History of the Lodge of Connaught & Truth No. 521

Chapter V
The Years 1855 to 1894

C H A P T E R V.
THE YEARS 1855 to 1894.
Fitzwilliam Street — Craft Meetings in R.A. Clothing -- Installation of Earl of Ripon
as Prov. G. M. -- Re-numbering of Lodge -- Inauguration of Children's Party —
P.G.L. Meeting under Banner of No. 521
—
Visit of Duke of Albany — 4.0th
Anniversary — Visit of R. Won Bro. T. W. Tew — Centenary of Lodge of Harmony
— Inauguration of Presentation of Bibles.
THE MINUTES of the opening Meeting at the new premises in Fitzwilliam Street
on Friday, the 5th October, 1855, are clear and concise, and include :
(a) a note of thanks to W. Bro. Lord Goderich for his donation;
(b) a resolution to hold an Instruction Meeting every Tuesday, and again
W. Bro. W. Smith appears--this time to he the Instructor;
(c) that copies of the present and revised By-Laws be sent to every
Member.
Some of the Brethren were of the opinion that the proposed Revised By-
Laws did not present those distinctive features of improvement as to warrant a
deviation from the present By-Laws; as to the ultimate outcome of this, the
attention of the reader is drawn to Chapter IX, dealing separately with a
resume of the By-Laws.
It is perhaps interesting to record that the first Worshipful Master to be
Installed in the new Temple was Bro. W. C. Marsh, who had two Installing Masters
to do his Ceremony, none other than two of the faithful friends from the
Harmony and Huddersfield Lodges, W. Bro. Hardy, who had installed Bro. Lord
Goderich, and the other the ever dependable W. Bro. W. Smith.
At this Meeting a brother was proposed as a Joining Member from The
Lodge of Harmony, No. 267, Liverpool, which makes THREE different
Lodges of Harmony to supply Members to The Lodge of Truth :—
No. 3-12 Huddersfield.
N o . 3 7 1 R i c h m o n d .
N o . 2 6 7 L i v e r p o o l .
In January of 1856 The Lodge held its first Dance or Soirée, by
Dispensation, in the new Premises.
Then once again, on the 29th May, 1856, we find the three Lodges in
the Town engaged in a joint effort, this time a Procession in Masonic Clothing
and Costume for the Peace Celebrations after t he C ri m ean War. (S ee C hapt er
X II.) The cent ral m eet i ng pl ace to discuss the arrangements on this
occasion was The Lodge of Harmony premises in South Parade.
49
There was a very interesting happening in 1859, revealed by the
records in t he M inutes of M eeting, 7th October, 1859, The
Provincial Grand Lodge had met at South Parade on Wednesday, 5th
October, 1859, and the tale has been told and re-told in the Town that at
that Craft Meeting a number of Roya l Arch Masons entered the Meeting
clothed in the Regalia of that Order. Some of the local Brethren felt
doubtful about the legality or propriety of this, and W. Bro. W. C. Marsh
of this Lodge took a bold step with the express purpose of drawing
attention to this, and of trying to force a decision on the point, although
he himself was of the opinion that it was incorrect. He attended the
Lodge of Truth on Friday, 7th October, 1859 and demanded admission,
in his Royal Arch Regalia. The Worshipful Master refused him
admission, and advised Bro. Marsh to divest himself of Royal Arch
Clothing and seek re-admission in Craft Clothing, which he did; and he
asked the Secretary to make a Minute of his application and the refusal.
The sequel is not on record, so the Brethren of these days, well
versed in Constitutional Law and Regulations, can debate the point, and
say what they would have advised under the circumstances.
In 1861 the Brethren, in reply to a request for a decision, were
informed that, because of the Craft being in mourning for The Earl of
Mexborough, the dress for the Annual Ball would be plain dress, and that
masonic clothing would not be worn.
The death of the Earl of Mexborough, who had been Provincial Grand
Master of the Province of. Yorkshire (West Riding), led to the succession to
that high office of The Earl de Grey and Ripon, who, as Lord Goderich,
had been Initiated into and had been Master of The Lodge of Truth;
strenuous efforts were made for the Provincial Meeting for his Installation
to be held in Huddersfield. A specially- appointed Committee worked
hard to secure to Huddersfield this honour, and Bro. William Cocking,
P.M. of The Lodge of Harmony, was also thanked "for the untiring zeal he
manifested in furthering the object."
In fact, the three Huddersfield Lodges must have combined once
more, because the Lodge of Truth passed an account for £2 11s. being "onethird
of the expenses in contending for the Installation being held at
Huddersfield."
