Freemasonry advice, please, for Sir Philip Colville Smith, CVO, Grand Secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England

+6 votes
498 views

I've added all the categories I can think of, except some law ones, but am wondering if I have missed any others -- especially anything related to Freemasonry.

This guy comes from a line of extremely distinguished persons, so I want to do him proper honour.

Thanks for any help!


(I don't know why there isn't a tag for freemasonry, or freemasons, because how do you get attention without the huge, glaring, headline?

If any moderator thinks I need different tags, please add them.)

WikiTree profile: Philip Colville Smith
in Genealogy Help by Melanie Paul G2G6 Pilot (422k points)
I added the Colville middle name category to my name study. Looks like his grandmother was a Colville

Joelle -- I have other family using the name Colville, either as a first given name, or a middle name.  (I've only added one, so far, to WT.)  If you want to include an infant, feel free.

I have, since expanding that family line (until two years ago nothing was known of my great-grandmother's family except that she was the twin daughter of her named parents .. everything else I have, I have worked hard to  find and verify) wondered if the Colville (and the Kilvert) name was from an ancestor, possibly Scottish (since they were from what was once Northumbria - and when it wasn't Northumberland, England, it was part of Scotland, and Colville appears to be Scottish).

Colville is a Norman name. The story goes that when the Normans invaded England Gilbert de Colleville was given lands in England. Clan Colville in Scotland and the Barony de Colville, of Castle Bytham in England came from this family. In Scotland Colville, Colvill and Colvin are interchangeable even with the same person (I’m always getting into arguments about that with someone on FindAGrave. 

Also you have a lot of Colvilles moving back and forth between England and Scotland. 

The moving back and forth certainly fits with the Berwick upon Tweed area, where my Smith great-grandma was born!

(I sort of vaguely recall reading something about the Norman origins, but it's nothing recent.  I was looking for a Colvil married to a Smith, in Scotland -- son was given the forename Colville -- so I think the Scotland relationship in my brain was from that.)

2 Answers

+6 votes

Here is the template for the Freemasonry "sticker." I know there is more but I will have to find the page.

{{Society Member|society=Freemason}}

by Nelda Spires G2G6 Pilot (560k points)

Here is a page about the Freemasonry project...Freemasonry but I know there is more--something put up recently..I'm still looking.

Edited to add...

Template:Society Member

Edited again to add...

G2G Thread about this

Melanie, you might want to contact Eric Weddington. He's very knowledgeable about Freemasonry and might have some other ideas for you.

One more edit...Category:Freemasonry

That is is the sum total of what I could find.

Thanks, Nelda!  smiley

I Currently have categories --

[[Category:England, Solicitors]]
[[Category:England, Solicitor's Clerks]]
[[Category:English Barristers]]
[[Category:Hammersmith, Middlesex]]
[[Category:Brookwood, Surrey]]
[[Category:United Grand Lodge of England]]
[[Category:Freemasonry]]
[[Category:Truro, Cornwall]]
[[Category:St Clement, Cornwall]]

and the sticker --

{{Society Member|society=Freemason|post=the United Grand Lodge of England - post held : Grand Secretary}}
--

and an image of him in regalia. (Found another of him greeting some Duke or other, but cannot determine if it's public domain or not, so didn't use it.)

Was hoping I got things "right", but wanted to check.

Thanks for your help, Nelda!

Melanie, so far the profile looks good. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help!

Thanks, Eric.

We really need to work in getting a masonry or freemasons tag!

 -

(Found another of him greeting some Duke or other, but cannot determine if it's public domain or not, so didn't use it.)

by Melanie Paul

-

*cough*

The "some Duke or other" was only HRH Prince Arthur William Patrick, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, seventh child, third son of Queen Victoria blush-- and I'm pretty sure the photo is public domain by now, but would need to source it.

Prince Arthur was also 38 times the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England (1901–1939), which should be added to his biography (so I posted a comment to his profile).

FYI, I monitor the "Freemasonry" tag here on the Forum. More often then not, others tend to see posts on here before I do.

I'm a Freemason myself, in Colorado, United States. I can't claim that I'm an expert on United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), or any of the Grand Lodges in any of the Commonwealth nations. But I'll help where I can.

I can't claim that I'm an expert on United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), or any of the Grand Lodges in any of the Commonwealth nations. But I'll help where I can.

