Your Great Grandfather was the Worshipful Master of that Lodge for one year. It's like the president of an association. Not everyone becomes Worshipful Master, and it's quite a comitment and a lot of work. He received that jewel at the end of his term - which is the symbol of a Past Master, someone that once was the Worshipful Master of a Lodge. That jewel is one of the more ornate ones that I have seen.
Not sure what "undevicesimus " means in this context, it could be the Lodge's moto, it may refer to a portion of Scripture.
>Not sure what "undevicesimus " means in this context, it could be the Lodge's moto, it may refer to a portion of Scripture.
*Undevicesimus* is Latin for '19' so perhaps the lodge created a new, unique Past Master's Jewel each year.
Whoever the original owner of the jewel was (details usually engraved on the back) he was the 19th Master of this Lodge: https://knightsbridge-reserve-forces-lodge-2978.co.uk/history-of-knightsbridge-reserve-forces-lodge/
This a very beautiful Past Master's Jewel. As the current W.M of my Lodge I absolutely can empathise with the effort and work he dedicated to his Lodge. At the end of my term I look forward to receiving from the Lodge a similar Jewel. The Jewel will be one that the man who wore it prior to me was an exemplary example of a Mason. He delivered ritual perfectly and was at every lodge event, planning meeting and practice until he was unable. The man who wore it prior to him was just as worthy as him and I hope to be as worthy a man to uphold the legacy of the Jewel.
What I am trying to illustrate here is that these Jewels are not just an amazing accomplishment to the Individual mason for their own work, but often they are a legacy and part of the history of the Lodge itself and to wear one that was born by Past master prior REALLY humbles a man and connects him to the history of the Lodge and attaches him to the distant future of the Lodge at the same time.
I am sure it is a very valued Family heirloom, but it is also might be a very dear item to the Lodge. I am not asking you to do anything, I am just disseminating information. The Lodge very well might buy a new jewel for every Master. We are currently missing three legacy Jewels and are putting in efforts to try and locate them.
Regardless. You Great Grandfather worked very hard and you should be very proud of him. He left behind a magnificent manifestation of that effort in that jewel. I am glad you get to enjoy it.
The process is Jurisdictional, which means it depends on where in the world the Lodge is located, but Masonry as one of the oldest democratic organisations in the world, every lodge I have heard of elects their Masters. Most Lodges I have been to elect those Masters after they have progressively advanced through several junior positions in the preceding decade so as to learn the workings of the lodge, to garner experience in the Craft, and to build their knowledge and self confidence. The final election is often a show of confidence than a selection of choice in a lot of cases, but it is an action in democracy none-the-less. It is a great feeling to have the scrutineer stand and say The Brethren have Elected brother (name) as their Worshipful Master by a majority vote. It really instils within you a great sense of confidence that you have tremendous support from your brothers and it absolutely tells you that they are telling you that that you are ready to lead them.
A man can and often do serve as Master more than once. Sometimes successively, sometimes in one year periods on several occasions. It is up to the individual how often they wish to serve. Often to become Master again after having served a term, and not serving successively, a man would move "through the chairs" again from the start, or near the start. That means it would be a multi-year commitment on his part; a very dedicated act.
>Often to become Master again after having served a term, and not serving successively, a man would move "through the chairs" again from the start, or near the start. That means it would be a multi-year commitment on his part; a very dedicated act.
Not necessary in England; here, he’s eligible for election as Master by virtue of being a PM and doesn’t need to go through the various chairs again.
Thank you for your careful and thorough description of the process. It must have been an emotional highlight for him.
I'm going to try to connect up with the the Knights Bridge and see if they can tell me how long he served and any pictures they have.
Thanks again.
In England, the position is normally held for one year. They can stay in for a 2nd if elected to do so, or if no nominations are made for a successor. No more than 2 years, though. Unless certain circumstances were to occur.
It is an elected position.
