Jersey is the smallest Province of the United Grand Lodge
of England, supporting just eleven Lodges. However Jersey
is not within the United Kingdom, having been a possession
of the Duke of Normandy long before 1066. Although part of
the Channel Islands, it is quite separate from Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark and Herm, all of which are in the
neighbouring Province of Guernsey and Alderney.
The island is just 45 square miles, and situated about
fourteen miles off the coast of France. It is
self-governing, the Senators and Deputies being elected on
a non-party basis to the island parliament which is known
as the "States of Jersey". The land is divided into twelve
parishes which are both ecclesiastical and governmental
divisions. Each parish is headed by the Connétable
(Constable) who in addition to heading the parochial
administration, sits in the "States". Much of the
administration is honorary, including the original and
non-uniformed Honorary Police, established in the 15th
century, which exists alongside the uniformed States
Police, which only evolved during the 20th century.
The original population was Norman and Breton, but that
has been heavily diluted with English and others since the
seventeenth century. The Law has evolved from Norman Law
and has considerable differences from that in the United
Kingdom. All the Court records were maintained in French
until 2006. Fortunately the records were not kept in the
Jersey Norman French (Jerriaise), which can still be heard
in the country Parishes, and amongst some of the members at
the meetings of Loge La Césarée.
To set the scene, let us look at Jersey at the close of
the 18th Century. The population was about 19,000, chiefly
occupied in agriculture, nearly half of which was apples,
also seafaring, privateering and knitting. There were just
3,069 houses in the island. Jersey was still under constant
threat of invasion by the French. The monetary system was
based on liards (equal to half a farthing) until the
English system was introduced in 1835. There was a military
garrison with about 1000 English soldiers. Service in the
Militia was compulsory for all residents and it comprised
3,000 men. There were no printing presses or newspapers
until 1784. At that time, St.Helier extended along King and
Queen Street from Charing Cross to Snow Hill, and no
further in either direction. There were no real roads
outside of St.Helier until 1812. Sailing cutters to England
took up to ten days for the crossing, before steam boats
were introduced in 1824.
There are no traces of operative masonry ever existing in
Jersey. This is not surprising for until late in the 18th
Century, it was almost entirely a fishing and agricultural
community. Until the Reformation it is likely that French
master masons controlled the building of religious
edifices, because Jersey was in the diocese of Coutance in
Normandy, whereas English masons were loaned for work on
fortifications such as Mont Orgeuil Castle and Elizabeth
Castle.
Freemasonry first came to Jersey through the travelling
warrants of the lodges connected with the army garrisons
stationed in the Island. Military lodges were not allowed
to initiate local residents, and as a result they had
little impact on the local scene. There are traces of at
least sixteen travelling military lodges as having worked
in Jersey, three of which were Irish, and the remainder
held "Antients" warrants. The real founder of Jersey
Freemasonry was Major Charles Shirreff, an army officer who
had been initiated into Freemasonry at Louisberg, Cape
Breton in America in 1758 at the age of 21. He appears to
have been active in several regimental Lodges whilst in
America, being Master of a lodge in Cape Breton and
founding Master of another in 1761. Following the end of
the war against the French in Canada, the army was put onto
a peace footing, and Shirreff returned to the United
Kingdom in 1763 and moved to Jersey the following year.
There is little to account for Shirreff's presence in
Jersey, for his regiment, the 45th Foot are not recorded as
having done garrison duty in the Island. His (half) pay of
two shillings and fourpence per day (£0.12p) would
have enabled him to live as a gentleman of leisure. He was
reinstated to full pay in 1765 so it must be assumed that
he was here in some military capacity, possibly as Fort
Major. When he arrived in Jersey there were no permanent
lodges. He therefore immediately applied to the Provincial
authorities for a warrant to form a stationary lodge.
