Page 8 - Triangle December 2007 Issue 3

Men in The Somerset Ancient Mark Masters (SAMMs) are at it

tights! again! Carrying the Somerset banner to the remotest parts on the known world. This time to
Sussex Installed
Mark Masters
Lodge No 1158 in
Brighton for their October meeting.
Derek Wilton acting as Worshipful
Sir is f anked left by Brian Wareham
the PGM of Sussex and right Martin
Wilson the Deputy PGM for Sussex
who is also the Master of the Lodge.
You can probably recognise other
well know faces under those wigs,
at least we think they are wigs! As
usual a good time was had by all and
the Lodge made a very generous
donation of £500 to the SAMMs
charity account.
In the comming twelve months
SAMMs will visit the Provinces of,
Devon, Oxford,Kent and Surrey.
A ticking Off!
In the last issue I printed a “did you
know” about the f rst recorded Mark
ceremony in Plymouth in 1769. The members of Else Lodge
I have received this ear wigging from were delighted to be able to help
my old friend Alan Eadie the Assistant the new Weston super Mare
PGM for Kent, an editors life is not an branch of The guide dogs for the
easy one, humble apologies Alan! blind Association. They raised
over £200, which was presented
Dear Ray, in the Lodge by the Master, Toby
David (Nelson) very kindly gave me Hammond (left) to the secretary of
a copy of the Triangle at (Provincial the Weston Branch, Bro Charles
Grand Lodge of) Bristol yesterday Heard. Guide Dogs treasurer
and reading it this morning what Mandy McCubbin commented that
caught my eye was the “Did You it was a great start to their fund
Know” box on page 6. As you are raising efforts in Weston.
a Durham man I fear that I cannot Photo; Pat Morrisey
resist drawing your attention to
page 64 of the ‘Marking Well’ Tubby’s Surprise. The Installation meeting of Portcullis
book. The f fth paragraph down Lodge was a special occasion when Terry Hagett installed Barry Baker as Master.
starts:- “The earliest record of Over 90 brethren were crammed into the hanging Chapel, it was very cosy! One
the Mark degree being worked in of the chief architects of anything that happens in Portcullis is V.W.Bro Mervyn
England is to be found in a copy of
the 1725 Book of Constitutions in Godfrey, known to all of us as Tubby. Imagine his surprise when the Provincial
the archives of the Craft Provincial Grand Master announced that he had a presentation to make to a distinguished
Grand Lodge of Durham.” You will brother, you could have heard a pin drop! Tubby was delighted to
see that the paragraph goes on discover that he was to be the recipient of
and refers to ‘Newcastle January the PGM’s Certif cate of Merit for his
19, 1756’; well before the recorded
Mark advancement that you (and outstanding contribution, not only
numerous others) quote. to the Portcullis Mark Lodge but
I am gradually beginning to get as also to the Mark Province of
pedantic about this as I am about the Somerset. Tubby also recieved
inaccurate statement that the earliest a solid silver Mark Token as a
recorded ‘making’ of a Freemason in
England is that of Elias Ashmole in gift from the PGM. This is only
1646. (It is well documented that Sir the third such award to be made by
Robert Moray was made a mason the Provincial Grand Master since he
just outside Newcastle in 1641.) came to off ce nearly four years ago.
Regards. S&F Alan Eadie

The Somerset Triangle is produced for the Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Somerset. Editor, Ray Guthrie, Kynance,
Timsbury Road, High Littleton, Bristol, BS39 6HL Tel 01761471275. email; raygu3@btopenworld.com