.

Whatever you know is way more than anything I know.  My closest relationship would be my great-grandmother's brother-in-law, who was a member of a Lodge in New South Wales - and the father of a good friend in Queensland was a Mason before he died.  I did confirm that my 3-greats-grandfather was an Oddfellow, not a Mason.

I have a work colleague who is a member of an England constitution (UGLE) Lodge in Christchurch, New Zealand. So I can check with him for things that I'm not familiar with.
+4 votes

Re your  question about children; the answer is that he was not married:Although the bulk of his Estate went to his brother, he did leave small sums to others

'Probate has been granted to his brother, Sir Hugh Bateman Protheroe- Smith, of Falmouth. Subject to legacies of £50 to his sister-in-law Alice Mackay, £25 each to Gertrude Haig and Sydney A. White, and £20 his cousin, Eric Paul, left his property to brother, Sir Hugh  Bateman Protheroe Smith ' 

The Cornishman, Thursday 16th December, transcribed from image British Newspaper Archive

Extracts from obituary 

:Western Morning News, Saturday November 6th, 1937 (Image British Newspaper Archive)

 'His brother, Lieut.-Col. Sir Hugh Bateman Protheroe-Smith, was until recently Chief Constable of Cornwall. Their grandfather, Mr. Tom Smith, was Town Clerk of Bideford for nearly 40 years, and their sister married Mr. C. H. Vivian, of the Downes, near Bideford. There are several memorial tablets relating to the Colville Smith family in Bideford Parish Church. Mr. Tom Smith's eldest son, who became Sir Montague Smith, was an eminent judge; another son was killed in the battle of Navarino'....

'... He had a flat in the magnificent building in Great Queen-street which houses the central organization of Freemasonry in this country, and was unmarried. Called to the Bar in 1889 at the Inner Temple, he never practised. He received the C.V.O. in 1923, and was created Knight in 1925.'

(there is a lot of detail about his career on this obit 
Here's his progression in the Freemasons  but how  much detail do you want?)The dates might be able to be checked in the Freemasonry records on Ancestry..

Entering Freemasonry early in life, he served as W.M. of the Apollo University Lodge, No. 357, Oxford. He joined Phoenix Lodge of Honour and Prudence, No. 331, Truro, and in due course was appointed P.G.S.W. of Cornwall. 

GRAND LODGE RANK.

 In 1899 he received the appointment of Senior Grand Deacon in Grand Lodge and 2nd Asst. G. Sojr. in Supreme Grand Chapter. The same year he was chosen as Deputy Prov. Grand Master of Cornwall by the late Earl of Mount Edgcumbe on the resignation of the late Sir Charles Brune Graves-Sawle. The year before he had been associated with Mr. Bernard F. Edyvean, A.G.D. of C. of Grand Lodge, in laying the foundation and memorial stones of the Masonic Hall at Camborne. In 1900 he laid the foundation-stone of the Masonic Hall at Calstock, and the same year he dedicated the new Masonic Hall at Camborne. He performed the dedication ceremony of the Calstock Masonic Hall in 1901. and in 1902 was elected secretary of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution. This position he filled with great success until his appointment by the Grand Master, the Duke of Connaught, in 1917 as Grand Secretary in succession to Sir Edward Letchworrth, who had resigned after serving a quarter of a century in that office. He was also Grand Scribe E. of the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, and since 1935 he had been Grand Supt. for Oxfordshire. He was Second Grand Principal of Cornwall'


Apparently he spent his life representing the Grand Lodge of England all over the World. As a Cornishman he was also  'Prov Grand Master in the Mark Degree', of the Province of Cornwall' and  he 'regularly attended meetings' in Devon and Cornwall.


A Local memorial service  was to be held  in Truro Cathedral  on 'Tuesday at 3pm'

by Helen Ford G2G6 Pilot (470k points)
edited by Helen Ford

Helen, that is wonderful!

Feel free to add all, or as much as you like!  (All, all!)

So, pretty much, the named "son" from the transcribed obit from family search wasn't?  I wonder if it has been mis-indexed (as so many fs census returns are, having the "head" of a household being an 8 year old  because the parent/s show on the previous page) and the "Sir Montague" is  actually the son of another family member.  I tried to look for him, but kept coming up with Edward Montague Smith who renamed himself as Montague Edward Smith.

