Forest Rose Conclave No. 265

Formation
The Forest Rose Conclave’s origin may be said to have been the consequence of chance – the toss of a coin. With the ending of the British Raj on the sub-continent of India, masonic Orders under the English, Scottish, and Irish Constitutions found it increasingly difficult to maintain their viability, being faced with the choice of either surrendering their warrants or transferring them back to Britain.

Many chose the latter course, and among these were Blackham Conclave No 160 (Red Cross of Constantine) and Sepulchre Preceptory No 27 (Knights Templar), both having amongst their members Ill.Kts. Freddie Wade-Cooper and Sidney Charles Farmer who decided to toss a coin to decide which of them would be responsible for bringing which one back from Calcutta. By chance therefore Sepulchre KT went to Hampshire with Ill.Kt. Farmer, and Blackham Conclave to Sussex with Ill.Kt. Wade-Cooper.

Having already been the moving spirit in bringing back to Hampshire Justitia Lodge No 3130 (Craft), Sandeman Chapter No 32 (Rose Croix), together with Sepulchre KT, Ill.Kt. Farmer felt there was still a gap to be filled and therefore set about instigating the formation of a Red Cross Conclave which, from its location in the New Forest, eventually came to be known as Forest Rose, and to imbue it with some Indian attributes. The Calcutta custom for the Recorder to announce the next agenda item rather than the Sovereign has thus become a tradition in the Conclave, the theory being that the Sovereign Sahib does not do the work of the lowly clerk or babu.

The 11 Founders (listed at the end) met at the Crown Hotel, Ringwood, where it was also arranged that the Conclave should meet. The Founders’ fee was set at £11 with most items of furniture and regalia being donated, and the Conclave was Consecrated on 29th October 1971 at the Masonic Hall, Commercial Road, Portsmouth by the Intendant-General of the Division of Hampshire and Sussex, V.Ill.Kt. L.E.C. Peckover, K.C.C. There were 16 members of the Consecrating team and 27 guests. Luncheon afterwards costing £1.50 per head was Crème of Asparagus soup with Sherry, Fillet of Plaice with Lutymer Reisling, Gammon Steak and Pineapple with St. Julien Bordeaux,
Ice Cream Gateaux, Cheese and Biscuits, and Coffee.

Meetings
Roaming the New Forest. The Masonic Temple at the Crown Hotel, Ringwood was run by the Lodge of Unity No 132. The Conclave Founders had been advised that they would be charged a rent of £5 per meeting. However, at the last Founders meeting on 8th October 1971 they were told that the charge would be £10 per meeting. Taking umbrage, only one meeting was held at Ringwood on 17th December 1971 when it was decided after much discussion to move to the Masonic Temple at Lymington where the Conclave met from February 1972 until December 1978.

The heavy furnishings and long, narrow Temple at Lymington were found to make setting up for Conclave meetings somewhat arduous, and matters became slightly fraught when W.Kt. F.W. Starkey, in an excess of zeal, broke the back rails of the Junior Warden’s chair. To make matters worse, dining facilities were double booked on two occasions by the Centre’s
management, resulting in the Conclave having to dine out; once at the Ship Inn on the quay (which was no real hardship) and on the second occasion going native on fish and chips.

The Conclave on 23rd February 1979 was held at the Masonic Hall, Brockenhurst where meetings continued until May 2003. Winter heating (or rather lack of it) at the Centre proved to be an issue but facilities were otherwise quite adequate. Dining was held at the nearby Watersplash Hotel and was “eminently satisfactory” until numbers grew and it became uncomfortable, and so from February 1999 the Conclave dined at the Brockenhurst Centre with the assistance of a visiting barman.

In 1994 it was discovered that the Masonic building at Brockenhurst had been erected without foundations resulting in bowing walls and a sagging roof. A building fund was set up and redevelopment proposals tabled but it was not until May 2003 that the Conclave left the Centre for demolition and rebuilding to take place.

On 26th September 2003 the Conclave met by petition at the Christchurch Masonic Centre, Mudeford. Keeping its options open to return to Brockenhurst, it was not until November 2007 that the members finally decided to remain at the Christchurch Centre and regularise the place of meeting by revising the by-laws.

Church
For a number of years Forest Rose Conclave, Sepulchre KT, and Sandeman Chapter Rose Croix combined to host alternately an annual Church Service at Romsey Abbey on Trinity Sunday, being a sung Eucharist. This was superseded by an Annual
Divisional Service held at Amesbury Abbey Church, and later by the Service of Rededication held at the Annual Divisional meeting.

Division
The separate Division of Hampshire and Isle of Wight was inaugurated on 11th July 1973 and each Conclave in turn hosted the Divisional Meeting. The privilege first fell to Forest Rose Conclave in1976. A Church Service was first held at St. Nicholas
Church, Brockenhurst and members, together with their wives, adjourned for lunch at Lymington. It is reported that the Divisional Meeting was then held “with dispatch” as the wives were free to spend their time and money in Lymington’s market. On the next occasion in 1982, members lunched at the Brockenhurst Masonic Centre prior to the Divisional Meeting whilst the wives dined at the Watersplash Hotel before visiting King John’s House at Ringwood. Thereafter the Divisional Meeting, incorporating a Service of Re-dedication, was held at a fixed Centre with each Conclave working the Appendant Orders in turn. Forest Rose undertook this duty in 1989, but avoided it in 1995 when the practice was discontinued.

In May 2015, at the request of the Division, the Forest Rose Conclave meeting was held at the Knole Road, Bournemouth Masonic Centre. This was in an attempt to engender interest in the Red Cross Order in the west of the Division. This Conclave was attended by the Intendant-General, Past Intendant-General, Deputy Intendant-General, Divisional Viceroy, and a phalanx of Divisional officers.

The honour of the Conclave has been maintained within the Division with Past Sovereigns progressing steadily through Divisional Offices too numerous to catalogue.

Grand Imperial Conclave
The list of members honoured with Grand Rank for service to the Order is too long to catalogue. It is of interest to note however that W.Kt. T.H. Lowndes, a member of the Conclave, translated the rituals of the R.C.C and K.H.S. into braille for the benefit of all sight impaired Kts.

With grateful thanks to Ill.Kt. J.R.M. Hall’s 2002 Historical Update.

List of Founders