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  • Dec. 1, 1904
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  • The Province of Cheshire.
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The Province Of Cheshire.

The Province of Cheshire .

PART III .

'TM-IERE are now over 60 lodges on the register of the J ^ Provincial Grand Lodge of Cheshire with about 3500 members . Of these , only seven lodges date back to the eighteenth century , and five have centenary jewel warrants . The first three are not now held in towns for which they were originally warranted , and only one of the

old lodges is of '' Ancient " or " Atholl " origin . The oldest was started in 1 754 , but some ^^ years or more have to be passed over before another lodge is found to keep it company of the same constitution . Though the province is at the present time the fifth largest in England , there were but

12 lodges on the list at the union of the two rival Grand Lodges in 1813 . By i 860 that number had been doubled , and 40 was reached by 1886 , since which period 25 more have been added , so that now there are the large number of 6 5 active lodges , the greater part of which have been chartered within the last 50 years , nearly all ( probably all ) being in a most vigorous condition .

The senior on the roll is the " Unanimity , " Xo . 8 9 , of Dukiniield , which was originally chartered " to be held on the first and third Wednesday in every month , at the place called St . Ann ' s coffee house , now kept by Harry Kirks in Manchester aforesaid , " 4 th day of February , 1754 . It is the oldest warrant extant of the kind under ( so-called )

modern auspices , having the names of the Worshipful Master and Wardens designated (" Joseph Greenwooch Genln . ; John Smith , Gcnlii . ; and John Harrysone , M . D ., " respectively ) , and exhibiting ¦ other features common to documents issued later , whereas previousl y the so-called

warrants were simply deputations lo couslilule . It was granted b y '' William Katchdale , of Liverpool , in the County Palatine of Lancashire , M . D ., " who was appointed Provincial Grand Master b y the Rt . Hon . Lord Dudley and Ward , M . W . Grand Master during the years 1742-3 , and officiated as the

ruler of that united province for several years . It has borne no other name than " Unanimity , " and successively held the number 256 , 194 , 154 , 122- 3 , and in , when the members evidentl y considered a change was desirable . The last payment to Grand Lodge when located

at Manchester was acknowledged in the transactions of November 23 rd , 1803 , when £ 2 10 s . and 16 s . are credited to the Hall and Liquidation Funds respectively . At 2 s . per member—the stipulated sum—that would suggest eight only on the register at that time . In the Grand Lodge Report

for April 6 th , 1808 , there are two credits of a guinea and half-a-guinea respectivel y for the Charily and Hall branches , dated from DUCKIXKIKLIJ .

Now the point is , was a regular removal effected between 1803 and 1808 , or should the lodge at Dukiniield be treated as virtuall y a new one , utilizing the old warrant . M y lamented friend , John Lane , in his colossal work— " Masonic Records , 1717-18 94 "—has represented the No . in as a second or new issue at Dukiniield , but it seems to me that as a minute of 1 st April , 1807 ,

reads"This Lodge Unanimity , No . 111 , removed unanimously from the sign of the ' Buck and Hay Thorn , ' Back Square , Manchester , in the County of Lancaster , to Mr . John Bradley , the ' Old General , ' in Duckinlield , in the County of Chester . "

I he brethren preserved their continuous working so long as the local authorities were duly consulted and agreed accordingly ; hence the centenary jewel warrant obtained 3 rd July , 1871 , was , I venture to think , fairly earned and duly merited , notwithstanding the change to another town as noted .

