If you are interested in becoming a Freemason, why might Doyle’s be the right lodge for you? There is an ethos to Doyle’s Lodge that is better experienced than described. In this note we have not tried to describe Freemasonry – there is much useful information to be found on the website of the United Grand Lodge of England – ugle.org.uk – and that of our province.

Rather we are trying to paint a picture of Doyle’s Lodge of Fellowship, of which we are very proud.

Doyle’s Lodge was formed in 1806 and we bear the name of Sir John Doyle, an eminent soldier who was Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. He was an active member of the lodge during his time in Guernsey.

In the early years most of the members were from the garrison, posted here for the defence of the island. Now our membership comes from a wide range of professions and other walks of life. We are a large lodge with around 70 members. We meet eight times a year on the second Thursday of the months from October to May.

We actively encourage our members to stand for office and we hope that they will eventually aim to become the Worshipful Master of this prestigious lodge or take on a role of an officer of the lodge. To support ritual, we hold a Lodge of Instruction (LOI) that meets regularly, where in an informal environment, all candidates and officers are encouraged to perform a ritual role for the first time, with the support of our dedicated lodge Mentor and experienced Officers.

We aim to deliver our ceremonies in a way that is meaningful to candidates going through the various degrees. Following the ceremony, we repair to the dining room where the meal is termed the festive board. We are fortunate to have members adept at giving entertaining speeches while proposing the toasts that are an essential feature of the festive board. So, the formula is a well performed ceremony followed by fun at the festive board.

It is usual at our December meeting for the festive board to take the form of a “white table” to which those who are not Freemasons can be invited. The white table follows much the same pattern as at our normal festive board. Quite a number of those who have attended a white table go on to join the lodge. We also have various theme nights at the festive boards and celebrate great memories such as the Battle of Trafalgar, a Robbie Burns night and include other related Masonic traditions and toasts!

We aim for a good balance between the serious side – the ceremonies – and the social side – the conversation at the festive board. We encourage our members to visit our sister Lodges in the Province and to travel to overseas Lodges to further their experience in Freemasonry and build on their friendships and the brotherhood. You can find out more about Doyle’s Lodge by talking to one of us.