Rising Star Lodge

We are currently a thriving Lodge with some of our members having been honoured with some incredible promotions for their fabulous contributions to London Freemasonry, including a Metropolitan Grand Inspector, 2 Grand Officers and many members of Senior London Grand Rank and London Grand Rank.

However, it wasn’t always like that!

The Rising Star Lodge was conceived in the spring of 1945 when Bro. H.E. Grove of the Merchant Taylors Company, a member of Southern Star Lodge No 1158, concerned that his progress to the Chair of that lodge would take an estimated 25 years, decided that he might attain the office of Master sooner by forming a new Lodge.

So one evening at the “Magpie and Punchbowl” in Bishopsgate he mentioned his ambition and enlisted the support of the licensee, W. Bro E.G. Hiscocks, a Past Master of the Brixton Lodge No 1949. Further support was enlisted from 8 other Southern Star members and, as well as 4 members from other Lodges, in all 7 Past Masters and 8 Master Masons.

Several provisional committee meetings were held at Leathersellers’ where W. Bro. Paul was employed. It was decided to ask Southern Star Lodge to sponsor an application for the formation of a new Lodge to be named “The Rising Star” Lodge.

The application was approved by Grand Lodge and accommodation was offered at Freemasons’ Hall for meetings on the 1^st Wednesdays in January (Installation), March, May, June and September. The founders agreed to subscribe 10 guineas each for the purchase of regalia and other necessary items. They also agreed that W. Bro Paul should be the 1^st Master but, that no other founder who was already a P.M., should succeed to the Chair.  

The September meeting was changed to the 2^nd Wednesday in October from 1971, as it was too near to the August Bank Holiday, the June meeting was cancelled from 1976 as it coincided with Derby Day and affected the attendance at the Lodge, so the January meeting was changed to the 2^nd Saturday from 1975 as this avoided clashing with New Year’s Day and on moving to the London Masonic Centre in 1980 the Installation meeting changed again to the 3^rd Saturday in January.

 The Consecration took place on the 19^th December 1945 in the Indian Temple at Freemason’s Hall. The Assistant Grand Master, The R.W.Bro. Brig. Gen. W.H.V. Darrell, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., presided with the following officers: –

W. Bro. D.R. Lawson P.G.D., as Senior Warden

W. Bro. Lt. Col. F.L. Morfee-WALSH MC., PAG.Supt of Works as Junior Warden.

V.W.Bro.Rev. Prebendary J.W. Ferro M.A., B.D., Asst. Grand Chaplain as Chaplain.

V.W. Bro. S.A. White MV.O., Grand Secretary as Secretary.

V. W. Bro. P.C. Ball D.S.O., T.D., Grand Director of Ceremonies acting as such.

W. Bro. Lt. Cmdr. J.C. O’Neill R.N.V.R., Asst. Grand Sword Bearer as Inner Guard.

W. Bro. Major Peel Grand Tyler.

The ceremonial music was under the direction of W. Bro S. Scott Mus. Doc, F.R.C.O., Past Grand Organist. After the Consecration the first Master of the Lodge was installed and officers appointed in the usual manner, as shown in the list of Founders. Bo. F.G. Warden was invested as Tyler. V.W. Bro White gave the address to the W.M., W. Bro. Lawson to the Wardens and W. Bro. Morfee-Walsh to the Brethren. A banquet was held after the meeting, in the Grand Connaught Rooms.

All the Consecrating officers were subsequently elected as honorary members of the Lodge.

The complete list of the Founders and the lodges from which they came is as follows:

W. Bro. Henry William Paul	Brixton Lodge No. 1949	1st W.M.
W. Bro. Charles Keen	Southern Star Lodge No. 1158	1st I.P.M.
Bro. Fredrick Doubleday	Southern Star Lodge No. 1158	1st S.W.
Bro. Joseph Claude Bargas	Southern Star Lodge No. 1158	1st J.W.
W. Bro. Stephen Pickering	Bishopsgate Lodge No. 2396	1st Treasurer
W. Bro. Victor Leonard Conridge	Southern Star Lodge	1st Secretary
W. Bro. Edwin Thomas Matthias	Borough of Bethnal Green Lodge No. 2896	1st D.C.
Bro. Herbert Edward Grove	Southern Star Lodge No. 1158	1st S.D.
Bro. John Reader Wagner	Southern Star Lodge No. 1158	1st J.D.
W. Bro. Edmund Gridley Hiscocks	Southern Star Lodge No. 1158	1st Almoner
Bro. Thomas Claude Chapman	Southern Star Lodge No. 1158
Bro. Stanley Parkin	Paxton Lodge No. 1686
Bro. Fredrick Morgan Scanlon	Noel Lodge No. 2444
W. Bro. Victor Ernest Conridge	Southern Star Lodge No. 1158

Bro.s’ Doubleday, Bargas, Grove, Wagner, Edgar, and Scanlon all subsequently became Masters of the Lodge.

