At Freemasonry Today we have received many letters from Brethren aspiring to various masonic records. We decided to bring these together in the "Book of Records". If you can better any of these, or add some other record, then please contact The Editor, Freemasonry Today, Abbotsgate House, Hollow Road, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk IP32 7FA. email: editor@freemasonrytoday.co.

Last update: April 2007

The oldest known English Freemason:

W Bro. Samuel Hartree Crabbe, who died aged 109, on 23 July 1990. He was born 12 December 1880 and initiated into the Dolphin Lodge, No. 4464, Bristol, 9 February 1927. At the age of 103 he joined the Mark Degree.

In Australia Bro. Jack Lockett, who died in 2002 aged 111, had been initiated into Ouyen Lodge, No. 249 (Victorian Constitution) in 1921 giving 81 years in Freemasonry. He was also Australia’s oldest man at the time.

The oldest Freemason today in the United Grand Lodge of England:

W. Bro Victor Middleton is 102 and was initiated in Fairhaven Lodge, No. 5076, in the Province of West Lancashire, on 22 April 1065 when he was over 60. He was master in 1972 and again, in his 100th year, in 2005. When he was initiated he had to remind the committee that Churchill had taken his country to war when over 60, and he didn’t see any problem!

The longest service to Freemasonry:

Historically the longest serving Freemason was W Bro. Arthur King-Davies, initiated into Llynfi Lodge, No. 2965, South Wales (E.D.) 10 May 1911, died 26 December 1991. He had served 80 years 7 months in Freemasonry.

In Australia, (Queensland), 103 year old RWBro. Ted Smout, OAM, ASM, Legion d’Honneur, Past Assistant Grand Master has celebrated 83 years in masonry. He was initiated into Victoria Lodge, No.10, Brisbane, 10 May 1921; he was Master in March 1935.

The longest family service to one Lodge:

The Wilding family in Cheshire have tyled Lodge of Sincerity, No. 428, continuously since 1836, a total of 168 years. The current Tyler, Bro. Tony Wilding, is the 7th generation of the family to serve the Lodge.

The longest family service as Provincial Grand Masters:

The Dundas family provided the Provincial Grand Master for Yorshire, North and East Ridings, for a total of 167 years. Lawrence, 1st Earl of Zetland was installed as Provincial Grand Master in 1817; the last to hold the office, Lawrence Aldred, 3rd Marquess of Zetland, retired in 1984.

The most masonic work by a Master:

W.Bro. Major Henry Sadler, Master of Aldershot Camp Lodge, No. 1331, in 1916, during his year presided over 136 Degree ceremonies: 48 Initiations, 42 Passings and 46 Raisings. The candidates were mostly NCOs awaiting transfer to the front-line. During his masonic career W.Bro. Sadler performed a total of 174 Degree ceremonies.

W.Bro. John Denton, founding Master of Harrogate & Claro Lodge, No. 1001, in 12 regular and 3 emergency meetings performed 45 ceremonies in his year, 1864, initiating, passing and raising 15 candidates with 10 multiple ceremonies.

R.W. Bro. Colonel Alexander Foster Gough as Master of Honour Lodge, No. 526, in 1858-59, presided over 15 meetings at which he initiated 12 candidates, passed 10 and raised 10 giving a total of 32. But during his second period of Master of the same Lodge, 1859-60, he initiated 11, passed 12 and raised 10; a total of 33 candidates. From 1889-92 he was Provincial Grand Master of Staffordshire. In 1898, W.Bro. T. Linskill, Master of Harrogate & Claro Lodge, conducted 32 ceremonies.

W.Bro. Surgeon A. Knight Prescott, joined The Aldershot Army and Navy Lodge, No. 1971, in June 1886. He was elected Master the same night. While in the Chair, during 7 meetings, he initiated 7 candidates, passed 9 and raised 12, a total of 28. The Lodge Minutes suggest that each ceremony was worked separately.

Serving as Master of the same Lodge the greatest number of times:

W.Bro. Alexander Logan served as Master of the Marquis of Granby Lodge, No. 124, Durham, for 18 continuous years from 1800-1818 and then in 1821 and 1831; a total of 20 years. W.Bro. R. Blanchard was Master of Unity Lodge, No. 132, Ringwood, Hampshire, from 1784-1798, a total of 15 years plus 1800, 1803, 1806 and 1810 giving a total of 19 occasions.