But it was not to be. The Leeds Committee sent representatives to
The Lodge of Truth to say that Leeds possessed superior accommodation, and
if Huddersfield would withdraw its claim, they would allow His Lordship
to be installed in Leeds under the Banner of The Lodge of Truth, the
Officers of the Lodge to open and close the Lodge; this was in fact carried
out, but this salve was not sufficient to heal the wounds of the feelings of
the Brethren of The Lodge of Truth. It might have been, but for a
regrettable oversight on somebody's part in failing to allocate Banquet
Tickets to the Members of The Lodge of Truth, which resulted in a letter
of apology being sent by The Earl de Grey and Ripon, following upon
remarks he himself made at the Ceremony, that he had learnt with the
greatest regret that there had been a misunderstanding with reference to
Banquet Tickets; he said that it was a source of great disappointment to
him, not to meet the Brethren of his Mother Lodge at the Banquet, and he
asked the Brethren not to permit it to produce any want of harmony and
union, so that the matter could be speedily forgotten.
50
That Ceremony of Installation was carried out in The Victoria Hall,
Leeds, and though the Brethren went banquet-less, it did not stop them
from remembering their own Tyler, to whom they paid 10/- for his extra
services on that day.
In September, 1861, a presentation was made to W. Bro. Thomas
Robinson, Prov.G.R., in commemoration of his many services (which
included much legal work) to the Lodge, of a Portrait of himself and a
Jewel an insignia of his Provincial Office. The presentation was made by
W. Bro. T. R. Tatham, and if any of the Brethren would like to read a
really fine and appropriate speech, they should ask the Secretary to let them
read the Minutes of 6th September, 1861.
Then there is a most interesting Minute in July, 1862, when it
was suggested that the Members by private subscription purchase a
photographic album in which every Brother would be entitled to insert
his "carte de visite" to remain the propert y of the Lodge as a matter
of interest to posterity. Such an album has unfortunately NOT been
produced along with the Minute Books and other records for the purpose
of this History.
Readers well versed in the History of England will have learnt that
King Edward VII—a prominent Mason and a great lover of the C r a f t
m a r r i e d , w h e n P r i n c e o f W a l e s , i n t h e ye a r 1 8 6 3 . T h e Brethren of
the Lodge were desirous of showing some little mark of this auspicious
occasion, which they did by passing this Resolution on 6th March, 1863
:—
"That the Lodge be illuminated on the occasion of the marriage of
H.R.H. The Prince of Wales."
It was in this year, 1863, also that the Grand Lodge of England renumbered
the Lodges, and although there is no specific mention of it in
the Minutes themselves, the Minute Book is not exactl y "silent" on
the matter, because the heading of the entries on 4th September, 1863,
reads thus
" L O D G E O F T R U T H 521 L A T E 763."
In 1865 one of the several musical Brethren, who from time to
time have been Members, Bro. J oe Wood, arranged a "Grand Masonic
Concert" in the Lodge Room, the proceeds of which were to go towards
the purchase of a Piano for the use of the Lodge. This project was
successful, and the Piano was presented on the 1st February, 1867.
What seemed to be a rather interesting innovation was referred to in
the Minutes of January, 1866, when support was given to a special
application from The Harrogate and Claro Lodge, No. 1001, in connection
with the Provincial Grand Lodge to be held there, to be followed by a
Banquet in the grounds to which Ladies would be admitted:, during
the Banquet an instrumental concert was to be held, followed by a Vocal
Concert in the Rooms.
The Lodge seemed to be getting along quite happily at this stage
when, suddenly, in 1 867, there arose some disputes about the raising of the
Subscription from 2/6 to 3/6 a month "until the debt upon the Lodge be
cleared." In fact, there was a threat of what might have been a serious
matter. A notice of motion was given
"That the Warrant be- returned to Grand Lodge, the building sold by
Auction, the liabilities discharged, the Surplus if any handed over to
the Masonic Charities, or otherwise as the Brethren may determine."
Fortunately, however, that motion never became a proposition, and
on the question of the raising of the Subscription, the Lodge did what it
had done before with knotty problems; after discussion and a
proposition, they passed an amendment that the question be postponed for
six months; and, as had happened previously, wiser counsel seemed to
prevail, or second thoughts proved best; the troubles seemed to be settled,
when the six months' interval expired; no further reference is found.
