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| Members of the newly formed Cornerstone Rugby Lodge |
This Is Local London UK news website featured an article on Thursday that signals what can only be described as an enormous increase in interest in joining Masonic lodges in and around Essex in England.
The county of Essex is immediately northeast of London, and sits on the North Sea to its east.
From Waiting list to become a Freemason in Essex reaches five-year record high' by Hannah Hastings:
In the last four months more than 300 enquiries from people wanting to know more about the organisation and is expected to increase throughout the next year.
There are almost 9,000 Freemasons in Essex meeting at 305 separate Lodges, based in 27 different Centres across the County.
Some Lodges have reported that they now have a two-year waiting list following the surge of people keen to sign up.
Rodney Bass OBE, provincial grand master for Essex Freemasons, said: “Society has changed dramatically in recent years and we are now seeing a growing situation where more men of all ages are seeking to belong to an organisation where standards and principles have remained constant.
“Kindness, integrity, honesty and many other facets such as support for charities might seem a little old fashioned, but it is striking a chord with those looking to put something back into their communities.”
Freemasonry in the UK celebrated their three-hundredth anniversary in 2017 famed for being a secret society who pride themselves being good law-abiding citizens.
Such is the interest in become a Freemason has resulted in new Lodges being launched in order to meet the high demands.
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| Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex |
English Masons have retained the philosophy that bigger lodges are not better ones, which is why they have so many compared to areas of comparable geography and population in the U.S. It's not uncommon for an English lodge to have just two or three dozen members, and they charter new ones instead of growing to an impersonal size.
For more about Essex Freemasonry visit. www.essexfreemasons.net
I have many ancestors who were Freemasons. However, other than the headstone marker and/or obituary indicating association with the organization, I have learned nothing. I have called, emailed and written to various posts and I’m always told there are no records. I find that difficult to believe and wonder what other course I might take to get information?
ReplyDeleteDiane, where are you making your enquiries? If you are doing ancestral research for someone in England and Wales try here: https://museumfreemasonry.org.uk/family-history
ReplyDeleteHi Diane
ReplyDeleteIf you contact the province that they were masons in records are kept of all past and deceased members as well as current. If you know where they were Freemasons that is half the job for getting the information, then you can contact the provincial secretary who will be able to direct you further. Hope this helps.
Greetings to my brothers in the UK. Nice to see the fraternity is growing somewhere. Would love to have your backlog. Unfortunately, we continue to see declining numbers in the States. If you have a few interested parties that might want to immigrate, we would be happy to accommodate:). David Shoop PM Corinthian #266 Norfolk, Virginia (USA)
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