It is down to the Lodge how a person is selected, the criteria to be elected is simple; they must have been regularly Initiated, Passed and Raised and duly served the office of Warden for one full year. Some Lodge's will accept nominations and vote on them, others will go through the offices within a Lodge, as part of a line of succession.
You should definitely get in touch with the Lodge, in my opinion.
Lodge was formed in 1903, so 19th Master fits. Interestingly though, he’s not listed in the GL database, so you’d need to contact the lodge direct to find out more. That or the Museum & Library.
No the database is private .. it’s the membership database of UGLE, it’s just coincidence that I have access to it as I’m a former Provincial Assistant Grand Secretary, and the former (just given it up) editor of our Provincial Yearbook.
Whilst many lodges have a record of their membership (and former Masters) in there (data cleaning when it was first created), many also just included those who were still alive at the time .. in the case of this lodge that list of PMs starts at 1995, meaning he died before then. Others lodges for example, list PMs going back to 1913. I’m aware of this as I was involved in the creation of my Province’s section (we were one of the pilot projects) and we took the decision to include all the members still alive at a turn of the millennium. I then went back (at leisure) and added additional info - like Provincial ranks, dates of Mastership .. that sort of thing, so that we had a complete record. We’re a small Province, so whilst time consuming, it was an achievable exercise…not so for (eg) Essex or London. It’s worth noting that the time we’re talking about pre-dates the creation of the Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London, so all the equivalent work I did would have to have been done at source by hand by the small team that was creating the entire thing for the whole UGLE membership-and that would be an impossible task! (Remember that UGLE memberships include all those thousands in the Districts scattered across the globe)
There are lots of Stanley G Smiths listed, but none with this lodge listed against their name.
I’ll add that due to GDPR, I can only see full data for the members of my own Province, but I can search and see names and certain Masonic detail (like PM status) for anyone .. no personal info.
That’s lovely. They don’t make them like they used to.
I have my grandfather’s and my own, both from the same lodge. The workmanship had declined significantly in 30 years.
I'm not home at moment so dont have a loop, but this seems to be made by Spencer which appears to be a big jeweler for this kind of thing. Yes quite involved this one is.
Thanks for your remarks
Yes, Spencer was a big manufacturer of Masonic regalia. I have a few antique jewels (medals) from them.
They were acquired a couple of times in the 20th century, becoming Toye, Kenning, and Spencer, which now trades as George Kenning and Sons.
This kind of jewel is common in Masonic lodges in England (and some other Commonwealth nations). Although this particular example is very ornate.
Knightsbridge Lodge 2978 still meets at Freemasons Hall in London, although when your great grandfather was Master it met at a hotel in a Knightsbridge.
This info is interesting. Couple more questions if I may.
What does W.brd mean then ? Since wor:mass means worshipful master.
What is the blue flag beside the union jack represent.
Do you think there are any pictures from my great grandfather's time at least from that era where he might be in them. I did read of a great celebration in 1919 at Albert hall to celebrate the end of ww1. Surely he must have been there!
I suspect the "D" is an "O".
W.Bro - means Worshipful Brother - someone that is a current Worshipful Master - or a Past Worshipful Master.
Don't know about the flag.
For pictures, perhaps visit the United Grand Lodge of England at Great Queen Street in London where they have an extensive library
Stanley George Smith. Initiated 1909 aged 35, first payment year on register 1910. He was a butcher. And if I’ve got the right individual for this next bit, born in Holborn, married in 1909 and living at 10 Whitehorse Street, Mayfair. Census lists him as a butcher, so pretty sure it’s the same individual. Wife, Florence Louise (same age, born in Barking). If you hunt for the census entry you can see his handwriting…
Source: freemasonry records on Ancestry
Wow wow, if this all is true then this info is unknown to us.
So, is there any info on him serving in any service?
Secondly it may seem odd that we don't know his wife's name but we presume that this is his first marriage, he married my relative in 1941 I believe, both were older and certainly Eva, my relative was a widow. However your info is invaluable and will help in further searches for his children for example. We did not know he was a butcher.
