The website aims to inform you of our many and varied activities and gives you useful information for those who may be considering joining us. There is also a facility for booking into any meeting throughout the Province, with also a directory of our lodges and the days and times they meet.
The Province is large, geographically covering the ancient County of Staffordshire, which includes Wolverhampton, The Black Country and even parts of Birmingham along with the picturesque County of Shropshire.
We have 36 Mark Lodges and 20 Royal Ark Mariner Lodges within the Province and many of our members get great enjoyment in visiting areas of which they are unfamiliar, and make many long lasting friendships as a result.
Our meetings offer a slightly more relaxed freemasonry, whilst still retaining an important message and it is no coincidence that the order is often referred to as the friendly degree.
Our aim always remains to enjoy our Mark Masonry, to fulfil our charitable objectives, and to help those in need.
For those of you who are not Mark Masons, a very friendly welcome awaits you, and I know you will derive considerable pleasure in expanding your masonic horizons by joining our happy degree.
R.W. Bro. Kevin Spencer - Provincial Grand Master
About the degree
Similar to Craft Masonry the Mark Degree conveys moral and
ethical lessons using ritual allegory based around the building
of King Solomon's Temple. The Candidate is helped to choose his
personal mark and introduced to an extension of the Hiramic
legend relating to the manufacture, loss, and re-finding the key
stone of the Royal Arch
Qualification for membership
Every candidate to be Advanced to the degree of a Mark Master Mason must be a Master Mason of a regular and recognised Craft Lodge, while candidates for the office of Worshipful Master must normally have first served as Worshipful Master of a Craft Lodge, although a dispensation is regularly obtainable which obviates this prior condition.
History
An early form of Mark Masonry was practiced in Scotland before
1599 and records show the Degree being well established and
worked in Durham in the 1750's. But the most quoted "first
record" was when Thomas Dunkerley, Grand Superintendent in and
over Royal Arch Masonry for several Provinces, conferred the
degrees of Mark Man and Mark Master Mason at a Royal Arch
Chapter in Portsmouth in 1769. Later the Mark Degree was also
practiced in many Craft Lodges throughout England and Wales.
At the union of the Ancients and Moderns Grand Lodges and the
formation of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1813 the
second Article of Union stated there would be 3 Degrees ONLY –
the E.A., F.C., and MM. – including the Royal Arch. Thus the
Mark Degree was excluded. For this reason, while in the rest of
the world Mark Masonry became firmly attached to Royal Arch
Chapters or Craft Lodges, in England it was proscribed until the
1850's. As Freemasonry spread across the globe in the 18th and
19th centuries Mark Masonry became well established and now has
a worldwide presence. (The Grand Lodge of MMM's for England &
Wales etc. has 8 Daughter Grand Lodges worldwide and is in amity
with further 83 Grand Chapters and Grand Craft Lodges throughout
the world, inc.UGLE) Following a failed attempt in 1856 to
re-introduce Mark Masonry as part of English Craft Masonry the
Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons was set up to govern the
Degree as an independent Sovereign body. The current Grand
Master is HRH Prince Michael of Kent the younger brother to the
Duke of Kent.
Lodges are listed alphabetically according to where they meet.
RAM Lodges are marked in green.
