The Province Of Cheshire.

Ihey each bear the same date on their warrants , viz ., October ist , 1806 , were constituted on the same day , 21 st December , 1806 , and chartered to be held in the same town—Stockport , only at different places of meeting . The three lodges have had the following consecutive positions in the enumerations of 1792 , 1814 , 18 32 , and 1863 , viz -. 599 f ° 601 ,

606 to 60 S , 401 to 405 , and 321 to 323 , each inclusive , but in 18 50 the senior of the trio was removed to CREWE , so that from the year named only the two remain at the old town . Singular to state the lodge that immediately follows

No . 323 is also held in Cheshire , viz ., the " Moira" at STAI . YISRIDGK , in each enumeration taking the following number . It also was chartered on the same day and year as the trio of Stockport , and is now No . 324 at the " Wellington Inn " in the town stated . In February , 1 S 12 , the " Benevolence " was warranted at

UIIO . I . I . OVII . lU ' . C . M . ( 'IIKSIIIHK . the ' Stag ' s Head , " Marple , as No . 633 . At that time dormant charters were assigned to new lodges because of the Act of Parliament of 1799 , this one having No . 179 of A . D . 17 6 4 , originally found at Wisbeach and erased in 1811 .

This completes the list of existing warrants dating prior to the Union of December , 1813 . The first of the post " Union " Lodges in Cheshire is the " Industry , " of A . D . 1820 , at GEE CROSS , and then at HYDE , now No . 361 , closely followed b y No . 3 68 , the

"Samaritan , " at SAXDHACII , of A . D . 1821 . In 18 34 the " Cestrian " was warranted as No . 615 at the Royal Hotel , CHESTER , and was favoured by 11 of the members of the extinct " Royal Chester , No . 7 r , being founders , four of whom had been Masters of that old historic

lodge , and seven others were also petitioners . It seems a real p ity that more efforts had not been made to revive No . 71 , as it was not really erased until some four years after the "Cestrian " was constituted . The " Cestrian " soon proved that it had come to stay , and rapidly took its position in the country as " the

Metropolitan Lodge . Its roll of members is of a remarkable character , and happily its prosperity is assured . From 186 3 it has been 425 on the register , and has occupied the Masonic Hall from 188 3 . For particulars of this celebrated lodge and others previously noted , I must refer my readers to the local histories

of No . 287 , by Bros . Cookson and Blackhurst ; No . 295 , Macclesfield , by Bro . R . Brown ; No . 320 , Mottram , by Bro . J . Andrew ; No . 425 , Chester , by Bro . J . Armstrong , and others , as I must not occupy space now to quote from their interesting works . Besides the 15 lodges briefly enumerated , there are 50

more on the roll , the province being one of the largest in England . It is , however , the oldest of all , having been established so early as 1725 , with Colonel Columbine as Provincial Grand Master , who was a member of the senior

Iodge of the two held at Chester in that year . The Deputy Provincial Grand Master and Wardens were also selected from the same lodge , so that the first warranted lodge in Cheshire had the distinction of being the Masonic home of the premier province of England . The second Provincial Grand Master was Capt . Hugh

Warburton , who was the first Provincial Junior Grand Warden , and in 1742 Captain Robert Newton became his successor who was a member of the old " Royal Chester . " In 1755 the R . W . Bro . John Page became the Provincial Grand Master , who belonged to the same lodge from about the year

174 8 , and was mayor of the city in the same year as his rule of the province commenced . He died in 1780 , and during the previous years was rarel y absent from the Provincial Grand Lodsie .

In 1771 the Hon . John Smith Barry was appointed as the fifth Provincial Grand Master , and was a joining member as a F . C . in 175 8 of the old lodge . Sir Robert Sahisburv Cotton , Bart ., M . P ., who was Worshipful Master in 1 776 , succeeded as Provincial Grand Master in 175 8 , and on his decease the R . W . Bro . John G . Egerton , M . P . for the city

( a member from 1809 ) , was nominated for the office as the others had been , and was duly appointed in 1810 , who , later on , became Sir John Grey Egerton . On his decease in 1825 there was a public Masonic funeral , which was very largely and inlluentially attended . Field Marshal Viscount

Conibermere accepted the Provincial Grand Mastership in 18 30 , and presided over the meetings with great acceptance for many years . In 1840 the Provincial Grand Master was present at the initiation of his only son , the Hon . Wellington Cotton , who was Worshipful Master of the "Cestrian" in

18 4 8 , and whose son , proposed by his grandfather , and seconded by his father ( the Deputy Provincial Grand Master ) was initiated in 1864 . Lord Combermere , Provincial Grand Master ( who joined in 18 44 ) , presided in the " Cestrian " 011 the installation of

the Hon . Wellington S . Cotton in 18 4 8 , and so also when Sir Watkin Williams Wynne , Bart ., was placed in the chair in 1851 , who entertained the members at his seat , Wynnstay , in July , chartering a special train for their return to Chester . His eventful year of office terminated with the initiation of

( Judge ) Sir Horatio Lloyd ( P . G . D . of England ) , the present Deputy Provincial Grand Master ( whose father , Edward Watson Lloyd , was one of the initiated in 18 3 6 ) , and was Worshipful Master in 1855 . The interest of Lad y Conibermere in the province was such that a large banner was presented by her ladyship to be in the custody of the " Cestrian . "

On the decease of Lord Conibermere in 1865 , he was succeeded by Lord De Tabley in the same , year , who was Senior Grand Warden of England in 1859 . His lordship was an initiate of the " Apollo University Lodge , No . ^ - ; y , Oxford , in 1831 , and was a most enthusiastic Craftsman .

Owing to the infirmities of age he resigned as Provincial Grand Master in 1886 , and died in the following year , when the Rt . Hon . the Earl of Egerton and Tatton was installed as Provincial Grand Master at a meeting of the Brotherhood in the Town Hall , Chester . The late Earl of Lathom , then Deputy Grand Master of England , was the Installing Master ,