Ferrers & Ivanhoe Lodge
NUMBER 779
The history
The first Freemasons in Ashby were set up by French prisoners-of-war who were living on parole in the town during the Napoleonic War.
The first Ashby Lodge, Ivanhoe No.631, was formed in 1836, but this was short lived. A few years later strenuous efforts were made by Earl Howe, the Provincial Grand Master with the active support of the 9th Earl Ferrers and Edward Mammatt, who was a keen member of the Ivanhoe Lodge, to revive Freemasonry in Ashby.
In February 1859 a new warrant was granted by Grand Lodge and named Ferrers & Ivanhoe No. 1081 meeting in the Town Hall on the Monday or after the full moon of every month.
Earl Ferrers was designated as Worshipful Master but died before the consecration of the Lodge in October 1859. Edward Mammatt was installed as the first Worshipful Master but he too died only six months later.
Despite this set back the Lodge prospered and membership increased and in
1863 the number of the Lodge was changed to 779 which remains its number today.
In 1879 when St Helen’s Church next door was undergoing restoration the Lodge presented a new pulpit to the Church and in 1897 a special meeting was held to lay, with Masonic honours, the Foundation Stone of the then new Cottage Hospital in Leicester Road.
By the 1970s membership had increased so a second Lodge, Hastings No. 8695 was formed in 1975.
Both Lodges met in the Town Hall but in 1978 premises suitable for conversion into a Masonic Hall were found in Lower Church Street where we are today and brought into use in 1981.
Meet 9 times per year
Start at 6.30 until 10.15pm
Location: Lyric Rooms
The Ferrers & Ivanhoe Lodge meets nine times a year on the second Tuesday of each month except in October when we meet on the third Wednesday. There is no meeting in the months of June, July and August, which is our summer break.
Our meetings now start at 6.30pm (they started earlier in years past but working patterns have now changed) usually finishing about 8.00pm when we retire to the Lyric Rooms for our Festive Board meal. We aim to finish the evening by 10.15pm at the latest.
We hold rehearsals for our ceremonies on the Thursday evening before each Lodge meeting.
It is not all about Lodge meetings as Ferrers & Ivanhoe have held and continue to hold a number of social events during the year from Whiskey tasting and meals out in town to Ladies Nights and other events where our partners are invited.
In 2009 the Ferrers & Ivanhoe Lodge celebrated its 150 year and continues to build on the foundations laid by our predecessors over a century and a half ago.
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