Lodge dress has varied over the years. Originally, and not unexpectedly “or uniform” appeared after “dark morning dress” on the summons. From January 1951: “dark suit” etc (as today) appeared and from 1958 Installation meetings added “dinner suit” as an alternative.

In the first few years of the lodge, food rationing was still in existence and the caterers were strictly controlled as to the value of the meal which could be supplied, off ration, in all eating establishments. Until 1955 lodge members were supplied with a postcard to order dinner at each meeting. Later they were merely advised to inform the secretary if they wished to dine. This, however, has not been practiced for many years and the secretary’s “educated guess” has been used.

Three members of the lodge were lost in tragic circumstances. In 1961 Bro. L.R. Truscott died of a heart attack while driving his car on holiday. In 1965 Bro. T.P. Alderson was killed in an Army Parachute plane crash and in 1979 W. Bro. E.W. Lovick died in a car crash in Arabia.

At the foundation of the lodge, there was already a “Rising Star” Lodge No. 1022 under the English Constitution in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, South Africa and 3 members of that Lodge have visited us. W. Bro. R.J. Longhurst was able to make a visit to that lodge in 1981.

Dining

Although the banquet after the Consecration was held in the adjacent Grand Connaught Rooms, there were no vacancies there on the regular meeting days of the Lodge. Accommodation was found at the “Dr Butler’s Head”, Masons Avenue, EC2, but in 1947, when greater space was needed, a move was made to the “Palmerston Restaurant”, Bishopsgate, EC2. In 1955 that establishment discontinued evening meals as unprofitable and temporary accommodation was found at the “Kingsley Hotel” Bloomsbury.

Space there was also found too limited and when the “Grand Connaught Rooms” extended its premises, that year, by taking over the former Mark Masons’ building, the Lodge was able to secure accommodation there from the Installation meeting in 1956. There it remained until the Lodge transferred to the Masonic Centre at Clerkenwell. It is interesting to note that the original dining fee for visitors was fifteen shillings. On the subject of fees, the original ones were:- Initiation 20 guineas, annual subscription 4 guineas, joining 7 guineas and re-joining 2 guineas.

The original lodge summons was a single sheet with the front showing date, time and place of meeting etc. As now, and the agenda was printed on the reverse. A second sheet showing the officers of the year and the list of members was added for the Installation meeting. From 1956 the double sheet was used for every meeting, with the back page blank (except for the members list once a year). A list of Past Masters was shown on the back page from 1963 when the membership list was printed on a separate sheet once a year.

Lodge of Instruction

During the course of negotiations for founding the Lodge, a School of Instruction was set up at the home of Bro. J.C. Bargas in Ilford. This met on Sunday mornings under the preceptorship of W. Bro. S. Pickering, and was attended by brethren living in the area, and others nearby until it disbanded in 1949. A Lodge of Instruction was formed immediately after the consecration of the Lodge and met on Wednesday evenings at the “Magpie” in New Street, Bishopgate.

In 1953 it moved to the “Lamb Tavern” in Leadenhall Market where the landlord had become a member of the Lodge. In 1969 it moved again to the “Kings Head” Chiswell Street, EC1, and remained there until 1973 when a Lodge member made room for us at his office premises in Willow Walk, SE1. His exclusion from the Lodge necessitated yet another move, in 1975 to the “Clock House” Leather Lane, EC1.

In 1978 our “tenancy” there was terminated, and the next venue was the “White Horse” Cambridge Heath Road, E2., the landlord of which had several times been a visitor at our meetings. The L.O.I. was actually held in his living quarters and while he and his wife were busy in the bar, but when news of an impending addition to the family was announced it was necessary to move again. By this time the Lodge itself had moved to the Central London Masonic Centre and the L.O.I. was able to find accommodation at the Centre, where it continued to meet until 2010 .

