Eminent Knight Roy Vaughan, Past Great Chamberlain
21st August 1938 – 8th October 2022
The Provincial Priory of Northumberland has learned of the very sad death of one of its most senior and active Knights, Eminent Knight Roy Vaughan, after a prolonged illness.
Roy was initiated into Freemasonry in Saint Edmund’s Lodge No 7377 on 10th February 1986, being subsequently elected to Honorary membership in October 2021. He was the Master of Saint Edmund’s Lodge in 1994 and served as its Treasurer for four years from 2009.
He joined the North Durham Lecture Lodge No 8125 in November 1989 and was a member until its erasure in 2008. He later joined Earsdon Lodge No 6219 in April 2014 and was an Honorary member of that Lodge at the time of his death.
For his service to the Craft, he was first appointed to Past Provincial Deputy Grand Registrar in the Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham in 2002, before promotion to Past Provincial Grand Registrar in 2018.
In the Royal Arch, he was exalted in Vandaleur Chapter No 3586 on 31st March 1987, acting as First Principal in 2002 and subsequently Scribe E for six years from 2004. He held the rank of Past Provincial Grand Sojourner in the Provincial Grand Chapter of Northumberland from 2008.
He was advanced in the Mark in Ambrose Crowley Lodge of Mark Master Masons No 1269 in 1987, and was a member for 30 years till he left as a consequence of ill health in 2017. He was Master of the Lodge in 1998 and appointed to Provincial Grand Sword Bearer in the Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Durham in 2002
In our own Knight Templar Order, he was installed as a Knight in St. Oswald Preceptory No 481 on 18th November 1993. The following year he was a Founder member of Northanhymbre Preceptory No 590, and he joined the Preceptory of Tutelage in November 2006, maintaining membership of all his Preceptories until his death.
After acting as Eminent Preceptor of Northanhymbre Preceptory in 2001, he was Preceptor of St. Oswald for two years from 2004. This lead to his first appointment in Provincial Priory to the rank of Provincial Aide-de-Camp in 2002; and promotions to Provincial Standard Bearer (VB) in 2006; and he was the Provincial First Constable in 2010. In 2017 he was appointed to Great Priory rank as Past Great Chamberlain. His most recent appointment in 2021 was as Commander of the Malta Delegation, holding the office until his death.
He joined our sister Order, the Knight Templar Priests, as a member of Prior’s Haven Tabernacle No 134 and after acting as High Priest in 2009, he was appointed to the rank of Past Grand Second Pillar. Eventually he joined the Harry Becket Raylor Tabernacle of Grand College Officers before becoming a Companion of Holy Wisdom in 2021 and Past Grand Seventh Pillar earlier this year.
He was an active member of the Red Cross of Constantine, after being installed a Knight in The Prior’s Haven Conclave No 410 in March 2008; was Most Puissant Sovereign in 2013 and, following promotion to Divisional Junior General in 2018, he was appointed in 2019 to Grand Rank as Past Grand Warden of Regalia.
Also a member of the Order of the Secret Monitor since 1999, he maintained membership of his mother Conclave, Royal Kent No 39 until his death, attaining the Grand rank of Past Grand Director of Ceremonies in 2016; and he was in the Order of the Scarlet Cord, as a Founder member of the Northumberland Consistory No 39 and the Andrew Christopher Sweeney Consistory No 112, achieving Grand Rank as Past Grand Sword Bearer in 2014.
Knowing it was untreatable, Roy bore his illness with great courage and fortitude and his death, though not unexpected, has come as a tragic blow to us all. We are consoled in the knowledge that he is at peace, secure in the arms of the Great Captain of our Salvation.
Kevin Stannard
Provincial Prior