THE BUILDER December 1929

Thomas William Coke, Earl of Leicester

Communicated by BRO. A. J. B. MILBORNE, Canada

AN Englishman who occupied a unique position in his generation was
Thomas William Coke, of Holkham, Norfolk. Born in 1754, he lived
during an interesting and important period of English and American
history, and left the impress of his active and useful life on both
sides of the Atlantic. He possessed a natural attachment for the
soil, and as a result of the intensive experimentation in all
phases of agricultural activity carried on by him on his Norfolk
estate the farming practice of both hemispheres was completely
transformed. The Montreal Agricultural Society elected him an
Honorary Member, and James Lowell, the father of the Ambassador,
wrote to beg the same honour for the Massachusetts Agricultural
Society. The annual Sheep Shearings held at Holkham developed from
a meeting attended by his tenantry to an event of international
importance, at which were gathered agricultural experts from all
over Europe.

He had a cordial dislike for politics, but, actuated by a high
sense of duty, represented his county in the House of Commons for
upwards of half a century, during which time the force of his
example exercised a powerful influence upon the political world of
his day. Coke was the prime mover in several important political
crises, and though offered a peerage upon seven different occasions
under six distinct administrations he remained a commoner until
1837, when, upon the accession of Queen Victoria, he was created
Earl of Leicester.

From its very inception, Coke was opposed to the American War and
it was he who moved the motion in the House of Commons to recognise
the Independence of the American States. The vote followed a
strenuous session of Parliament, and was carried by a majority of
one. It devolved upon Coke to carry the Address from the House to
George III, which he did as an English county gentleman, a
privilege, seldom, if ever exercised. But on this occasion Coke
availed himself of it and appeared unceremoniously before the King
wearing ordinary country garb-leather breeches, boots and spurs. It
caused the greatest horror at Court, and neither the matter nor the
manner of the Address was palatable to the King.

"One can picture the strange scene," writes his biographer, "the
discomfited King, forced to agree to what meant failure of all his
hopes, of all for which he had so long and obstinately struggled;
the excited members divided in opinion of the momentous event in
which they were assisting; and the man who headed them - that youth
of twenty-eight who alone, in that great body of men whom he
represented, showed himself oblivious to the petty details of Court
etiquette to everything, save the one thing which he felt that he
had come in triumph to claim - a belated act of justice to a long
injured people."


Among Coke's many intimate friends was the Duke of Sussex, Grand
Master of the Grand Lodge of England, and it is not surprising
therefore to find him an active member of the Craft. He was a
member of Union Lodge No. 52 at Norwich. The chief event of his
Masonic career was his Installation as Provincial Grand Master of
Norfolk on August 23rd, 1819.

The following is an account of the Installation ceremonies taken
from A. M. W. Stirling's volume Coke of Norfolk and his Friends:

"The Duke (of Sussex) arrived in Norwich the previous Sunday, and
the eventful day dawned brilliantly fine. Every street in Norwich
was crowded with people, and all the windows, gay with bunting,
filled with spectators. At 10:30 a.m. the Duke drove in an open
carriage with Coke to the Assembly Rooms, from which daylight - and
all chances of prying eyes - had been previously excluded. The
windows were carefully closed and the whole place illuminated
artificially, so that in the warm August weather the heat must have
been intolerable.

"Three hundred and twenty Brethren received the Duke at the
entrance, but of what took place behind those darkened windows and
closed doors, no knowledge penetrated to the outside world, even
the record of those present is not known, for the entry which
should have preserved their names begins with 'H.R.H. The Duke of
Sussex, G.M., and Thos. Coke, Esqre., P.G.M.', after which the
Provincial Grand Secretary's courage must have failed him, for he
left four blank pages on the Minute Book with no further entries !

"The ceremony over at twelve o'clock the Brethren in full Masonic
dress issued forth into daylight, and formed in procession to march
through the streets to the Cathedral. Soldiers lined the way, and
through their midst, in the brilliant sunshine, wound the
picturesque train. First marched the Brethren dressed in black,
then followed the trumpeters, next, men with drawn swords; next a
long procession, gay with banners; after which, borne by two
stewards came the Banner of the Provincial Grand Master, behind
which Coke walked, and finally the Banner of the Grand Master,
behind which walked the Duke of Sussex. The poles of the banners
were gilt, the flags of white silk adorned by inscriptions in gold
lettering, and as the procession wound through the quaint old
streets of Norwich, and towards the gateway of the Cathedral, the
enthusiasm of the spectators was great.

"Lady Jerningham, writing to Lady Bedingfield, from Holkham, August
25th relates:

We all went to the Cathedral; it was a beautiful sight; thirty
thousand people waiting, all perfectly quiet and in good humor, and
the procession from the Assembly Rooms to the Cathedral, the Duke
walking all the way on foot and cheered enthusiastically.

"As they reached the Erpingham Gate, the long procession formed up,
one by one, making a passage through which the Duke and Coke passed
to the Western door of the Cathedral, where they were met by the
Dean and Canons, and conducted to the Choir. The Cathedral was
packed with ladies, who all rose as they entered while the organ
played 'God Save the King'. Upon a platform was a chair of purple
velvet for the Duke, while Coke sat with the Brethren, the banners
ranged round them. A special service followed, at the conclusion of
which the Duke drove with Coke, in the latter's barouche, through
the streets of Norwich, while the Brethren returned in procession
to the Chapel Field House.

But the long tiring day was not yet over. At 5:30 a banquet was
given in St. Andrew's Hall, once a fine old Church, said by
Bloomfield to have been built by Sir Thomas Erpingham, the gallant
old knight who gave the signal to start the Battle of Agincourt. At
the tables in the Hall the Brethren again appeared in Masonic
dress, and the side benches were reserved for the ladies who came
to watch the proceedings. The Duke presided, seated in another
chair of purple velvet, with Coke beside him. At seven o'clock the
banquet ended, the tables removed, and while this was being done,
the Duke rose three times, and said to the guests at each table,
'Brethren, The Grand Master and the Provincial Grand Master drink
a cup of Good Fellowship with you all! The None nobis was then
sung, and many speeches followed. The Duke pointed out how: 'The
knowledge, the veneration of Coke's name is not confined to this
kingdom, but is echoed from one side of Europe to the other. He is
hailed and blessed wherever he goes'; and the hall rang with such
applause that used as Coke was to such demonstrations, it is
recorded he appeared unnerved at the enthusiasm displayed. In his
brief reply, however, he made two requests of the Duke; first, that
certain farmers were anxious to take a glass of wine with His Royal
Highness; and secondly, that the Duke would enliven the proceedings
with a song. Both requests were granted, and, as the Duke loved the
sound of his own voice, the hall resounded cheerfully to his
rendering of 'Precious Goblet' - no doubt an appropriate choice.

"Afterwards the procession passed through Norwich by torchlight. On
the following Wednesday, August 25th, a Grand Chapter was held at
Holkham, where the Duke was staying, in order to appoint Coke
Provincial Grand Superintendent of Royal Arch Masons."
