A French carriage clock
decorated with books and
Masonic working tools
All photographs copyright and courtesey of the Library & Museum, United Grand Lodge of England
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Donations
gather pace
In her talk at the Quarterly Communication
of Grand Lodge in June, Diane Clements,
the Director of the Library and Museum
of Freemasonry, spoke about how the
collections there continue to grow.
To illustrate this Diane has composed
the following diary of just two weeks
in September.
September is always a busy month as
meetings begin again, with a large number
of visitors to the Quarterly Communication,
including many from overseas.
September 2004 began with the donation
of a Chinese export porcelain mug dating
from the late 18th century, presented to the
Library and Museum in memory of Harry
Waters by his family.We already have a wide
range of such mugs, but with a distinctive
rim of snakes and chisels, unlike any already
in the collection, this particular example
was a very welcome addition.
From another donor we received a regalia
wallet inscribed to Companion Lord Charles
Beresford MP of St Marylebone Chapter
No.1305, which he joined in 1886. This
turned out to be an interesting donation
in a number of ways.
Anyone who has studied naval history,
and particularly the build-up to the First
World War, will be familiar with Beresford,
a controversial naval officer and politician
of the Edwardian period, probably the
best-known sailor of his day.
He was also an active Freemason.
Inside the wallet was Beresford's Royal
Arch apron and a Masonic certificate dated
1887 in the name of Lord William Leslie
de la Poer Beresford, a member of Himalayan
Brotherhood Lodge No 459, but never
signed by him.
This was one of Charles Beresford's
younger brothers, who had a career in the
army, fought in the Zulu wars and won the
Victoria Cross so the certificate will be
exhibited at our exhibition on those Masons
awarded the VC, planned for 2006.
One of our visitors to the Library and
Museum, Robin Osborn, Provincial Grand
Master of Devon, presented me with a copy
of the new history of the Province, which
is superbly illustrated.
Another donation that arrived by mail
was a jewel issued by the Cologne Lodge of
Instruction. Formed for English Freemasons
living at Cologne, in the Rhineland area of
Germany, it was declared a demilitarised zone
under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
in 1919 at the end of the First World War.
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