The Grand Superintendent has organised a unique opportunity for the companions of West Wales to visit a meeting of St Augustine Chapter no 3108 which meets at Freemason Hall, 31 Park Street, Bristol, BS1 5NH. The meeting is on Thursday 24th November 2016 and starts at 18.30 – booking is essential. For details of Freemasonry in Bristol and how to book your place at this exciting meeting read on.
Founded in 1786 and with over 1,400 members, the Province of Bristol is a relatively small province. However, with its strong history, unique ceremonies and charitable donations, the Province of Bristol holds a unique place in masonry.
The Bristol Craft ceremonies are believed to date from a period long before the Union of 1813 – one authority has suggested from about 1724. They are considerably different from those worked in the rest of the English Constitution – more elaborate and dramatic. They have affinities in many respects with Irish and American workings. These differences are what draw so many visitors from all parts of the country, and from abroad, to witness the Bristol working. They are also the reason why Bristol Lodges are so frequently asked to perform demonstrations in other Provinces.
The same is true of the Royal Arch in Bristol. One of the earliest references that we have to English Royal Arch Masonry occurs in the Minutes of a ‘Moderns’ Lodge, No. 220, meeting at the Crown Tavern in Christmas Street, Bristol, in August 1758. Bristol’s Chapter of Charity was consecrated in 1769 and is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, continuously working Chapter in existence.
The current Bristol Royal Arch working contains passages very reminiscent of surviving 18th century manuscript rituals and every Exaltation includes a ceremony of ‘Passing the Veils.’ So, the Bristol Royal Arch working is also very old and substantially different from other English Chapter workings.
For further information and to book your place on this official visit contact the Provincial Assistant Grand Scribe E, Ex Comp James Ross at [email protected], or call him on 07966 571231. All bookings must be made by Thursday 17th November 2016 to allow sufficient time for the necessary arrangements to be made.