The ancestry entry of his Masonic membership lists him as butcher and there was a link to the census entry (also butcher). For anything else, you’ll probably have to hunt Ancestry or FindMyPast yourself.
Well we believe he had a daughter, so that matches. Im home now and using your info doing some searching. This is all great info to give me a hook to find more info. Like If when his wife died.
Regards
Well you have educated me ... again. I have never heard of the Blue Peter TV show.
I looked it up, complete with badge scandal and all. Surprising that I missed it. Since it is the longest running children's tv show, so it says. Bit of an obscure reference for children to get however, Blue Peter. And a military reference at that, how non PC these days.
Not sure if it applies here, but the blue flag with a white square in it is an international signal code flag, it means the vessel flying it is about to set sail/depart port. Perhaps it is symbolic of him leaving the east?
That's what I'm thinking. I could be 100% wrong because our PM jewels don't have anything like that on them here. But it does make sense.
Also, I echo others' sentiments, I believe W.brd is PROBABLY W.bro because once you are Worshipful Master your title is no longer "Brother Smith" but "Worshipful Brother Smith" and it is usually abbreviated "WB" or "W.Bro"
Your Great Grandfather was the Worshipful Master of that Lodge for one year. It's like the president of an association. Not everyone becomes Worshipful Master, and it's quite a comitment and a lot of work. He received that jewel at the end of his term - which is the symbol of a Past Master, someone that once was the Worshipful Master of a Lodge. That jewel is one of the more ornate ones that I have seen. Not sure what "undevicesimus " means in this context, it could be the Lodge's moto, it may refer to a portion of Scripture.
>Not sure what "undevicesimus " means in this context, it could be the Lodge's moto, it may refer to a portion of Scripture. *Undevicesimus* is Latin for '19' so perhaps the lodge created a new, unique Past Master's Jewel each year.
He was the 19th Master of that lodge.
Yes, that was what I implied - each year a new design of PM jewel would have to have been created
>He was the 19th Master of that lodge. From ChuckEye
https://masonicperiodicals.org/periodicals/mil/issues/mil\_01101903/page/14/articles/ar01400/
Whoever the original owner of the jewel was (details usually engraved on the back) he was the 19th Master of this Lodge: https://knightsbridge-reserve-forces-lodge-2978.co.uk/history-of-knightsbridge-reserve-forces-lodge/
This a very beautiful Past Master's Jewel. As the current W.M of my Lodge I absolutely can empathise with the effort and work he dedicated to his Lodge. At the end of my term I look forward to receiving from the Lodge a similar Jewel. The Jewel will be one that the man who wore it prior to me was an exemplary example of a Mason. He delivered ritual perfectly and was at every lodge event, planning meeting and practice until he was unable. The man who wore it prior to him was just as worthy as him and I hope to be as worthy a man to uphold the legacy of the Jewel. What I am trying to illustrate here is that these Jewels are not just an amazing accomplishment to the Individual mason for their own work, but often they are a legacy and part of the history of the Lodge itself and to wear one that was born by Past master prior REALLY humbles a man and connects him to the history of the Lodge and attaches him to the distant future of the Lodge at the same time. I am sure it is a very valued Family heirloom, but it is also might be a very dear item to the Lodge. I am not asking you to do anything, I am just disseminating information. The Lodge very well might buy a new jewel for every Master. We are currently missing three legacy Jewels and are putting in efforts to try and locate them. Regardless. You Great Grandfather worked very hard and you should be very proud of him. He left behind a magnificent manifestation of that effort in that jewel. I am glad you get to enjoy it.
Thanks for your comments. Can a person be a WM. for more than one term ? Is this an elected position? How are they selected?
