HAMELESHAM LODGE No 8243Our Banner And Some Of Its History Hamelesham is the name which appears in the Domesday Book for the place we now know as Hailsham (and which had hitherto had been known by yet another name). It is of interest that the parish of Hamelesham at the time of the Domesday Book was in the Liberty of Pevensey and that a former owner, named Alnod, also held the adjacent manor of Harebeating. Cild (Esquire) Alnod was a man of considerable importance at the time of Edward the Confessor, also owning property in Wartling. It was the then Vicar of Wartling, Rev Harry Osbon, who in his capacity of Sussex Provincial Grand Chaplain officiated at the dedication of the Hamelesham Lodge banner. If we trace the history of Hailsham it appears to have passed with the Barony of Pevensey, when that noble estate was granted by Henry I, to Gilbert de Aquila, on its escheating (forfeiture) to the Crown by the Earl of Mortaine’s rebellion. It was Gilbert de Aquila who, in 1229, granted the advowson (guardianship) of Hailsham Parish Church to Michelham Priory. The fact that the living of Hailsham Parish Church was donated into the hands of Michelham Priory is of some significance to members of Hamelesham Lodge, for Michelham Priory is their Mother Lodge. Furthermore, Pevensey is the successor to the town of Anderida, and Michelham Priory Lodge was in turn sponsored by Anderida Lodge. There are therefore strong historical ties between the Hamelesham, Michelham Priory and Anderida Lodges. Gilbert de Aquila, who founded Michelham Priory, was the third of that name and the fourth Lord of Pevensey of his family, and the red eagle, purporting to be a Norman Eagle, we see prominently depicted on the banner of Hamelesham Lodge also appears on Gilbert’s Shield of Arms. According to legend, a Norman Eagle landed on the walls of Michelham Priory, and this may account for its inclusion in Gilbert’s Arms. Whatever the reason for its appearance on the badge, its presence on the banner is of great symbolic significance. The name Aquila means “eagle” – one of the largest birds, with a very wide wingspan and very strong. Lecterns in churches are often constructed in the form of an eagle supporting the Bible – a volume which contains much to inspire our thoughts. The presence of an eagle on the banner therefore prompts brethren to bear in mind the strong principles of Freemasonry – Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth - and, on entering the Lodge, to find it an inspiration to their thoughts to soar higher and higher, as if on the wings of an eagle, and contemplate all that Masonry stands for. Furthermore, as the eagle sits quite motionless, watching for its prey, so the brethren are encouraged to follow its example by keeping a period of stillness and quietude to reflect on the deeper meaning of Masonry. Around the eagle is a ring of leaves, reminding brethren that, as a ring has no end, so the principles of Masonry are eternal truths. The colour of the eagle and of the leaves is crimson, the universal emblem of faith, fortitude, divine love and magnanimity and, in its suggestion of blood, martyrdom. Crimson is akin to scarlet, an emblem of high dignity. The background colour of the centrepiece is yellow or gold, a symbol of the sun and therefore of constancy. These two colours therefore provide a visual reminder of high dignity and constancy – two of the qualities all Masons should aim to possess. The larger background cloth is coloured blue, which denotes immortality, eternity, chastity and fidelity, and this lighter blue represents in particular prudence and goodness. In Freemasonry, blue is the emblem of universal brotherhood and friendship, which instructs brethren that, in the mind of a mason, those virtues should be as extensive as the blue arch of Heaven itself. |