© Palatine Lodge - 1893 - 2023 - In se ipso totus teres -
Thirty years ago
Palatine Lodge was 100 years old and in the same year, 1993,
on April 30, four years after publishing a proposal for “an idea
of linked information systems,” computer scientist Tim
Berners-Lee released the source code for the world's first web
browser and editor.
Eric Bently, Master of Palatine Lodge in 1962 was tasked
with writing a summary of the Lodge history and produced a
remarkable account spending many hours collating
information and producing a detailed narrative that was
published as a centenary booklet. I have no doubt he would be
very pleased to see his abridged work included within these
pages even though he really had no idea that the internet
would become such a mine of information, or a necessary part
of everyday life.
Foreword
“I have been pleased to carry out the task of writing this
short history of Palatine Lodge, but the work of
summarising 100 years of history has been quite
formidable.
Fortunately all the Minute Books of the Lodge since its
inception are in safekeeping at Freemasons Hall,
Manchester.
1
Other records are sparse, there being a few
notable exceptions such as the original By-Law book. The
study of twelve large minute books, each covering nearly
a decade or more, and the extraction of relevant and
interesting facts was quite a daunting task. All have been
researched and I thank some of the Brethren of the Lodge
for their assistance in the extraction of the details. At
times the standard of writing in the Minute Books made
this task harder, but the copperplate writing of the
earliest years was a pleasure to see and must reflect the
painstaking work of those times.
The Masonic timespan can be illustrated by the fact that
there were 100 Lodges in the Province of Lancashire
(Eastern Division) in 1893 when Palatine Lodge was
born. One hundred years later there are now 402 Lodges
in the Province of East Lancashire.
2
I have endeavoured to extract the facts to build up a
picture of how Palatine Lodge developed and lived. These
details have been compiled on the basis of subject matter,
and not as what could have been a long chronological
catalogue of events.
We feel that you will find the result interesting reading.
Eric H Bentley
P.A.G.D.C.”
Palatine Lodge Founders
name
Lodge
Province
Comments
W.Bro Frederick Broadsmith
P.Prov.G.Regr.
No:1166
‘Clarendon’, Sale
Cheshire
First W.M. 1893
Bro. Hubert J. Owen
No:461
‘Fortitude’, Hyde
Cheshire
First S.W.
W.M. 1894
Bro. William James Fawcus
No:461
‘Fortitude’, Hyde
Cheshire
First J.W.
W.M. 1895
W.Bro. George Samuel Smith
No:1134 ‘Newall’
No:1170 ‘St. George’s
No:2359 ‘Doric’
Lancs (E.D.)
Lancs (E.D.)
Lancs (W.D.)
First D.C.
First Charity Representative
W.Bro William Ramsden
P.Prov G.D.
No:2368
‘Alan’ Macclesfield
Cheshire
Bro. William Spencer
No:461
‘Fortitude, Sale
Cheshire
First Steward
W.M. 1899
Bro. John Joseph Tinker
No:461 ‘Fortitude’
No:1166 ‘Clarendon’
Cheshire
First Treasurer
W.Bro. Claire Edgar Towell
No:2359
‘Doric’, Chorlton
Lancs (W.D.)
W.Bro. George Alfred Myres
No:1731 ‘Urmston’
No:2359 ‘Doric’
Lancs (W£.D.)
First J.D.
W.Bro. John Hardwicke Marsh
No:317 ‘Lodge of Affability’
No:1730 ‘Urmston’
Lancs (E.D.)
First Secretary
Bro. George Graham
No:461
‘Fortitude’, Hyde
Cheshire
First S.D.
W.M. 1896
Bro. John Newton
No:1140
‘Ashton’ Chorlton
Lancs (W.D.)
First I.G.
W.M. 1897
History
