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English masonic heraldry : variations on a theme

Posted: 27 Feb 2016, 18:15
by Arthur Radburn
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These are the arms of the United Grand Lodge of England [UGLE], granted in 1919. They consist of the arms of the original Grand Lodge of England (dexter) and the Grand Lodge of the Antients [sic] (sinister), together with a bordure displaying the lions of England. The UGLE had used the impaled arms since the two lodges united in 1813; the bordure was added in 1919.

From these arms, the College of Arms has developed individual arms for many of the provinces, i.e. regional divisions of the UGLE in England and Wales. A province's arms consist of the UGLE shield, with a bordure containing tinctures and charges relating to the county in which the province is based. There appear to be at least two dozen such provincial arms. Here's a small selection :

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> Bedfordshire
> Buckinghamshire
> Cheshire

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> Dorset
> Metropolitan (London)
> Wiltshire

Some of the UGLE's overseas districts also have arms based on this system. Here are three that I've found :

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> Eastern Archipelago (Malaysia)
> North Island (New Zealand)
> Western (South Africa)