Welcome
The City of Lancaster Lodge came to be formed from the amalgamation, in 2006, of two Lancaster Lodges: the Lodge of Fortitude No.281, which was consecrated in 1789; and John O’Gaunt Lodge No.3815 (the daughter Lodge), which was consecrated in 1917. After amalgamation, there was a slow influx of candidates, one of whom was a recent graduate of Lancaster University who subsequently introduced several of his friends in the following months. Since amalgamation, the Lodge has initiated 25 brethren.
The Lodge was identified a few years ago (2010-11) as a possible Lodge to join the University Scheme. Following discussions with representatives of the Lodge and with the local Assistant Provincial Grand Master, the Lodge members discussed the Scheme in detail and agreed to trial it for a period of 18 months. This trial proved very successful and the Lodge agreed to renew the trial – pending application to become full members of the Universities Scheme.
The Lodge has now been accepted into the scheme as a full members and we are looking forward to a continued relationship
The current membership of the Lodge stands at 45.
Lodge Location
City of Lancaster Lodge has the good fortune to be located in a place which is not only an important historical “county town” of great national value with excellent motorway and rail links; but which also has modernity in its great student strength, due to the presence of two main University campuses.
The University of Lancaster has approximately 12,000 students from 120 countries divided into c.9,000 Undergraduates and c.3,000 Postgraduates, of which around 46% are male. Currently 11th in the Sunday Times University League Table, Lancaster University is attracting growing numbers of both domestic and foreign students. It is an increasingly attractive and apposite source of recruitment to Freemasonry.
The University of Cumbria has a campus in Lancaster with 4,500 students in attendance, just over 30% of whom are male. Many of these students have embarked upon Teacher Training (PGCEs), a speciality of the campus. Anecdotal evidence suggests that an above-average number remain in the area after obtaining teaching posts in a most desirable part of the North West. The University of Cumbria at Lancaster has recently undergone much restructuring, and is now poised to become another potential source of recruitment.
Also nearby is the Myerscough Agricultural College at Garstang, and within 20 miles, the University of Central Lancashire at Preston; both within easy commuting distance and much attended by students resident in Lancaster & Morecambe.
The Lodge is now open to all but especially those with similar academic connections who are students, graduates or staff of Lancaster and other universities.
We welcome members of all religions and ethnic backgrounds who have a belief in a single Supreme Being. The normal minimum age to join is 21, but dispensations can be obtained for undergraduates from the age of 18. The Lodge meets, and dines, ten times per year on the third Thursday of September through to June in the Masonic Hall on the A6 at Scotforth (opposite the Boot and Shoe)