In fact, the Lodge seemed too bus y and prosperous to he
thinking about "closing down." The year 1868 saw an influx of new
Members, 16 Initiations, 16 Passings and 13 Raisings, so the Brethren had
little time for anything but Ceremonies. Nevertheless, they found time
for progressive business, and thoughts for the happiness of others. On
7th February, 1868, there was introduced what has been a happy and
regular feature of this Lodge, namely, "The Juvenile Party" or "Children's
Party. "
The increase in work and membership showed up the need for
more "space" in which to expand, and April, 1868, marked the commencement
of the consideration of building extensions.
It would appear that about the end of 1868 the Brethren were
interested in, and probably took some part in, the laying of the Foundation
Stone of a Convalescent Home at Meltham, because they contributed £10
from the Lodge Funds towards the Expenses, and a little later a
Committee of the Lodge conferred with Committees of The Lodge of
Harmony and Huddersfield Lodge to make arrangements for the opening
of The Convalescent Home.
The Minutes of 7th October, 1870, contain a request from a
Brother tendering his resignation, and complaining about the tardiness of
a Brother who had failed to deliver his letter; he wrote that "he hoped
the delinquent Brother would be duly chastised by the Worshipful
Master." There is no note as to whether such chastisement took place,
but there is a Resolution that the resignation was NOT accepted.
From 1870 to 1880 the Lodge followed its normal course of
Ceremonies, and the "happenings" during this period were in regard to
the Premises, and Building Extensions, etc., dealt with in the previous
Chapter. It was also a period in which Portraits of several early Members
were presented, fuller details being recorded in Chapter XI.
In 1882 Provincial Grand Lodge accepted an invitation from The
Lodge of Truth "under the Banner of No. 521" in Huddersfield. It was an
important Meeting, at which the agreed revision of the amended Book
of Constitutions was submitted for approval. This question of a Revised
Book of Constitutions afforded another opportunity for the Brethren of the
Town Lodges to unite, and the Master invited the Worshipful Masters of
The Lodge of Harmony, Huddersfield and Albert Edward Lodges to
form a J oint Committee for considering the revisions.
The Lodge was keeping the Province busy at this time on
administrative matters. In December, 1882, a Special Dispensation was
obtained to select and admit "a serving brother" for the better conduct
and management of the Lodge. Thereupon followed what must have been
a busy Installation Evening on 1st December, 1882,
J4)
Notice of Special Provincial Grand Lodge,
15th October, 1883.
53
for between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m. the Lodge had two separate
Initiations and the Installation. After the Minutes came one initiation:
then the special Dispensation for the serving Brother (Mr. William
Rice). Mr. Rice was balloted for, then he was Initiated, and towards the end
of the evening he was duly elected Tyler. The newly- installed Worshipful
Master (of treasured memory) , Bro. William Henry Jessop—twice Master
of the Lodge, six times Mayor of Huddersf ield, and Freeman of the
Borough started his year of Office by presenting all the Officers with
Collars of Office. He was Worshipful Master for the opening and closing
of the Lodge on the occasion of the visit of Provincial Grand Lodge on
10th January, 1883, already referred to.
Another important item in this year of 1883, and in the annals of
Freemasonry in Huddersfield, was the Royal Visit on 15th October, 1883, of
His Royal Highness the Duke of Albany. A special Provincial Grand Lodge
Meeting was held at The Town Hall, on the occasion of the presentation
of an Address of Welcome to His Royal Highness by the Provincial
Grand Lodge of West Yorkshire and the Five Masonic Lodges of
Huddersfield, viz :—
The Lodge of Harmony,
Huddersfield Lodge,
The Lodge of Truth,
Thornhill Lodge,
Albert Edward Lodge,
No. 275.
No. 290.
No. 521.
No. 1514.
No. 1783,
The special notice signed by the Duke of Albany appears in the
Minute Book, of which there is a photograph on the previous page.
upwards of 1,400 Brethren of the Province attended. A full and
descriptive account, occupying 14 pages of the Minute Book, including
speeches, is recorded, and is well-worth reading by anyone interested.
"The false roof above the immense hall was examined to
prevent cowans and intruders."
The Provincial Grand Master said that
"In all my life, except at the Great Hall in London, I have never
witnessed such a grand and imposing sight as this. The place is
literally crammed, and I am sure it is filled with the most loyal
men in England."
After the Meeting there was a procession, in Masonic Clothing, to the
Station, with the Masters, Wardens and Brethren of the private Lodges
walking four abreast, followed by the Officers of Provincial Grand Lodge,
the latter lining the corridor to the Station.