The Lodge uses Taylors’ Working. Initially, three degrees were worked at each meeting with two candidates for each. Later, two degrees were worked, again with two candidates in each. By 1950 this was generally reduced to one initiate and two candidates for either passing or Raising. In 1952 an Emergency meeting was held for the sole purpose of initiating Bro. G.M. Rooke who was serving in the Royal Navy and unable to attend one of the regular meetings.

Lodge furniture, Regalia etc.

As already mentioned, the Founders purchased the original regalia. This was renewed in 1967 for £35. The Bible was presented by W. Bro. Hughes of Pellipar Lodge No. 2693, a Lodge associated with the Skinners’ Company from which the beadle and butler (W. Bros. J.A. Trost and S.J. Russell), subsequently became masters of this Lodge. Bro. Webb, S.W. of Bishopgate Lodge gave a set of gavels in 1949. In 1967 the widow of W. Bro J.C. Bargas presented a sword in his memory and in 1972 the nephew of the late W. Bro. H.E. Grove presented wine glasses, inscribed with the Lodge Badge, for the use of the Master and Wardens, in memory of his uncle.

Odds and Ends

Three American Air Force personnel have been members of the Lodge. Bro. J.A. McBee of Auburn Lodge No. 76 of Alabama joined in 1955, followed by Bro. O.F. Harper of Chamberlain Lodge No. 913 of Texas in 1956. In 1969 Bro. R.C. Ford was initiated, having been proposed by his two brothers-in-law, Bros. B.T. Dobson and R.S. Finlayson. All three servicemen subsequently returned to America.

In June 1976 the Lodge funds were unable to cover the cost of dining and brethren wishing to dine were obliged to pay for their meal. Otherwise, the cost of dining has always been included in the full annual membership fee.

Plans were discussed to celebrate the 21^st anniversary of the Lodge.

United Grand Lodge however, advised that 21st Anniversaries had no Masonic significance and suggested 25th Anniversaries would be more appropriate. But, there are no available record of any further action on this.

Special Visitors

The Lodge has had a number of visits from overseas brethren, the following are examples:

October 1949	W. Bro. J.J. Adamson, Enoch Lodge No. 99 British Columbia, Canada.
January 1954	W. Bro. E.E. Warburton, Mount Barker Lodge No. 108 Western Australia.
May 1957	W. Bro. H.J. Overing, Lodge of Friendship, Dutch West Indies.
June 1958	W. Bro. S.D. Stanton, University of Hong Kong Lodge No. 3666. Bro Stanton had been interned by the Japanese and had found a brother mason amongst his gaolers.
September 1959	V.W. Bro. B.D. Johnson, D.D.G.I.W., Port Jackson Lodge No. 387. New South Wales.
May 1961	Bro. E.P. Barnes, Harmony Lodge No. 1448, Bro. F.N. McCarthy, Lodge No. 4132 all under E. Const. Members of Ghana Diplomatic Corps.
May 1962	Bro. J.V. Kelly, Rising Star Lodge No. 1022 Bloemfontein.
September 1964	W. Bro. W.J. Clarke, P.G.W. Grand Lodge of Queensland.
May 1965	Bro. C. Granting, Lodge G.N.L.F. (France).
1965/1966	Bro. W.J. Cole, Rotorua Lodge No. 153, New Zealand.
June 1967	W. Bro. R.D. Metcalf, Mt. Hermon Lodge No. 263. Grand Treasurer, Grand Lodge of Iowa. USA.
1969	W. Bro. J.J. Anderson, Enoch Lodge No. 99, British Columbia.
1970	W. Bro. E.S. Adams, Rising Star Lodge No. 1022 Bloemfontein. Pres. Bd of Gen Purposes, District Grand Lodge, Orange Free State.
1971	W. Bro. Thomas, USA.

Since moving to the Masonic Centre and now back to Freemasons Hall at Great Queen Street, we have had not had any more overseas visitors.

Masters of the Lodge

The Rising Star Lodge meets in the centre of London at: Freemasons Hall, Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ.

Freemasons Hall is convenient to and a short walk from the Underground Stations of Holborn, Covent Garden and Leicester Square.  Also, buses are frequent from Waterloo train Station to Freemasons Hall.

The regular Rising Star Lodge meeting dates are:

• The First Saturday in December (Our Installation)
• Also the First Wednesday in March
• And, the First Wednesday in May
• Finally, the First Wednesday in October
• We also have 4 Lodge of Instruction (LoI) meetings on a Wednesday evening prior to each meeting