(I  "lucked onto"  this guy, all because of the names Colville and Smith together.   Being that my great-grandmother's Smith family also have the Colville name, I am wondering if, somewhere, there isn't a link between them and this Cornwall family.  Then, of course, that there are also Pauls involved . . . cheeky)

Maybe FamilySearch got confused by the extract quoted by Helen above that says "Their grandfather, Mr. Tom Smith ... Mr. Tom Smith's eldest son, who became Sir Montague Smith"

That's exactly the type of  mistranscription/misattribution I see a lot of on fs.

Someone is the head of the household, has their family, then there are visitors, or boarders, or lodgers, some of whom have THEIR families, and the children all are attributed as son or daughter of the first name, not their parent.

I wonder if, based on what we know, I should detach the supposed son on fs and merge him with Philip's uncle.

I think the writer of the obit had a lot of 'inside knowledge', perhaps it was from masonic sources. It was certainly recording the death of a local notable.As you can imagine there are very many notices of his death in local papers all over the country. Many copy or summarised other papers: room for mistakes to creep in. (there are 100s of hits for  his name in  Nov 1837 on the BNA)Going beyond him Grandfather Tom or Thomas Smith (Town clerk ) appears to have been the brother of Prothero Smith. This bio says Prothero was one of a local doctors twenty children http://bidefordbuzz.org.uk/2018/03/protheroe-smith-1809-89/  (useful comment from a probable descendant). Lots to research if you want to follow up the family.

edit.It's really odd, I often find some point of contact when I go off down these unrelated rabbit holes. I've walked up and down  Bridgeland St  many times (father in law was vicar in a village near Bideford) https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2824717

I can't see the googlebooks page because it is covered up  by a humongous blue "sign in" popover. angry

That Philip's death was recorded in America and Australia says he was known world-wide.  One thing I did not quote for the profile was a mention that he was a "Mason Missionary", but without enough that I could get a sense of the text to paraphrase it.

Protheroe (1809-1889), Philip's father, looks to be another of the family that chose to use his second forename as his usename. (20 kids! Oh. My. Giddy. Aunt.  That poor mother!!!! surprise)

That descendant mentions a brother of Protheroe named "William Castle Smith b1811", but the (greatly expanded since yesterday! (Wikitreers at work!!)) family list does not (yet) include William Castle.

It's a different Protheroe Smith (the one with brother William Castle) - also born in Bideford.

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KZSD-912

Parents there are William and Lucy.

This was a google books preview;presumably not available in Australia.

'Inside the Church is  a small wall plaque recording Dr Protheroe Smith who was born in Bideford in 1809 and whose brother Thomas served as town clerk for around forty years.'

Photograph of Plaque (  my transcript)

(note original all caps)

In Loving Memory of Protheroe Smith M.D

Son of the Late William Smith M.D of this Town

Born at Bideford Novr 16 1809

Died London, Sept 23 1883

Founder  of the First Hospital For Women

(verse far to small to  read)

Also of Sarah Anne, his wife

Who died in London 14  Dec 18-- (poss 1883 but blurred )

Daughter or the Late John Dansey of Blandford

And sister of the Revd Edward Dansey

Late Vicar of Abbotsham

The tablet is erected by their Children.

 Peter Christie,  Secret Bideford, Amberley Publishing Ltd, 2015   (Google books preview  No page number)

(really odd, hadn't noticed that, Abbotsham was my FIL's parish and where I married!)

The Doctor Protheroe isn't the same Protheroe (who was born Philip Protheroe (spellcheck does not like  Protheroe) who was in Law.

Funny, really, that there are two men going by the name Protheroe Smith born a year apart, both in Bideford.  They have different fathers, but their trees MUST meet up somewhere a generation or two higher.  The name Protheroe just can't be coincidence.

Philip Protheroe and his wife Marianne (also rendered Mary Anne) have plaques in a church -- his on a window.

Mentioned here .. here .. and here (although this one is really for Dame Marianne).  And there is a photograph of his house for sale (the photo, not the house).

In Loving Memory of Protheroe Smith M.D

Son of the Late William Smith M.D of this Town

Born at Bideford Novr 16 1809

Died London, Sept 23 1883

Founder  of the First Hospital For Women

-

He died 29 September 1889 (according to the Will index), not 1883.  (I managed to confuse his death for the other Protheroe who was also Philip Protheroe, but I have corrected that error.) 

