The Order of Women Freemasons has a new Grand Master!

In a spectacular ceremony MW Brother Jean Knight was installed as the Order's 10th Grand Master taking over the reigns from MW Bro Zuzanka Daniella Penn who has led the Order for the last 15 years and was one of the most inspiring and accomplished Grand Masters the Order has had. 

 

Most Worshipful Brother Knight began her journey in Freemasonry in 1987 when she joined Lodge St Edmundsbury No 93.  

 

The weekend was, as always, a very happy occasion with members meeting up with old friends and making new ones.  

 

The Order of Women Freemasons is the oldest and largest Masonic organisation for women in the country with over 300 Lodges and works on the lines of regular male Freemasonry. It was born as the Honourable Order of Antient Masonry in 1908 and on 5th June 1908 at a meeting in Notting Hill Gate eleven men and women constituted themselves into a Grand Lodge with Dr Reverend Cobb as the first Grand Master. 

 

The Order’s first Grand Master, William Cobb, was the Rector of St Ethelburga-the-Virgin within Bishopsgate for over 40 years. He was an Anglo-Catholic and had a deep interest in the principles of natural law and equality. A controversial figure, he held services based on the revised 1928 prayer book and conducted marriages which omitted the words ‘obey’ and ‘serve’ and was willing to marry divorced people provided they were the innocent party. He worked on behalf of the women’s sufferage movement and in the field of marriage and divorce law reform. He became a co-mason in 1905 and was also a member of United Grand Lodge of England. 

 

William Cobb served as Grand master for four years and was succeeded by Marion Halsey since which time all of our Grand Masters have been women. 

 

The Order's new Grand Master, Most Worshipful Bro Kinght, has pledged to continue to guide the Order through the challenges of the 21st century as her predecessor has done so successfully.