The second on the roll in respect to precedence is the Lodge of " St . John , " Stockport , which , though it works by virtue of a warrant granted the 21 st day of October , 1765 , the brethren would not have an easy task to prove continuity from 176 5 to 1775 , and then to 1806 , when the lodge was opened at Stockport . On the other hand the number was

preserved with which it started ( 139 ) to the union of the two rival Grand Lodges in December , 1813 , when it was altered to 168 , becoming 121 in 18 32 , and 104 from 186 3 . It is of "Ancient" origin ( and is the only "Athol" Lodge in Cheshire ) , for which reason it enjoys a position much higher up in the united roll , in proportion to Nos . 267 , 287 , and

other lodges of the province , four of which have centenary jewel warrants . The lodge was first chartered at the " Star , " MOTTRAM LoxGDKXDAr . K-ix-Loxc . DicxuAi . K , on 2 ist October , 1765 , but evidently collapsed almost as soon as it was constituted . Ten

years later the original document was again issued with the same number to DOHCKOSS , SADDLKWOKTH , Yorkshire , where it held on for some 30 years . It is possible that the continuity from 1775 may be satisfactorily established , but certainl y not from 1 765 . The endorsement of 31 st March , 1806 , permitting its

transference to the " Bunch of Grapes , " Stockport , is quite silent as to that important point , the wan ant being entrusted to the Worshipful Master and Wardens duly mentioned bv name , just as with an entirely new lodge , and was authorized by the R . W . Bro . Thomas Harper , D . G . M ., being duly attested by Robt . Leslie , G . Sec . I believe the first preserved minute is dated June , 1807 .

Between 1806 and 18 97 when it reached the Mechanics Institute , Wellington Road , at least a score of removals appear in the official and other registers , but from the latter year its journeyings all ceased .

I he third on the existing roll is the " Lodge of Unity , *' No . 267 , which was formed at Deansgate , Manchester , as No . 533 in 1788 , changing to Sal ford in 1816 , to Hulme in 18 3 6 , and the great cotton city once again in 18 39 , reaching MACCUCSKIKLD , Cheshire , in 18 44 , as No . 334 , at the " Macclesfield Arms Hotel , " where it has rested ever since .

It is quite within the bounds of probability that continuous working might be proved from the ninth decade of the 18 th century . We next come to four lodges having each the coveted centenary jewel warrants . ( 1 ) The " Beneficent , " and then

the " Unanimity , " No . 509 , of 1792 , but now No . 28 7 , was duly opened at the "Sun , " STOCK POUT , its special warrant bearing date 12 th July , 1792 . ( 2 ) The " King ' s Friends ' Lodge , " of 1793 , was constituted at the - ' Three Pigeons " as No . 520 , but is now assembling at the " Church House

and Masonic Hall , NAXTWICII . Its continuity has been acknowledged by the necessary warrant dated exactl y 100 years later than its original charter . ( 3 ) The " Union , " and later on the " Coinbennerc Lodge of Union , " was chartered as No . 526 , in 1793 , at MACCI . KSI'IKI . D , and enjoys the

distinction of a centenary jewel warrant of 24 th June , 1 793 . ( 4 ) " Lodge of Loyalty , " No . 585 , of 1799 , has now a confirmation warrant of 23 rd June , 18 93 , and a centenary jewel warrant of 1 st September , 18 98 , having been constituted the year before the date of its first charter at

MOTTKAM-IXLOXGDKXDAI . IC . It is now No . 320 , and holds its meetings at the Masonic Rooms , to which it was removed so far backas the year 18 3 ^ .

The next on the register is a remarkable trio , numbered 321 , 322 , and 323 , being respectively named"Uxnv , PKACK , Coxcoun . "

