Palatine Lodge No. 97

One of our own, Prof. Denny Wilson, who had already achieved so much in Freemasonry - Past Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham, Current Provincial Grand Master of Durham for the Mark Degree, and Past Master of this Lodge, has now been appointed Assistant Grand Master of the Grand Mark Lodge of England and Wales and its Districts and Lodges Overseas.

A very proud moment for this Lodge, and we wish Denny every success in his new role.

As we head into our summer recess we decided to go out with a bang, performing the first double-initiation undertaken by the Lodge in over twenty years, and certainly the first ever undertaken by the current Officers of the Lodge.  Given we only had one Lodge of Instruction to rehearse the double, all of those that took part can be immensely proud of the ritual on display, once again upholding the high standards we place upon ourselves.

As part of the Sunderland History Fair 2022, we once again opened our doors to the public on Saturday, 21st May.

Once again appreciating not everyone would be able to attend, a fly-by tour video was recorded.

We held an Open Day at Wearside Masonic Temple on Saturday, 19th March.
Appreciating not everyone would be able to attend, a fly-by tour video was recorded.

We'll be holding another Open Day on Saturday, 21st May, and all are welcome.

We had another great meeting on Thursday, 10th March.  For the third month running we performed a First Degree ceremony and welcomed a new member to our Lodge.  Pictured with the Worshipful Master, we have Mick (February), Anth (March), Paul (the Worshipful Master), and Jon (January).  

The enthusiasm shown by all three is really promising, and we look forward to many years of friendship to come.  

We're fortunate to still have a number of potential candidates and we're now scratching our heads to create a plan to get them in; some have been waiting a while.

We have very much picked up where we left off pre-pandemic, and have been fortunate to welcome two new members to the Lodge via Initiations at our January and February meetings.  We have a third Initiation to look forward to at our March meeting and we then switch our attention to Raising some of our current Fellow Craft members.

We still have quite the list of potential members that have been patiently waiting, and we thank them for that.  A plan is in the making as to how we might get them in to the Lodge without asking them to wait too much longer.

December is always our Installation Meeting, and was once more on this occasion.  However, this year was different in that our current Worshipful Master, WBro Paul Staines, has remained in place for a third year (two being the usual limit these days).

The past two years have been stilted, for obvious reasons, and so all involved with the Lodge felt it correct that we should ask Paul to continue, which he was glad to do.

I am minded of what I wrote back in December 2019 when he was first installed.

I thought it was time I posted once again about our meetings!

Samuel Peter Austin, Junior (1842 -1925)

One of the River Wear’s most famous shipbuilders, Samuel Peter Austin, was initiated into Palatine Lodge, No 97, on March 27th, 1868. He played an active role in the Lodge, becoming Worshipful Master in 1873, Treasurer in 1875 and received the honour of Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden (PProvJGW).

The entry for Samuel Peter Austin in Palatine’s Membership Record

Peter Riddle Grey Phorson was initiated into Freemasonry on the 14th of February 1901 and became Worshipful Master of Palatine Lodge in 1906.

Palatine Membership Record

Robert Singleton was born in July of 1852 in Garstang, Lancashire, to Robert Clifton Singleton and his wife Susannah (nee Dickinson).  He was the second of six children, having four brothers and a sister.  On the 1861 census his mother is listed as an Innkeeper’s widow, so she was left with a very young family to tend to. 

Sir Edward Temperley Gourley was Initiated into Palatine lodge on the 10th of October 1861. Little is known about his masonic career other than he sustained his membership over a number of decades; he never became Worshipful Master, so it is likely he enjoyed his time on the sidelines.  

He was a notable ship owner and prominent Sunderland figure in the latter part of the 19th Century and was Knighted in 1895 for his political work.

Throughout the long history of Palatine Lodge No. 97, the Lodge has borne witness to numerous historical events and many of its members have helped to shape Local, National and World History.

The Lodge minutes are a rich source of information and a fascinating glimpse into the past, but often, our members interesting life stories have long been lost in time. 

Before every meeting, the Lodge publishes a Summons; essentially an agenda, and, on important occasions, the Summons includes a list of Outstanding Events; a reminder of our Lodge’s incredible history.  

In Fraternal Remembrance

of

Bro Joseph Cowey, RGA

Who was killed in France on 29th August 1918

I knew Bro Cowey years before he joined the Craft as a leading chorister at Christ Church, where Sunday after Sunday I heard his fine voice raised in the service and praise of *TGAOTU.

The following is taken from our Volume II History book (1937) and is replicated, as written, here.  A postface is added at the bottom to give a little further information.

James Hall

Worshipful Master
1908-1909