FREEMASONS DArTmOUTh’s FREEMASONS
Behind the blue door of Hauley Lodge 797 lies a world that few have entered but, about which, many have strong preconceptions.
t’s the home of the Dartmouth Freemasons and, as part of a national drive, is looking to dispel the myths that have grown up about the society. Dr Jim murray, secretary of the Hauley Lodge and one time master, said: “We are not a secret society, more a society with some secrets - such as the handshakes and passwords which are kept within the masonic brotherhood, although they are purely symbolic now. “People think there is something sinister happening behind our doors which is not true and we’ve definitely given literature a run for its money! most recently, novelist Dan brown has had a field day with his conspiracy theories. “During the recent art exhibition at Dartmouth’s
I
regatta, we had posters advertising visits to the lodge and people were quite reticent to come – I saw people hovering in the archway outside and then walking away. but those that did come in were really interested and relieved to see we’re just a friendly fraternity.” the Freemasons began with the stonemasons of the
lot of Freemasons were rounded up and many died in the infamous Nazi concentration camps, including the Grand master of Dutch masonry. Jim added: “With the fear of a Nazi occupation,
Freemasons in the uK kept their heads below the parapet. And they’ve tended to stay that way since – at least up until now when the Duke of Kent, Grand master of the english and Welsh lodges, has called for Freemasonry to be more open.” the Dartmouth lodge, in Lower street, is the 797th
It is all about brotherhood and fraternity nowadays.
early middle Ages. In the days before degrees and formal qualifications they would pass on their craft skills and, once learnt, the mason would be shown the infamous secret handshakes and passwords – to demonstrate their proficiency to their next master on a building project. up until the second World War the Freemasons, far
from being a ‘secret society’, actually operated very publicly. Jim said: “the laying of a building’s cornerstone was often done through a masonic ceremony with a parade and the Grand master opening the building.” However, the Nazis partly blamed the Freemasons for losing World War One and tried to track them down. A
registered lodge in the country. the group has been part of the Dartmouth community for more than 150 years and has strong links with the maritime history of the town. Due to these links they have traditionally held more regular meetings than most lodges, so that seafarers get more of a chance to attend. the three-storey townhouse was left
to them by a member in 1926. the ground floor houses a refectory and bar and the temple, where meetings and ceremonies take place, is on the first floor. the décor of the temple is a cornucopia of imagery and symbols – many of them recognisable from images in stories and films that have surrounded this society. From the black and white chequered carpet –
representing light and darkness/ happiness and sorrow/ good and evil – to the ‘all seeing eye’ in the centre of the ceiling, the same as the one on the back of the us dollar bill.
Jim explained: “the ‘all seeing eye’ is the eye of God, or
supreme being. Its presence reminds masons that their actions are always being judged. “It found its way onto the dollar bill because presidents
Dr Jim Murray
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