© Provincial Grand Lodge of Nottinghamshire issue 1 - October 2017

Welcome to the new-look Provincial NewsletterWelcome to the inaugural issue of “Inside the Province”, a monthly newsletter which brings together the important news from Nottinghamshire Provincial Grand Lodge and United Grand Lodge of England.

The new-look newsletter will complement the notices issued in the first and second risings of your Craft Lodge, and also act as the ‘notice board’ for future Provincial events.

“Inside the Province” will be issued on the first of every month via the regular email system. It will also be forwarded to Lodge Secretaries (in PDF format) to enable each Lodge to provide its own printed copies for Brethren not on email.

The communications team would welcome your feedback, so please let us know what you think by emailing:

eComms@nottinghamshiremasons.co.uk

Masonic Scholarship for Science and Technology

A cheque for £2,000 has been presented to NUAST to support students workThe Provincial charities donate approxi-mately £140,000 a year to Nottinghamshire charities. To support the local economy, we have launched a scholarship scheme to encourage and support local young peo-ple to pursue their career ambitions within Science and Technology. The scholarship will provide travel bursaries and support for work experience and educational visits.

A number of students will benefit immedi-ately from the scholarship with support to travel to Ningbo.

Over the coming months further support will create opportunity for work experience, visits from industry partners and project work.

Lodge Mentors’ Annual Meetings for 2017In November 2016 two Lodge Mentors’ Meetings were held at Goldsmith Street and Mansfield Masonic Halls, where 80% of the Lodge Mentors attended, together with many other Brethren who declared an inter-est in the scheme, raising positive feedback resulting in:

Commencement of ad hoc Mentor’s Briefing Sheets being forwarded by the Provincial Grand Mentor.

Application forms for Initiates Guides from Lodge Mentors direct to the Provincial Grand Mentor.

Revised Annual Mentors Report to the Provincial Grand Master

Guidance Notes to Lodges being re-written together with a new preface from the Provincial Grand Master; forwarded as an electronic document to all Lodge Mentors and Secretaries of Craft Lodges.

Requests that Annual Lodge Mentors Meetings continue to be held.

In addition, the Initiates Guide was updated and reprinted. These remain free to all Initi-ates and £4.00 to any other Brother wish-ing to purchase a copy. Initial applications direct to the Provincial Grand Mentor at:mentor@nottinghamshiremasons.co.uk

In view of the above, TWO FURTHER LODGE MENTORS’ MEETINGS will be held this year (2017) with an open invitation to any Per-sonal Mentors or other Brethren who may have an interest in the scheme.

Everyone will all be made very welcome but must book their place through Neil Airey, the Provincial Grand Mentor:mentor@nottinghamshiremasons.co.uk

Saturday 18th November 2017 10am - 12 noonNottingham Masonic Hall25 Goldsmith Street, Nottingham. NG1 5LBSaturday 25th November 2017 10am - 12 noonMansfield Masonic Hall155 Nottingham Road, Mansfield. NG18 4AE

Please arrive by 9:30am for Registration, Tea & Coffee, allowing for a PROMPT 10am start.

MCF Community Awards

To view the results in more detail, click the link below to visit the Provincial website:

https://goo.gl/UDzTYP

To view the image in more detail, click the link below to visit the Provincial website:

https://goo.gl/9PfNnN

Welcome to Issue One of the new Nottinghamshire monthly Provincial Newsletter. Released on the 1st of every month and keeping you up to date with Craft news from the Province and United Grand Lodge of England.

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FOR YOUR DIARYSaturday 7th October 2017Provincial Visit to Rushcliffe Lodge No 3658 at Chilwell Masonic Hall. Contact secretary for start time.

Monday 30th October 2017Introduction to the Holy Royal ArchMansfield Masonic Hall6:30pm - 9:30pmAn informal but informative evening with the opportunity to meet and speak with the Holy Royal Arch Leaders, be entertained with a ‘playlet’ entitled “Talking Heads” (which will answer most of the questions you may have regarding the Holy Royal Arch) and finishing off with an open discussion followed by a FREE 2-course supper for potential candidates. For more information and to reserve a place, contact the Provincial Scribe E, David Barber:scribeE@nottinghamshiremasons.co.uk

Tuesday 31st October 2017The UGLE celebration of 300 years will culminate with a gala event to be held in the Royal Albert Hall on the afternoon of Tuesday 31 October 2017 between 3pm and 5:30pm. The Province is intending to screen the live feed of this event. Final details will be published on the Provincial website:www.nottinghamshiremasons.co.uk

Wednesday 8th November 2017Provincial Visit to Gateway Lodge No 8372 at Worksop Masonic Hall.Contact secretary for start time.

