OUR HISTORY

 Merchants’ Lodge was founded in Liverpool in 1780. The first Master was Thomas Golightly, a wine merchant by trade, a ship-owner, an Alderman on the Town Council, who had been Mayor in 1772. He was to be made Treasurer of the town in 1789, a position he held until shortly before his death in 1821.

The other eight founders included a surgeon and chemist, a ships painter, a ship-owner, a ship’s captain (who was also a privateer), a merchant who was also a ship-owner, and four others who were just designated as merchants. Some were directly involved with the slave trade and in privateering, as were most of the inhabitants of Liverpool at that time.

Many other ports were similarly engaged, for example Bristol, as were other countries such as France, Spain and the United States of America to name a few.

Differing ethical standards always seem to be applied at different times in history It may seem unlikely but their behaviour in private life was very different. They were caring, charitable men who founded hospitals, helped the poor and sick, were concerned members of their churches, encouraged the formation of libraries and were models of good behaviour.

Our history mirrors that of our home. Liverpool prospered as a port and trading centre. The Lodge grew and had many members, some of whom were master mariners and ships' officers and ordinary seamen who sailed before the mast. Our members included Swedish sailors, merchants from New Orleans and a Spaniard with the distinguished name of Don Antonio Santo Callo y Castro . Mr Chiyoo Honda, the Professor of Navigation in the Imperial Nautical College, Tokyo, was initiated in 1898 and was the first known Japanese to be made a Freemason in Great Britain. All good men were made welcome, without regard to race, colour , their religion or wealth. Indeed we are proud that in 1836, just three years after slavery was abolished in British overseas possessions, we initiated as one of our brothers , an African   John Matthews, perhaps the first such occasion in the Province.

In addition ......

Every Provincial Grand Master of the Province of West Lancashire since 1826, when the Province was first created, has been an honorary member of Merchants' Lodge.

We are also proud that since the time those original nine founding members came together in the “Golden Lion” in Dale Street, Liverpool to form Merchants' Lodge in 1780, some 227 other 'daughter' and 'granddaughter ' lodges have been created directly from this Lodge.