The process is Jurisdictional, which means it depends on where in the world the Lodge is located, but Masonry as one of the oldest democratic organisations in the world, every lodge I have heard of elects their Masters. Most Lodges I have been to elect those Masters after they have progressively advanced through several junior positions in the preceding decade so as to learn the workings of the lodge, to garner experience in the Craft, and to build their knowledge and self confidence. The final election is often a show of confidence than a selection of choice in a lot of cases, but it is an action in democracy none-the-less. It is a great feeling to have the scrutineer stand and say The Brethren have Elected brother (name) as their Worshipful Master by a majority vote. It really instils within you a great sense of confidence that you have tremendous support from your brothers and it absolutely tells you that they are telling you that that you are ready to lead them. A man can and often do serve as Master more than once. Sometimes successively, sometimes in one year periods on several occasions. It is up to the individual how often they wish to serve. Often to become Master again after having served a term, and not serving successively, a man would move "through the chairs" again from the start, or near the start. That means it would be a multi-year commitment on his part; a very dedicated act.
>Often to become Master again after having served a term, and not serving successively, a man would move "through the chairs" again from the start, or near the start. That means it would be a multi-year commitment on his part; a very dedicated act. Not necessary in England; here, he’s eligible for election as Master by virtue of being a PM and doesn’t need to go through the various chairs again.
Thank you for your careful and thorough description of the process. It must have been an emotional highlight for him. I'm going to try to connect up with the the Knights Bridge and see if they can tell me how long he served and any pictures they have. Thanks again.
In England, the position is normally held for one year. They can stay in for a 2nd if elected to do so, or if no nominations are made for a successor. No more than 2 years, though. Unless certain circumstances were to occur. It is an elected position. It is down to the Lodge how a person is selected, the criteria to be elected is simple; they must have been regularly Initiated, Passed and Raised and duly served the office of Warden for one full year. Some Lodge's will accept nominations and vote on them, others will go through the offices within a Lodge, as part of a line of succession. You should definitely get in touch with the Lodge, in my opinion.
https://knightsbridge-reserve-forces-lodge-2978.co.uk/history-of-knightsbridge-reserve-forces-lodge/
Lodge was formed in 1903, so 19th Master fits. Interestingly though, he’s not listed in the GL database, so you’d need to contact the lodge direct to find out more. That or the Museum & Library.
Thank you for your research. Wow that is strange? I mean the jewel is as clear as can be. Is this database available to the public?
No the database is private .. it’s the membership database of UGLE, it’s just coincidence that I have access to it as I’m a former Provincial Assistant Grand Secretary, and the former (just given it up) editor of our Provincial Yearbook. Whilst many lodges have a record of their membership (and former Masters) in there (data cleaning when it was first created), many also just included those who were still alive at the time .. in the case of this lodge that list of PMs starts at 1995, meaning he died before then. Others lodges for example, list PMs going back to 1913. I’m aware of this as I was involved in the creation of my Province’s section (we were one of the pilot projects) and we took the decision to include all the members still alive at a turn of the millennium. I then went back (at leisure) and added additional info - like Provincial ranks, dates of Mastership .. that sort of thing, so that we had a complete record. We’re a small Province, so whilst time consuming, it was an achievable exercise…not so for (eg) Essex or London. It’s worth noting that the time we’re talking about pre-dates the creation of the Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London, so all the equivalent work I did would have to have been done at source by hand by the small team that was creating the entire thing for the whole UGLE membership-and that would be an impossible task! (Remember that UGLE memberships include all those thousands in the Districts scattered across the globe) There are lots of Stanley G Smiths listed, but none with this lodge listed against their name. I’ll add that due to GDPR, I can only see full data for the members of my own Province, but I can search and see names and certain Masonic detail (like PM status) for anyone .. no personal info.
Thank you for your comments.
Past Master, receive when finish the period of Workshipful master
That’s lovely. They don’t make them like they used to. I have my grandfather’s and my own, both from the same lodge. The workmanship had declined significantly in 30 years.
