R. Ill. Kt. Keith Robert Beaumont KCC
Divisional Meeting 2023 and Installation of the Intendent General
Divisional Annual Accounts y/e 31st August 2023
The Grand Sovereign's Care for Children Fund
The Grand Sovereign's Care for Children Fund
Divisional Meeting 2022
Below are some photographs from the very successful Divisional Meeting!
Minutes of the 2021 Divisional Meeting
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Annual Accounts to 31st August 2021
Dykes Conclave No 36, Celebrates 150 years!
On Monday 28th March there was a special meeting at Ulverston Masonic Hall. Dykes Conclave was celebrating a significant anniversary, and held a birthday party at its annual enthronement meeting.
The warrant is dated 24th December 1870 and signed by the Earl of Bective, Grand Sovereign, who was also Provincial Grand Master of Cumberland & Westmorland at the time. The conclave met in Cockermouth in the Market Square, and was the third to be started in the north west, with Rose of Lancaster No.12 meeting in Lancaster, and Kenlis No.20 meeting in Kendal. So Cumberland & Westmorland became the first Craft Province to have 2 Red Cross conclaves within its jurisdiction outside of London, as perhaps befitting for the Grand Sovereign living in Kirkby Lonsdale.
On the celebration day over 50 Red Cross knights travelled to Ulverston for the annual enthronement of a new Sovereign, which was for David Sear of Baldwin Lodge and Chapter. To be a Sovereign one first has to be a Viceroy (No.2 in the conclave), and David required both ceremonies on the one day, by dispensation from London. The Grand Sovereign, Graham Leslie Flight, entered the conclave under an arch of steel formed by the 10 members of the Grand Sepulchre Guard.
Richard Johnson led the consecration ceremony for a new Viceroy, and Brian Drake led the enthronement ceremony for a new Sovereign. David appointed his officers for the year, and then the conclave voted in 3 new honorary members – Bill Jones and Bill Kerr of Dykes conclave, and also Keith Beaumont who is the Intendent-General for Cumbria Division. The Past Intendant-General, Norman Thompson, was also present, but he was already an honorary member. There should have been a fourth honorary member on the day, but sadly Dykes’ member Alan Brown died just over a week beforehand, and the attendees had stood to order to observe a moment’s silence for his passing.
Richard Johnson then gave a very short introduction to the history of Dykes conclave, noting that a history booklet with all the details awaited the diners upstairs. The original and 150th warrants were then read out, and the latter formally handed over to the Sovereign by the Grand Sovereign. The alms collection was donated to the UGLE Ukrainian Relief Fund, and with Gift Aid came to over £330.
After the formal proceedings were completed, several photographs were taken of the many visitors who attended with the Grand Sovereign. It should be noted that a deputation from St George’s Conclave No.42 was present, and they brought with them their warrant dated 18th February 1871. There were less than half of the Dykes conclave members present with only 10 able to attend, 2 having gone down with covid on the day and one a few days before. So the visitors definitely helped to make a party atmosphere.
The meal was designed to introduce some Cumbrian delicacies to the visitors from far away – Lakeland blue cheese and broccoli soup, Cumberland sausage with mash and a medley of Furness vegetables, and Westmorland apple pie and ice cream. There was also a celebration birthday cake for the occasion, and the loyal toast was honoured using the new conclave firing glasses and malt whisky.
After the meal, the Sovereign presented Mrs Elizabeth Seward, who has catered for Dykes conclave for many years, with a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses together with a bouquet of other seasonal flowers, and the attendees gave a standing ovation to Elizabeth and her team. The Sovereign also presented a bottle of Benedictine to the Grand Sovereign, along with a 25yo bottle of port and a bouquet of flowers for his wife as a memento of his visit. He then presented the acting Grand Marshal with 11 bottles of assorted ales (his preferred tipple) plus a bottle of 10yo port and a bouquet of flowers for his wife. And finally he presented Keith Beaumont, Intendant-General, with a bouquet of flowers for his wife.
Besides the Grand Sovereign, there were many other senior Red Cross knights in attendance:
Acting Grand Marshal, Liam Bird, Past Deputy Grand Marshal;
Intendant-General for Cumbria Division, Keith Beaumont;
Intendant-General for North & East Lancashire Division, Stephen Bolton;
Intendant-General for West Lancashire Division, Graham Williams.
And the 10 members of the Grand Sepulchre Guard came from the north of England and as far afield as Lincoln, Burton-on-Trent, Sutton Coldfield, Cirencester, Carmarthen and Littlehampton in Sussex.
The Inspector General for Cumberland & Westmorland (Rose Croix), David Bowden, was also in attendance.
And there was additionally a significant and very welcome deputation from Scotland:
Grand Viceroy for Scotland, Archie Chalmers;
Grand High Almoner for Scotland, Billy Rome;
And the Intendant-General for Ayr, Dumfries and Galloway Division, Mervyn McAleer.