Meeting Installations (CAPS) & dates are after each Lodge
name
Click on the links below each address for a location map
ALBRIGHTON
The Red House, High Street, Albrighton WV7 3LU
[click here for a location map]
Hantune 1085 (3rd Monday SEPT, Nov, Jan, Apr)
Hantune 1085
(3rd Monday OCT, Feb, May)
ALDRIDGE
The Masonic Hall, The Green, Aldridge, Walsall WS9 8NH
[click
here for a location map]
Noel Boardman Walsall
933 (1st Monday Oct, Mar 3rd Monday in Jan, 2nd Monday MAY)
Croft 1524 (4th Wednesday Oct, MAR, 3rd Wednesday May)
Walsall 933
(2nd Tuesday Oct, 1st Wednesday Mar, 2nd Wednesday APR)
BRIDGNORTH
Alveley Village Hall, Alveley, Bridgnorth WV15 6JT
[click
here for a location map]
Severn 1617 (2nd Tuesday Oct, Jan, APR)
BURTON-ON-TRENT
Freemasons Hall, 218 Ashby Road, Burton-on-Trent
DE15 0LA
[click
here for a location map]
Wulfric Spot 1416 (2nd Thursday OCT, 3rd Thursday Dec, Feb, Apr)
Sir John Jervis 1416
(4th Thursday Mar, Sep)
CHURCH STRETTON
High Street, Church Stretton SY6 6BY
click
here for a location map]
Stretton Hills 1450 (3rd Friday Oct, Jan, 2nd Friday MAY)
ELLESMERE
Town Hall, Ellesmere SY12 0AL
[click
here for a location map]
North Shropshire 840 (1st Tuesday NOV, 4th Tuesday Feb, Apr)
North Shropshire 840
(2nd Friday Oct, 1st Thursday Jan, 3rd Tuesday MAY)
HANDSWORTH
Handsworth Masonic Centre, Wretham Road, Handsworth,
Birmingham B19 1ED
[click
here for a location map]
St James' 318 (3rd Monday Oct, JAN)
St James' 318 (3rd Monday NOV, Mar)
KIDSGROVE
Kidsgrove Masonic Hall Institution Ltd, Liverpool
Road, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 4EH
[click
here for a location map]
Kidsgrove 1503 (4th Monday Oct, Jan, MAR)
Kidsgrove 1503
(1st Friday SEP, Jun, 4th Friday Jan)
LEEK
Masonic Hall, King Street, Leek, Staffs ST13 5NW
[click
here for a location map]
St Edward's 1182 (3rd Thurdsay Oct, Feb, APR)
Gough 45
(3rd Tuesday Nov, FEB, Apr)
LUDLOW
Henderson Hall, Moor Park School, Overton, SY8 4DZ
[click
here for a location map]
South Shropshire 1150 (Ludlow (2nd Wed Nov, Feb, Apr 1st Wednesday JUN)
South Shropshire 1150 (3rd Wednesday Oct, Feb, 4th Wednesday MAY)
NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME
Garden Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 1BW
[click
here for a location map]
Castle 1622 (3rd Tuesday SEPT, 4th Wednesday Mar, 4th Monday May)
NEWPORT
Wellington Road, Newport TF10 7HD
[click
here for a location map]
Round Table and Rotary 1630(1st Tuesday SEP, 4th Wednesday Nov, 3rd Monday Mar)
Severn 1617 (1st Thursday SEP, 1st Friday Apr, 2nd Thursday June)
OSWESTRY
Roft Street, Oswestry, SY11 2EP>
[click
here for a location map]
St. Oswald 982 (4th Tuesday Oct, Feb, APR)
PENKRIDGE
Rugeley Masonic Centre, Chase Golf Club, Pottal Pool Road, Penkridge,
ST19 5RN
[click
here for a location map]
Beaudesart 1127 (2nd Tuesday Oct, Feb, APR)
Robert Mummery 1304(3rd Wednesday Sep, NOV, Jan, Mar)
Staffordshire and Shropshire Grand Officers 1697 (3rd Thursday Sep, 2nd Friday MAR)
>
Joseph Whittall 1392 (1st Mon Sept (shrewsbury) 4th Thurs Jan and MAY (Chase))
Beaudesart 1127 (2nd Tuesday Sep, Jan, 3rd Tuesday JUN)
George Hargreaves 1304 (3rd Wednesday Oct, FEB, Apr)
Kenneth Shenton 1392 (Last week day (Excl Sat) Sep, 4th Tuesday MAY (Penkridge))
SHREWSBURY
Crewe Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 2HQ
[click
]
Shropshire 444
(1st Thursday Oct, Dec, MAR)
Joseph Whittall 1392 (1st Mon Sept (shrewsbury) 4th Thurs Jan and MAY (Chase))
Shropshire 444 (3rd Friday Nov, Mar, MAY)
Kenneth Shenton 1392 (Last week day (Excl Sat) Sep, 4th Tuesday MAY (Penkridge))
STAFFORD
Masonic Hall, Gaol Square, Stafford ST16 3AJ
[click
here for a location map]
Staffordshire Knot 541(4th Tuesday OCT, Jan, Mar)
<
Jubilee 1485 (2nd Thursday NOV, May, 3rd Thursday Feb)>
Peace 541 (2nd Friday Sep, 1st Monday FEB)
STOKE-ON-TRENT (SHELTON)
Hanley Masonic Hall, Snow Hill, Shelton,
Stoke-on-Trent ST1 4NA
[click
here for a location map]
Gough 45 (1st Tuesday Oct, Dec, FEB, Apr)
North Staffordshire 960 (1st Tuesday NOV, 4th Tuesday Feb, Apr)
TAMWORTH
Tamworth Masonic Rooms, 29 Lichfield Street, Tamworth
B79 7QE
[click
here for a location map]
St. Editha's 1426 (1st Wednesday SEP, Dec, 3rd Wednesday May)
