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Mayor of Hertford is a Freemason and Hertfordshire a Masonic hotspot
A “SOCIETY with secrets” has clocked up 175 years at the centre of Hertford life -- and the Mercury can reveal that the mayor is a member.
Freemason Peter Ruffles joined his brothers to commemorate the oldest lodge in Hertfordshire, which was founded in the Salisbury Arms pub in Fore Street in 1829.
Many of its past worshipful masters have had streets in the county town named after them. It boasts a membership which includes dignitaries, businessmen and politicians.
The celebration was held with little fanfare on September 23 at the banqueting hall in Mayflower Place, Hertingfordbury, and was “an unparalleled success”.
There was a re-enactment of the first meeting in the early 1800s, which Cllr Ruffles, a town, district and county councillor, described as an emotional experience.
He said: “It was a moving and a fascinating event simply because of the thought of all these old boys who have done good things in the town all these years.”
The mayor is open about his membership of the Freemasons.
“I don’t want to hide it,” he said. “I joined the Masons 40 years ago. My father was a mason and it's a welcome bolthole for me in a very busy life.
“It is a strong men's club and 1 enjoy the ceremonies, which are like little plays, and it uses the words of the 1700s, which are largely unaltered.”
Many residents are unaware that the very street or road they live in were named in honour of past leaders of the society.
Worshipful Master Brian Timperly, a Bengeo butcher, said: “Many of our past worshipful masters dating back almost 200 years were leading men in the town and many streets were named in their honour, including Farquhar Street, named after Lord Farquhar, Dimsdale Street and even the Wigginton shops in St Andrew Street.”
Brian added: "We are not a secret society, we are a society with secrets."
Hertford is now at the centre of a controversy after the Mercury revealed the existence of a powerful secret society called the Illuminati, who claim to use a network of tunnels beneath the town.
A Sky TV documentary focused on this branch of the Masons, a sect dedicated to world domination and said to have a member in the town.
Hertford was also the English headquarters of the Knights Templar, a secret Catholic order attacked by the Vatican in the 12th century for allegedly practising black magic.
According to occult historian Harvey Wasserman, in his book Templars and Assassins, the warrior monks went underground and formed Freemasonry.
Hertfordshire has one of the highest concentrations of Masonic lodges in the world.
SOURCE: Hertfordshire Mercury, 29 October 2004, “‘Society with secrets’ celebrates 175 years”, p 39.
Archived: [ http://www.theinsider.org/mailing/article.asp?id=0669 ]
FURTHER READING
Hertfordshire Mercury, 29 October 2004, "Still standing after all these years [Hertford's Nuclear Bunker]", p 6.
Archived: [ http://www.theinsider.org/mailing/article.asp?id=0672 ]
Hertfordshire Mercury (UK), "Mystery man alerts bank over security", p 7, 29 October 2004.
Web title: "Tunnel vision puts bank on high alert"
[ http://www.herts-essex-news.co.uk/mercury/news/story.asp?id=165763 ]
Archived: [ http://www.theinsider.org/mailing/article.asp?id=0666 ]
"The Insider" mailing list article, 27 October 2004.
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