Knights Templar in Southampton

The Royal Gloucester Preceptory of Knights Templar No. 32 met yesterday evening at Albion Place, Southampton, where around two score Knights gathered in cloaks handsome enough to make the average wardrobe feel deeply inadequate. The occasion was the installation of Bros. Mark Arbas and Jess Estapa into the Order. Standing in as EP, E. Kt David Colmer took charge with great assurance, while all the Officers performed admirably and, crucially, nobody became entangled in his regalia.

V. E. Kt Jeff Southwick presented KT Great Priory Certificates to Kts. Ed and Wilford, turning what might have been a straightforward presentation into a surprisingly entertaining excursion through etymology. Jeff explained that “Constable” originated in the Roman Empire, where the 'comes stabuli' was the officer responsible for managing and keeping the horses of a monarch or high-ranking lord. “Marshal”, meanwhile, comes from the ancient Frankish and Old High German compound 'marah-scalc', literally “horse-servant”: 'marah' meaning “horse” and 'scalc' meaning “servant”. The original marshal was therefore a stable servant or groom in charge of a lord’s or king’s horses. Over time, responsibility for military horses expanded into command of cavalry and military affairs - proof that even like modern Freemasonry, doing one job well usually results in being given several more.

The dining is reviewed under “A Square Meal”. As for the raffle, I maintained my unbroken run of not winning a prize - helped considerably by the minor administrative detail that there wasn’t one.