RCC- Care for Children Fund - Fundraiser
Article on the deputy Intendant General – 23rd July 2021
Divisional Accounts – 2020
Updated Guidance for the Resumption of Meetings
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Dykes Conclave No. 36 Meeting – 21st September 2020
A regular meeting of Dykes Conclave No.36 was held at the Masonic Hall, Fairfield Lane, Barrow on Monday 21st September 2020, in compliance with the various national, divisional and masonic hall requirements during the coronavirus pandemic.
With 6 attendees present, the Conclave was opened by the Most Puissant Sovereign
The Recorder read the dispensation from the Intendant General allowing the meeting to be held on the 3rd Monday in September and in Barrow Masonic Hall, and it also covered the absence of the warrant of the conclave, still in the closed Ulverston Masonic Hall.
The minutes of the last regular meeting were confirmed by the members and signed by the Recorder as a true record, they will be counter-signed by the Sovereign when multi-handling of paper documents is allowed.
Apologies for absence were received from all other members of Dykes conclave. Since the last meeting there had been several communications from Grand Conclave which were read.
The Intendant General, Rt.Ill.Kt Keith Beaumont, and the Deputy Intendant General, V.Ill.Kt Joe Sudhakar, PGHAlm, had sent greetings and best wishes to all Dykes’ members.
The Recorder presented the statement of accounts on behalf of the Treasurer, which were proposed, seconded and approved by those present.
Elections had been held at the January meeting however, because over half of the year had already been lost to the coronavirus pandemic, and additional time may be lost in the coming winter, the members had agreed during the summer by telephone and the internet that the Sovereign and Viceroy should remain in office for a second year.
The Recorder therefore proposed that P.Kt Simon Blundell and Ven.Kt Alan Tomlinson should remain in their respective offices of Sovereign and Viceroy for a second year; Ill.Kt Bill Glassey seconded, and the members concurred. The Recorder then formally declared P.Kt Simon David Blundell to be the Most Puissant Sovereign until a successor had been duly elected and enthroned in his stead; after the proclamation, the knights saluted the Sovereign. The Recorder then declared Ven.Kt Alan Tomlinson in absentio to be the Eminent Viceroy of the Dykes conclave until a successor had been duly elected and consecrated in his stead. A full set of officers were appointed by the Sovereign for the first time in several years.
An Alms collection (held without contact) raised £23 for charity. After receiving the Almoner’s Report, the Recorder went through the remaining business with special thanks due to Barrow Masonic Hall for allowing the premises to be used by Dykes conclave on this occasion.
With nothing further transpiring for the good of Red Cross Masonry in general or of the Dykes Conclave No.36 in particular, the Conclave was closed.
Letter of thanks for donation from Jigsaw
1st May 2020 – Letter from the Intendant-General and Deputy Intendant-General to the members of the Division
Dykes Conclave No 36
At the meeting on Monday 27th January 2020 the Conclave welcomed and installed Comp Johnathan Cody as a Knight of the RCC and re joining member W Kt Howard Conner.
E.Kt Alan Tomlinson was declared MPS Elect and W Kt Barry Hadley Eusebius Elect . The enthronement meeting will be on Monday 23 March 2020 at 7pm with a full Divisional Team Visit.
Geoffrey Robert Wiggins RIP
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Geoffrey Wiggins on 5th January 2020. Geoffrey was 88 years of age and a member of Luguvalium Conclave No 494. His funeral will take place on Friday 24th January at Wigton Road Methodist Church at 12:30pm and afterwards at the Carlisle Crematiorium.
Dennis Dixon RIP
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dennis Dixon who was the Most Puissant Sovereign of Cumbria Conclave No 347 in 1994 and brother of the late Reverend Canon David Dixon.
He held the Ranks of PGViceChamb and PDivChamb.
Dennis was 91 and leaves behind his wife Audrey.
The funeral for Dennis will be on Monday 23rd December at 12.45pm at the Ulverston Parish Church.
A very sad loss to his family, friends, the Conclave, Freemasonry in general and the local community.
Dykes No.36 Welcomes a New Member
On Monday 23rd September 2019 there was a demonstration Red Cross degree in Ulverston, but all of the conclave members present had offices to fulfil in the ceremony. However, Robin Pearson was joining that night from St Leonard conclave, and he was ‘volunteered’ to be the candidate.
The ceremony was performed by the acting Sovereign Richard Johnson and the Viceroy Alan Tomlinson, while Dave Sear as Junior General expertly delivered the oration on the origins of the order. All of the junior officers had learned their parts well, and the whole ceremony was a pleasure to be participating in – just as well, as the Divisional Marshal David Stewart was present to see that all went as it should!
As an aside, on the original 1870 warrant, the first Viceroy in the conclave was a John Pearson, so perhaps a family relation to Robin, 149 years later?
Anyway after the meeting the Dykes’ members all looked fairly relaxed – or were they just glad it was all over?
