Frequently asked questions
Can I add my lodge to the archive?
Yes!
How?
To include your Lodge in the archive, please contact me at the site e-mail address, with some lodge information, a short description of your banner, and a web friendly image of less than 100Kb. (Don't panic, it will be reduced to a more reasonable size).
Do you plan to show all the banners and crests?
The search tool can take thousands of entries, (although I may have to redesign the site to allow for a bigger list) and will easily store every lodge under UGLE plus other GLs.
Will you be adding other degrees, such as R.A. and Mark?
No, not at present. There are enough banners and crests to add from good ol' craft masonry as it is. If anybody wishes to begin a similar site for other Masonic orders, I would be glad to help get them started, and pass on as much information as I can.
What sort of image should I send?
As long as the size is under 100Kb, almost any format is OK.
Can you recommend any companies that make banners?
Aside from the embroidery department of UGLE at Great Queen Street in London, most of the larger Masonic outfitters are usually able to supply banners. Another source is the Royal School of Needlework, which specialise in all kinds of embroidery.
Who do I contact at Great Queen Street?
The embroidery manager is Anna Fernandes, and she can be contacted on 020 7395 9286.
Have the UGLE issued any guidelines for Banner and Crest design?
Yes, the following information is available.
Notes on Lodge and Chapter Badges
1. The following notes are intended to help Lodges and Chapters in preparing designs for their badges before submitting them to the Grand Secretary or Grand Scribe E (via the Provincial or District Grand Secretary or Scribe E, where appropriate) for the approval of the MW The Grand Master or the ME The First Grand Principal.
2. The principles explained in the notes apply equally to designs - which also require approval for Founders’ Jewels, Past Masters’ Jewels and Banners, etc.
3. However, it is not possible to foresee every problem that might arise, and it should therefore be noted that adherence to every point in the notes does not guarantee that the design will he approved.
4. The notes contain a depressing number of negatives, but design is possible. If extreme difficulty is encountered, the Grand Secretary’s office (General Department) will almost certainly be able to help further.
LODGE BADGES
Arms or Armorial Bearings, and Badges
5. Lodges are recommended to adopt Badges instead of Arms. Arms are heraldic devices borne on a shield. A Badge consists of some object or objects combined to form a design without the use of a shield.
6. The grant of Arms, which carries the right to bear them, is a Royal Prerogative. Lodges which wish to design and assume arms must consult the College of Arms.
Arms
7. No part of the Royal Coat of Arms may be assumed by a Lodge without the express consent of the Sovereign, or other Royal Person whose Arms are concerned.
8. No private Lodge is permitted to use the Arms of the United Grand Lodge.
9. No Arms of an individual or Corporation maybe adopted without the written consent of such individual or Corporation, and in the case of consent being given the Arms must be used in their entirety. NB: Even when such consent is obtained, it may not be appropriate for the Lodge to use Arms which have been designed to represent an individual or public body, and therefore approval may be withheld.
10. No Lodge may adopt as Arms a portion of an existing Coat of Arms, even if permission he given by the holder, since such adoption would amount to the assumption of a new Coat of Arms.
11. Designs may not be approved if they are heraldic in character or attempt to avoid the Laws of Arms by using a corruption of a shield outline.
12. Arms that have become extinct cannot be used.
13. A small shield carried by a knight as part of the design of a badge is permitted, since this is only coincidental to his accoutrements; in most cases the shield is seen in perspective, and thus cannot he regarded as Arms in the ordinary sense.
General
14. Designs for Lodge Badges are sometime submitted with the Petition for a new Lodge, hut they cannot be approved until a Warrant has been granted. However, if the matter is urgent, the design may sometimes be approved subject to the grant of a Warrant.
15. Symbols foreign to the Craft, for example interlaced triangles (which are Royal Arch) should not occur. Most Craft badges have a square and compasses incorporated, but these are not essential.
Religious Symbols
16. Symbols associated with one particular religion or religious denomination, for example the Cross, must not be included as a predominant part of the design. If the Lodge is named after a Saint who is depicted in the badge, then a small cross may be carried by the Saint.
Imperial Crown
17. The Imperial Crown is the one shown on Government documents and publications (- for example; British Passports, United Kingdom Driving licences and top right corner on obverse of £5 Sterling bank notes). These vary slightly but are intended to be the same Crown, and will not be approved as part of a badge. A Saxon crown or a nondescript one (such as is shown in Plate 31 of the Royal Arch Regulations) may be allowed.
Corn and Acacia
18. A wreath composed or corn and acacia (as shown in the jewels of Grand Officers) is not allowed, since these are symbolic of Grand Rank.
CHAPTER BADGES
19. Rules on Lodge badges apply mutatis mutandis to Chapter Badges. Most Chapter badges are based on those of the Lodges to which they are attached, with some Royal Arch allusion in place of the square and compasses — for example interlaced triangles, the triple tau, etc. The Lodge’s title must be changed to the Chapter’s.
M.B.S. HIGHAM
Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe E
18 November, 1992