Freemasonry in Herefordshire – Province of Herefordshire

Freemasonry in Herefordshire dates back nearly 300 years.

The first recorded account of a lodge meeting in Hereford was on 16th January 1727 at the Swan and Falcon Inn, Broad Street, Hereford.

In the early days Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Monmouthshire, Gloucestershire including Bristol were one unit or Province known as ‘The Western Shires’ .

Several lodges were formed across the market towns of Herefordshire and subsequently closed and erased due to dwindling support, no doubt partly due to the very different transport and communication landscape in those times.

The oldest lodge currently operating in Herefordshire is Palladian Lodge No 120 based in Hereford. Its Warrant is dated 1762.

The Masonic Province of Herefordshire is the smallest on the mainland of the British Isles. However, as is often said, “Small is beautiful”, and this is an apposite description of Freemasonry in Herefordshire which is reflected in the history and beauty of the rolling green Herefordshire countryside as it is traversed by the gentle flow of the River Wye.

During the early years of Freemasonry in Herefordshire it was not unusual for Lodges to meet only twice each year which was a concession to the difficulty of travelling from place to place, especially in the winter months. Lodge members would either have to walk or ride horse-back to meetings as the local roads in the County were impassable for wheeled vehicles during bad weather. Therefore, a meeting could take up to three days in which to complete its business and overnight accommodation was necessary in many cases.

That is why hostelries were favoured for venues, since they supplied all the travellers’ needs from livery to liquid refreshment. However, the spread of the Industrial Revolution which resulted in the growth of the railways and improved roads ameliorated many of the early difficulties and Freemasonry continued to flourish during the 19th and 20th Centuries.

From “A History of Craft Freemasonry in Herefordshire 1727 – 2000” by W Bro Alwyn D Williams PJGD

Guiding you to our Lodges.

The history of any Province is reflected in its various Lodges, and, as Herefordshire remains a rather sparsely populated county, there are only fifteen lodges spread across the Province. This is in contrast to the large Masonic Provinces whose Lodges may number in the hundreds, however, the resulting virtue is that there is a tremendous sense of camaraderie between Hereford Masons and an especially warm welcome awaits all those who wish to visit and share this Masonic bond.

More about our lodges

Our lodges comprise of nearly 500 members. Six of them meet in Hereford, and the others in the market towns of Kington, Leominster, Bromyard, Hay on Wye, Ross on Wye and Ledbury. Lodges start their meetings in September or October, and meet generally monthly until May.

Lodges in Hereford

Masonic Hall, Kyrle St, Hereford HR1 2EU

Palladian Lodge 120

Meets 1st Thursday in October to May

Guiding you to our Lodges.

More about our lodges

Lodges in Hereford

Lodges in Ross-On-Wye

Lodges in Ledbury

Lodges in Leominster

Lodges in Kington

Lodges in Hay-on-Wye

Lodges in Bromyard

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Chapters in Hereford

Chapters in Hereford

Chapters in Ross-On-Wye

Chapters in Leominster

Chapters in Kington

Chapters in Hay-on-Wye

Chapters in Bromyard

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