A Brief Historical Summary of Freemasonry
It has been stated by both masonic and non-masonic historians and scholars alike, that Masonry as an order has existed from time immemorial, dating back thousands of years to the ancient days of antiquity. Though this point will forever remain a topic for discussion, we can definitively trace our origins back to the medieval stonemasons of the 12th century, who built the beautifully designed cathedrals across Europe in a Gothic style architecture that was totally new to the world, and never before seen at that point in time. These would have included the Amiens, Reims and Chartres Cathedrals in France, and the Kilwinning Abbey and Glasgow Cathedral in Scotland.
These Stonemasons initially formed Lodges at or close to their respective building sites, for which the main objectives were to safeguard their design and construction secrets of sacred geometry, to train apprentices in the secrets of their craft, to prevent the infiltration of imposters, to support widows, their children and each other, and to hold themselves true to a moral and ethical code of behaviour. In Scotland, the introduction of non-Stonemasons into these Stonemason Lodges started sometime between the 16th and 17th centuries, and was to forever change the face of Masonry as it was then known.
This gradual change in the composition of the Lodges from Stonemasons to non-Stonemasons, gave birth to the term Speculative Freemasons, which resulted in the evolution of the craft over the next 300 years from the operative Stonemason rites to the rites of Speculative Freemasonry, and the eventual formation of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1736. Thus the year 1736, was the launch pad from which Scottish Freemasonry was gifted to the world, after which it rapidly spread across the continents with Provinces set up in countries and geographic areas globally.
Our genealogy shows that prior to the establishment of our District Grand Lodge of Trinidad and Tobago in 1958, we had three hereditary Provinces. These were the Province over all Scottish Lodges in America and The West Indies (1757-1768), the Province Including The Caribbean (1837-1861) and the Province of Trinidad (1862-1889). Following the demise of the Province Including The Caribbean in 1861, Tobago was placed under the Province of The West India Islands (1873-1906). When The Province of Trinidad became defunct in 1889, we had to wait a very long 69 years until its
successor, The District Grand Lodge of Trinidad & Tobago, was erected and consecrated on Wednesday 19th March 1958.
We have a very rich Masonic heritage, and indeed, it is one that we are extremely proud of. Freemasonry started here in Port Of Spain 225 years ago in 1795 when Lodge United Brothers #251 came here from St Lucia. In 1813, when they were chartered by the Grand Lodge of Scotland, we had the birth of Scottish Freemasonry here, 207 years ago. There was a long gap of 43 years before the second Scottish Lodge, Lodge Eastern Star #368 was erected and consecrated in 1856, also in Port Of Spain. The wait for our third Scottish Lodge was significantly reduced to a mere eight years when Lodge Athole #438 was erected and consecrated in 1864 in South Trinidad. Then, over the next thirteen years two further Lodges were added, with the erection and consecration of Lodge Scarborough #488 in 1869 in Tobago, and Lodge Rosslyn #596 in 1877 in Port Of Spain, these being our fourth and fifth Scottish Lodges respectively.
Lodge Scarborough #488 introduced Scottish Freemasonry, and in fact Freemasonry in general, to the island of Tobago. Unfortunately, Lodge Athole #438 became dormant in 1892 and Lodge Scarborough #488 became dormant in 1906. However despite these setbacks, Freemasonry continued to spread across the breadth and length of Trinidad, with the erection and consecration of two additional Lodges, Lodge Arima #899 in 1900 in Arima, and Lodge Alexandra #1044 in 1920 in San Fernando. With five Scottish Lodges now in operation, there were two unsuccessful attempts to form a new Provincial or District Grand Lodge. Then a sixth Lodge, Lodge Caribbean Light #1391 was erected and consecrated in 1938 in Port Of Spain. These six Scottish Lodges made four further attempts at forming a new Provincial or District Grand Lodge, all of which were also unsuccessful.
The six Scottish Lodges were finally successful on the seventh attempt, when the District Grand Lodge of Trinidad and Tobago was erected and consecrated on Wednesday 19th March 1958. Following the formation of the District Grand Lodge in 1958, Freemasonry thrived with a further seven Lodges being formed over the next 38 years. It is noteworthy to mention that no Scottish Lodges have gone into dormancy since 1906.
