Athole Chapter No. 1004

Lodge History

In The Beginning
(from the Centenary Booklet)

At the Douglas Hotel, North Quay, Douglas on the 23rd May 1870 at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, history was made in the Isle of Man, when the first Royal Arch Chapter ever to be established on the Island was opened and Consecrated by the three P.Z.’s from Harmony Chapter No. 220, West Lancs., in the presence of Five Founders and Five Visitors.

The Chapter was opened by E.Comp. W.T.May as Z., E.Comp. J.Hamer (who consecrated the Athole Lodge under the English Constitution six years earlier) as H., and E.Comp. C.Leedham as J. The Consicration being mainly conducted by E.Comp. J.Hamer.

The three Chapter Principals were E.Comp. G.M.Lofthouse Installed as M.E.Z. by E.Comp. J.Hamer, E.Comp. H.P.Mayle, Installed as H., by E.Comp May and E.Comp. R Tutton, Installed as J., by E.Comp. C.Leedham .

The election and investiture of the other officers was held over to a later meeting. It might be noted here that even to this day, all the Officers of a Royal Arch Chapter can be elected by ballot by the Companions, but nowadays, a regulation permits a resolution to be passed at the election Convocation which allows the Three Principals elect to appoint the Officers of the Chapter, with the exception of the Treasurer and when receiving a fee the Janitor. This resolution must be made on each occasion and would not be passed as a bylaw, as our Chapter found out when we tried to make such a by-law a few years ago.

The five Founders of the Chapter, viz.: Companions George M. Lofthouse, Henry Priest Mayle, Richard Tutton, Samuel Webb and William Harris all members of the Athole Lodge who had previously been Exalted in Harmony Chapter No. 220, of which the Consecrating Officers were members.

The five Visitors were Companions J.J.Harwood the then Worshipful Master of the Tynwald Lodge No.1042, T.Gray, B. Flynn, R. Jackson and C. Munro all resident in the Island, the last three were proposed as joining members. Nine Candidates, 8 of the Athole Lodge and 1 of St Maughold Lodge, were proposed for Exaltation.

The Consecrating Officers were elected Honorary Members along with Companion Edward Kayle of the Harmony Chapter No. 220 for their work in connection with the formation of the Chapter. It is worth noting that the election of an Honorary Member of the Chapter has, in the last 100 years at least, been very rarely conferred in the Athole Chapter, with the exception of the Consecrating Officers, has not amounted to more than five or six. In fact concerning Honorary Members, there was a by-law, part of which read, “His Membership shall cease on a vote of the Chapter to that effect, duly confirmed at the following regular Convocation.

This unusual by-law was removed by the order of the First Grand Principal when the whole of our by-laws were remodelled some years ago.

At the first Regular Convocation of the Chapter, all the proposals for joining and Exaltation were found Clear, the Exaltees were Companions J.A.Brown and his father James Brown, G.C.Heron, Thomas Hanley, J.H.McKeand , James McWhannell, George Lorimer, Charles Hamlyn, John Lanaghan, J.R.Patch, C.T.Hanby, J.J.Thornley, J.C.Lamothe, James Aspell and W.A.Coutts. Some had been proposed by letter, all were well known figures in the Island in those days. Six Exaltations were held and all three Lectures delivered.

The rest of the Officers were also elected.

The first Officers of the Chapter were:-
G.M.Loftouse           M.E.Z.
H.P.Mayle                      H.
R.Tutton                         J.
S.Webb      Principal Sojr.
W.Harris                     S.E.
J.C.Lamothe              S.N.
C.Munro          Treasurer.
J.Lanaghan         Janitor.

The other Officers we are familiar with today were not appointed or elected for some years.

In 1919 there were 25 Exaltations and two joining members. In other years occasionally there were as many as eight candidates in one evening, from the same Lodge.

When the Chapter was Consecrated in 1870, the founders decided on an Exaltation Fee of three guineas, which would seem to be a high figure when compared to the Initiation Fee of Athole Lodge, at the time, of six guineas. It was not until 1946 that the Exaltation Fee was increased to four guineas.

The subscription at first was 12/6d., then in 1926 it was raised to £1.1s.0d: in 1946 25/-: and in 1960 to 35/- .

On 23rd October, 1935, E.Comp. J.A. Appleyard, M.E.Z. OF THE Athole Chapter, proposed in the Chapter that Supreme Grand Chapter be asked to form a Provincial Grand Chapter of the Isle of Man. Supreme Grand Chapter granted that wish and on 26th June 1936, a Provincial Grand Chapter was Instituted in the Isle of Man, Fifty years after the formation of Provincial Grand Lodge of the Isle of Man on 29th September, 1886.

Several members of the Athole Chapter were among the first Provincial Officers including E.Comp. J.D. Cowley , P.G.Std Br., who was Installed as Third Principal.

The meeting place of the Athole Chapter has, of course, been the same as that of the Athole Lodge, namely the Douglas Hotel, North Quay, St James Hall , Athol Street, Prospect Hill, Loch Promenade and as at present Freemasons Hall, Woodbourne Road, Douglas.

At first there were five Convocations each year in January. March, May, September and November with the Installation in May. In 1910 new by-laws reduced the number of Convocations to four, as at present January, March, May, and October, meeting on the fourth Wednesday and with the Installation in March. In 1914 the by-laws were again altered, changing the Installation to October.

Lord Raglan, the Governor and Provincial Grand Master of the Isle of Man was exalted in Athole Chapter on 22nd October 1913 by the M.E.Z.,E.Comp. J.D.Cowley; E.Comp. G.A. Thomason, P.Z. gave the Mystical Lecture, E.Comp . W.J.Kelly gave the Symbolical Lecture, and E.Comp. W.Newby, Joshua gave the Historical Lecture.

At the October Convocation in 1917 Lord Raglan was installed by Dispensation into the chairs of Joshua, Haggai and Zerubbabel on the one evening. He presided at two of the ordinary Convocations and was voted a P.Z. Jewel. That Jewel, with his other Masonic Regalia and Jewels, is on display in the Museum, they having been returned by Lady Raglan after his death.

Past Masters

Contact:

the Scribe Ezra

Colin Thompson,
64 Berrywoods Avenue,
Governors Hill,
Douglas,
Isle of Man IM2 7DB

email: atholech@freemasonry.im

Consecrated 23rd May 1970

Meets at Freemasons’ Hall, Douglas, on the fourth Wednesday in the months of October, January, March and May

Installation January