding lodges

attempted to form a Grand Lodge of their own , but the project , as might have been foreseen , resulted in failure , and the lodges concerned made the best terms they could with the authorities in London . A Warrant of Conlirmation was supplied to the Friendly Lodge in 1824 , but the elements of

discord and discontent were still present among the members , and the lodge was erased in 1832 . Another Friendly Lodge , No . 716 , was established in Barnsley in 1842 ,

but lasted only nine years . A third lodge of the same name , No . 1513 . was more successful , for , being founded in the year 1874 , it still prospers , with every prospect of a long and honourable career . —Jonx T . THORP , F . K . S . L ., F . K . Hist . S .

The above illustration is reproduced by kind permission of Bro . Dr . Forshaw , to whom we are also indebted for the loan of the block .