Learning more about your family history - and about the important part played by Freemasons in the life of Wales between 1799 and 1967 - is about to become much easier, thanks to the publication of a new online database and a book that describes it. 

With the support of the Library and Museum of Freemasonry at Freemasons’ Hall in London, this database - which is derived from official public documents - will be available to use, free of charge, via the internet and a book, that looks at its findings, which has just been published by Lewis Masonic (https://www.lewismasonic.co.uk). 

As Susan Snell, Archivist and Records Manager at the Museum of Freemasonry, London explained: “The dataset will provide an innovative and accessible resource for interpreting Welsh social and economic history over approximately 175 years. The data demonstrates how lodges expanded or shrank due to local circumstances, illustrating the changing social and geographical composition of lodges”. 

The researcher who created the database and the book, V W Bro Dr Paul Calderwood, is a Past Prestonian Lecturer, and a member of Richard Warburton Lodge within our Province of West Wales.

He would be willing to give a short Talk to any lodge in West Wales about the subject, if invited. 

The database and the book will be of special interest to those with a thirst to know more about Masonic, Local and Family History and explore an (until now) neglected source of history - namely the annual returns made by lodge Secretaries because of the Unlawful Societies Act.

More details can be found here Discovering Secrets Of The Unlawful Societies Act Lewis Masonic.

If you would like to get in touch with Paul and discuss the idea of him coming to your lodge, he would be very pleased to hear from you. His email address is paulcalderwood@live.com