Our History

The lodge was consecrated at the Prince of Wales Hotel, The Esplanade, on the 26th of April 1952. The Marquis of Zetland, Provincial Grand Master of Yorkshire North and East Ridings assisted by W/Bro. Sir William Crosthwaite Deputy Provincial Grand Master, W/Bro. William Field Assistant Provincial Grand Master and several other high ranking Provincial Officers, performed the ceremony. W.Bro. Morris Smith P.P.G.W was installed as the Worshipful Master with Bro J.A. Cooke SW and Bro M.J.F. Willcox as JW. One hundred and thirty guests attended the installation banquet, also held at the Prince of Wales Hotel.

More than half a century after the formation of our last local lodge the Old Globe again appears as sponsor to the newly constituted Scarbrough Lodge, founded to extend the interest and widen the scope of Freemasonry in Scarborough. It had been the original intention to name this new lodge "The Scarborough Castle Lodge", spelt borough not brough. It could not have been simply Scarborough Lodge as there has been a Scarborough Lodge, number 1214, for over one hundred years in Batley, West Yorkshire.

Be that as it may the foundation of a new lodge in Scarborough was to come at a time when Lawrence Roger Lumley, Earl of Scarbrough, who spelt his name Brough not Borough, was to take on the post of Grand Master of the Order, a position he held until 1967. As such there seemed every likelihood that the first warrant he would be asked to sign would be establishing the new lodge in Scarborough. As it turned out we were the second, but his lordship did allow us to use his name thus providing an intimate connection with the borough itself when Sir Thomas Lumley was in 1445 appointed Governor for life of Scarborough Castle from whence the title of the Earls of Scarborough, conferred in 1690, is derived. 

Having established a fifth lodge what was now needed was a home. Eventually it was decided that the Prince of Wales should be that home. Let us have a look why.

The Prince of Wales along with the Clifton and the Victoria Hotel's belonged to a group called the Corkerline Group. Its owner, Corkerdale was not only a freemason but also one with whom Rodney F Chapman, a mayor of the borough, had been pushing the establishment of a new lodge. Added to this the general manager of the Corkerline Group was a man called Basil Naish, a member of the Old Globe Lodge. Naish was to be a founder member of Scarbrough Lodge (he was invested as a steward at the consecration). He also had something else going for him. He had married Corkerdale's niece, a lady destined to inherit the company. 
Against that sort of background no problems were envisaged in taking up residency at the Prince of Wales Hotel and as has previously been stated the Scarbrough Lodge 7147 was consecrated there on 26 April 1952. However the following day a major problem arose. 

The lodge found itself trapped in a family row, which resulted in Bro. Naish, with whom they had negotiated terms, being given the order of the boot by Corkerdale. It seems that the agreement had not been signed, furthermore the company made it plain that they were no longer prepared to sign and suggested that Scarbrough Lodge seek pastures new. 

They looked at the Grand, the Crown and the Royal Hotel's, opting for the Grand. Here they were to remain until the death of Sir Billy Butlin, a keen freemason, when it was again suggested that they should look for a new home. There followed spells at the Queens Hotel and the Southland's after which the lodge came into its rightful place in the present Masonic Hall and is now happily settled in with its four sister lodges.

 

Our information was researched & compiled By W.Bro. Ron Fowler & W.Bro. Terry Lister we thank them both for the contribution.

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