St. Editha's 1426 (3rd Thursday NOV, Jan, 1st Thursday May)
UTTOXETER
St John's Hall, Carter Street, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, ST14 8EU
[click
here for a location ma]
Loxley 1484 (2nd Thursday SEP, Nov, Jan, May)
WEDNESBURY
Masonic Hall, Russell Street, Wednesbury WS10 7AZ
[click
here for a location map]
St. Bartholomew 650 (3rd Tuesday Oct, Mar, APR)
St. Bartholomew 650 (3rd Tuesday Oct, JAN, Mar)
WELLINGTON
Constitution Hill, Wellington TF10 7HD
[click
here for a location map]
Wrekin 1129 (2nd Thursday OCT, Dec, Feb, Apr)
Wrekin 1129 (4th Friday Oct, Feb, APR)>
WEST BROMWICH
Masonic Hall, Edward Street, West Bromwich B70 8NN
[click
here for a location map]
Regis 862 (2nd Thurs OCT, Dec, Feb, Apr)
Regis 862 (2nd Thursday Dec, Feb, 1st Wednesday MAY)
Dartmouth 993 (4th Monday Sept, Nov, APR)
Noah's Ark 1401 (1st Wednesday NOV, Mar, May)
Dartmouth 993 (4th Tuesday OCT, 4th Wednesday Jan, 2nd Tuesday May)
WHITCHURCH
Castle Hill, Whitchurch SY13 1BQ
[click
here for a location map]
Talbot 1021 (4th Wednesday Sep, Nov, Mar, MAY)
Centenary 1581 ( Daylight, 3rd Wednesday FEB, June, Oct)
WOLVERHAMPTON
Wulfruna 186 (3rd Friday SEPT, Nov, Feb, May)
Tudor Lodge of Rifle Volunteers 290 (2nd Wednesday NOV, Jan, Mar, May)
Wolverhampton 186 (3rd Friday Oct, Jan, APR)
Making our Mark November 2020December 2020February 2021April 2021May 2021June 2021September 2021November 2021December 2021March 2022Diary of Grand Lodge meetingsClick here to download the 2024 PDFClick here to download the 2025 PDF |
Mark Master Masons are qualified for membership of one of the most beautiful degrees in Freemasonry, that of Royal Ark Mariner.
Traces of this ancient degree can be found in Craft Workings going back well over 300 years, it is only conferred upon Mark Master Masons and further develops the initiatory rite: a new beginning or a new outlook on life.
The Order contains only one degree and the principal Office is that of Worshipful Commander. It is based on one of the oldest stories found in the Bible, that of God saving Noah and his family from the destruction meted out to others by the deluge. This theme can be found in most if not all Holy Books throughout the world. The ritual focuses on those attributes and virtues exemplified by Noah and the symbolic uses of the working tools of the degree are beautifully and informatively explained.
The explanation of the steps taken by every candidate from the west to the east are most especially important in this degree, as are the addresses given by the three principal officers to the new member.
Unlike many other Orders the degree is not a homily and the symbolism in Royal Ark Masonry is anything but basic. The degree has been under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons for over 130 years and is governed by the Grand Masters Royal Ark Council. Members of that august Council wear a distinctive collarette bearing a coloured representation of the world with wings attached. All other members wear a readily identifiable rainbow breast jewel or a rainbow collarette if holders of Provincial or Grand Rank. Each Royal Ark Mariner Lodge is attached to a Mark Lodge, but not necessarily under the same name.
In the Province of Staffordshire and Shropshire there are 20 Royal Ark Mariner Lodges.
Acknowledge David Michael Edwards, Past Provincial Grand Master for the above explanation.
|
About
the Province This geographically very large Province consists of 36 Mark Lodges and 20 Royal Ark Mariner Lodges. There are 708 Mark Master Masons and 346 Royal Ark Mariners. Annual Meeting The Provincial Grand Lodge meets once a year in October at the County Show Ground, Stafford when up to 300 Mark Master Masons attend and witness the appointment and promotion of the new Provincial Officers. Every September the Provincial Annual Assembly of Royal Ark Mariners is held at the Masonic Hall, Shrewbury, when new appointments to Provincial Royal Ark Mariner Grand Rank are made by the Provincial Grand Master. Click here to download a PDF of our Provincial Grand Masters AGM address Gallery - click the picture for full view
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