Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry In Dorsetshire.——History Of The Province.
23 rd Light Dragoons attended the ceremony accompanied by their band . ( The Dragoons in those days appear to have been no mean Masons . One of the earliest lodges was that attached to the 7 th Dragoon Guards , meeting at Weymouth , which was erased in 1824 . ) The minutes gallantly add that " a number of fashionable ladies who attended were highly
gratified by the speeches delivered by several distinguished Masons . " The painful task of the Provincial Grand Master in dismissing the said ladies when the Masonic rites commenced is alluded to with quaint humour . But Bro . Williams ' s chair was no bed of roses . An attack emanating
from Blandford was made upon him of " flagrant and un-Masonic conduct , " which deserved expulsion from the Craft ( as the terms of the motion made by the accusing brother put it ) . As to what the exact un-Masonic conduct was there is no entry , but at the next Provincial Grand
Lodge at Shaftesbury an address was presented to Bro . Williams congratulating him on " defeating the attack . " There is a good deal of obscurity about the matter , but it is at least certain that the Prov . Grand Master enjoyed the confidence of the province throughout his long career . In May , 1819 Provincial Grand Lodge was held at Poole ,
, when a familiar Masonic trouble cropped up . It was resolved that the Provincial Grand Master should propose in Grand Lodge a law to be applied to every province " that no person who resides in or near a town where there is a lodge shall be made a Mason in any other lodge without a
certificate to his character from some lodge near to which he resides . " There are few Masons who at some time or another have not wished that some such law as that now prevailed for the better government of Masonry and for the exclusion of undesirable members .
In 1829 Provincial Grand Lodge took place at Bridport , when the sermon was preached by the Rev . R . Broadley , the . grandfather of Bro . A . M . Broadley , a distinguished Mason , Avho is now a member of the local lodge . The Provincial Grand Master found his health failing about this time , and he resigned , though he recovered sufficiently to resume his
duties . Iii 1835 he was presented with a magnificent candelabra at the Provincial Grand Lodge at Sherborne . Next year a remarkable incident occurred at Wareham , where Prov . Grand Lodge was held . It was no less than the refusal of the pulpit of the parish church for the Masonic
sermon by the Rev . R . Fayle . The ancient minutes seem to breathe the wrath of the outraged Masons , who , in a resolution passed in Prov . Grand Lodge , uttered stately sentiments of protest against an act which cast so black a stigma on " a society so ancient and honourable , based on the Volume of
the Sacred Law , whose characteristics are Faith , Hope , and Charity , and on the Sovereign of these realms , the Patron of the Order and the temporal head of the Church of which this person is a minister . " With fine scorn Prov . Grand Lodge hoped and believed that " the feeling which prompted this
extraordinary conduct was to be found only in the breast of the reverend gentleman . " In 18 39 Provincial Grand Master Williams died , and a memorial to his memory was erected by the Craft in Die church at Littlebredy , of which Bro . Colonel Williams , M . P ., is the patron . He was succeeded by Bro . W . Eliot , who was installed in 18 39 at Poole .
Masonry had reached a low ebb in Dorset , and dull and uninteresting are the records for some years . It is noteworthy , however , that the Provincial Grand Chapter was formed during Bro . Eliot's rule , and he was appointed Grand Superintendent of the Royal Arch in 18 41 , holding his lirst Provincial Grand Chapter on November 4 th of that
year . It must not be imagined , however , that Royal Arch Masonry received its inception at this time . Not only the Royal Arch , but other more select Degrees were practised in a more or less regular way in the eighteenth century . Prior to the Union of 1817 , there were in all live chapters
chartered . They were—" Amity" ( Poole ) , 1780 ; " Durnovarian " ( Dorchester ) , 1780 ; "Weymouth , " 1783 ; "Philanthropy" ( Shaftesbury ) , 1803-4 ; - "' d "All Souls '" ( Weymouth ) , 1807 .