The names of the Worshipful Masters of the five Huddersfield
Lodges were :—
The Lodge of Harmony, No. 275 Percy F. J. Pearce.
Huddersfield Lodge, No. 290 Wm. B. Wall.
The Lodge of Truth, No. 521 William Hy. Jessop
Thornhill Lodge, No. 1514 Allen Haigh.
Albert Edward Lodge, No. 1783 William Fitton.
and co-operating in the arrangements were The Mayo r (Bro. J. F. Brigg)
and the Town Clerk (Bro. Jos. Batley); and Bro. Joshua Marshall presided at
the Town Hall Organ.
54
But all too soon after this great occasion of rejoicing and masonic
splendour, came the very sad event when the five Huddersfield Lodges again met for
the purpose of arranging another procession on 5th April, 1884 (less than 6
months after the other), on the occasion of a Special Service held at the Parish
Church, Huddersfield, to show their sympathy at the great loss sustained by the
death of His Royal Highness Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, K.G., etc.,
etc., who died on 31st March, 1884..
It was arranged by the five Lodges that The Lodge of Harmony should
hold a special Lodge of Emergency of the five Lodges at the Masonic Hall,
South Parade, at 10 a.m.—then to attend the Funeral Service at the Parish
Church and return to South Parade to pass a Vote of Condolence with
Her Most Gracious Majesty The Queen, The Duchess of Albany and other
members of The Royal Family.
At that Meeting :-
The W.M. of The Lodge of Harmony, No. 275, was W.M. The
W.M. of Huddersfield Lodge, No. 290, was S.W.
The W.M. of The Lodge of Truth, No. 521, was J.W. The
W.M. of Thornhill Lodge, No. 1514, was S.D.
The W.M. of Albert Edward Lodge, No. 1783, was J.D.,
with other Brethren from The Lodge of Harmony, No. 275, and
Huddersfield Lodge, No. 290, filling the other Offices. 170 Past Masters
and Brethren attended, and by Special Dispensation they attended the
Church in Masonic Clothing.
Copies of the Replies from Whitehall and Esher on behalf of Her
Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria and Her Royal Highness the Duchess
of Albany are recorded in the Minute Book.
The year 1885 marked the 40 years' anniversary of the Lodge, and
although no special celebrations were made, the Lodge was visited on
2nd October, 1885, by W. Bro. Henry Smith, of St. Johns, Wakefield, P.M. of
Airedale Lodge, No. 387, who had been appointed Deputy Provincial Grand
Master of West Yorkshire on 24th April, 1885, and who made special mention
in his address to the Brethren that the Lodge had attained its -10th Anniversary.
In the various activities of the Lodge one notices repeated
references to various Members of the Lo dge who took prominent parts in
the proceedings: and among these was Bro. George Marshall, who had been
Master in 1870. In 1886 he attained Provincial Rank, and the Lodge
presented him with the Clothing of his Appointment. This was done on the
7th May, 1886, which was also the occasion of a visit to the Lodge by Rt.
Wor. Bro. Thos. Wm. Tew, J.P., P.G.D. of England, and Provincial Grand
Master of West Yorkshire, who himself made the Presentation on behalf of
the Lodge, and delivered one of his characteristic addresses to the Brethren of
the Lodge. That Address is fully recorded, word for word, written up specially
in the Minute Book by Bro. J. Quarterman, of Pontefract, on behalf of the
Provincial Grand Master.
In 1887 a Special Committee was appointed in connection with
"The Queen Victoria Jubilee Presentation" to which the Brethren of the Lodge
contributed.
Reference is made in Chapter XI (dealing with Portraits) of an
interesting evening's masonic work on 1st June, 1888, when the
JJ
Brethren presented and unveiled the Portrait of an esteemed, beloved and
departed Brother, W. Bro. Joe Wood, and on the same evening his own
son, bearing the same name, had his 3rd ceremony: there was another
presentation, namely of Provincial Clothing to the Secretary, Bro. J. W.
Turner, P.M. Provincial Grand Deacon, whose work as Secretary was of a very
high standard, as is evidenced by the excellent Minutes and records during his
term of office. Bro. Turner has reproduced in the Minute Book, in his own
masterly penmanship, copies of letters from various Brethren unable to attend
that special evening, all of whom had a great affection for Bro. Joe Wood one
of them referred to him as "Dear Little Joe—a Brick of 8 x 4 dimensions." These
letters, which included a special one from the Provincial Grand Master R. W.
