Corinthian Lodge No. 5528
The Corinthian Lodge is one of the largest in the Province of Nottinghamshire. We are a very happy lodge with an age profile ranging from 25 to 96 coming from a wide variety of backgrounds and occupations. Some of our members are very keen and good Ritualist’s whist others like to sit back and watch. Therefore, we welcome both new initiates and joining members whatever their abilities. Corinthian is well known for its excellent ritual, well-performed ceremony and welcoming environment. We wish to ensure that all members enjoy themselves and have the opportunity to socialise and build firm, long lasting friendships.
Meetings are held at the Masonic Hall in Newark seven times per year. Six of them are our Regular Meetings and these are held on the 2nd Thursday of the months of October, November, December, January, February and March. The Seventh, our Installation Meeting, is held on the 3rd. Thursday in May. Meetings start at 6.30 pm with the exception of the May meeting which starts at 5.30pm. After the meeting we have an enjoyable 3-course meal, the Festive Board, at very reasonable prices. Additionally, we hold several social events, as well as holding, at our Masters discretion, a “White Table” during our December meeting when our wives, partners and friends are invited to attend our Festive Board after our meeting.
We have an attached Lodge of Instruction where we meet to practice our ritual, in an informal setting, and have an enjoyable evening.
The introduction of the Pathway scheme within the lodge is most welcome as it provides guidance and encouraged to all Lodge members, setting new and joining members on a path to enjoy life long masonry. The Corinthian Lodge is a very friendly lodge and all members and visitors will always be made most welcome.
History of the Original
Corinthian Lodge No 561
W Bro Ady Crampton has kindly digitised a book charting the history of the Corinthian Lodge No 56, which existed from 1790 to approximately 1834.
The book was written by WBro H.W. Mace (P.M. 1661, 3595 P.A.G.D.C. P.Z. 1661 P.G.StdB) and has resided only in our museum until now.
We hope this will be of interest to members of the current Corinthian lodge No 5528, as well as other Newark masons and future masons.
See below for an audio version of this history, read by the author.
Newark’s first Corinthian Lodge No. 561
A talk by W Bro Chas Black
The first Corinthian lodge (561) at Newark was consecrated on 5th June 1790 at the Wing Tavern in Newark Market place. It may be of interest to readers to know, writes W Bro Chas Black, that two of the founders were a father and son namely John Strong Senior & John Strong Junior both of Bingham. Father was initiated into the union Lodge in March 1789 with his son being initiated into the same lodge in the October.
The union Lodge Nottingham was established in 1763 and initially met under an ancients warrant (Number 62) at the Punch Bowl, Peck Lane Nottingham. The lodge eventually folded around 1827.
John Strong Senior was the first Senior Warden of the Corinthian and was born in Bingham in 1738 and died there in 1805. During his life he was employed as a Plumber, Glazier and, om addition, served as Chief Constable of Bingham
John Strong Junior was the first Junior Warden of the Corinthian lodge becoming Worshipful Master in 1792. He eventually went on to be Provincial Grand Junior Warden for the Province of Nottinghamshire. He was born in Bingham 1765 and died in 1849. During his lifetime he was also employed as a Plumber, Post Master and Teacher. John Strong Junior was a Freemason for nearly 60 years and during that time counted amongst his friends some of the leading lights of the craft including the controversial Dr Crucefix and Dr Oliver. He is recorded as being made a member of the Knights Templar in 1796 at the Surry Tavern in the Strand by one Captain William Hannam who was Acting Grand Master of the Knights Templar during Thomas Dunckerley’s years as Grand Master from 1791 to 1795.
The painting
Early in 2010 a distant descendant of the Strong family still living in Bingham made contact with the Mace museum via Patty Temple, the then curator of the Newark town hall museum. With information that a painting of John Strong Jr was in existence and has been handed down through the generations and was currently hanging on a wall at a farm in Yorkshire.
A trip was organised and a copy of the painting was undertaken and presented to the Mace museum by W Bro Jim Malloy. Currently this can be seen hanging on the Mace Museum wall amongst the other artefacts of the Corinthian lodge. The painting depicts John Strong Junior in his Past Grand Junior Warden collar. There is no date but it must have been painted some time after his Provincial honours awarded in 1843.
Corinthian Lodge 561 held its last meeting in 1834 and it was a century later, in 1938 that the current Corinthian Lodge 5528 was consecrated and received its warrant.