A Lodge with History

History was made recently when Klaus Krzok was Initiated into The Royal Cumberland Lodge. On the night of his Initiation, Klaus was one week short of his 21st birthday. Previously Royal Cumberland’s Ritual demanded that the candidate confirms he is “… of the full age of 21 years” which was, of course, an impossible demand for Klaus.

With this in mind, the rulers of the lodge decided, unanimously, to change the ritual. This step was not taken lightly as The Royal Cumberland is an historic lodge with its own workings. They were written by Thomas Dunckerley and are only used by three lodges in the World. 

The ritual now demands that the candidate confirms he is “… of the full age of 18 years”, which brings Royal Cumberland into line with The Book of Constitutions.  That rule has other provisos, but it was thought too cumbersome to weave them into the ritual.  The fulfilment of those provisos is confirmed during the recruitment process, and their fulfilment is implied during the ceremony.

Klaus’ initiation also further lowered the age profile of the lodge. Recent initiates are in their 20s and 30s and the lodge is also bucking the trend of falling membership, as the number of members has steadily been increasing over the recent years: a trend it is hoped will continue.

Klaus being German also adds to the cosmopolitan feel of the lodge. Royal Cumberland already has members of Portuguese, Filipino, Greek, and Northern Irish heritage.

The Ceremony was well attended and Klaus was universally acclaimed as an excellent candidate. 

At the festive board, extremes met. The lodge’s newest member was sitting next to Denis Calderley, who is soon to be recognised for his 60 years’ service to Freemasonry, and therefore the Mason in the room with most years under his belt.