Object Description
The pair of hand painted pine boards in gold, green and black showing the Roll of Worshipful Masters created for a Masonic Lodge, believed to be in Suffolk, one titled ‘Past’ and the other ‘List’, each name preceded by the letters PM for ‘Past Master’, the wholes in original condition, now craquelured with age, surviving from the mid-Victorian period.
The pine panels are in sound overall order and remain untouched or unrestored in any way this ensuring they retain their character. One of the panels has a split to the top but it doesn’t really affect the whole. The lower part of the other panel has more wear to the paint than the rest of the panel with both panels having small areas of loss. We have waxed the pieces to protect the paintwork and have added eyelets to the tops for hanging purposes.
These panels would have been part of a larger composition, with a middle panel presumably entitled ‘Master’ so that they would read ‘Past Master List’ from left to right.
The panels name the following as Past Masters:
R.E. Steven 1842 J.Allcock 1860
J.H Thompson 1842 W.Clubb 1861
A.Walker 1843 J.Allcock 1862
C.Dorr 1844 J.Allcock 1863
J.H Thompson 1845 E.Seed 1864
J.Hewett 1846 R.Martin 1865
C.Dorr 1847 J.Wright 1866
R.Barker 1848 C.Adcock 1867
R.Carter 1849 W.Nichols 1868
With more than a nod of approval to the past, it is important to acknowledge the founding members of a Masonic lodge and those who have been voted by members of a lodge to represent the lodge as a worshipful master, the equivalent of a chairman in many other organisations. In Freemasonry, a Grand Master is the title given to the person elected to oversee a Masonic jurisdiction. He presides over a Grand Lodge, and has certain rights in the constituent Lodges that form his jurisdiction. In most, but not all cases, the Grand Master is styled “Most Worshipful Grand Master.”
Hugely decorative panels that usher us into the mysteries of the Masonic realm.