THE EARLY YEARS:

The earliest recorded 'making of a Freemason' in England occurred in 1646. Organised Freemasonry officially began with the founding of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717. These early lodges were generally held in hostelries from which they tended to take their names. The first Masonic lodge in Derbyshire met in 1732 at the Virgins Inn in Derby.

Early ceremonies were based on custom and practice, rather than a written ritual as is the case today. The whole atmosphere would have been far less formal as the 'lodge room' would have been candle-lit, with much eating and drinking taking place. In subsequent years other lodges were formed. In 1762 one was founded at the Three Cranes Inn in Chesterfield was founded but only lasted a short time. In 1777 the Virgins Inn Lodge ceased to exist and it was not until 1785 that the Tyrian Lodge in Derby, which emanated from the Union Lodge in Nottingham, was formed. Masons from as far distant as Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Loughborough, Mansfield and Southwell often attended.

During these early years before trains and cars, it must have been very difficult for Masons from the far-flung parts of Derbyshire to attend lodges. Journeys on horseback from some of the remoter parts of the county would have been arduous, and indeed dangerous. We have records of brethren travelling great distances only to find too few members attending for the lodge to be held. Imagine their frustration! This was a frequent occurrence and led to the foundation of other lodges in various parts of the county. Lodges were formed in 1793 in Chesterfield, in 1610 in Buxton and in 1817 the Royal Sussex Lodge was. founded in Repton. This did reduce the transportation problem and meant that Freemasonry gradually became available to all parts of Derbyshire. 

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF DERBYSHIRE:

In 1789 Rt Hon. Thomas Boothby Parkyns was appointed the first Provincial Grand Master (PGM) of Derbyshire. He was an MP, a friend of King George III and had already been appointed PGM of Nottinghamshire. In those early years the PGM was appointed more as a figure-head and had little involvement with the actual practice of Masonry in a Province. He in turn appointed his officers for a single meeting only. Tyrian Lodge provided the location for these early meetings. The first real meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge (PGL) was held in 1826 when the officers were appointed from all lodges in the Province. Later, Provincial Grand Masters were the Dukes of Devonshire, and they and their families provided inestimable support and encouragement, but in many respects they were still figureheads leaving much of the running of Provincial Masonry to their deputies.

The growth of Freemasonry in Derbyshire was erratic and by 1833 only four lodges survived with a total membership of 100. The first written record of a meeting of the PGL refers to one held in 1857. By 1863 membership in the county had grown to 400. In 1870 a significant step was taken with the establishment of the Provincial Charity Committee of Derbyshire to coordinate the charitable activities of the Province. In 1876 the PGL received its banner from the Marquis of Hartington, and the first Annual Masonic Calendar and Directory giving details of meetings and other information was published. In that same year the foundation stone for the Free Library and Museum was laid by Bro. Bass, the donor, in full Masonic regalia, in conjunction with the PGM and his officers. 

A FIRST CENTENARY:

By 1885 the Tyrian Lodge had existed for 100 years and Masonry was well established in the Province. By 1910 there were 29 lodges and 1,614 brethren. In 1899 the charitable efforts of Derbyshire Masons were helping in the local community, with 25 guineas being donated to the County Fund. This was set up to provide relief for the wives and families of soldiers and sailors involved in the war in South Africa. In 1911 PGL, having given donations, was involved laying the foundation stone of the Buxton and District Cottage Hospital. On a lighter note, in 1916 there is the first recorded cricket match, subsequently to be an annual event, between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Masons. 

AFTER THE 1914/18 WAR:

After the war effort when numerous brethren had been involved with the various services, many new lodges were formed. By the centenary of the first meeting of PGL held in the ballroom of Chatsworth House in 1926 there were 41 lodges and 2,960 members in Derbyshire. For that year's charity festival over £25,000 was raised. This shows the effect of inflation even in those years for in 1910 just over £4,000 was raised. The following year there was a parade of brethren in their full Masonic regalia to the All Saints Church in Derby in connection with the Hallowing of the Diocese and Cathedral and the presentation of a choir screen and altar provided by the brethren. 

THE SECOND WORLD WAR:

During the war years, due to petrol shortages, blackouts and pressures of the war effort, many lodge meetings were suspended and those which were held did not include meals. Meetings tended to be small gatherings, as many Derbyshire Masons saw service during this war. It is also worth noting that the Royal Masonic Hospital in London treated, at no cost to the government, 2-3,000 servicemen. 

THE POST WAR YEARS:

After the war Masonry expanded as it had done after the first world war and by 1948 there were 50 lodges and 4,003 members. During this period our Provincial Grand Masters tended to be leaders in the literal sense. Society in general, after the influence of the war effort, accepted an autocratic, 'hands on' approach to leadership and our PGMs fitted this mould. The next few years were dominated by the improvement of Masonic buildings throughout the county as lodges purchased and built new temples. In 1954 the new temple at Long Eaton was dedicated, followed in 1957 by Buxton and 1959 by Ripley. Further dedications of temples were held at Ashbourne in 1965, Alfreton in 1970 and the Spencer temple at Glossop in 1971.
 

The following year the Grange at Littleover replaced the old Gower Street temple. This is now the home of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Derbyshire and the meeting place for many Derby lodges. In that same year Derbyshire brethren raised over £274,000 for the charity festival.

1980 TO THE PRESENT:

Membership numbers have changed little over recent years although the number of lodges has increased to 80. This has enabled more members to become actively involved in their lodge activities and in 1988 a total of £1,344,663 was raised for the Charity festival. The larger number of lodges has made it possible for them to reflect the interests of their individual members more closely. Once lodges formed on a geographic basis had covered most of the county, additional ones were formed. This ensured that each one remained small enough for all members to take an active part if they wished to do so. Some of these additional lodges drew their members from certain professions or employment, one for instance, originally being for railway workers. In time lodges were founded based on the common interests of the members. These included members of the Round Table, ex-members of boys' clubs, and sporting activities such as fishing and golf. These 'themed' lodges meant that members had something in common which would help them to socialise and form friendships with others who shared their interests.