Eminent Knight Thomas Richardson Taylor, P.Gt.A-de-C.
05 April 1931 – 28 July 2013
In 2013 the Provincial Priory of Northumberland lost a senior and highly committed Great Priory Officer when E Kt Tom Taylor was called to higher service by our Great Captain.
After being initiated into Freemasonry in Lodge Vandeleur No 3586 in October 1955, he acted as Master in 1964. He joined the Northumbrian Masters Lodge No 3477 in 1973 and later became a Founder member of the John Stephenson Lecture Lodge No 9571 in 1994.
In Provincial Grand Lodge he was appointed to Acting Provincial Grand Registrar in 1979 before, the following year, taking the role of Provincial Grand Treasurer. Further promotion to Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden in 1986 was followed in 1988 by appointment in Grand Lodge to Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies.
In the Royal Arch he was a member of Astley Chapter No 2997 as well as Seaton Delaval Chapter No 4617.
He acted as First Principal of both, in 1975 and 1982 respectively.
To complement his Provincial Grand Lodge role he was Acting Provincial Grand Registrar and then Provincial Grand Treasurer in Provincial Chapter, and ultimately appointed in Supreme Grand Chapter to Past Grand Standard Bearer.
He joined the Templar Order in November 1972 when he was made a Knight in Brandling Preceptory No 239.
He was later a Founder member of no fewer than four other Preceptories – St Oswald No 481 in 1977; the Prior’s Haven No 522 in 1983; Templar Segedunum No 586 in 1994 and the Northumbria Guards no 600 in 1995.
For his service to the Order he was appointed by Great Priory to the rank of Past Great Aide-de-Camp in 1992.
He was a keen member of several other Orders under the auspices of Mark Masons’ hall.
In the Mark Degree he was Past Grand Junior Overseer in the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons; a holder of Royal Ark Mariner Grand Rank; Past Grand Chamberlain in the Grand Imperial Conclave of the Red Cross of Constantine; Past Grand Standard Bearer in the Order of the Royal and Select Masters; and Past Grand Standard Bearer in the Order of the Secret Monitor.
In the Ancient and Accepted Rite he was a Past Sovereign of the St Alban’s at Earsdon Chapter Rose Croix No861 and a holder of the 31st Degree.
The loss of such a dedicated Knight Templar was the source of great sadness in the Provincial Priory of Northumberland and he was missed by all the Knights who knew him.
Kevin Stannard
Provincial Prior