WALTON WALKER AND SANDWELL LODGE 3847
Lodge History
LODGE HISTORY
After the first World War, brethren of Dartmouth Lodge No. 662 felt that their large membership severely restricted the chances of attaining office, and accordingly, it was felt that a further Lodge in the town of West Bromwich was justified.
“William, sone of Guy de Ophene, in the latter end of the reign of King Henry the Second, founded a Benedictine prior in the hermitage of West Bromwich near the well called Sandwell, and endowed it with several lands lying about the same.” It appears that Sandwell took its name from ‘Sancta Fons’ or The Holy Well about a mile S.E. of the church, and situated in a beautiful and secluded valley, well suited to the religious purposes of a hermitage or priory.
It is recorded that in 1361 Brother Henry de Kydderminster, a monk who found himself all alone in Sandwell Priory, asked his bishop to elect a prior. “Elect yourself”, was the bishop’s reply, and presumably that was what he did.
A strong friendship having been cemented in the rigours of the West Bromwich Cycling Club between C. B. Adams, F. J. Hall and A. A. Millichip, they, together with Clement Keys, a Grand Lodge officer, his son, Geoffrey, T. Foley Bache, Rev. W. Solly and S. Lamb formed the nucleus of the 14 founders, eight of whom became Master of the Lodge. Their object was to form a Lodge, not too large, which would appeal to business and professional men who lived and worked in West Bromwich. Formal approval was given by the members of Dartmouth Lodge No. 662 at a regular meeting held on 21st May, 1924, and the petition to the M.W. The Grand Master was signed at that meeting.
Sandwell Lodge No 4673 was subsequently consecrated by The Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master The Right Honourable The Earl of Dartmouth, GCVO. TD, DL, PGW on Monday 3rd November 1924.
The Lodge has continued to meet, with only minor interruption during the Second World War, until the present day and is looking forward to celebrating its Centenary in 2024.
On the 23rd of May 1918 Walton Walker Lodge No. 3847 was born out of the restlessness of some members of The Noah’s Ark Lodge No. 347 meeting in Tipton and of Dartmouth Lodge No. meeting at West Bromwich who decided to join together for the sole purpose of founding a new Lodge to meet at the Masonic Hall, West Bromwich.
The restlessness arose because of the situation that prevailed in both Lodges during the middle years of the Great War which was that of the Brethren, particularly those of advanced years, whom aspired to the Chair of King Solomon could see that there was no prospect of them attaining the Mastership of their Lodge within the foreseeable future.
However due to the fact that these two Craft Lodges were the only two in the area at the time, progress was inevitably slow. Indeed, even after attaining the Masters Chair it was taking twelve years before anyone could be offered Provincial Grand Rank, past or present due to the Quota System.
What is surprising is that even at this time there was no apparent shortage of comparatively young men awaiting to become Candidates, enforcing the need for a new Lodge in West Bromwich. Events were to show that there was a veritable onslaught of Candidates taxing the strength of the Masters and Officers to the very hilt. It was not uncommon for Four Ceremonies to take place at one meeting or two Initiations and one Raising, all carried out by the Master of the Lodge, something that many of us would shrink from, but that was the pattern of the day.
At the Lodge meeting on the 24th September 2009 the Lodge was formally amalgamated with Sandwell Lodge No. 4673 to form Walton Walker and Sandwell Lodge No. 3847.
"Freemasonry is an institution founded on eternal reason and truth; whose deep basis is the civilisation of mankind, and whose everlasting glory it is to have the immovable support of those two mighty pillars, science and morality." - Dr John Dove
