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In the year 1855, certain brethren decided to form a Lodge in West
Bromwich, and apply to the United Grand Lodge of England for a Warrant.
At that time, only Five Masonic Lodges were working under Warrants
issued by Grand Lodge, in this portion of South Staffordshire:
NOAH'S ARK No. 435 (now 347) meeting at the Navigation Hotel, Park Lane,Tipton.
Date of warrant ——— 1815
ST PETER'S No. 607 (now 419) meeting at the Star and Garter,Victoria
Street,
Wolverhampton.
Date of warrant ——— 1834
ST JAMES'S No. 707 (now 482) meeting at Crockett's Hotel,"Henn Inn,"
Holyhead Road,
Handsworth Date of warrant ——— 1842
HONOUR No. 769 (now 526) meeting at the Swan Hotel, High Green.Wblverhampton.
Date of warrant ——— 1846
ST MATTHEW'S No. 786 (now 539) meeting at St. Matthew's Hall, Lichfield Street,Walsall
Date of warrant ——— 1847
Our first Master, Bro.Thomas James, a Past Master of St. Matthew's Lodge
No. 786 in the absence of any known records prior to the first Minute
Book, must have been the prime mover in the formation of the Lodge. We
know from the records of St. Matthew's Lodge, that he played a very
important part in the formation of that Lodge in 1847. He was then a
Member of the Lodge of Honour No. 769, and in 1850 occupied that Chair
in St. Matthew's Lodge. He received valuable help and assistance from
brethren of Noah's Ark Lodge No. 435, who with St. Matthew's Lodge No.
786 sponsored the petition.
The following are extracts from the minutes of the two sponsoring
Lodges.
2nd January 1856
"Bro.Thomas James, P.M. brought before the notice of the Lodge, a
petition to M.W.G.M. for a
Warrant for a new Lodge at West Bromwich and requested the
recommendation of the W.M. and
Officers thereto, which was granted and the petition duly signed."
Frank James W.M. ,Thos. James., P.M., Secretary.
I have already mentioned that Bro.Thomas James, who was a P.P.G.S.D. of
Staffordshire, was to be our first W.M. and it should also be noted that
Bro. Edmund Jeavons, S.W. of Lodge No 786, our First Senior Warden.
18th January 1856
"Petition to Grand Lodge was then read by the Worshipful Master, praying
for the establishment and Consecration of a new Lodge at West Bromwich
to be called the Dartmouth Lodge No. 960, when it was agreed that the
same be signed by the Past Master and Officers of the Lodge who were
members of Grand Lodge."
I should here mention that Bro. Jno. Davies of the Noah's Ark Lodge No.
435 was to be our first Junior Warden.
The Petition to the M.W. the Grand Master, who at that time was Thomas,
2nd Earl of Zetland, K.G., bears the following signatures.
FRANK JAMES ... ... ... WM ... Lodge of St. Matthew 786
F.A.EDWARDS ... ... ... J.W ... Lodge of St. Matthew 786
JNO. BURTON... ... ... ... P.M ... Lodge of St. Matthew 786
JNO.WOOD ... ... ... ... P.M ... Lodge of St. Matthew 786
Then follows a further recommendation with the following signatures:
WM.HOWELLS ... ... ... WM ... Noah's Ark Lodge 435
E.H.A.GWYNNE ... ... ... I.P.M ... Noah's Ark Lodge 435
EDWARD T.CRESWELL ... ... S.W ... Noah's Ark Lodge 435
GEO.M. WEARING... ... ... J.W ... Noah's Ark Lodge 435
For many years now, it has been contended that our Lodge was a
"daughter" Lodge of Noah's Ark, indeed, in the early years of the
writer's membership of our Lodge, it was often quoted by P.M's and no
mention had ever been made of the interest taken by St. Matthew's Lodge.
You will observe that only two of the Principal Officers of Lodge 786
signed the petition, the WM., and the J.W. whereas the three Principal
Officers of Lodge 435 appended their signatures.
The Senior Warden of Lodge 786 at the time was Bro. Edmund Jeavons, who
was also named as Senior Warden in the petition for the new Lodge. He
did not therefore sign a petition in which he was named as one of the
Principal Officers.