Bro. Tew, came from France, Derby, St. Helens and Scarborough, the lastmentioned
apologising for absence because they were having the "Hungarian
Band" at the Grand Hall in the Spa.
One or two anniversaries and celebrations were now looming up. In
1889, at the invitation of The Colne Valley Lodge, 1645, some of the
Brethren attended at Slaithwaite on the Whit-Tuesday to celebrate the
centenary of Slaithwaite Church; and on 7th November of the same year,
1889, the Brethren of the Lodge attended to support their old friends The
Lodge of Harmony, No. 275, in celebrating their Centenary, including a
Special Service, at the Parish Church, Huddersfield, on the following Sunday.
Once again we find the Lodge recording and sending loyal
messages of condolence to Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, on 5th
February, 1892, sympathising with Her Majesty on the death of H.R.H. The
Duke of Clarence and Avondale, P.G.W. of England, and Provincial Grand
Master for Berkshire, and also to H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, the Most
Worshipful The Grand Master, and to Her Serene Highness The Princess
Victoria Mary of Teck.
An interesting feature in the year 1892 was a visit by members of
Thornhill Lodge who received special thanks for their part in "the
musical part of the ceremony."
As is well-known by Brethren of the present day, The Lodge of Truth is
one of those Lodges which follow the commendable custom of presenting a
Bible to a Brother, when a son or a daughter is born to him. What is
believed to be the first of such presentations is recorded on 5th May,
1893, when Bro. Alfred Gledhill, the recipient, was "much affected by the
affectionate words of the Chaplain," who made the presentation, and who
expressed the hope that the Bible would be appreciated by the youthful
owner. Since that date the writer of this History has counted 87 "repeats"
of the gift of the "Great Light" for the guidance of their youthful owners,
who cannot fail to have benefitted from such an influence emanating
from a Lodge of Truth.
On Saturday, the 17th June, 1893, the Brethren of the Lodge took
part in an Infirmary-cum-Masonic Ceremony at Halifax, sponsored and
attended by Provincial Grand Lodge. The occasion was an Especial
Provincial Grand Lodge in the Masonic Hall, St. John's Place, Halifax,
followed by a Procession to the site of the new Infirmary for the laying of the
foundation stone by the Provincial Grand Master (Rt. Hon. The Earl of
Latham), and the Orders contained in the circular stated that
36
"Black frock coats, Trousers and Ties, White Gloves and High
Hats will be worn, with Full Masonic Craft Clothing and
Jewels."
The specific mention of the trousers seems somewhat unusual.
In the separate Chapter devoted to the By-Laws reference is made
to the book in which the Revised By-Laws were written up in 1892, and to
the signatures thereto by the Brethren who were members at the time, and
those Initiated or Joining later. There is one occasion in the Minutes of the
Lodge, viz., on the 4th August, 1893, when the following is recorded :--
"Bro. Pilkington signed the By-Laws and was placed at the left
hand of the S.W. and the Ancient Charge was given."
That suggests that an attempt was made to introduce such signing of
the Book of By-Laws as part of the Ceremony. Such entry does not
appear for subsequent Initiations.
Another interesting Minute appears in 1891, including some
correspondence in regard thereto. Apparentl y The Huddersfield
Savings Bank were opening up some new Ledgers, and found an
account No. 75 in an old Ledger, the Passbook for which had not been
submitted for many years. The account was first opened in 1856 in the
name of W. C. Marsh (he was Master in that year), and had been
transferred to Joseph Robinson in 1872 (he was Master in that year), and
afterwards transferred to Wm. Geo. Dyson (a Past M a s t er). The
balance w as £10 1 3s . 11d, and t h e Treasurer and Secretary of 1894
were authorised to obtain the amount, the usual mandatory resolutions
required by Banks having been duly and properly recorded and
transmitted.
In 1895 and 1896 there was much activity in connection with new
Trust Deed, Mortgage, etc., but this is dealt with more fully in Chapter IV
relating to the Premises.
The Brethren had something else, very special, to occupy their minds,
namely, the Masonic Jubilee of the Lodge, 50 years from the 3rd
December, 1815. As early as January, 1895, the matter of proper preparation
was mentioned in the Minutes; a Special Committee was appointed in May,
1893; it was finally decided that the Jubilee be celebrated at a Lodge of
Emergency on Wednesday, 29th April, 1896. What form these Celebrations
took will be related in the following Chapter.
The Lodge Summons, for The Jubilee Festival (1896).
/58
The front page of the Programme
for the Jubilee Festival (1896).
59

blah blah