We have it on no less an authority than Bro . Htighan that one of the first Knights Templar Encampments warranted in England , late in the eighteenth century , by Bro . Dunckerley himself , was the " Durnovarian " at Dorchester . ' In a letter written from Hampton Court on January 27 th , 1792 , Bro .
Dunckeilev , then nearly seventy years old , states that he had been selected to revive the latter Order in England , and he there alludes to the constitution of a conclave at Dorchester .
It was held at the Royal Oak in that town , but its existence was very brief . It will thus be observed how imperfectly the existing official minutes record the real Masonic history of the province . Returning to Provincial Grand Lodge , whose minutes
reflect the steady increase of activity as we draw nearer our own time—even though they lack the picturesque details of the older documents—we learn that Bro . Eliot resigned in 1846 , and was presented with a handsome piece of plate on his retirement . He was succeeded by Bro . W . Tucker , who
continued to hold the office and summon a Provincial Grand Lodge yearly until 1854 . He lost his office under extraordinary circumstances . He committed the grave Masonic oiience of appearing at the Provincial Grand Lodge in the clothing of a Knights Templar , for which he was summarily
dismissed by the Grand Master . The province lost by this act of indiscretion—so strange in so good a Mason—one of the best Provincial Grand Masters who ever ruled over it . He was presented with an address by Weymouth Lodge , and his reply , as set forth in the Weymouth Lodge minutes , is most
touching in its character . The Grand Master appointed as his successor Bro . H . R . Willett , of Wimborne , then Prov . Junior Grand W arden . He held office until 18 5 8 , when he died . The province then remained under the control of the Grand Registrar for a year , and no Provincial Grand Lodge
was held in 1858 . In 1859 Bro . Gundry was appointed Provincial Grand Master , and was installed at a lodge held at Bridport in that year . A Provincial Grand Lodge has been held regularly ever since .
In 1867 , Provincial Grand Lodge was held at Weymouth , when the centenary of " All Souls' " Lodge Avas held . Poole had celebrated its centenary two years earlier . On February 9 th , 1877 , Bro . Gundry died , and was succeeded by the present Provincial Grand Master , Bro . Montague J . Guest . He was installed at a Provincial Grand Lodge held at
Wimborne on May 12 th , 18 77 , when the brethren were entertained at dinner in the splendid banqueting hall at Canford House by the noble brother of the new Provincial Grand Master , Lord Wimborne , then Sir Ivor Guest , Bart . Bro . J . P . F . Gundry was made Deputy
Provincial Grand Master at that meeting , being succeeded in 18 79 by Bro . Colonel Hambro , M . P . The latter , on his death , was succeeded by the present popular Deputy Provincial Grand Master , Bro . Col . Brymer , M . P . The great work of the existing regime under Bro . Montague
Guest has been the constitution of the Dorset Masonic . Charity . The by-laws of this splendid organisation were formally approved in 1881 , and it commenced its career of
benevolence and practical chanty 111 that year with the late Bro . Budden as Secretary , Bro . H . Burt (" Charity Burt " ) as Chairman , and Bro . W . D . Dugdale , as Vice-Chairman . This Charity has ever since received the loyal support of the lodges and brethren of the province , and its invested funds now amount to over ^" 4000 . The present
indefatigable Secretary is Bro . S . R . Baskett , Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden . On December 4 th , 188 3 , the hist Masonic funeral service sanctioned by Grand Lodge took place at Mansion House , where Bro . Capt . Hanham , P . P . S . G . W ., was cremated , a special crematorium being built
for the purpose . A dispensation was granted to the province allowing brethren to attend the impressive rites in full Masonic clothing . A large concourse of Masons attended , and at night the remains were reverently cremated . The history of the province since Bro . Montague Guest's
appointment has been one of steady and regular progress . The lodges are now fifteen in number , and the membership roll reaches the large figure of 881 , with 2 ^ 1 Past Masters .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry In Dorsetshire.——History Of The Province.