Philip Protheroe Smith  father was definitely the son of  a Thomas Smith  of Bideford  

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/21490218?h=ad4ffb&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

 1826

But by 1831, Thomas appears to be dead, this document  mentions Margaret Colville Smith and   William Smith executors of the last will and testament of Thomas.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/21490250?h=344454&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

Edit: Margaret Colville was definitely  Philip's mother

Letters of administration 1867.

Margaret Colville Smith formerly of Princess Sq Plymouth in the County of Devon but late of Clifton in the county of Somerset, widow, who died 30 Sept 1865 at Clifton aforesaid... were granted to Philip Protheroe Smith of Truro in the County of Truro 

 England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-199 from Ancestry but should be on Gov UK  site.

 Does this provisionally make ? as I'm quite confused and can't get rid of the italics.

 Philip Colville Smith son of Philip Protheroe Smith and his wife Margaret Colville, 

son of Thomas Smith (town clerk) hence grandfather  Tom mentioned in the obit .He was also father of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montague_Edward_Smith

son of William Smith. (doctor) father of 20 including  Protheroe the founder of the Women's hospital and other illustrious personages.

Dinner calls!

Philip Colville Smith son of Philip Protheroe Smith and his wife Margaret Colville, 

son of Thomas Smith (town clerk) hence grandfather  Tom mentioned in the obit .He was also father of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montague_Edward_Smith

son of William Smith. (doctor) father of 20 including  Protheroe the founder of the Women's hospital and other illustrious personages.

Dinner calls!

.

I think I am now totally lost!

"My" Philip Colville was the son of Philip Protheroe (who went by Protheroe) and Marianne (aka Mary Anne) Paul. His father's older brother was Edward Montague (who went by Montague Edward).  Philip Protheroe and Montague (either EM, or ME, I don't care!) were the sons of Thomas Smith and Margaret Colville.  

The OTHER Protheroe, born the year before PP was born, was the son of William Smith and Lucy Marsh (William and Lucy married about 1798).  William was born about 1777 (according to FS's profile) and died about 1845. 

Thomas Smith was born about 1756 (again, according to the FS profile), and presumably married prior to the birth of the oldest child in 1800. 

That's a hefty 20 year difference in age, but it would still be possible for Thomas to be a much older brother to William, but not possible for Thomas to be a son of William.

That both Thomas and William named a son Protheroe screams to me that they were related, somewhen.

But by 1831, Thomas appears to be dead, this document  mentions Margaret Colville Smith and   William Smith executors of the last will and testament of Thomas.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/21490250?h=344454&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

-

Thomas was deceased in 1828.

I am guessing - from reading that document (which is not Thomas's Will) - that Margaret Colville Smith (mother), and William Smith (relationship not stated), were assigned as guardians to the minor children when Thomas died in 1828 - of whom Philip Protheroe Smith was one - as well as Executors. 

That document is indenturing Philip Protheroe Smith for a period of years.  Philip Protheroe Smith looks to be still just barely a minor (born 18 May, document dated 30 April), so would need his guardians to sign off on any apprenticeship, even an indenture to a barrister-solicitor-judge.

Not all Guardianships ended at age 21. Some ran to 25 (or even older if it was a female child).

My latest speculation is that William is possibly a son of Thomas by an earlier wife - or the earlier speculated much younger brother.  Either would work for him to be appointed Executor and Guardian.

ETA last name to differentiate from other person with same name.

Dr William Smith died 1845  

That does match what the FS profile has. 

Thomas names as his BROTHER William Smith and his wife Lucy -- so it was a 20-year-gap sibling!

Also names someone Smith widow of his brother James, also a Philip Protheroe of someplace in (I think) the county of Gloucester and his wife Sophia, Samuel someone (could be Smith, or something ending in by, or y) and Laura his wife, and someone else from Bideford (I can't read the name).

Going to see if I do better with the pdf.

Having trouble making out the name of the fourth son, other than it appears to start with S and end in son, or on, and the second forename is Castle (which reflects his brother's child William Castle).  The full document, as linked by Helen, is here, and is a free download.

