Lodge Of The Three Graces No.408, Haworth

Branwell Bronte

Many books and articles have been written about Branwell, of his failures, misdemeanours and in general how he failed to match standards set by his illustrious sisters. So we will refer only to his connection with the Lodge.

Born on the 26th June 1817, Branwell was proposed and accepted into the Lodge on the 19th February 1836 and initiated on the following meeting on the 29th February, at the age of 19 years. In a letter dated 8th February 1836 written by John Brown, WM. and Joseph Redman, Secretary to “The Provincial Lodge of Freemasons, Wakefield” an application was made in the following terms “We beg leave to inform you that a young Gentleman, the Rev.P.Bronte’s son, has made application to us, wishing to be admitted into Masonry, but is only about 20 years of age, in consequence of which, we (in confomity with the constitutions) do hereby apply to you for a Dispensation for that purpose. The Rev.P.Bronte is the Minister of the Chapelry of Haworth, and always appears to be very favourable to Masonry. Therefore we hope you will furnish us, by return of post, with proper authority to admit the young Gentleman into our Order”.

Dispensation was obviously speedily granted on the strength of this letter as no further information was required, not even the applicants name. In April 1836 Branwell was passed to the degree of a Fellowcraft and at an Emergency Meeting on the 25th April raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason

He regularly attended the Lodge during 1836/37, deputising for the Secretary and Junior Warden on various occasions when the holders of these Offices were absent and acted as organist. Also during this period Branwell acted as Secretary of Haworth Temperance Society of which the Rev.Bronte was President. His attendances at the Lodge became infrequent and the last recorded occasion was December 1842 being the Festival of St.John. Between 1840 and 1845 Branwell was frequently away from Haworth either acting as a Tutor or in the capacity of a Railway Clerk for the Leeds & Manchester Railway.

Some biographers have attributed Branwell’s downfall due to his association with a “village club” at the Black Bull called the Lodge of Three Graces. ” a place where proceedings were punctuated with bawdry talk and whisky toddy”. The Lodge, in fact, at this time met in its own Private Rooms and only attended the Black Bull for a meal, all Masonic matters being conducted in the official Lodge rooms.

Branwell suffered from TB and from about 1845 began taking laudanum as a pain killer and sleeping mixture added to which he was drinking in excess to drown his miseries. Illness plus his frustration at being unable to develop his undoubted talents as a writer and artist were the real cause of his rapid decline and ultimate death in September 1848 and not his tenuous association with the Lodge or his close association with John Brown. It must be admitted that the stories of masonic excesses leading Branwell astray told by some of the censorious Victoria writers do add sauce and piquancy to the Bronte assocation with the Lodge but they are unfounded