Freemasonry in Derbyshire

In Derbyshire, Freemasonry was first established as early as 1732, about 15 years after the formation of The United Grand Lodge of England and around 86 years after the first ever recorded lodge in England. It is interesting that very early lodges were often named after the building where the meetings took place, which not surprisingly would have been an Inn or Tavern. Masons were as fond of their food and beverages as others, but as roving craftsmen required a suitable hostelry to lodge (note the phrase), for what might have been extended periods during the construction of a building.

It would be easy to imagine that after a hard days toil, a 'gang' of craftsmen would return to a preferred Inn - where working Masons would be warmly greeted, (if you look closely, you may just be able to recognize the square and compass symbols on the dark Inn sign against the bright sky, the sign of welcoming Inn keeper), have a hearty meal, a drink and a yarn until retiring for the evening. As with any group of skilled craftsmen, 'tricks of the trade' and 'trade secrets' would be discussed & exchanged, and the locations of good jobs with well paying masters, or potential new building sites would be divulged; but only amongst those 'in the know' .... and that's why Masonry acquired its reputation of being a secret organisation, quite acceptable really!

Lodges were formed, Lodges were disbanded, but the eldest surviving Lodge in Derbyshire is Tyrian (number 253), being established in 1785 with Masons afar as Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Loughborough, Mansfield and Southwell often attending. Clearly, Masonry has evolved from its roots where a lodge represented a tightly bound team of skilled craftsmen meeting out of necessity, to that of a 'social club' based on the comradeship and convictions of Masons in the early Lodges. It should be noted that these references to Masonry are somewhat generic as little information is available about the other aspects of Masonic membership in related orders (satellite groups).

As some Masons had to travel great distances for their gatherings (interestingly Pioneer 9065 was a peripatetic lodge until settling in Belper, relatively recently), it would have seemed very logical to open new (daughter) Lodges where a concentration of Masons resided in the far reaches of the county, and in the years 1793 to 1817 Lodges were formed in Buxton, Chesterfield and Repton. Just prior to this period, the Province of Derbyshire was designated, largely observing (but not exclusively) the County boundary in 1789, with the Provincial Grand Master of neighbouring Nottinghamshire (Rt Hon. Thomas Boothby Parkyns) being given the same role for Derbyshire. This might seem as a very onerous appointment, being responsible for two provinces, but the position was more of a figure-head than a truly executive station; with the task of running the Province being delegated to deputies. Tyrian provided the lodge (and probably the majority of the officers) in which the 'business' was conducted. So Tyrian predated the Province by a few years, which may account for some of the unique ways of our eldest Lodge. It was not until 1826 that offices were selected from across the Province, when one may say a truly provincial team was appointed.

Derbyshire Freemasonry was to say the least irregular, and even as late as the first third of the nineteenth century saw only about a hundred Derbyshire Freemasons attending just four Lodges. Amazingly, the number of subscribing members had quadrupled in the following thirty years. With this huge growth in numbers, one can easily see the need for a coordinated effort in the management of one of Masonry's core activities; charity, and The Provincial Charity Committee was established to supervise this most important office, which, a cursory glance behind the scenes today reveals a vast team of dedicated and skilled Masons focused on helping the PGM achieve the Province's £2,000,000 target for the Masonic Samaritan Fund by the end of our 2014 Festival. Masonic values have remained at the core of our actions since the earliest days and indeed recorded activities of our ancient brethren.

In 1876, the Province of Derbyshire was presented its first banner from the Marquis of Hartington and the first Masonic directory and calendar was published, detailing the meetings of Derbyshire Lodges. In the next 35 years or so Derbyshire Masonry had steadily grown, with 29 Lodges containing in excess of 1,600 members (a very healthy 50-60 members per Lodge). In the years that immediately followed the First World War, membership almost doubled and the number of Lodges rose to over 40. And, in 1926, the Festival raised an amazing £25,000. One wonders how that figure would correlate with our 2014 target. Similarly, post Second World War saw another swell in Masonic popularity, with some 4,000 subscribing members in 50 Lodges existing a few years prior to 1950. This must have reflected a more proactive approach by the Provincial team and necessitated the acquisition of new Masonic real estate through out the Province.

In 1972, the Province procured new headquarters in Derby; the Grange, which we all know provides a wonderful setting for many Masonic occasions (additional to the hosting of 38 assorted orders) and a magnificent location for many non-Masonic events as well (click on the image for more information). It is interesting to note that in almost 50 years, the Province's charity target for its Festival at the new HQ had gone up over an order of magnitude! (No pun intended).

The last thirty years or so has seen some interesting changes in the Province as the actual number of subscribing members appears to have changed very little, while the number of lodges has swollen to 80. Clearly the average membership per Lodge has fallen, but that requires more of the members to have an active role! It is also quite exciting that certain Lodges attract members with a common interest (but do not exclude others of course): Pioneer (9065) with background in scouting, Sure And Steadfast (9130) the boys brigade, Round Table Lodge of Derbyshire (8725) - guess what? Flyfishers' (9347) - another tough call! Crawshay Jones Golfers' (9476) - can't quite work that one out either! .... Get the picture? Here in Derbyshire we are fortunate to have a wealth of diverse Lodges, and an abundance of dedicated and hard working members, competently lead by the Provincial team:

Our Principal Officers of the Province are:

Provincial Grand Master: Graham Rudd

Deputy Provincial Grand Master: John Collison

Assistant Provincial Grand Masters: Peter Hodcroft & Bill Barnard

Provincial Grand Secretary: Brian Evangelista

Provincial Grand Charity Steward: John Renshaw

Provincial Grand Charity Secretary: Graham Sisson

Provincial Grand Almoner: Brian Jones

Still it doesn't stop there, beyond the 80 Craft Lodges in Derbyshire, there are (click on the underlined text for more information):

Evidently we are fortunate to be part of a very buoyant and active Province, but what we all have in common is very important; and, that bond of friendship means that where ever we travel both within and beyond the Province, a welcome awaits every Derbyshire Mason and most importantly, every Mason who comes to Derbyshire will be received with a tremendous warmth and sincerity.

The website for the Provincial Grand Lodge of Derbyshire will tell you all about Freemasonry in the Province of Derbyshire, and a lot of this information was sourced there. It can be found by clicking the Provincial logo on the left. Where you will informed about our history, an overall profile of the Province, meetings, general news, how to find a specific venue, and of course much, much more about the central province in British Freemasonry and the heart of England.