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Below is an explanation of the origins
of each Lodge name for Craft Lodges which meet at Long Eaton; for a booklet describing
the titles and banners of all the Derbyshire Lodges, contact the Charity
Secretary, as proceeds from the sales are to be donated to the Masonic Trust for
Girls and Boys 2003 Festival.
The titles discussed are:
Dale Abbey Lodge
Erewash Lodge
Fairfield Lodge
Fons Vitae Lodge
Harrington Lodge
Mundy Grove Lodge
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Dale Abbey Lodge No. 5603
Warrant 4th December 1935
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Dale Abbey Lodge owes its
formation, early in 1936, to a number of Scotsmen 'exiled' in Ilkeston, who were
employees of the then named Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Electric Power Co.,
and the Midlands Electricity Supply Co. A series of meetings were held in
the autumn of 1935, where many varied and interesting suggestions were made for
the name of the new Lodge. One was ‘Lodge of Illumination’, another ‘Midesco’,
being the trade name of the Midlands Electricity Supply Co. Finally the name
chosen was Dale Abbey. This met with immediate approval, not only because of its
religious connections in the area, but also because the ruins of the Abbey at
Dale were familiar to all as a local landmark.
Dale Abbey was the home of the Premonstratensian
Order of monks established in 1120 by St. Norbert at Premontre, France.
The superb arch of the great east window is all
that remains of the Abbey today, and this became the emblem of the Lodge,
being reproduced on the banner.
The motto
Sanctum Crucem Invenient is derived from one of the windows which was
removed from the Abbey, on its Dissolution, to the Church of St. Matthew at
Morley and can now be seen in the north window in the church chancel, a rich
reminder of the skill of the medieval craftsmen. The motto translates as
They find the holy cross.
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Erewash Lodge No. 9376
Warrant 14th February 1990
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The name Erewash is taken from the river of that name
which flows nearby the meeting place of the Lodge and, in places, is the
dividing boundary separating Derbyshire from Nottinghamshire. The Borough of
Erewash, which lies between these two cities, has the river Trent as its
southern boundary and the river Derwent sets its western limits.
Erewash
is a Borough of sharp contrasts. On its eastern side are the towns of Ilkeston
and Long Eaton which contain roughly seventy per cent of the local residents.
Each of these towns has a busy market and shopping area and each has a wide
range of industries, the once predominant coal mining in the north of the
Borough having ceased thirty years ago. West from these towns extends a
pleasant countryside, extensively farmed and with many villages of interest.
These include Dale with its abbey ruins and its
windmill, standing on high ground with commanding views over the Erewash
Valley. The river and the windmill are incorporated in the lodge banner. |
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Fairfield Lodge No. 2224
Warrant 14th September 1887
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The Fairfield Lodge at Long Eaton was formed under
a Warrant dated 14th September 1887,
and named after Bro. John Piggin Fearfield, its first Senior Warden;
‘Fairfield’ being considered by him the earlier name of his family. The fact
that Bro. Fearfield had not served as a Warden precluded him from being elected
the first Master. He tried in 1889 to have the Lodge re-named Fearfield,
but the Provincial Grand Master refused the request on grounds of ‘insufficient
reason’. The Lodge Banner does however display the Fearfield Coat of Arms.
The Lodge was consecrated at the Pavilion Hotel,
Long Eaton on 10th November 1887, by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, R.W.
Bro. H.C. Okeover. This was to be the home of the Lodge for the next
fifty-seven years.
In 1911 the Lodge had the misfortune to lose
a number of its effects by fire, including the original Warrant,
and it now works under a Warrant of Confirmation, bearing the date of
3rd January 1912. |
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Fons Vitae Lodge No. 8744
Warrant 10th November 1976
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Fons Vitae Lodge was
formed in 1976 on the initiative of a number of former pupils from the School of
Trent College, Long Eaton and is open to Brethren who have a strong association
with the School. The name of the Lodge is derived from the school motto: Fons
Vitae Sapientia. Fons Vitae alone means the fountain of life, but with
Sapientia means -Wisdom is the Fountain of Life.
Whilst Trent has always had an impressive academic record, the
routine of the school is designed so that pupils are able to develop to the full
and explore their own selves and prepare for the many demands made on them in
their working life. It is an Anglican foundation but pupils of any religious
denomination are welcome.
The centre
of the Lodge banner displays the school badge, a book surrounded by seven stars.
In Masonic terms this represents the Volume of the Sacred law and the Seven
Liberal Arts and Sciences: Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry,
Music and Astronomy. Roman characters have been adopted for FONS VITAE and
displayed to represent engraving on a block of worked ashlar. At each end of the
banner ‘yard’ is a small brass trident, the symbol adopted by the Old Tridents'
Society (an Association of former pupils of Trent College. |
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Harrington Lodge No. 5098
Warrant 6th February 1929
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The Lodge takes its name from the Earls of
Harrington. The Harringtons were an Irish Peerage.
The picture in the 'lozenge'
of the Harrington Lodge Banner is of Elvaston Castle, home of the Harrington
family, whose arms rest on the lozenge. The
property came into the Stanhope family in 1539: Sir John Stanhope of Elvaston
(d.1610) had a son Philip by his first marriage who was created Earl of
Chesterfield, and a son John by his second marriage who was founder of the
Elvaston branch, the Earls of Harrington. The Earls of Harrington remained
in possession here until 1964, when the estate was purchased jointly by the
Derbyshire County Council and Derby Corporation, Elvaston Castle is much less
impressive than the grounds. There are 200 acres of woodland, parkland and
formal gardens. It became one of the first country parks to be designated
under the Countryside Act of England and Wales in 1968.
The 6th Earl
of Harrington was due to be the first initiate of the Lodge. Sadly, he was
killed in a hunting accident on the Monday prior to his initiation the following
Friday.
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Mundy Grove Lodge No. 506
Warrant 27th December 1844
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From the early 16th
century the Mundys have been a prominent and influential Derbyshire family. Sir
John Mundy (d.1538) was Lord Mayor of
London in 1522. In l5l6 he purchased, from Lord Audley, the estates of Markeaton,
Mackworth and Allestree, and was responsible for building Markeaton Hall
(c1519). Wrighton Mundy (1715-1762) had the house rebuilt in 1755, his son
Francis Noel Mundy (1739-1915) was a pivotal figure in the development of
Derby's intellectual revolution of the late l8th century.
Edward Miller Mundy, of
Shipley Hall, was Derbyshire M.P. from 1784-1922. His family was a junior (but
more numerous and opulent) branch of the Mundys of Markeaton Hall. It was from
this part of the family that Mundy Grove Lodge was named. Shipley Hall was
built in 1700 and enlarged in 1799, but has since been demolished. Mundy
Grove held their first seven meetings by Dispensation at Shipley Boat, until a
warrant was granted by Grand Lodge.
Although
the Lodge was named after the Mundys, the Coat of Arms of the banner is derived
from two other families. By its early connection with Bro. C.R.Colvile
(Dep.P.G.M. 1942-64) the Lodge was permitted to adopt his Arms and that of the
Russell family (acquired through marriage).
St. John
the Evangelist is recognised as being the Patron Saint of Mundy Grove Lodge. His
Annual Festival is celebrated by the Christian Church on 27th December each
year. (date of the Lodge Warrant).
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