Thomas appointed his wife, Margaret Colville Smith, his brother, William Smith, and Philip Protheroe (cannot make out this next word, possibly executors?) as Guardians for his said children.  He made provision for any other child, or children, he might have with his said wife, Margaret Colville Smith, but the only ones he actually named (as far as I have read, anyway) were his sons: Montague Edward Smith, Browne Smith, Philip Protheroe Smith, and unknown Castle Smith -- which kind of indicates any other males were already deceased.  Any living daughters would be covered by the "other child, or children" clause.

Obviously this named Philip Protheroe is where the name for his son came from (much as my Granddad's name was from his father's best friend), but it isn't clear if Philip Protheroe (not the son) is a relative or a legal acquaintance.

Think it is Hilton Castle Smith ( became a vicar)

Here's a possibility for Philip Protheroe Merchant of Bristol, Gloucestershire  Will 1846

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/21496363?h=d8c6d4&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

Starts with mention of marriage settlement 1808.  In 1808, there is a marriage in Bristol of Philip Protheroe and Sophia Smith but she was of Clifton Bristol at time of marriage https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/21496440?h=619861&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

There are several slave register entries for Philip Protheroe on Ancestry so I looked  on the Legacy of the Slave trade site. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/42183

You're probably right about the named Philip Protheroe being the merchant of Bristol, as the earlier mention had Protheroe from some place I couldn't read in Gloucester -- and a wife, Sophia.  If she was a Smith, do you think it's likely she was a sister to Thomas and William?  Witness to the marriage of Protheroe to Sophia Smith was one Charlotte Marie Smith.  (Mother?  Sister?  Some other relative?)

 

Samuel someone (could be Smith, or something ending in by, or y) and Laura his wife

-

I believe that name is Souslby, as a Helen Soulsby was a signatory witness to Philip's marriage to Marianne Paul in July 1849.  (She had three Guardians give their consent, as she was only 19 at the time, and her father was deceased*.  One of them was her mother, another has to be a maternal uncle, as his name was Luxmore. 

* I haven't determined which death of William Paul between census 1841 and July 1849, he was, though. He did use the suffix "junior".)

Think it is Hilton Castle Smith ( became a vicar)

.

The problem I have with it being Hilton is- the first letter matches the S for Smith, not anything really like an H, and the second letter looks like the a's elsewhere. 

.

There is a Hinton Castle Smith, clergyman, born Bideford about 1814, whose mother is listed as Margrave Smith (MS unknown) born about 1789 in Portsmouth, Hampshire.  (Margrave may be a mangling of Margaret.)  The year is off for Margaret Colville, but many census dates are wrong.

The Hinton Castle Smith, clergyman, has a brother Montague Edward Smith born Bideford about 1807.

Sir Edward Montague (aka Montague Edward) Smith - son of Thomas Smith and Margaret Colville was born Bideford December 1806, baptised May 1807.

However, there was also a Montague Edward Smith, son of a Thomas Smith and his wife Margaret, who was baptised in January of 1807.

I have a problem with the January Montague Edward being the same as the May Edward Montague, because EM didn't switch the order of his forenames until he was an adult -- and you don't usually get baptised twice in the same year.  But, y'know, anything is possible.

Hinton Castle Smith's Will synopsis on probatesearch.service.gov.uk (1901) is no help -- not that I expected it as he married a Grace Harriet Goodwin Henshaw in 1840.  (No image for the marriage on FS.)  I suppose it's always possible he changed his name.  Everyone else in the family seems to have done so.  cheeky

Sorry  I meant Hinton not Hilton blush

Hinton Castle Smith in  Alumni Oxoniensis 

I think I may have found the father of Thomas and William.  A nice plain Edward but after that his family gets more complicated by the minute.Think Sophia may be the daughter of a Thomas Christmas Smith, brother of John and William.  It's a very deep rabbit hole to pursue ( Denmark, another name change):  have made a freespace page https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Smiths_of_Bideford

I guess my "Soulsby" of earlier was incorrect, as Laura was married to a Sothebey!

.

Helen, I think you have nailed it!  yes

William  - the father of William Castle Smith, Protheroe Smith, and others, also had a son named Christmas Smith; so that looks to be another named passed down.

Also, the father being Edward makes sense, as Thomas named brothers in his Will, and included James, and one that looks like Daniel.  (I don't remember seeing a John.)

(I just wish I  could see "Hi" instead of "Sa" for that 4th son.)

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