Denison Chapter - 1248

Consecrated 21st November 1870 in the Masonic Hall St. Nicholas Cliff. The Consecrating Officer was the Most Excellent Grand Superintendent J. P. Bell.

Meet 2nd Fri Feb, Apr, Oct Installation Dec
Scribe E:
Ray Springall
27 Westbourne Park
Scarborough
YO124AS

01723 370967

In 1870 twelve companions of the Old Globe Chapter No.200, petitioned Grand Chapter for the formation of a new chapter to be attached to the Denison Lodge No. 1248. It transpired that only eleven of the twelve names submitted were constituted as Founders of the chapter. Companion J C Browne, although having recently joined Old Globe Chapter, his name had not been registered with Supreme Grand Chapter in time for him to be acknowledged as a Founder. 

At this time the Old Globe Lodge and Chapter was meeting in the lodge room attached to the Old Globe Hotel. By now the hotel had really fallen into disrepute, the lodge room by reason of its leasehold site had reverted to the owners of the Hotel and Old Globe Lodge were merely tenants. When not in use as a Lodge Room the Masonic quarters were used by the hotel and in licensing records they are variously described as a Concert Room, a Tap Room and a Smoke Room. A number of the members of the lodge expressed their opinion that Globe Street and the environment of the hotel was not a fit and decent quarter of the town for gentlemen to meet in. In 1869 they broke away and formed a new lodge, "The Denison", to meet in the newly opened Grand Hotel. As a consequence of this the Denison Lodge was consecrated at the Grand Hotel and continued to meet there, except for a short break in November 1881, when the meetings were moved to the Londesborough Room, Westborough, Scarborough.

The Consecration Meeting was held on 21 November 1870 at the Grand Hotel. The Chapter was consecrated by the M. E. Grand Superintendent J. P. Bell following which he installed Companions S. H. Armitage as MEZ, W. F. Rooke as H and W. Baldwin Stewart as J. In all 24 companions were present.

At the Convocation in February 1871 the MEZ informed the chapter that the byelaws had not been drawn up and proposed that a committee be formed to prepare them. At the following meeting in May the treasurer gave notice of motion that until further notice the bye laws of the Old Globe Chapter do stand as the bye laws of this Chapter. No reference can be found in subsequent minutes that this motion was put until January 1875, when it was resolved upon a motion made in a previous Chapter, to adopt the bye laws of the Old Globe Chapter until the issue of revised bye laws by Provincial Grand Chapter.

The finances in the early years were by all accounts somewhat shaky and in 1872 the Denison Lodge provided a loan of £60 to enable Chapter to meet its financial commitments. Further loans were received from time to time but were finally repaid in 1883.

A letter received from Old Globe Chapter in 1874 suggested that the two Chapters should meet on alternate months. It was agreed that four meetings of the Denison Chapter are held during the year on the first Wednesday in the months of January, March, May and November. Following further discussions with Old Globe Chapter in October 1875 it was agreed that the Denison Chapter meetings should be held on the first Wednesday in the months of February, April, October and December. This practice continued until 1902, when, after prior consultation and agreement with the Old Globe Chapter, it was decided that the Chapter should meet on the second Friday in these months, as is the case at the present time.

In 1876 it was agreed that a Chapter of Instruction be held and to alternate with the Old Globe Chapter of Instruction. 

The Denison Chapter met in the Masonic Hall, St. Nicolas Cliff for the first time in November 1884.

In January 1893 a letter was received from Old Globe Chapter stating that, due to diminishing numbers, it would be of the greatest benefit to Royal Arch Masonry if the two Chapters were amalgamated in such a manner as would be satisfactory to the members of both Chapters. The reply given by the members was that in their opinion the present time was not deemed suitable for amalgamation.

The general situation continued to be far from satisfactory, it was seldom that the attendance at Chapter meetings was more than ten or so. Consequently in 1895 a proposition to bring about the amalgamation of the two Chapters was put to the members and carried unanimously. In February 1896 a Petition to Supreme Grand Chapter relative to amalgamation was signed in open Chapter. This was subsequently signed by the Old Globe Principals and Scribes in March and forwarded to Supreme Grand Chapter. The Petition was returned informing them that such a procedure was not necessary. All that was required was for Denison Chapter to surrender its warrant and for the members to become joining members of the Old Globe Chapter. It confirmed that Denison Chapter would lose its Charity votes by amalgamation and that its members would rank junior to the Old Globe members.

Following a meeting of the Past Principals it was finally agreed to abandon the proposal for amalgamation.

The year 1919 marked the commencement of closer co-operation between the two Chapters for it was in that year there started the practice, still in operation today, of the three Denison Principals giving the addresses to the Principals, Officers and Companions at the Old Globe installation meeting. The Principals of the Old Globe Chapter reciprocate at the Denison Chapter Installation.

At an emergency meeting held in May 1919 it was agreed that the Denison Chapter, acting in conjunction with the Old Globe Chapter, make an application to the Grand Priory of the United Religious and Military Order of the Temple to form a Preceptory of Knights Templar in Scarborough. However, it was not until four years later that the present Scardeburg Preceptory No. 238 was formed.

In 1927 several members of the Denison Chapter participated in the formation of a new Chapter becoming founder members of the Royal Chapter No.643. At the Consecration Ceremony two of these, Excellent Companions Frank Hutchinson and W. H. Newton, were installed as first and third principles