History of the Lodge

 

One of the most frequently asked questions by visitors and new members is Why are you called Harrogate & Claro Lodge? Several members of the De Grey & Ripon Lodge No. 837 meeting in Ripon, proposed that a lodge be formed outside that city under their sponsorship.

 

A suitable title for the Lodge should be proposed. As the Lodge was to be held in Harrogate, it was appropriate that the town name be included. Claro, comes from the Saxons, who when they occupied this County, divided it into territorial divisions or 'wapentakes.' Claro was a ‘wapentake’ or district of the West Riding of Yorkshire and embraced the whole of the then Ripon and Harrogate area. Later the electoral division for this area became 'Claro.' This continued until the growth of the population led to the split into two separate Parliamentary divisions.

 

The Charter of the Harrogate & Claro Lodge, is dated the 10th day of February, 1864. The Warrant of Constitution for the formation of the Lodge was granted by the then Grand Master, Lord Zetland, "for a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons under the title of the Harrogate & Claro Lodge No. 1001." The Consecration took place on the 15th April 1864.

 

A series of meetings held before April, formulated the constitution and carried out the necessary preliminaries, including the selection of the first home of the Lodge, which was the Brunswick Hotel, West Park. After the Consecration, the Lodge held an emergency meeting on 4th May 1864, at which four candidates who had already been proposed and balloted for were initiated into Freemasonry.

 

For the first 11 months the Lodge met in the Brunswick hotel, now known as the Prince of Wales Mansions at Leeds Road roundabout at West Park, Harrogate. On the 14th October 1864.

 

In January 1865, the Lodge transferred to the Clarendon Hotel next to the Brunswick on West Park. The brethren then spent three months at the Clarendon Hotel but the move was not a good one, and a Committee appointed in February 1865was given power to hire Lodge rooms, without reference back.

 

April 1865, saw the Lodge moved again to the new Post Office building in Princes Street, having their Masonic Rooms over what is now the Yorkshire Bank, where they stayed for four years.  There on April 14th the first Installation meeting was held, at which eighteen members and nine visitors were present.

 

After the Installation in 1930 attention became focussed on the new building. The September meeting of that year proposed that amongst other articles a scroll of the 125 members of the Lodge should be inserted in the Foundation Stone, and on the 3rd October1930, the Dedication Ceremony and Stone Laying was performed by W Bro Richard Gill, PGD, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master. It was arranged that the Provincial Grand Master, the Most Worshipful Bro. the Earl of Harewood, K.G., would perform the opening ceremony on the 26th November 1931, but he was unable to be present, and it again fell to the lot of W Bro Richard Gill to conduct the ceremony. The illustrious company present warmly praised the magnificent building, which had been designed by W Bro. Frank Tranmer of Doric Lodge. After the opening ceremony W Bro. G W Chapman, PAGDC, gave a luncheon to the Province on behalf of the Harrogate Lodge.

 

Interestingly, also in 1930, the Majestic Hotel had to be reserved for the Installation meeting and the Festive Board at the installation of W Bro. J Hunter-Bowie, at which there were 153 brethren, included sixty-three visitors, amongst them a Grand Lodge representative from Western Australia. This is the highest number present at any event in the history of the Lodge.

 

In December 1931, the Lodge met for the first time in the new in Temple Station Avenue, but the recession of that period led to a marked decline, both in the number of Members, and in the number of initiates. The Lord Mayor of Leeds entertained the Provincial Grand Lodge Meeting to tea, in May 1933, but by February 1935, Grand Lodge was advising Lodges to take care in any public reference to Masonic activities, or connections.

 

Where The Lodge Has Met

Brunswick Hotel, West Park - February, 1864 - January, 1865

Clarendon Hotel, West Park - February, 1865 - April, 1865

Masonic Rooms, New Post Office Building, Princes Street - May, 1865 - April, 1869

Masonic Rooms, Parliament Street - May, 1869 - April, 1884

Masonic Hall, Avenue Road - May, 1884 - November, 1931

Masonic Hall, Station Avenue - December 1st 1931 – Present

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