The Province Of Cheshire.

The 7 th extinct lodge was originally held at the " Star , " Chester , warranted in 1766 as 381 , but struck off in 179 6 , when numbered 207 . The 8 th was opened at the " Rising Sun , " near the "Star , " in 1773 , but was erased in 1786 , reinstated the following year , but dropt in 1791 as 3 62 ;

and in 178 5 another was constituted at the " Castle and Falcon , " being 4 81 on the register . In Bro . Lane's " Masonic Records , 1717-1894 , " it is called at first the " Industrious , " and then the " Independence" from 1788 , but in the Chronicle for 30 th December , 1785 , it is stated

that" After the installation the Worshipful Grand Master constituted in ample form a new lodge by the name oi Independence , to be held at the ' Castle and Falcon . ' The new lodge was solemnly consecrated and an oration

pronounced by the Rev . Mr . Crane , Provincial Grand Orator . The brethren made a splendid appearance , and spent the clay in that harmony for which the society is ever famous . "

The lodge tried four places of meeting and then gave up the struggle for existence , being struck off the list in 1828 . A late lodge , the "Operative , " only started in 18 37 , numbered 651 , and also known as the " Deva " was removed

from the Chester lodges in 1856 . Still another lodge was opened in the ancient city . This was in 1766 at the famous "Star Inn , " Watergate Street , and was chartered by the "Ancients . " Although no returns were made after that year , its name appears in the

"Ahiman Re / on" for 1804 and 1813 , though not in 1807 edition . Of other extinct lodges in the province beside those of Chester , may be noted COXOI . HTOX of 1724 ( with numbers 36 and 32 , erased A . D . 1754 ) , and the " Independent " of t 78 9 ( numbers 550 and 459 : no returns later than 179 6 ) .

It was removed to LAXT . Exn , Staff ., and stricken from the roll in 1828 . CKKWK , of A . D . 18 53 ( numbers 8 99 and 616 , struck oil in 1865 , and known as the " / .. & X . II " . l . oil ^ e of FitlcUly" ) ; FHODSHAM , an " Ancient" Lodge of 1770 , numbered 164 , but it did not last through that century ;

KXL ' TSKOKI ) , the " Harmony" of 1818 ( numbered 705 and then 435 , but off A . D . 1851 ) ; and MACCI . KSI n : u > at the "Angel" from 1731 . It was given three numbers ( 80 , 6 9 , and 43 ) , but fell through in 1769 . Another of the original Constitution called the " Beneficent" was chartered in 178 9

as 545 , in 1792 becoming 454 , and in 1814 it obtained 313 , its erasure occurring in 1827 . There were also two ' 'Ancient'' Lodges in Macclesfield , one in 1764 , originally started in the metropolis in 1756 , but fell through two vears later . The warrant of 1764 is still

preserved , and in the S . W . corner is the entry " hears dale November Jjnl , ' 75 ^ , 575 ^ " In the Grand Lodge minutes is the record" February , 179 1 , received information from Macclesfield that in 1 790 , No . 47 took a Modern Constitution . " [ This was the No . 545 before mentioned . ]

Singular to state ( he members still made payments to the "Ancient" Grand Lodge for several years , but eventually the warrant was returned . Particulars are afforded in Bro . J . T . Thorp ' s able history of the " Knights of Malta Lodge , " Hinckley ( 1899 ) , of a later date than had previously been

made jiublic , and prove that the brethren did not give up so soon as my lamented friend Lane had considered . Correspondence is extant , culminating in the return of the charter in 1800 , and in 1803 it was utilized for HIXCKI . KV , where happily it is still active , and is now numbered 50 .

Another from the same Grand Lodge was opened in the town in 1 774 as 18 9 , and on the " dissolution of the lodge at Macclesfield" in 1801 , it was soon afterwards started at Wooler , Northumberland , the fee of two guineas being paid