“The Masonic Illustrated: 1904-12-01, Page 2” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 28 May 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mil/issues/mil_01121904/page/2/.
  • List
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Title Category Page
Untitled Article 1
The Province of Cheshire. Article 2
Some Continental Lodge Jewels . Article 4
The Library and Museum of the Grand Lodge of England. Article 7
Some Notes on Freemasonry in Australasia.-(Continued). Article 12
RULERS IN THE CRAFT Article 14
Untitled Ad 15
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Untitled Ad 16
Music in the Lodge Room. Article 16
At the Sign of the Perfect Ashlar. Article 17
Untitled Article 19
Untitled Ad 19
Music for Christmas. Article 20
Untitled Ad 21
Untitled Ad 21
Untitled Ad 21
Consecration of the Gordon Langton Lodge, No. 3069. Article 22
Untitled Ad 22
Whittington Lodge, No. 862. Article 23
Untitled Ad 23
Kirby Lodge of Instruction, No. 263. Article 24
The Power of the Grip. Article 24
Untitled Ad 24
Untitled Ad 25
Untitled Ad 26
Order of the Temple. Article 26
Untitled Ad 26
Untitled Ad 26
"CHARITY NEVER FAILETH." Article 27
Untitled Article 27
Untitled Ad 28
Untitled Ad 28
Untitled Ad 29
Untitled Ad 29
Untitled Ad 29
Untitled Ad 29
Untitled Ad 30
Untitled Ad 30
Untitled Ad 30
Untitled Ad 30
Untitled Ad 30
Untitled Ad 31
Untitled Ad 32
Untitled Ad 32
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Province Of Cheshire.

The Province of Cheshire .

PART III .

'TM-IERE are now over 60 lodges on the register of the J ^ Provincial Grand Lodge of Cheshire with about 3500 members . Of these , only seven lodges date back to the eighteenth century , and five have centenary jewel warrants . The first three are not now held in towns for which they were originally warranted , and only one of the

old lodges is of '' Ancient " or " Atholl " origin . The oldest was started in 1 754 , but some ^^ years or more have to be passed over before another lodge is found to keep it company of the same constitution . Though the province is at the present time the fifth largest in England , there were but

12 lodges on the list at the union of the two rival Grand Lodges in 1813 . By i 860 that number had been doubled , and 40 was reached by 1886 , since which period 25 more have been added , so that now there are the large number of 6 5 active lodges , the greater part of which have been chartered within the last 50 years , nearly all ( probably all ) being in a most vigorous condition .

The senior on the roll is the " Unanimity , " Xo . 8 9 , of Dukiniield , which was originally chartered " to be held on the first and third Wednesday in every month , at the place called St . Ann ' s coffee house , now kept by Harry Kirks in Manchester aforesaid , " 4 th day of February , 1754 . It is the oldest warrant extant of the kind under ( so-called )

modern auspices , having the names of the Worshipful Master and Wardens designated (" Joseph Greenwooch Genln . ; John Smith , Gcnlii . ; and John Harrysone , M . D ., " respectively ) , and exhibiting ¦ other features common to documents issued later , whereas previousl y the so-called

warrants were simply deputations lo couslilule . It was granted b y '' William Katchdale , of Liverpool , in the County Palatine of Lancashire , M . D ., " who was appointed Provincial Grand Master b y the Rt . Hon . Lord Dudley and Ward , M . W . Grand Master during the years 1742-3 , and officiated as the

ruler of that united province for several years . It has borne no other name than " Unanimity , " and successively held the number 256 , 194 , 154 , 122- 3 , and in , when the members evidentl y considered a change was desirable . The last payment to Grand Lodge when located

at Manchester was acknowledged in the transactions of November 23 rd , 1803 , when £ 2 10 s . and 16 s . are credited to the Hall and Liquidation Funds respectively . At 2 s . per member—the stipulated sum—that would suggest eight only on the register at that time . In the Grand Lodge Report

for April 6 th , 1808 , there are two credits of a guinea and half-a-guinea respectivel y for the Charily and Hall branches , dated from DUCKIXKIKLIJ .

Now the point is , was a regular removal effected between 1803 and 1808 , or should the lodge at Dukiniield be treated as virtuall y a new one , utilizing the old warrant . M y lamented friend , John Lane , in his colossal work— " Masonic Records , 1717-18 94 "—has represented the No . in as a second or new issue at Dukiniield , but it seems to me that as a minute of 1 st April , 1807 ,

reads"This Lodge Unanimity , No . 111 , removed unanimously from the sign of the ' Buck and Hay Thorn , ' Back Square , Manchester , in the County of Lancaster , to Mr . John Bradley , the ' Old General , ' in Duckinlield , in the County of Chester . "

I he brethren preserved their continuous working so long as the local authorities were duly consulted and agreed accordingly ; hence the centenary jewel warrant obtained 3 rd July , 1871 , was , I venture to think , fairly earned and duly merited , notwithstanding the change to another town as noted .