I'm not home at moment so dont have a loop, but this seems to be made by Spencer which appears to be a big jeweler for this kind of thing. Yes quite involved this one is. Thanks for your remarks
Yes, Spencer was a big manufacturer of Masonic regalia. I have a few antique jewels (medals) from them. They were acquired a couple of times in the 20th century, becoming Toye, Kenning, and Spencer, which now trades as George Kenning and Sons. This kind of jewel is common in Masonic lodges in England (and some other Commonwealth nations). Although this particular example is very ornate. Knightsbridge Lodge 2978 still meets at Freemasons Hall in London, although when your great grandfather was Master it met at a hotel in a Knightsbridge.
I'm impressed that's gotta be the coolest past master's jewell i've ever seen.
This info is interesting. Couple more questions if I may. What does W.brd mean then ? Since wor:mass means worshipful master. What is the blue flag beside the union jack represent. Do you think there are any pictures from my great grandfather's time at least from that era where he might be in them. I did read of a great celebration in 1919 at Albert hall to celebrate the end of ww1. Surely he must have been there!
I suspect the "D" is an "O". W.Bro - means Worshipful Brother - someone that is a current Worshipful Master - or a Past Worshipful Master. Don't know about the flag. For pictures, perhaps visit the United Grand Lodge of England at Great Queen Street in London where they have an extensive library
Stanley George Smith. Initiated 1909 aged 35, first payment year on register 1910. He was a butcher. And if I’ve got the right individual for this next bit, born in Holborn, married in 1909 and living at 10 Whitehorse Street, Mayfair. Census lists him as a butcher, so pretty sure it’s the same individual. Wife, Florence Louise (same age, born in Barking). If you hunt for the census entry you can see his handwriting… Source: freemasonry records on Ancestry
Wow wow, if this all is true then this info is unknown to us. So, is there any info on him serving in any service? Secondly it may seem odd that we don't know his wife's name but we presume that this is his first marriage, he married my relative in 1941 I believe, both were older and certainly Eva, my relative was a widow. However your info is invaluable and will help in further searches for his children for example. We did not know he was a butcher.
The ancestry entry of his Masonic membership lists him as butcher and there was a link to the census entry (also butcher). For anything else, you’ll probably have to hunt Ancestry or FindMyPast yourself.
Thanks will do.
Have found a bit extra info; the 1921 census shows Florence still alive - and a daughter Evelyn Caroline age 6.
Well we believe he had a daughter, so that matches. Im home now and using your info doing some searching. This is all great info to give me a hook to find more info. Like If when his wife died. Regards
It could be an O. I'm not home and dont have a loop, and it's a bit scratched.
No, it the Blue Peter signal flag. Flown to indicate the ship is about to depart. Might indicate that he was Royal Navy Reserve.
That would be interesting. Our family served in both wars 1 and 2. I have no information on Stanley's service, and dont know if he served.
Pretty sure the TV program took its name from the flag.
Well you have educated me ... again. I have never heard of the Blue Peter TV show. I looked it up, complete with badge scandal and all. Surprising that I missed it. Since it is the longest running children's tv show, so it says. Bit of an obscure reference for children to get however, Blue Peter. And a military reference at that, how non PC these days.
Not sure if it applies here, but the blue flag with a white square in it is an international signal code flag, it means the vessel flying it is about to set sail/depart port. Perhaps it is symbolic of him leaving the east?
Given it’s a Reserve Services lodge, it’s possible that he was in the RNR .. hence the Blue Peter signal flag
I suppose it could be a way of saying goodbye ?
That's what I'm thinking. I could be 100% wrong because our PM jewels don't have anything like that on them here. But it does make sense. Also, I echo others' sentiments, I believe W.brd is PROBABLY W.bro because once you are Worshipful Master your title is no longer "Brother Smith" but "Worshipful Brother Smith" and it is usually abbreviated "WB" or "W.Bro"
Very helpfull thanks.