The Provincial Grand Lodge of South Wales has taken another significant step in its Tercentenary year with the formal receipt of its new Letters Patent from the College of Arms.
A delegation comprising the Provincial Grand Master, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, the Provincial Grand Treasurer and the Provincial Grand Secretary visited the College on 23 September 2026, where they met James Lawson Broun, Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms, who presented the framed Letters Patent following the successful petition for a coat of arms for the Provincial Grand Lodge of South Wales.
The College of Arms is the official heraldic authority for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of the Commonwealth, including Australia and New Zealand. Its Officers of Arms are responsible for the granting of new coats of arms and for maintaining the College’s historic records of arms, pedigrees and genealogy.
The Letters Patent are themselves an important part of the process. Prepared on vellum, the heraldic achievement is painted by a College artist while the text is engrossed by a specialist scrivener, continuing a tradition of manuscript writing and illumination that has been maintained by the College for centuries.
The granting of the arms is particularly significant as the Province marks 300 years of Freemasonry in South Wales. The Tercentenary Celebrations provide an opportunity to reflect on three centuries of people, traditions and institutions that have shaped Freemasonry across South Wales.
The new arms formally establish a distinctive heraldic identity for the Provincial Grand Lodge of South Wales. The armorial bearings have been granted by the Kings of Arms under Crown authority, following consultation between the College of Arms, the United Grand Lodge of England and the Province.
The new heraldic identity was first brought into public view with the dedication of the Province’s new Banner at Merthyr Tydfil Masonic Hall in June 2026. The Banner displays the newly granted armorial bearings and provides a visible representation of the Province and its three centuries of Freemasonry.
At the dedication ceremony, the Provincial Grand Secretary delivered an Address exploring the history, significance and future importance of the Banner and the new arms. Read the full address here.
The framed Letters Patent have now been delivered to Benevolence House in Bridgend, the headquarters of the Provincial Grand Lodge of South Wales, where they are now on display and provide a permanent record of the Province’s newly granted armorial bearings for future generations.
The visit to the College of Arms marks an important moment in the development of the Province’s heraldic identity and in its celebrations of 300 years of Freemasonry in South Wales.