The Book of Constitutions in force in 1856 stated:
"... the petition to Grand Lodge for a warrant to hold a new Lodge must
be recommended by the
Officers of a regular Lodge."
Lodge No. 435 more fully complied with this requirement, but we must in
fairness to Lodge no. 786 give to them their propriety of standing in
our history.
Both Lodges took a very keen interest in our birth and infant nurture,
and I give the following extract from the minutes of the meeting held on
the 10th October 1856:
"The I.P.M. proposed:
i. That the thanks of the Lodge be given to the Wor. Master of the
Noah's Ark Lodge,Tipton,
for his kindness in assisting us to form a Lodge, and backing the
petition to the Grand
Lodge and that the Secretary be requested to forward a copy of this
resolution to the Wor.
Master of that Lodge, ii. That the best thanks of this Lodge be
presented to Rev. Bro. Gwynne for his kindness in
attending and assisting this Lodge, and for many valuable services he
has rendered to the
Lodge, iii. That the thanks of the Lodge be given to Wor. Bro. Robinson,
Wor. Master St. Matthew's
Lodge, Walsall, for the great and valuable assistance he has frequently
rendered to this
Lodge, and for backing the petition to the Grand Lodge."
Bro. J. Davies, S.W., then proposed:
i. "That the thanks of the Lodge be presented to Wor. Bro.Thos. James,
I.P.M. for the very
valuable services and assistance he had rendered in founding and
sustaining this lodge."
We accept with gratitude the labours undertaken by the joint efforts of
both the
sponsoring Lodges, which were rewarded by the issue of our Warrant dated
the 25th
January 1856.
The names of the Founders, as shown in Grand Lodge records are:
Lodge No. 786 786
435
435/786 435 786
298/786
Accountant
Agent
Surgeon
Surveyor
Ironfounder
N.K.
Brassfounder from Paris
N.K.
Thomas James P.PJ.G.D. (Staffs.) WM. .. Edmund Jeavons ... ... SW.
JohnDavies ... ... ... JW.
David Peacock ...
James Taylor, Junr.
John R. Robinson
Thomas Woolley
Richard P.Tallis
Lodge No. 786 (now 539) is St. Matthew's Lodge,Walsall
Lodge No. 435 (now 347) is Noah's Ark Lodge, Dudley Port.
Lodge No. 298 (now 242) is St. George's Lodge, Doncaster.
Thomas Woolley was not issued with an English Grand Lodge certificate
until April 1856. He had been initiated and passed in a Lodge in France,
and took an obligation to confirm this as an Emergency Meeting of our
Lodge, held on Friday, 25th April 1856, after which he was duly raised
to the sublime degree of a Master Mason.
Richard P.Tallis apparently never attended a meeting of the Lodge, his
name does not appear in the minutes or attendance book.
The name of "Dartmouth" selected by our Founders is held in high esteem
in West Bromwich, and we are justly proud to bear a name which has been
associated with Masonry in this Province of Staffordshire for many
years.
In 1893, the father of our present R.W. Provincial Grand Master was
installed as Provincial Grand Master, and ruled the Province until his
death in 1936. It was in 1894 that he gave permission for the Arms of
his family to be incorporated in our Lodge Banner, and although no
reference to the permission being obtained to use the name can be found
in the records until that time, there is a letter in the minutes of the
meeting held on the 18th April 1906, which contains the following words:
"... after whom the lodge was permitted
to be named."
This letter, over the signatures of George Salter and Enoch Wood, was
written to the Worshipful Master, giving notice of the intention of the
two members to propose and second respectively as a fit and proper
person to be made a Mason,William Legge,Viscount Lewisham. It was their
desire that he should be Initiated, Passed and Raised before the month
of October in that year, the Jubilee Year of the Lodge.
An Emergency Lodge was held on the 8th May 1906, and Viscount Lewisham
was initiated, and it is
recorded in the minutes that the Obligation was given by Lord Dartmouth,
and the Charge
delivered by W. Bro.W. Hall Keys. Bro. Viscount Lewisham was passed at
an Emergency Lodge
summoned for the 27th June, and Raised at the regular meeting on the
19th September 1906, and
continued his membership until 1929.
In 1937 (he was now Lord Dartmouth) he re-joined the Lodge, and
following his appointment to
the Senior Warden's Chair in 1937-38, was Insta.
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