The first Lodge erected and consecrated by the new District Grand Lodge just six years after its formation, was Lodge Royalian #1605 in 1964. Just four years after in 1968, Scottish Freemasonry made a successful return to Tobago after an absence of 62 years with the erection and consecration of Lodge Tobago Kilwinning #1643. A further six years onwards, yet another Lodge, Lodge Felicity #1681 was erected and consecrated in 1974. Membership in our Scottish Lodges steadily increased over the years and eventually achieved such levels that resulted in the formation of two additional Lodges within an eighteen month span. Coming out of Lodge Rosslyn #596, Lodge Trinity #1733 was erected and consecrated in 1980, and out of Lodge Eastern Star #368, Lodge Hesperus #1738 was erected and consecrated in 1981.
The District then went overseas to Grenada, where the erection and consecration of Lodge St Andrew #1794 in 1992, reintroduced Scottish Freemasonry to Grenada after a very long absence of 96 years. Our celebration of 200 years of Freemasonry, was commemorated by the erection and consecration of Lodge Bi-Centennial #1812 in 1996, and as we can see the Lodge was so appropriately named. This Lodge came out from Lodge Trinity #1733. In 2008 the District Grand Lodge of Trinidad & Tobago changed it’s name to the District Grand Lodge of Trinidad & Tobago and Grenada, which was more inclusive of all the Lodges under it’s jurisdiction.
The Principle Tenets of Freemasonry are Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, and a belief in this has resulted in the formation of a number of charitable organisations dating back to 1897, with the formation of the Trinidad Masonic Provident Society, and continuing with many others including a Memorial Scholarship Board, a Hospital Aid Fund, a Friendship Fund etc.
Currently, our two main Charitable arms are the Trinidad & Tobago Masonic Provident Society and The Trinidad & Tobago Masonic Charitable Organisation, through which Charity is dispensed to needy individuals and organisations. For Freemasons, the incorporation of one’s family (i.e.. wife or girlfriend, kids, etc.) is very important, and as such we have several activities which support this integration including a Family Fun Day, the October Fair, the Chefs Delight and our marquee event for the year the Masonic Ball.
Each of our 13 Lodges and their respective members, actively support the District Grand Lodge in all their activities, in addition to planning their own functions that promote and encourage active participation by families, as well as raise funds for Charity.
As the District Grand Lodge of Trinidad & Tobago and Grenada, our fraternal bonds of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth are extended to the two other constitutions that operate within Trinidad and Tobago, namely the District Grand Lodge of Trinidad and Tobago English Constitution, and the 8th Masonic District of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, as well as to our sister Districts throughout the Caribbean based in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Bahamas, and indeed to all other Districts and Provinces under the Grand Lodge of Scotland and also to all other Grand Lodges in amity with the Grand Lodge of Scotland, that are located throughout the world.
Freemasonry is the world’s oldest existing fraternal organisation, and there is no other that comes close to our ancient and honourable heritage. Freemasonry is also the world’s largest fraternal organisation with over six million members worldwide of all different ethnicities, religions, nationalities and educational and professional backgrounds, all of whom are linked through a common set of core values and a moral code of ethics and virtues, the practice of which it is said, makes good men better.
Freemasonry has long been shrouded in mystery and has faced several challenges over its many centuries of existence mainly due to a lack of understanding of who we are and what we do. However despite these challenges, Freemasons have continuously made outstanding contributions across a broad spectrum of areas to the world at large. A brief list of some of our more well known members include fourteen Presidents of the United States, such as the 1st President George Washington, the 26th President Theodore Roosevelt, the 32nd President Franklin D Roosevelt, and the 33rd President Harry S Truman, as well as one of the founding fathers of the United States Benjamin Franklin, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, South American liberator Simon Bolivar, music composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, writers Rudyard Kipling and Mark Twain, inventor and automobile magnate Henry Ford, basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, singer Nat King Cole and the Reverend Jesse Jackson, just to name a few.
It is often said that we are a secret society, but to phrase it more accurately we are a society with secrets. These secrets are mostly limited to our modes of recognition, since our rituals and thousands of books and other literary articles on Freemasonry have been published, and are now widely and easily available in book stores and on the internet.
Freemasonry is here to stay and though the journey for each individual member may be different, the destination is the same for all. We enjoin to be part of something special, to experience the learning, growth and development that only Freemasonry can offer you. Come and be a part of our history, the history of the world’s oldest and largest fraternal organisation.
Brother Sheldon J C Taitt
District Grand Lecturer 2020