History of Freemasonry In Derbyshire

As some Masons had to travel great distances for their gatherings, it would have seemed very logical to open new (daughter) Lodges where a concentration of Masons resided in the far reaches of the county. In the years 1793 to 1817 Lodges were formed in Buxton, Chesterfield and Repton. Just prior to this period, the Province of Derbyshire was designated, largely observing the County boundary in 1789, with the Provincial Grand Master of Nottinghamshire (Right Honourable Thomas Boothby Parkyns) being given the same role for Derbyshire. This might seem a very onerous endorsement, being responsible for two Provinces, but his appointment was more of a figurehead than a truly executive station. The task of running the Province was delegated to deputies. Tyrian Lodge provided the Lodge (and probably the majority of the Officers) in which the ‘business’ was conducted. So, Tyrian Lodge predated the Province by a few years, which may account for some of the unique ways of our oldest Lodge. It was not until 1826 that officers were selected from across the Province, when one may say a truly provincial team was appointed.

Derbyshire Freemasonry was to say the least sporadic, and, as late as the first third of the nineteenth century only about a hundred Derbyshire Freemasons attended the four existing Lodges. However, the number of subscribing members quadrupled in the following thirty years. In 1876, the Province received its first Banner from the Marquis of Hartington and the first Masonic Directory and Calendar was published, detailing the meetings of the Lodges. In the next 35 years or so Derbyshire Masonry steadily grew with 29 Lodges being formed, having in excess of 1,600 members (a very healthy 50-60 members per Lodge). In the years that immediately followed the First World War, membership almost doubled and the number of Lodges rose to over 40. Similarly, post Second World War saw another swell in Masonic popularity, with some 4,000 subscribing members in 50 Lodges by 1950.

Today the Province has over 75 Lodges with just under 3,000 members.

This huge growth in numbers saw the need for proper management committees to be established and amongst the foremost of these was a Provincial Grand Charity with its Standing Committee, ‘Charity’ being a core element of Masonic belief and activity from its earliest days. It is interesting to note that in 1926 a Provincial Charity ‘Festival’ raised the magnificent sum of £25,000. Our latest Charity Festival in 2014 raised £2,414,016 for the Masonic Samaritan Fund. To achieve that sum we had a very enthusiastic team of dedicated and skilled Freemasons working throughout the Province raising funds from within the membership by personal ‘giving’ or by staging special events.