It was only a matter of time before Oxfordshire, which traces its masonic roots to 1795 and is so closely associated with the world of academia, should also have its own centre for masonic education and study. But it took a while: that aspiration, first articulated in 1954, was finally fulfilled in 1990 when The Province of Oxfordshire Library and Museum was launched initially by the efforts of John Jones and Peter Laurence, and then of Stuart Carter, who joined the group in 1992.
    A Library committee was formed in April 1995 with Denis Merry as Chairman, by which time the Oxford Freemasons’ Hall at 333 Banbury Road was well established as the centre for Oxfordshire Freemasonry, having moved there some forty years earlier from the Masonic Building in Oxford High Street, where it had been situated since 1907.
    Available funds were first allocated to the acquisition of wall cabinets suitable for the display of aprons, jewels, certificates and similar ‘flat’ items. Display cabinets in the Museum, interspersed between library shelves along the walls, serve the dual function of storage and display intended to maximise the visual impact on Brethren attending lodge meetings.
    The limited space which has been utilised to date means that a great deal of material donated to the Museum is temporarily stored in boxes and filing cabinets in a back room. We were fortunate in being allowed to delve into some of the artefacts neatly stacked awaiting description; it was a treasure trove.
    Leaning against the wall was a large group of prints and paintings, many relating to Oxfordshire, several awaiting identification. The set of four Hogarth prints ‘The Times of Day’ is from the last large folio edition by Cook and Robinson, dated 1789 published some decades later.
    A bundle of Victorian documents tied with red tape, consists of manuscript correspondence between the Province and the Crown: a letter with black borders personally signed by Lord Churchill, Provincial Grand Master for Oxfordshire conveying condolences of the Freemasons of Oxfordshire on the passing of William IV on 20 June 1837. Another signed and sealed from the Province, dated 25 June 1876, congratulates HRH Edward, Prince of Wales, Grand Master, ‘on your safe return to your native Country . . .’ from the Royal visit to India. These and similar letters in original envelopes with postage stamps, and wax seals attached and intact, will, in due course, form an important historic exhibit.
    In an adjacent cabinet we found two examples of the valuable and well-known eighteenth century Meissen porcelain figurines ‘Master of the Lodge’. The crossed blue swords on the white background at the base of the two statues, confirms these to be genuine pieces of the eighteenth Century. They are on loan to the Museum, property of Apollo University Lodge, No. 357, who are unable to give us any details of their provenance. The name Meissen is associated with the birth of European porcelain making early in the eighteenth Century. The art had previously, since the thirteenth century, been the exclusive domain of the Far East.
    From the start Meissen porcelain has been synonymous with very high quality detail and colour. The two pieces we were handling exhibited exactly those elements while depicting two elegant young men wearing masonic regalia under their splendid jackets. Although each Meissen piece is genuinely unique, having been handmade, the differences in detail between the two pieces, other than the bright and gilt colour, are hardly noticeable, and both pieces radiate an aura of authenticity that has made Meissen famous throughout the world.
    In the various trays of a filing cabinet lie tidily labelled boxes of every size and shape, each containing artefacts and paraphernalia of its own genre. In the lowest tray, waiting to be restored and displayed, a slightly damaged rare largesize eighteenth Century papier-mâché snuffbox. It is delicately hand painted with rustic scenery and masonic emblems. Next to it is an unusual hand carved charity box in the shape of an ancient chest with miniature handles on either side. The intricate carving showing it was originally the property of Bertie Lodge, No. 1515. Also, a strangely shaped case, similar to a doctor’s bag, attracted our attention: it was a custom made holder for masonic cuffs, ensuring their proper protection and easy transportation.
    On top of the cabinet, with brass metal clasps and much of the binding intact, lies a 1602 Geneva Bible by Robert Barker whose family had held the right to print the Geneva Bible in England since the first English edition of 1575.

The Library

The several library shelves in the Museum and the Amery Temple now house over a thousand books all duly catalogued and available for Freemasons to view or take out on loan. There are good runs of many of the major masonic magazines and transactions with a very nearly complete set of the Ars Quatuor Coronatorum. There is an early manuscript Royal Arch ritual with wellexecuted graphic representations of the jewels of the Order. One shelf, half filled, is dedicated to Masonic Fiction and includes the many publications we are familiar with and which make such entertaining reading though of sociological rather then historical value.
    Stuart takes pride in two items of particular relevance and interest to Oxfordshire: the beautifully bound gilt edged copy of the Constitutions and By Laws presented to the Province and dedicated by Lord Henry John Churchill, Deputy Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England and Provincial Grand Master of Oxfordshire, in 1852. It is accompanied by a matching volume of the 1847 Constitutions, equally beautifully bound, and hand signed by William Henry White, who continued as Grand Secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England from 1839.
    The second item is the series of the Freemasons Calendar and Directory for Oxfordshire first published in 1857 and edited by R. J. Spiers, a Past Master of the Alfred Lodge and Deputy Provincial Grand Master. The importance of these early volumes, which only lack the first three numbers, is that it appears to be the earliest instance of the publication of a Provincial Calendar.
    Between the library shelves are impressive steel engraved prints of Anthony Sayer and John Theophilus Desaguliers, our first and third Grand Masters in 1717 and 1719, respectively. Both are engraved by S. Pelham for Albert Calvert and taken from the original mezzotint of 1819 by John Fisher of 1819.
    Several other documents adorn the walls. A typical elaborate and decorative multi purpose Grand Lodge of Scotland military certificate, conferring no less than 22 named degrees on James Campbell, is worthy of close study.
    A well displayed, though limited, collection of masonic jewels covers the range of the available themes. An unusual Master’s Jewel is headed ‘Singapore Scottish Constitution - Scotia Lodge No 1003’ and shows the un-named Master to have occupied the chair between 1940 and 1947, during part of which time Singapore was under Japanese occupation. Among the many more jewels is one Napoleonic Prisoner of War example encased in a watch case to which is attached a chain. It is in pristine condition.
    Before concluding our visit to 333 Banbury Road, Peter and Stuart took us on a grand tour of the masonic section of the compound; a large part of the building is now dedicated to nonmasonic functions. The Grand Temple itself is modern, of an unusual and impressive oval shape.
    The future looks very promising for the Oxfordshire Library and Museum. Peter and Stuart are ably assisted by John Walker and they take pride in showing interested Brethren, their friends and families, the masonic artefacts that are so much part of our history and heritage.

The Oxfordshire Museum is open on Tuesdays between 9.30 am and 12:30 pm. Individual visitors or groups can make arrangements for a visit by appointment by contacting the Librarian at the Oxford Masonic Centre 333 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7PL or by e-mail: info@the-oxfordcentre. co.uk or telephone 01865 554719

All photographs by Michael Baigent.