23 rd Light Dragoons attended the ceremony accompanied by their band . ( The Dragoons in those days appear to have been no mean Masons . One of the earliest lodges was that attached to the 7 th Dragoon Guards , meeting at Weymouth , which was erased in 1824 . ) The minutes gallantly add that " a number of fashionable ladies who attended were highly
gratified by the speeches delivered by several distinguished Masons . " The painful task of the Provincial Grand Master in dismissing the said ladies when the Masonic rites commenced is alluded to with quaint humour . But Bro . Williams ' s chair was no bed of roses . An attack emanating
from Blandford was made upon him of " flagrant and un-Masonic conduct , " which deserved expulsion from the Craft ( as the terms of the motion made by the accusing brother put it ) . As to what the exact un-Masonic conduct was there is no entry , but at the next Provincial Grand
Lodge at Shaftesbury an address was presented to Bro . Williams congratulating him on " defeating the attack . " There is a good deal of obscurity about the matter , but it is at least certain that the Prov . Grand Master enjoyed the confidence of the province throughout his long career . In May , 1819 Provincial Grand Lodge was held at Poole ,
, when a familiar Masonic trouble cropped up . It was resolved that the Provincial Grand Master should propose in Grand Lodge a law to be applied to every province " that no person who resides in or near a town where there is a lodge shall be made a Mason in any other lodge without a
certificate to his character from some lodge near to which he resides . " There are few Masons who at some time or another have not wished that some such law as that now prevailed for the better government of Masonry and for the exclusion of undesirable members .
In 1829 Provincial Grand Lodge took place at Bridport , when the sermon was preached by the Rev . R . Broadley , the . grandfather of Bro . A . M . Broadley , a distinguished Mason , Avho is now a member of the local lodge . The Provincial Grand Master found his health failing about this time , and he resigned , though he recovered sufficiently to resume his
duties . Iii 1835 he was presented with a magnificent candelabra at the Provincial Grand Lodge at Sherborne . Next year a remarkable incident occurred at Wareham , where Prov . Grand Lodge was held . It was no less than the refusal of the pulpit of the parish church for the Masonic
sermon by the Rev . R . Fayle . The ancient minutes seem to breathe the wrath of the outraged Masons , who , in a resolution passed in Prov . Grand Lodge , uttered stately sentiments of protest against an act which cast so black a stigma on " a society so ancient and honourable , based on the Volume of
the Sacred Law , whose characteristics are Faith , Hope , and Charity , and on the Sovereign of these realms , the Patron of the Order and the temporal head of the Church of which this person is a minister . " With fine scorn Prov . Grand Lodge hoped and believed that " the feeling which prompted this
extraordinary conduct was to be found only in the breast of the reverend gentleman . " In 18 39 Provincial Grand Master Williams died , and a memorial to his memory was erected by the Craft in Die church at Littlebredy , of which Bro . Colonel Williams , M . P ., is the patron . He was succeeded by Bro . W . Eliot , who was installed in 18 39 at Poole .
Masonry had reached a low ebb in Dorset , and dull and uninteresting are the records for some years . It is noteworthy , however , that the Provincial Grand Chapter was formed during Bro . Eliot's rule , and he was appointed Grand Superintendent of the Royal Arch in 18 41 , holding his lirst Provincial Grand Chapter on November 4 th of that
year . It must not be imagined , however , that Royal Arch Masonry received its inception at this time . Not only the Royal Arch , but other more select Degrees were practised in a more or less regular way in the eighteenth century . Prior to the Union of 1817 , there were in all live chapters
chartered . They were—" Amity" ( Poole ) , 1780 ; " Durnovarian " ( Dorchester ) , 1780 ; "Weymouth , " 1783 ; "Philanthropy" ( Shaftesbury ) , 1803-4 ; - "' d "All Souls '" ( Weymouth ) , 1807 .
