This morning we have the pleasure in dedicating this new Provincial Lodge banner. This is the third provincial banner we have had and was nearly the fourth. There are no details about the dedication ceremonies of the previous banners. The earliest non Masonic reference to Provincial Grand Lodge was a reference in the "Nottingham Review" in December 6th, 1833, when it gave details of a Masonic Festival held by the Newstead Lodge for brethren and their ladies in the News House, St. James's Street.

The two main dignitaries were Colonel Wildman, the Provincial Grand Master, and his deputy Dr. Pigot. The first Provincial Grand Master was Thomas Boothby Parkyns, who was the first Lord Rancliffe. He was Provincial Grand Master from 1783-1800. He was a very prominent freemason, being Provincial Grand Master of four provinces at different times. He was appointed Provincial Grand Master when he was 26 and died when he was 43. During this period we can only find evidence of six craft lodges being in existence, and today Newstead lodge is the only survivor. We know that Newstead lodge was first registered in 1755.

In the beginning, it was not customary to have Provincial officers, and it was not until 1815 that it was made compulsory to have annual Provincial Grand Lodge meetings and have distinctive Provincial regalia. From the Nottinghamshire records it appears that it was established that from 1846 an annual meeting was held except for some national event, as in wartime. It was stated that in 1847, the Provincial Grand Master decided that in future. Provincial meetings would be held in the Exchange rooms, and to be held on January 27th each year, being the former Grand Master. His Royal Highness, the Duke of Sussex's birthday. By 1850 there were 90 subscribing masons in Nottinghamshire, and so it was decided to have a Provincial Grand Lodge banner. Freemasonry thrived during the coming years, and between 1872-1883, ten new lodges were consecrated in the Province. By the end of that century there were 18 craft lodges with 872 subscribing members. After the end of the First World War there was a great increase in the number of Freemasons in Nottinghamshire. Soon there were 43 lodges with 2529 members. In 1928 the Provincial Grand Master laid the foundation stone of the new Masonic Hall in Goldsmith Street. The first Lord Mayor of Nottingham took a prominent place in these ceremonies. In his speech the Grand Master referred to the keenness of the freemasons in 1881 in building the old Masonic hall when income tax was at the crippling level of 5 pence in old money in the pound. In 1933 the new Provincial Grand Master was installed in the Albert Hall, and two thousand brethren attended. That was out of a membership in Nottinghamshire of three thousand. In September 1926 it was decided to dedicate the new Provincial Masonic banner.

This was to replace the 1850 banner which was by then worn out. It is very strange that there is no historical record of the dedication of either banner, when it is considered the elaborate ceremonies that are held today for the dedication of any Masonic lodge banner. In 1941 on May 9th at midnight the Goldsmith Street Masonic temple was bombed. The Provincial Tyler luckily had stored much of the Masonic regalia in the basement, which was not affected by the bomb.

This is the reason that today we are dedicating the third Provincial banner, and not the fourth. After the Second World War, there were a large number of lodges consecrated and a number of lodge banner dedications. At one of these ceremonies, the Provincial Chaplain had stated, "whenever we see the banner carried aloft for all to see, let us remember that so are we in daily life, subject to the critical gaze of men. May we not fail to exemplify in ourselves those principles of conduct to which as Freemasons we are committed". The banner that we now see has similarities with the two previous ones. Unfortunately as there are no illustrations of the 1850 banner, we assume this is based on that one. The banner is 36 inches by 42 inches, of dark blue silk, the bottom scalloped, fringed alternate dark blue and gold silk fringe. The design embroidered in silk, depicts an oval wreath of acacia in gold, enframing the old Nottingham Town arms. On the wreath at the top are the arms of Newark on Trent. On the right side are the arms of East Retford and on the left are the arms of Mansfield. When the original banner was designed, Worksop had not received its charter. At the bottom of the banner there is a scroll with Nottinghamshire written on it, with a square and compasses. The square and compasses were the original tools of an operative mason of many centuries ago. The compass was the essential implement used for drawing circles and many medieval manuscripts show master masons with a square and compasses in their hand. The square was used to check the accuracy of the 90' angle, so essential in buildings. When lodges were first established they did not want to use their working tools so they moralized on their use, so that they came to a deeper understanding of themselves and their world in which they lived. Many years ago freemasonry was defined as a peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated with symbols. Peculiar is used in the sense of special or unique. In a pamphlet produced by Grand Lodge it states that "Freemasonry offers it members an approach to life, which seeks to reinforce thoughtfulness for others, kindness in the community, honesty in society and fairness in all things". In a survey of an individual lodge recently, it illustrated the wide range and scale of the voluntary activities undertaken by its members in their local community. It is a fact that freemasonry is the largest voluntary body worldwide, which includes men of all races, colours, political views, religion and sects, who exist not only comfortably but happily with one another. At a time when the world's media is concerned with increasing violence between ethnic and extremist religious groups, in our lodges men sit and communicate with a wide variety of people of ethnic origins, race, colour and religious persuasion. It is possible that we have taken brotherly love further than any other group in society, in both ethos and numbers.

Banners came into Freemasonry from ecclesiastical and civic custom. Great significance attends their display in the chapels of certain orders of knighthood, the Knight of the Garter in St. George's chapel, Windsor and Knight of the Bath in Henry VII's chapel in Westminster. Banners have been in use in Freemasonry since at least 1766. The origin of banners goes back to remote antiquity. A banner was the emblem of loyalty and homage to a superior person. In battle it was the rallying point, as it symbolized loyalty, fidelity and unity. To us the banner reminds us of our duty and fidelity to God, and reminds us of the three grand principles of freemasonry, brotherly love, relief and truth. Banners were first mentioned in the Bible when Moses ranged the Israelites under their respective banners in the wilderness. In the field of battle, the individual regiment would be the focal point for all the soldiers, so that they would know where to assemble. Banners show us who we belong to and what we stand for.

When the Israelites had been in the wilderness for 40 years, they were given a sign of God's presence in the form of the Ark. It was a sign which went before them over the river Jordan, carried on the shoulders of the priests, to the Promised Land. That Ark became to the Israelites the sign and symbol of their nationhood. It went before them into battle and became the symbol of the presence of God. The Ark eventually found its place in King Solomon's temple in Jerusalem. This is the reason that banners of all types, regimental, and civic are hung in our cathedrals and parish churches.

May this banner, for many years to come, be the guide and inspiration of all freemasons in Nottinghamshire, and whenever they enter a temple where it is displayed, may they be reminded of its aims and aspirations. I hope all of us will express our indebtedness to those worthy masons of 1850 who first had this original idea and gave it fruition, and to those worthy craftsmen who have now embroidered this third provincial banner.

May this banner ever remind us of our unity one with another.

Delivered by W.Bro.Rev David E. Bennett, Prov. G.Chaplain