My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Moving to England

BrinkJ

Registered User
I'm US Air Force and will be moving to England next year. The lodge here is small, and goes dark during the summer. Can anyone reply and let me know what to expect with lodges there? A rumor I've heard so far is most lodges work at the Royal Arch level at a minimum and rarely "come down" to the Blue Lodge MM. Is there any truth in that? Any advice/information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Brothers.


Bro John
FC, Elmore Lodge #30


Freemason Connect Mobile
 

BEDickey

Premium Member
I know that, due to past events, most masons keep it very close to the chest in England, you won't see nearly as many belt buckles, and hats and belts and what not with the S&C, IF you see a ring it will usually be a flip ring with a family crest on one side with a S&C on the other.
 

widows son

Premium Member
I have also heard that one must be a RAM to sit in an English lodge. Though, I too am not quite sure. Perhaps some of the English might chime in.
 

BrinkJ

Registered User
Thanks for the replies, I do hope to hear from our English brothers on this, that way I can start York Rite before I leave if it will be needed.


Bro John
FC, Elmore Lodge #30


Freemason Connect Mobile
 

streeter

Registered User
I'm US Air Force and will be moving to England next year. The lodge here is small, and goes dark during the summer. Can anyone reply and let me know what to expect with lodges there? A rumor I've heard so far is most lodges work at the Royal Arch level at a minimum and rarely "come down" to the Blue Lodge MM. Is there any truth in that? Any advice/information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Brothers.


Bro John
FC, Elmore Lodge #30


Freemason Connect Mobile
hello brother john, if we might connect with private messages i'd be very happy to assist you.....robert streeter [30years ugloe 8296]
 

Mike Martin

Eternal Apprentice
Premium Member
Hi John,

Absolutely no need to play secret squirrel with this question as it is very straight-forward.

The rumours about what degree you must have (repeated above) are completely untrue! English Lodges carry out the majority of their work in the First Degree and we will welcome a visiting Entered Apprentice as long as he has sufficient proof of his standing. We go up through the degrees when there is a degree to be conferred or at our Installation and those who are not qualified simply leave the Lodge room for a period of time until the Lodge is back down to their degree.

Our Lodges work only in the Three (aka Craft) Degrees and the Royal Arch Degree is carried out in Chapters which are attached to our Lodges but actually meet independently and at different times. ALL other degrees (even the Mark) require the Freemason to join separate and distinct organisations that also meet in different groups at different times completely unconnected to Craft Lodges or Chapters. Please be advised that the York Rite is an american thing, although we have all of the degrees it is made up of they are all separate organisations.

As a FC, you will need to obtain a letter either from the Secretary of your Lodge or better still your Grand Secretary introducing you as a Regular Freemason and at the same time confirming your status within the Lodge. On arrival in England your initial contact (unless you know someone) should be made through the relevant Provincial Grand Lodge for where you will be stationed. Be advised that it is against Masonic protocol to make contact with it before you are in England, although obviously if you already know English Freemasons you talk to them just the same.
 
Last edited:

widows son

Premium Member
So if the York rite is an American thing, what do you call it on England? Here in Canada we also do our work in the first, and Masonry here is almost mirrored to that in England. Here, the chapter degrees are in the York rite, except for the past masters degree.
 

Mike Martin

Eternal Apprentice
Premium Member
As i said we have those degrees but they have not been formed into a progression or single body (as the americans have done) they are as they were at the beginning of their existences separate and distinct orders and degrees. Although over the last few years many of them come under the single management of Mark Masons Hall.

If you meet an English Mason who is a Past Master it means that he has been the Master of a Lodge, it is not possible to be an English Past Master any other way.

This document will show you how it works here in England: http://merseylodge5434.org/info/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/masonic-pathways-English.pdf
 
Last edited:

streeter

Registered User
So if the York rite is an American thing, what do you call it on England? Here in Canada we also do our work in the first, and Masonry here is almost mirrored to that in England. Here, the chapter degrees are in the York rite, except for the past masters degree.

they call it exactly that - an American thing !! blessings...robert
 

Mike Martin

Eternal Apprentice
Premium Member
So would it help to be a Royal Arch Mason when visiting England then?
It would not make any difference and would ONLY become relevant if you specifically wished to attend a meeting of a Royal Arch Chapter, as I said these are quite separate from Lodge meetings.

I think it would help if I point out that only around 40% of all English Masons actually join an Appendant Order or Degree following their MM.
 
Last edited:

Bill Hosler

Registered User
I lived there for three months and the best advice I can give is make sure you take your own apron. In England you buy your regalia. The lodge doesn't provide it to you.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
I lived there for three months and the best advice I can give is make sure you take your own apron. In England you buy your regalia. The lodge doesn't provide it to you.

Likely to be an issue in the beginning as he's a FellowCraft at this point. I suggest asking if they do degrees by courtesy for lodges in other jurisdictions. It might be very cool to get two degrees in one jurisdiction and one degree in another. It would not be conducive at first to joining the line but he's out there on travel for a while so that doesn't matter this year.
 

Bill Hosler

Registered User
I didn't realize he was a Fellowcraft. In England they have a different apron for each degree so you can actually buy a FC apron there.

That would be cool to have a courtesy degree done like that but I'm sure it would be a paperwork nightmare between Grand lodges.


Freemason Connect Mobile
 

Mike Martin

Eternal Apprentice
Premium Member
Gents, he will have been Raised by the time he comes to England.

However it is worth highlighting that English Masons only usually buy their Master Mason apron, as the EA and FC ones are normally loaned to them by the Lodge as they will only be at those Degrees for a relatively short time. Their next change of apron (once an MM) comes when they are Installed into the Chair of King Solomon as Master of their Lodge and earn the Rank of an Installed Master, this can take anywhere between 5 and 20 years depending on the size of Lodge and their commitment (for me it was 8 years).
 

MarkR

Premium Member
I lived there for three months and the best advice I can give is make sure you take your own apron. In England you buy your regalia. The lodge doesn't provide it to you.
I wish we'd adopt this custom in the states, instead of the majority of the brothers wearing the ratty, wrinkled, decades old, plain white cloth aprons from the pile at the tyler's station. I have both a MM apron and a PM apron of my own.
 

CDNmason

Registered User
Greetings -

I have a few questions:

I'll be moving to the UK (London) for a year.

How would I go about finding an appropriate lodge for my needs? (Socially and for Masonic education).



Thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:
Top