We have it on no less an authority than Bro . Htighan that one of the first Knights Templar Encampments warranted in England , late in the eighteenth century , by Bro . Dunckerley himself , was the " Durnovarian " at Dorchester . ' In a letter written from Hampton Court on January 27 th , 1792 , Bro .
Dunckeilev , then nearly seventy years old , states that he had been selected to revive the latter Order in England , and he there alludes to the constitution of a conclave at Dorchester .
It was held at the Royal Oak in that town , but its existence was very brief . It will thus be observed how imperfectly the existing official minutes record the real Masonic history of the province . Returning to Provincial Grand Lodge , whose minutes
reflect the steady increase of activity as we draw nearer our own time—even though they lack the picturesque details of the older documents—we learn that Bro . Eliot resigned in 1846 , and was presented with a handsome piece of plate on his retirement . He was succeeded by Bro . W . Tucker , who
continued to hold the office and summon a Provincial Grand Lodge yearly until 1854 . He lost his office under extraordinary circumstances . He committed the grave Masonic oiience of appearing at the Provincial Grand Lodge in the clothing of a Knights Templar , for which he was summarily
dismissed by the Grand Master . The province lost by this act of indiscretion—so strange in so good a Mason—one of the best Provincial Grand Masters who ever ruled over it . He was presented with an address by Weymouth Lodge , and his reply , as set forth in the Weymouth Lodge minutes , is most
touching in its character . The Grand Master appointed as his successor Bro . H . R . Willett , of Wimborne , then Prov . Junior Grand W arden . He held office until 18 5 8 , when he died . The province then remained under the control of the Grand Registrar for a year , and no Provincial Grand Lodge
was held in 1858 . In 1859 Bro . Gundry was appointed Provincial Grand Master , and was installed at a lodge held at Bridport in that year . A Provincial Grand Lodge has been held regularly ever since .
In 1867 , Provincial Grand Lodge was held at Weymouth , when the centenary of " All Souls' " Lodge Avas held . Poole had celebrated its centenary two years earlier . On February 9 th , 1877 , Bro . Gundry died , and was succeeded by the present Provincial Grand Master , Bro . Montague J . Guest . He was installed at a Provincial Grand Lodge held at
Wimborne on May 12 th , 18 77 , when the brethren were entertained at dinner in the splendid banqueting hall at Canford House by the noble brother of the new Provincial Grand Master , Lord Wimborne , then Sir Ivor Guest , Bart . Bro . J . P . F . Gundry was made Deputy
Provincial Grand Master at that meeting , being succeeded in 18 79 by Bro . Colonel Hambro , M . P . The latter , on his death , was succeeded by the present popular Deputy Provincial Grand Master , Bro . Col . Brymer , M . P . The great work of the existing regime under Bro . Montague
Guest has been the constitution of the Dorset Masonic . Charity . The by-laws of this splendid organisation were formally approved in 1881 , and it commenced its career of
benevolence and practical chanty 111 that year with the late Bro . Budden as Secretary , Bro . H . Burt (" Charity Burt " ) as Chairman , and Bro . W . D . Dugdale , as Vice-Chairman . This Charity has ever since received the loyal support of the lodges and brethren of the province , and its invested funds now amount to over ^" 4000 . The present
indefatigable Secretary is Bro . S . R . Baskett , Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden . On December 4 th , 188 3 , the hist Masonic funeral service sanctioned by Grand Lodge took place at Mansion House , where Bro . Capt . Hanham , P . P . S . G . W ., was cremated , a special crematorium being built
for the purpose . A dispensation was granted to the province allowing brethren to attend the impressive rites in full Masonic clothing . A large concourse of Masons attended , and at night the remains were reverently cremated . The history of the province since Bro . Montague Guest's
appointment has been one of steady and regular progress . The lodges are now fifteen in number , and the membership roll reaches the large figure of 881 , with 2 ^ 1 Past Masters .