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Famous Masons

Dr. T. J. Barnardo (1845-1905). Philanthropist, and founder and director of homes for destitute children. His work is continued today by the charity Barnardo's.

Robert Burns (1759-1796). Scottish poet and lyricist. He was regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and after his death became an important source of inspiration to the founders of liberalism and socialism.

Sir Winston L. S. Churchill (1874-1965). British politician known chiefly for his leadership during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Author noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally regarded as a major innovation in the field of crime fiction.

Sir Alexander Fleming (1881-1955). Biologist and pharmacologist who published many articles on bacteriology, immunology and chemotherapy. His best-known achievements include the discovery of the enzyme lysozyme and the antibiotic substance penicillin.

Rudyard J. Kipling (1865-1936). English author and poet, best known for his works The Jungle Book, Just So Stories and Kim. He was the first author writing in the English language to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and remains its youngest ever recipient.

Sir Leonard Hutton (1916-1990). English cricketer who dominated the national and international cricket scene for the decade following the Second World War. He was honoured with the England team captaincy, breaking an age-old tradition that the position could be held only by an amateur.

Latest News

July 25th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity announces £1 million in major grants. More...

July 12th: Appeal 2011, held in support of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, has so far raised the magnificent sum of £891,330. More...

Mar 7th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity approves £20,000 in relief for the Chile earthquake. More ...

Jan 15th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity approves £30,000 in relief for the Haiti earthquake. More...

Nov 25th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity awards £10,000 for Cumbrian flood relief efforts. More...

Oct 15th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity awards £400,000 to non-Masonic charities. More...

Oct 15th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity donates £50,000 to the Red Cross Asia Pacific Disasters Appeal. More...

Sept 4th: Are you thinking of becoming a Freemason? More...

Sept 4th: The United Grand Lodge of England's new website is revealed. More...

Aug 10th: Malvern's Freemasons donate £1,000 to Community Action! More...

June 16th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity gives £2 million to national charities. More...

June 10th: The Malvern Hills Lodge website goes live! More...

June 10th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity donates £5,000 in emergency aid to flood stricken Namibia. More...

June 5th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity presented grants totalling £550,000 to ten charities at a special event commemorating the anniversary of the installation of His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, KG, as Grand Master. More...

[News Archive]

The Royds Lodge Seal

History

The Royds Lodge seal, designed by W.Bro. R. Woof in conjunction with W.Bro. A. Brown, was approved by the Lodge at its meeting on the 14th July 1870. W Bro. Woof had been Worshipful Master of the Worcester Lodge No. 280 in 1861-62 and was Town Clerk of Worcester. He was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and wrote extensively.

Composition

The seal, as shown on the left, was designed to incorporate features from the ancient seals of Little and Great Malvern Priories. The triple canopy (A) forms part of a seal of Little Malvern Priory, while Saint Michael with open wings (B) forms part of a seal of Great Malvern Priory. At the bottom of the seal is a Lancastrian red rose (C), a reference to Albert Hudson Royds' connection with that county and Masonic province.

On the original Great Malvern Priory seal, Saint Michael bears a crown. However, on The Royds Lodge seal, W.Bro. Woof substituted the crown with the Arms of the Grand Lodge of the Moderns. This is difficult to understand, as the United Grand Lodge of England had been formed in 1813, long before The Royds Lodge seal was designed and approved.

There is no doubt that Saint Michael is bearing the chevron, with the compasses and the three castles of the Grand Lodge of the Moderns. One theory as to why the Arms of the Grand Lodge of the Moderns features on The Royds Lodge seal suggests that the castles have a connection with the City of Worcester Arms, and thence with the Mother Lodge, The Lodge of Semper Fidelis No. 529. This theory, however, must be considered tenuous.

Past Master's Jewel

The early style of The Royds Lodge Past Master's jewel, as shown on the right, is closely related to the seal. The only changes in design have been the substitution of the chevron by the square (D) and the lower castle by a depiction of Euclid's 47th proposition (E).

The Royds Lodge Banner

The seal is seen at its best on The Royds Lodge banner, which hangs in the Masonic Hall in Great Malvern. This banner was embroidered by Miss Gwen Forster for the Lodge centenary, held in 1967.

Download The Royds Lodge Seal

Please select either the full size (1.3 MB) or small (19 KB) image.