History

The first Grand Lodge was founded only a few years after George I, the first Hanoverian king of the Kingdom of Great Britain, ascended to the throne in August 1714 and the end of the first Jacobite rising of 1715. Officially, the Grand Lodge was founded on 24 June 1717, St. John the Baptist’s day, when four existing Lodges gathered at the Goose and Gridiron alehouse in St Paul’s churchyard, London and constituted themselves as a Grand Lodge. It is this date which is often cited as the ‘founding’ day of Freemasonry in its modern sense.

Goose and Gridiron Alehouse

Libertas Secunda Lodge No.6433 has a remarkable associated history which dates back to 1751 when the Lodge of Freedom No.77 was consecrated during the abolition of slavery and the core values of freedom and equality are depicted on both Lodges banners. In the immediate years after World War II Freemasonry in Gravesend and the surrounding areas saw a significant increase in membership application resulting in several members of Freedom Lodge forming a ‘daughter’ Lodge to ensure the acceptance and progression of new members. So, in 1947 Libertas Secunda (Second Freedom) Lodge was consecrated in attendance of Lord Cornwallis at the Gravesend Town Hall. The early membership consisted of river and channel pilots and had a close affinity with the River Thames and its’ associated industries. In recent years, with the decline of the river industry, our membership has diversified to links with engineering roles in the aggregates, chemical and paper industries, civil engineering and housing construction, transportation and haulage and the air ambulance service, to name but a few. Even with our depth of history and membership diversity our Lodge remains true to our values and banner inscription:

Equality, Freedom, Faithfulness and Benevolence