W.Bro. J. Ward also served as Master of Unity Lodge on 15 occasions. W. Bro. William Hinchcliffe served as Master of the Duke of Normandy Lodge, No. 245, in Jersey, in 1815, 1816, 1820, 1824, 1825, 1828, 1829, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835, 1837, 1842, 1844, a total of 14 separate occasions.

W.Bro. Richard Pearce was Master of Mount Sinai Lodge, No. 121, Penzance, on 13 separate occasions.

More recently, W.Bro. D. Cook was Master of Park Lane Lodge, No. 8657, on 8 occasions: 1975, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1986, 2000 and 2001.

W Bro. C.F. Langley served as Master of Beadon Lodge, No. 619, London, on 5 occasions: 1973, 1974, 1985, 1994, 2003.

W.Bro. John Ovens, has been Master of the Victory Lodge, No. 3986, Gosforth, also on 5 occasions: 1987, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2003.

In South Africa, Eastern Division, W.Bro. A.S. Ventor has served as Master of White Hope Lodge, No. 1939, Tarkastad, on 9 occasions.

In Brazil, South America, Northern Division, W.Bro. Malcolm Curtis was Master of the Lodge of Unity, No. 5560, Sao Paulo, on 7 occasions: 1980, 1981, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1994, 2001.

Greatest length of time between service as Master of a single Lodge:

In 1994, W.Bro. F.A. Henshall was elected Master of Glantawe Lodge, No. 5378, Swansea, 50 years after he had first served as Master of the Lodge in 1944.

W.Bro. Philip Colville Smith was Master of Apollo University Lodge, No. 357, Oxford, in 1891. He subsequently was to serve as Master on 5 occasions, the last being in 1935, 44 years after his first Installation. He also served as Grand Secretary of United Grand Lodge of England, 1917-1937.

The greatest number of sons initiated into Freemasonry in the same Lodge:

All 6 sons and 2 grandsons of W.Bro. W. Bevan were initiated into Coleshill Lodge, No. 7910, Flint, North Wales.

W Bro. R. Wild and his 4 sons were all initiated into Thornham Lodge, No. 2279, East Lancashire; all have subsequently served as Master.

W Bro. Bill Devine and his 4 sons were all initiated into Gateways Lodge, No. 6374, Cheshire; all are past M.E.Z. of the Letchworth Royal Arch Chapter, No. 5272, Cheshire; at one stage all held office simultaneously.

W. Bro. Pat Huck whose 4 sons, all Freemasons, were either joining members or initiated into Dronfield Lodge, No. 9570, Derbyshire.

In Scotland, at Lodge Seaforth, No. 854 (Grand Lodge of Scotland), Fortrose, Ross-Shire, on 16 April 1990, 5 sons of Bro. James MacKenzie were initiated in one ceremony.

The greatest number of family members in one Lodge:

In May 1963 W.Bro. W Bevan was a Founder of Coleshill Lodge, No. 7910, Flint, North Wales. Since that time his eight sons and grandsons have all been initiated into the same Lodge giving a total of nine members of the Bevan family in this one Lodge.

The greatest number of family members serving as Master of a Lodge:

The Benin (Edo) Royal Family, Nigeria, have had eight members serve as Masters of Benin Lodge, No. 7800 (EC) since its consecration in 1962.

The greatest number of masonic visits:

Excluding attendance at his own lodge, W.Bro. Brian Anderson of Lodge of Remembrance, No. 6319, Northumberland, has visited a total of 1781 masonic meetings of many Rites and three Constitutions.

The greatest number of descendant Lodges:

St Luke’s Lodge, No. 144, founded in 1765, and meeting in Highgate, London, has a total of 315 descendant Lodges, including seven daughter Lodges. Not all those descendant Lodges are still working.

Merchants Lodge, No. 241, founded in 1780, which meets in Liverpool, Province of West Lancashire, has 227 descendant Lodges of which 12 are daughter Lodges. A total of 71 Chapters are associated with those Lodges.

The oldest Masonic Hall in continuous use:

Queen Street East, Sunderland, in use since 1785, a total of 216 years.

In Scotland, Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, No.2, has been meeting in their premises since at least 18 December 1736, a total of 268 years;

Lodge Cumberland Kilwinning, No. 217, built its present Temple in 1757 and has been meeting there since that time, a total of 243 years.

The oldest building used for Lodge meetings:

Restormel Lodge, No.856, Cornwall, meets in The Old Duchy Palace, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, which was built by Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, in the late 13th Century.