Royal Lodge of Friendship No. 278 emblemRoyal Lodge
of Friendship No. 278Established 1788

Our history

Royal Lodge of Friendship No. 278 traces its history in Gibraltar to 1 December 1788. Its records include Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, and four Victoria Cross recipients.

Origins and history in Gibraltar

Established 1788

Royal Lodge of Friendship No. 278 traces its history back to 1 December 1788, as recorded in the Lodge’s published history and the District’s Lodge profile.

The Lodge’s records include four brethren honoured with the Victoria Cross among its members, alongside the royal and Gibraltar connections described below.

1941

In 1941 the District Grand Master took the Chair at the October meeting as the Master of the Lodge was presumed dead in action.

1914–1918

During the First World War frequent collections were made for a fund for Brethren interned as Prisoners-of-War in Germany. On many occasions ceremonies were cancelled due to the absence of candidates.

1903

In 1903 the Lodge was granted the title 'Royal' when Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, became Grand Master.

1892

The Lodge was granted a Centenary Warrant in 1892, backdated to 1889.

1875

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught became a member in December 1875, later becoming a Permanent Honorary Member.

1834

In 1834 the Lodge was almost wiped out by an outbreak of Cholera in Gibraltar.

Early accounts

The early Treasurers job cannot have been an envied position as coinages used included Cobbs, pistoles, rials and doubloons.

International ties

Another member signs himself as Gottache Hans Olsen. He was 'Consul of His Danish Majesty at Tunis'.

1795

In it's early years there were many Brethren with military links. In 1795 a member signed himself as 'Coriolis' with no initials. He gave his profession as 'brigadier des armées navalles du roy de France’ at the time of Napoleon, when France was a Republic. There was no 'roy de (king of) France' at this time. The French ‘armées navalles' would soon battle against the naval Brethren who had received this refugee aristocrat into their Lodge.

The Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross medal

The Victoria Cross is the highest award for valour that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces of any rank in any service and civilians under military command. It is only awarded for bravery "in the face of the enemy".

The VC takes the form of a cross pattee, bearing a crown surmounted by a lion, and the inscription ‘FOR VALOUR’. This was originally to have been ‘FOR BRAVERY’, until it was changed on the recommendation of Queen Victoria, who thought some might erroneously consider that only the recipients of the VC were brave in battle.

Queen Victoria signed the Royal Warrant for the introduction of the Victoria Cross on 29 January 1856 and the award was made retrospective to include the Crimean War of 1854-56, the Lodge’s original published account records a historical total of 1,358 awards and an estimate that around 10% of recipients, some 130, were Freemasons. These figures are reproduced as historical estimates from that account, rather than current totals.

Therefore the privileged Lodges who boast a Victoria Cross holder within its roll of members are extremely few in number, the Royal Lodge of Friendship No. 278 records four Victoria Cross recipients among its members.

Four Victoria Cross recipients

Teignmouth Melvill

Teignmouth Melvill

VC awarded posthumously for his actions at Isandlwana on 22nd January 1879 during the Zulu War alongside his fellow brother Lieutenant Coghill.

Read the biography of Teignmouth Melvill (PDF).

Further information on Bro. Melvill can be obtained from Wikipedia.


The history of the Royal Lodge of Friendship No. 278 stretching back over 200 years includes many other illustrious and distinguished brethren within its ranks, but we are certain that all will agree that none deserve more recognition than those who fought with valour in defence of the British Empire.

Royal connections and notable members

There have been, and still are, many famous Freemasons including Kings and Prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Presidents of the U.S.A. actors and sports stars.

Freemasonry in Gibraltar, and the Royal Lodge of Friendship No. 278 in particular, is no exception. Alongside the four Victoria Cross holders recorded among its members the Royal Lodge of Friendship No. 278 has included: H.R.H. Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, became a member in December 1875, later becoming a Permanent Honorary Member in 1880. In 1903 Prince Arthur became Grand Master, English Constitution, and The Lodge of Friendship was granted the royal prefix.

Charles Warren was elected Master of the Lodge in December 1862 and served for one year, he worked on the survey of Gibraltar from 1861 to 1865 during which time he was very active within the Lodge. General Sir Charles Warren as he later became enjoyed an illustrious career, he was an officer in the Royal Engineers and later in life Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis during the time of the Jack the Ripper murders. In 1867 he conducted the first major excavation of Jerusalem during which his most significant discovery was a water shaft, known today as Warren’s Shaft, and a series of tunnels underneath the Temple Mount. From 1908 he was involved with Lord Baden Powel in the creation of the Boy Scout Movement.

Sources: District Grand Lodge of Gibraltar’s Lodge profile; the Lodge’s published history and the biographies linked above. Explore our Past Masters registers and the Lodge today.

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