Provincial Priory of Kent The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta in England and Wales and Provinces Overseas

Province of Kent
<blank> History of the Provincial Priory of Kent


The history of the Knight Templar Province of Kent is quite unusual. For a long time, it has been closely associated with that of Surrey, and for two periods existed as a Province with effectively no members at all!

I have put together a simple timeline below which shows the development of the Province via its three main executive Officers, The Prior, by whichever title he was known, his Deputy or Sub-Prior and the Vice-Chancellor, or Administration Officer.

In researching the timeline, I gratefully acknowledge the work of Eminent Knight David DeVille of Surrey in his The History of the Provincial Priory of Surrey at the Advent of the Third Millennium, 1864–1999.

I am amazed at some of the happenings of the early years, and the importance of the early Preceptories, some long gone, or at least removed from Kent; surprised how the moving of just one Preceptory from one tavern to another could reduce a Province to nothing.

I challenge all the Preceptories of Kent, if they have not already done so, to write their history, and I further challenge any enthusiastic historians amongst you to put together and publish a full history of KT in Kent.

Yours in the Bonds of the Order

Peter Wise
Vice-Chancellor, 2012


Provincial Commandery of Kent

Provincial Grand Commander

1847

Dr. Robert T. Crucefix

1850

Dr. Robert T. Crucefix deceased.

1856

The Kemys-Tynte Preceptory No.48 was Consecrated and the Provincial Grand Conclave of Kent was formed by Patent by ME&SGM, Col. Charles Kemys Kemys-Tynte, both on 19th March.

 

Provincial Grand Conclave of Kent

 

Provincial Grand Commander

Deputy Provincial Grand Commander

1856

Eminent Sir Kt.  Henry J. Hinxman, M.D.

1859

Sir Kt.Shadwell H. Clerke, R.A.

1865

Sir Kt.Shadwell H. Clerke, R.A.

Installed at Woolwich

1866

Sir Kt. Captain N.G.Phillips

Became Prov Prior, East Anglia

1868

Sir K. William Smith, C.E.

1870

Sir Kt. Captain W.F.Portlock Dadson, R.B.G.

1874

Sir Kt.Shadwell H. Clerke, R.A. resigned

No Preceptories left in Kent.

1880

Temple Cressing Preceptory No. 45 moved within Kent Boundary, to- Greenwich!

1880

Black Prince Preceptory No. 146 Consecrated at Canterbury

 

Provincial Priory of Kent & Surrey

1880

Provincial Prior

Sub-Prior

Treasurer & Registrar/V-C

Gen. John Studholme Brownrigg, C.B.

Raymond H. Thrupp

J.R. Boor

Treasurer & Registrar

1882

Lt.Col. George H. Haldane

1887

A.H.Bateman

1889

Lt.Col. George H. Haldane

Horatio Ward

1892

Col Gerald Noel Money, C.B.

Horatio Ward

1895

Rt.Hon. Earl of Onslow, G.C.M.G.

Horatio Ward

1899

H. Ward retired, not replaced

1901

S.G.Kirchhoffer

Lt.Col. H.P.Sankey

Registrar

1905

Lt.Col. H.Grier

1908

Lt.Col. Sir Francis S. Moon, Bart.

William Russell

John Alexander Braik

1911

William Russell

Arthur Humphrey Bowles

1917

John Ashmead Pruen, M.A.

1920

Captain The Hon. George R.C. St.Vincent Harris

1921

George Anthony King

1925

Sir George Anthony King

1926

George Edmund Walker Bridge

Vice-Chancellor

1928

Hugh Charles Knowles

Lt.Col.Aylmer George Galloway

1931

Lt.Col. Aylmer George Galloway

George E.W. Bridge

1932

Captain The Hon. George St.Vincent Harris, M.C.

Lord Harris, son of Lord Harris!

1941

Lt.Col. Aylmer George Galloway

Lt.Col.Aylmer George Galloway

1942

Gordon Duff Powell

1945

Major Thomas Charles Moore  Johnson

1947

Lord Harris made ME&S Grand Master

1951

Lt.Col. Aylmer George Galloway

Captain Alexander Mckenzie-Smith

Wing Cmdr. Ronald Frederick Jessup

1952

Frederick George Bell / T.C.M.Johnson

1953

Major Arthur James Boot Dickson

 

Provincial Prior

Sub-Prior

Vice-Chancellor

1956

Captain Alexander Mckenzie-Smith

Frederick William Friday

Major Arthur James Boot Dickson

1966

Frederick William Friday

1970

Captain Bartholomew Foskett, M.C.

Reginald Fielding Jones

1972

John Frederick Spalding, M.Sc., J.P.

1978

John Frederick Spalding, M.Sc., J.P.

Revd. Canon Peter Churton Collins

1979

Dr. Roy James Edney

1982

Dr. Roy James Edney

Charles Edward Whitfield

1989

Wilfred Charles Hammond

Andrew Struthers Semple

1991

Keith James Breading

1992

Keith James Breading

Noel Alfred Brian Grout

2001

Kessick John Jones,

2004

Kessick John Jones

Peter John McIntyre

Michael George Harridine

2006

John William Arthur McCully

2008

Peter John Wise

2012

Peter John McIntyre

Colin Paul Tunbridge

 

2015

 

 

Kelvin Alan Gane

2015

David Jordan

Terence William Tanner

Colin Gordon Smith

2017

 

 

Pieter Swinge

2019

  Pieter Jan Swinge Dennis Dean

 



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