The second on the roll in respect to precedence is the Lodge of " St . John , " Stockport , which , though it works by virtue of a warrant granted the 21 st day of October , 1765 , the brethren would not have an easy task to prove continuity from 176 5 to 1775 , and then to 1806 , when the lodge was opened at Stockport . On the other hand the number was

preserved with which it started ( 139 ) to the union of the two rival Grand Lodges in December , 1813 , when it was altered to 168 , becoming 121 in 18 32 , and 104 from 186 3 . It is of "Ancient" origin ( and is the only "Athol" Lodge in Cheshire ) , for which reason it enjoys a position much higher up in the united roll , in proportion to Nos . 267 , 287 , and

other lodges of the province , four of which have centenary jewel warrants . The lodge was first chartered at the " Star , " MOTTRAM LoxGDKXDAr . K-ix-Loxc . DicxuAi . K , on 2 ist October , 1765 , but evidently collapsed almost as soon as it was constituted . Ten

years later the original document was again issued with the same number to DOHCKOSS , SADDLKWOKTH , Yorkshire , where it held on for some 30 years . It is possible that the continuity from 1775 may be satisfactorily established , but certainl y not from 1 765 . The endorsement of 31 st March , 1806 , permitting its

transference to the " Bunch of Grapes , " Stockport , is quite silent as to that important point , the wan ant being entrusted to the Worshipful Master and Wardens duly mentioned bv name , just as with an entirely new lodge , and was authorized by the R . W . Bro . Thomas Harper , D . G . M ., being duly attested by Robt . Leslie , G . Sec . I believe the first preserved minute is dated June , 1807 .

Between 1806 and 18 97 when it reached the Mechanics Institute , Wellington Road , at least a score of removals appear in the official and other registers , but from the latter year its journeyings all ceased .

I he third on the existing roll is the " Lodge of Unity , *' No . 267 , which was formed at Deansgate , Manchester , as No . 533 in 1788 , changing to Sal ford in 1816 , to Hulme in 18 3 6 , and the great cotton city once again in 18 39 , reaching MACCUCSKIKLD , Cheshire , in 18 44 , as No . 334 , at the " Macclesfield Arms Hotel , " where it has rested ever since .

It is quite within the bounds of probability that continuous working might be proved from the ninth decade of the 18 th century . We next come to four lodges having each the coveted centenary jewel warrants . ( 1 ) The " Beneficent , " and then

the " Unanimity , " No . 509 , of 1792 , but now No . 28 7 , was duly opened at the "Sun , " STOCK POUT , its special warrant bearing date 12 th July , 1792 . ( 2 ) The " King ' s Friends ' Lodge , " of 1793 , was constituted at the - ' Three Pigeons " as No . 520 , but is now assembling at the " Church House

and Masonic Hall , NAXTWICII . Its continuity has been acknowledged by the necessary warrant dated exactl y 100 years later than its original charter . ( 3 ) The " Union , " and later on the " Coinbennerc Lodge of Union , " was chartered as No . 526 , in 1793 , at MACCI . KSI'IKI . D , and enjoys the

distinction of a centenary jewel warrant of 24 th June , 1 793 . ( 4 ) " Lodge of Loyalty , " No . 585 , of 1799 , has now a confirmation warrant of 23 rd June , 18 93 , and a centenary jewel warrant of 1 st September , 18 98 , having been constituted the year before the date of its first charter at

MOTTKAM-IXLOXGDKXDAI . IC . It is now No . 320 , and holds its meetings at the Masonic Rooms , to which it was removed so far backas the year 18 3 ^ .

The next on the register is a remarkable trio , numbered 321 , 322 , and 323 , being respectively named"Uxnv , PKACK , Coxcoun . "

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