Thomas Dobrée, a Guernsey merchant had been
appointed Provincial Grand Master on 22nd December 1753 for
"Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sarke and Arme" (probably
Herm) by Lord Carysfoot, Grand Master of the Premier Grand
Lodge (Moderns). The Grand Master must have been an
optimist for at that time the Provincial Grand Master had
only one lodge under his command, formed in Guernsey the
previous May. Shirreff was successful in obtaining a
warrant from him, and became in 1765, the founding Master
of Lodge No 349 ("Union No 1"). However although holding a
"Moderns" warrant, the working was decidedly "Antient", and
included Royal Arch and probably Templar degrees as well.
Shirreff left the island in 1768. Union No 1 Lodge
continued until 1813 when it was erased.
Union Lodge No 2 followed in 1788 and also lasted until
1813. Both these lodges held "Moderns" warrants. Two other
lodges that obtained Athol or "Antients" warrants are no
longer in existence - Harmony (1809 - 1832) and Fortitude
(exact dates not known but about 1795-1830). By 1813 there
were three lodges in Jersey all working to the "Antient"
pattern, of which two remain. The lasting effect that this
has had on the ceremonies is in the layout of the Temple.
The Master's chair is placed on a raised dais whereas on
the floor of the lodge room, some distance in front of him
is the pedestal to which he descends when dealing with
candidates.
There were in addition two lodges authorised under the
Irish Constitution, Lodge Justice No 34 (which was
warranted on 3rd June 1813 and which ceased on 17th
September 1874) and Lodge Leinster No 265 (warranted 2nd
March 1830 and ceased in 1831). There is some suggestion
that these were established under the Irish Constitution in
order to continue working the old ceremonies as a protest
against the union, for these two lodges also undertook
Royal Arch, Mark and Knights Templar under their Craft
warrant.
The lodges went through considerable
hard times, until the formal Provincial structure was
established. The relations between the various lodges,
and between them and the Irish Justice Lodge were also
somewhat mercurial. However there is no doubt that
Freemasonry was recognised in Jersey and we have
evidence of this at the laying of the Foundation Stone
at the Victoria Harbour in Jersey on the 29th
September 1841. The assembly included the Lt.Governor
- Sir Edward Gibbs, The Bailiff - Sir John de Veulle,
The Dean - Rev Jeune and representatives of all
interests within the island. Delegates were invited
from the Farmers Lodge No 302 and the Mechanics Lodge
No 306. Also present at the ceremony was an artist Mr
G Reynolds who made a sketch of the proceedings on the
spot from which he afterwards painted a large oil
painting which is on exhibition at the
Société Jersiaise in St.Helier. This
painstaking artist has depicted details with the most
admirable precision and every face in the gathering
appears to be a portrait, many of which can be checked
against other paintings for accuracy. There were four
Freemasons in the painting, and the surprising
observation is that they were still wearing Atholl
regalia, some twenty-five years after the definite
instructions given in 1815 and subsequent Books of
Constitution that they were no longer valid and must
not be worn.
This was a time when Freemasonry was much more open, and
respected in the community. As can be seen in the book "The
Story of Jersey Freemasonry", the Freemasons were invited
to lay Foundation Stones at buildings such as the New
Waterworks, Victoria College and other important edifices.
Processions in full regalia were common, Masonic funerals
with laying in state followed by funeral processions, again
in full regalia, occurred frequently.
The Provincial Grand Lodge of Jersey was originally formed
in 1848 but as a result of problems with the Provincial
Grand Master of the time, James John Hammond, the Province
ceased to operate in 1868. This situation could not last,
and the Province was reconstituted in September 1869 since
when it has remained a small but very active Province of
the United Grand Lodge of England.
During the short-lived first Provincial Grand Lodge, the
Jersey Masonic Temple was built and consecrated in 1864. It
is a most handsome building, and details and pictures are
given on other pages. It was well-designed (at the time
there were only about 200 Freemasons in Jersey) and has
coped with much larger numbers over the years, the present
membership being about 700.