The Royds Lodge No. 1204

Antient Free and Accepted Masons

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.

Burns, Robert (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.

Churchill, Sir Winston L. S. (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.

Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan (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.

Kipling, J. Rudyard (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.

Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, RN (1868 - 1912). British Royal Naval officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions, reaching the South Pole on the 18th January 1912.

Latest News

June 25th: Appeal 2011, held in support of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, has so far raised the magnificent sum of £422,661. More...

June 25th: An architectural photographer tries to unravel the semiotics of a Victorian church on the brink of closure... More...

May 26th: W. Bro. Bill Kirk celebrates 50 years in Freemasonry! More...

May 26th:The Freemasons' Grand Charity has approved a grant to support relief efforts following the recent earthquake in south-western China. More...

May 13th:The Freemasons' Grand Charity provides an initial grant of £20,000 to help the victims of the Burma cyclone. More...

April 10th A collection of images taken by Mr Andy Marshall, an architectural photographer who recently recorded the interior of St. Edmund's Church, are now available. More...

March 15th Freemasons approve £1.5 million for non-Masonic charities. More...

March 15th Appointments and promotions to Grand Rank, congratulations W. Bro. Roger! More...

Feb 6th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity has approved a grant of £10,000 to the District Grand Lodge of East Africa's Grand Charity, complementing local relief efforts. More...

Jan 21st: Trace the history of your Lodge using The Library and Museum of Freemasonry's Lodge Family Tree Charts. More...

Nov 23rd: The Freemasons' Grand Charity is supporting the relief work of the Red Cross with an emergency grant of £20,000. More...

Sept 24th: The Worshipful Master and three Past Masters of The Royds Lodge No. 1204 visited The Royds Lodge No. 816 on Thursday 13th September 2007. More...

July 1st: W. Bro. the Rev. J. C. Guise, a member of The Royds Lodge and Provincial Grand Chaplain of Worcestershire, conducted the re-dedication of a Worcestershire Victoria Cross holder's grave at St Mary's Parish Church, Kempsey. 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 click here to view or download a JPEG image of The Royds Lodge seal (royds_seal.jpg).