Blockley Lodge
No. 6345 in the
register of the United
Grand Lodge of England is a masonic lodge in the
City of Oxford and in the Masonic
Province of Oxfordshire. It is also the University
Lodge for Oxford Brookes
University and is a participating member of the Universities
Scheme.
Lodges of operative masons
(stonemasons) had existed in Oxfordshire and throughout
Britain since the Middle Ages. In Oxford, records from
1391 note the existence of a
magister lathomus
liberarum petrarum (Latin: 'a master
mason of freestones'). Freestone is a grainless sandstone
or limestone suitable for ornamental carving. The first
evidence of non-operative or speculative masons (men who
were not stonemasons) joining masonic lodges in England
dates from 1646, although the practice almost certainly
began earlier. In Scotland, the documentary evidence of
this practice dates to 1634, but probably began a century
earlier. The first Grand Lodge of England (and in the
world) was founded in 1717. It became the United Grand
Lodge of England in 1813.
Blockley
Lodge's own history began when it was granted a Warrant from
the United Grand Lodge of England on 7 August 1946. It
traces its masonic lineage in Oxford back to Alfred Lodge
No. 340 which was granted its Warrant by Grand Lodge on 16
February 1814, the first Warrant granted by the newly United
Grand Lodge of England. Members of Alfred Lodge in turn
founded Apollo University Lodge No. 357 (granted a Warrant
on 21 December 1818), the lodge for present and past
matriculated students of the University of Oxford. Alfred
Lodge members also founded Bertie Lodge No. 1515 which was
granted a Warrant on 20 October 1874. Bertie Lodge members
then founded Isis Lodge No. 4242, based in Abingdon, which
was granted its Warrant on 19 January 1921. Twenty-five
years later, Isis Lodge members founded Blockley Lodge No.
6345.
The first meeting of Blockley Lodge was on the date of its consecration on 24 September 1946. Since then, Blockley Lodge members became the founders of another Oxford lodge, Saint Giles Lodge No. 8904, which was granted its own Warrant on 31 January 1980. All of the lodges in the Masonic lineage of Blockley are still active and together they represent over two hundred years of Masonry in Oxford.
Blockley
Lodge is named in honour of the
Revd T.T. (Thomas Trotter) Blockley (22 May 1864 -
2 March 1950). T.T. Blockley attended the Harrow School,
then went up to Magdalen College, University of Oxford,
graduating with his BA in 1887 and MA in 1890. He became a
Mason while at Oxford in the Apollo University Lodge. After
serving as a curate at St Alban's Cathedral in
Hertfordshire, he returned to Oxford and was appointed Dean
of Divinity (chaplain) of Magdalen College where he served
for fourteen years (1897-1911). He was made Grand Chaplain
of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1918 and towards the
end of his masonic and clergy careers he was Provincial
Grand Master for Oxfordshire in 1945, aged 81. Due to the
Lodge's historic connection to Magdalen College because of
its namesake, it was customary for many years for the Lodge
to meet annually for a festival dinner in the College's
dining hall.The symbol on the Lodge's badge (as seen at
centre top) is that of Magdalen College Tower which was
completed in 1509 and is an Oxford landmark.