Loxfield Lodge No 2450
A History of Loxfield Lodge:
In November 1892 a Warrant was granted for Loxfield Lodge to meet at Uckfield.
The sponsoring lodge was South Saxon No 311 which was consecrated in 1796 and whose roots was from the Moderns Grand Lodge.
The Tercentenary of which we celebrated in 2017.
The Principal Founder of Loxfield Lodge was Major R L Thornton who was the 1st Master and the 50th Master in 1942.
The Founders adopted the title “Loxfield” for the new lodge.
It was the suggestion of the master-designate to recall that the locality was within the ‘Hundreds of Loxfield of Dorset’.
The new Lodge was consecrated at the Town Hall, Uckfield on 2nd March 1893 by the then Grand Secretary VW Bro (later Sir) Edward Letchworth in the presence of 125 brethren.
It was originally a summer lodge which first meet at The Assembly Rooms of
The Maidens Head, Uckfield from May to September
It altered its meetings to Winter time in 1904.
It has been suggested that the Lodge was formed with the active participation of many of the Uckfield shop owners and traders.
It is the reason the lodge meets on Wednesday afternoons - it being half closing day.
Apparently, the first members were referred to as 'the forty thieves' probably because collectively they owned and controlled most of the retail outlets in the town.
Unfortunately, there is no minute book which covers the consecration and the years up to and including WW1.
There is a later minute entry to the effect that the first minute book was incinerated in the furnace of the Uckfield Gas, Light and Coke Company.
Previously been stored in the National Westminster Bank vault in Uckfield.
The destruction of a very relevant minute book is very sad because it must have included details of those who were wounded or died in the Great War.
The only reference to lost members that could be found was an entry relating to Lt.Robert Thornton - the son of Major R.L.Thornton, who was killed in the later part of the war and his death is recorded at Grand Lodge in the Bronze Casket of Remembrance.
Major R.L.Thornton became the PGM of Sussex in 1926 and retired from office in 1947.
He was one of the longest serving PGM at 21 years
Exceeded only by The Rt. Hon. Earl of March & Darnley’s 24 years.
RW Bro Major R.L Thornton Dedicated the Uckfield Masonic Hall in 1946 at the age of 80 years.
The Lodge Banner was the work and gift of Mrs R L Thornton.
A Lodge of Instruction was formed in 1910 and from September 1914 was held at Oaklands, Jarvis Brook by kind permission of W Bro Charles Parris (Estate Agent). Brethren from Uckfield travelled by train to Jarvis Brook.
Loxfield Lodge bought the Old Grammar School, our present building, in 1939.
The old minute books do not reveal from whom or where the money was raised to buy the building.
Soon after the purchase and with the outbreak of WW2, the building was requisitioned by the military at a rent of £15 per quarter and not returned until 1947.
Part of the school building was also bought by the solicitors Dawson Hart who still occupy their portion of the building.
Interestingly, the first initiate into Loxfield Lodge was Charles Dawson who was the founding partner in the legal practice.
He was an amateur archaeologist, who claimed to have found the "missing link" in the evolution of mankind.
His 'discovery' commonly referred to as The Piltdown Man, was claimed to have been made in a gravel bed in the area around Barcombe Manor.
Many years later with the advent of carbon dating etc, the 'discovery' was found to be a complete fraud and the fragments of skull were found to have been combined with pieces of bone believed to have been from one of the great apes.
Charles Dawson had been the WM of Loxfield Lodge in 1909.
In 1984, it is understood that the building was in severe need of repair and Loxfield Lodge was very short of cash and could not fund the necessary repairs.
Accordingly, beneficial shares of 5% each in the building were sold to
Crowborough Beacon and Fidelity Lodges and these sales raised £6000.
This sum was entirely spent on the repairs needed and the beneficial share arrangement with the two lodges remains the same to this day.
The By-Laws dated 22nd April 1910 contain some very interesting notes.
The annual Subscription was One and a Half Guineas (£1.52p)
Initiation Fee Six Guineas and Joining Fee One Guinea £6.30p & £1.5p)
Tyler paid Five shillings for each Regular and Emergency Meeting (25p)
Installation Meeting Banquet not exceed Eight Shillings (40p)
The 50th Installation Meeting was held in the Town Hall, Uckfield on 2nd September 1943 by Dispensation.
The Worshipful Master W Bro J Cyster installed RW Bro Major RL Thornton the PGM for Sussex into the Chair as 50th Master.
The Loxfield Lodge Centenary was in 1993 when our recently dearly departed RW Bro David W Llewellyn was PGM for Sussex.
By this time Loxfield Lodge sponsored three lodges:
Rudyard Kipling Lodge No 8169,
Crowborough Beacon Lodge No 8573
Lewes Priory Lodge No 9201.
The Loxfield Commemorative Book 1893 to 1993 reminds us that there have been many devoted brethren who served Loxfield Lodge over the years and include:
Bro Kenward was Tyler for 41 years
W Bro Doren Ditch was Secretary for 46 years.
W Bro Ray Johnson who never missed a Lodge meeting except when serving his Country in the Great War
Brothers Gould, father and sons who provided the 10th, 19th, 33rd and 47th Masters.
Others included gifts of Firing Glasses in 1897 – not sure who donated
Bro JD Swain Wands for Stewards in 1947
Bro AM Wright for the gift of a Bible.
In 1952 a Committee of Ladies presented the Panelling on the North, East & West walls of the Dining Room.