Provincial Grand Lodge
28 May 2026
Chelmsford Race Course
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PGL’26 convened on a bright, sunny & beautiful 28th May 2026 at Chelmsford City Racecourse, all welcomed by the Provincial Grand Master, R.W. Bro. John Finlay.
And what a day it was, as over 250 Mark Men arrived from all parts of the Province and beyond; from the Netherlands, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight, London, Warwickshire, South Wales, Middlesex, Hertfordshire, Gloucestershire, East Anglia, Sussex, Surrey, Kent and across the Home Counties represented in the splendour & friendliness that so typifies our Order.
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As is my usual pledge, I will endeavour to resist any references to the Sport of Kings in my review, well, possibly, but I may have already failed in that respect!
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First out of the stalls though, the first furlong post was to refresh over bacon rolls & coffee, partaken in great company, friendship & Mark camaraderie in the Fairwood Suite, a wonderful setting to catch up with old friends & making new friendships along the way.
A short canter back into the main marquee & in fine Essex Mark tradition the Mark Shop, under the watchful & persuasive stewardship of Chris Smith, yet again aided by Brian Wright, did brisk business, particularly it would seem in new Provincial ties, and given the pictures here in the brilliant sunshine, Meridian splendour covering all attending on the day, makes me wonder if a new line could be Mark-branded sunglasses! I leave you to ponder.
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On to the business of the day and at 11.40 the first of the processions into the Temple began, concluding with the entrance of the Provincial Grand Master & Executive to resounding applause.
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Provincial Grand Lodge being opened, the P.G.M. went on to welcome his guests, the many R.W. & V.W. guests there to pay respect to the Province.
Taking a moment in reflection for the 19 Mark Men called to higher service, the Dep. P.G.M. reading each name in turn, May They Rest In Peace.
Followed by the many business items on the agenda we arrived at the first of many pleasurable tasks for the P.G.M., that of having a cheque presented to him for Festival2030 by W. Bro. Chris Smith of Essex Mark Shop for the sum of £5935, another contribution surpassing previous years of fundraising by Chris and the Shop, well done everyone for supporting such a fine initiative, long may it continue.
The P.G.M. went on to re-appoint V.W. Bro. Richard Goodwin as Dep. P.G.M. followed by his A.P.G.M.’s W. Bro. Geoff Newman & W. Bro. Rob Sandy being likewise re-appointed; all being saluted in respect to their appointments.
The most pleasurable part of the P.G.M.’s duties was the appointment of Provincial Officers for the year, both Active, Promotions & First Appointments.
At this point the P.G.M. rose to give his Address to the Brethren which, due to the heat in the Temple, was reduced and therefore the full version can accessed via the button below:
Although reduced in timespan, but notably rich in content, included was the P.G.M.’s request to the D.C. to present R.W. Bro. George Deacon (P.G.M. Hampshire & Isle of Wight) to him. The P.G.M. went on to present a donation to him for £1000 in memory of the sadly departed M.W. Bro. John Herbert Prizeman, Pro. Grand Master whose ‘home Province’ was Hampshire & Isle of Wight. M.W. Bro. John’s passing was a notably sad loss for Freemasonry and the Mark degree in particular. He had been ‘pioneering’ in his work to further bind Craft & the Companion Orders together and remove the barriers that were preventing it to happen. A man whose foresight, drive and enthusiasm has made Freemasonry a far better place; the very strategy that the Essex Craft P.G.M. had adopted to make our relationship here in the Province, so positive & fruitful. At the conclusion of his Address the P.G.M. was presented with a cheque for £10000 from the P.G.M. of the Craft, R.W. Bro. Paul William Tarrant, clearly demonstrating the fact that charity has no Masonic demarcation when we are faced with those in need of our support, a remarkable sum raising the total to date to £50,000 that has been donated to Festival2030 by Essex Craft, many thanks to you Sir, it will be faithfully applied.
As in previous years the honour of being the winning recipient of the ‘Keystone Lecture’ award was made. It is fair to say that the standard of submissions is and has been extremely high making the choice of winner(s) even more difficult.
The P.G.M. was delighted to present the award to Bro. Jack Meleady (also 2025 Winner) and Bro. John Sharman for their very insightful & thought provoking works which I’m sure will be widely & attentively heard across the Province in the coming season.
I for one am very much looking forward to them!
There being no other business, Provincial Grand Lodge was closed in due form.
On to the Festive Board at which the service and food was excellently prepared and offered to all seated attendees. Toasts given, received the sentiment evident as the assembly rose to respect & merit.
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A tradition at this juncture, was the toast to the P.G.M. delivered by the newly appointed & invested S.W., W. Bro. Andy Sylvester.
The toast was a very succinct and notable tome to the P.G.M., a portrayal of the P.G.M.’s style in tenure, motivation & leadership that we, as a Province, have had the pleasure of experiencing since his Installation. A man so supportive to all in Essex there are so many examples, anecdotes and simple but powerful interactions I could not even attempt to list them here.
You simply have to know the man to know why, who and what he does for us all; in short….
Success isn’t just about what you accomplish in your life, It’s about what you inspire others to achieve in theirs
Brethren of Essex & beyond, I’m sure you can see our Provincial Grand Master, R. W. Bro. John Finlay inspires others to do so much in their Masonic lives.
As the Festive Board drew to a close, bringing the curtain down on PGL’26 our reflections are real, memories clear, and with a vision & direction towards PGL’27 and the successes we can celebrate among friends, Mark Men & Masons all.
You bet, eh?
PHOTO GALLERY
Posted 08/06/26
