Regular meetings are held on second Wednesday of the months of January February March (Installation) April October November.

Secretary Norman Turner:  Email turnernorman@aol.com

Telephone 01268 776015     Mobile 07904896055

According to Lane’s Register, The Trinity Lodge No. 1734 received it’s warrant in 1877.

This short note concerns only the details contained in the Returns made to the Justice of the Peace as a result of the Unlawful Societies Act of 1799. This Act required Lodges to make an annual Return to the local Justice of the Peace listing members by name, address and occupation.

The surviving Returns are held at the Essex Record Office in Chelmsford. This information is being transcribed and entered into a database which is available on line at the Southchurch and Philbrick Lodge web site.

The Clerk of the Court assembled Registers of these Returns and some are still available at the ERO. The first mention in the surviving returns is shown below.

The Trinity Lodge entry is near the bottom of this Register and shows the Lodge meeting at the Golden Lion, Rayleigh and having made the return in the April Session of 1886.

The copy of the Return below makes interesting reading. The quality is not good but it is readable.

Unfortunately, the signature of the Master or Secretary are not present on the surviving pages. This is rather unusual.

It is interesting to look at the occupation of the members of the Lodge in 1886. The list begins with a Coin Dealer and continues with an Accountant, Master Merchant, Surgeon, Farmer and Clerk in Holy Orders. An interesting Lodge?