Saturday 18th November 2017Lodge Mentors’ meeting at Goldsmith Street. 11am - 12noon.Open invitation to all personal mentors or other interested Brethren. To book your place contact Neil Airey:mentor@nottinghamshiremasons.co.uk

Saturday 25th November 2017Lodge Mentors’ meeting at Mansfield Masonic Hall. 11am - 12noonOpen invitation to all personal mentors or other interested Brethren. To book your place contact Neil Airey:mentor@nottinghamshiremasons.co.uk

Saturday 2nd December 2017Sowing the Seeds interactive workshop at Goldsmith Street. 9:30am - 12:30pmTo book your place contact Graham Riche: graham.riche@concourse.uk.com

Tuesday 12th December 2017Provincial Visit to Magnus Lodge No 3441 at Newark Masonic Hall.Contact secretary for start time.

To view the event in more detail, click the l

ink below to visit the Provincial website:

https://goo.gl/weC9fQ

Prince Philip Honoured by Navy Lodge

Brethren of Navy Lodge No 2612, who meet at Freemasons’ Hall in London, have pre-sented their most senior Naval member, Admiral of the Fleet His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, with a gold Tercen-tenary Jewel at Buckingham Palace.

The presentation was made on behalf of the Lodge by its Master, Captain Simon Thomas RN, and its youngest and most junior serving member, Lieutenant Josh Skelding RN. They were accompanied by Commander Michael Higham RN and Navy Lodge Secretary Commander Jonty Powis RN.

After the presentation, His Royal Highness and the brethren talked about the Lodge and Freemasonry in general, including the recent Sky 1 documentary series about the Craft.Item first appeared in Freemasonry Today

Social Media PolicyThe use of social media, and in particular Facebook and Twitter, has revolutionised the way in which Freemasonry is being promoted to the general public. However, Brethren are reminded that the use of social media to promote Freemasonry must be in line with UGLE’s Social Media Policy.

Copies of the policy have been distributed through Lodge Secretaries, but additional copies are available from: information@nottinghamshiremasons.co.uk

The Start of Something BigTo us, with the benefit of hindsight, the meeting on 24th June 1717 was a momen-tous and historical event – but put into the context of the time a different picture emerges. One of the problems of dealing with 1717 and the first few years of the Grand Lodge is the lack of hard facts to work with.

It was not until 1723 and the appointment of William Cowper, Clerk of the Parliaments, as Secretary to the Grand Lodge that min-utes began to be kept. Of the four lodges which came together to elect a Grand Mas-ter in 1717 three are still working today – the Lodge of Antiquity, the Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge and the Lodge of Fortitude and Old Cumberland – but their early minutes have long been lost so that, with the exception of those elected to the offices of Grand Master and Grand War-dens we have no records of whom their members were in the years 1717–1725, when the Grand Lodge first called for lodges to submit lists of their members, or who at-tended the meeting on 24 June 1717.

What we can deduce from secondary evi-dence is that the meeting was not a huge assembly. The Goose and Gridiron survived until the 1890s and just before it was de-molished an enterprising masonic historian drew sketches of its exterior and measured the room in which the Grand Lodge was formed. The room would have held less than a hundred people who would have had to stand very close to each other to fit into the room!

Our primary source for what happened in those early years is the history of the Craft with which Rev Dr James Anderson pref-aced the Rules governing Freemasonry in the second edition of the Book of Consti-tutions he published on behalf of Grand Lodge in 1738. Because Anderson’s history of the Craft pre-1717 is more than somewhat suspect, some historians have cast doubts on his description of the events in Grand Lodge from 1717–1738. What they forget is that he compiled it on behalf of the Grand Lodge and that it was vetted by a Commit-tee of the Grand Lodge before it went into print... An extract from an address given by VW Brother John Hamill, PGSwB, Deputy Grand Chancellor.

Read the full Address here:

https://goo.gl/1mRfHL

Can you help?Are you interested in helping to promote Freemasonry in Nottinghamshire? Are you involved in communications? Have you got any special skills in Information Technology, design or social media? If you think you can help, then we would be delighted to hear from you as we look to grow the Provincial Communications team.If you would like to contribute and have the necessary skills and experience, please email:

eComms@nottinghamshiremasons.co.uk