CHAPTER XXVIII

LONDON RANK
Lonpon RANK was instituted in December, T907, aS a consequence of a widespread feeling that Past Masters of London Lodges should have an opportunity, until ther denied them, of attaining a dignity analo- gous to,and equivalent to, that of Provincial or District Grand Rank.
The honour is the direct gift of the M. W Grand Master, and exists only during his pleasure, but the recipient is nominated by the Master of the Lodge to which he belongs, and this nomination is usually the result of consultation between the Master, Past Masters, and Wardens, in response to an invitation to that effect from the M. W Grand Master.
The honour is therefore very highly es- teemed as being the result of an expression of confidence by the Lodge itself.
London Rank entitles the holder to pre-
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cedence in any London Lodge, next to Grand Officers; beyond the London area, or, in other words, outside the ‘ Province’ of London, that precedence ceases.
The holder is of course entitled during the Grand Master’s pleasure to wear the London Rank clothing, consisting of a dis- tinctive Jewel Collar and Apron, at all Masonic Meetings, whether in London or elsewhere; with a modification, however, with respect to meetings of Grand Lodge.
On the occasions of his visits to Grand Lodge every holder of London Rank (like his brother holding Provincial or District Grand Rank), attends Grand Lodge in virtue only of his Past Mastership; and the light blue collar must be worn over the purple collar of his London Rank.
The honour is now conferred on about 263 Past Masters every year, representing about one-third of the London Lodges.
There are at present about 1,500 Worship- ful Brethren of London Rank, of whom about 450 are members of a voluntary association called London Rank Association.
Proposals have been submitted to Grand Lodge and rejected to divide London into ten Metropolitan Districts and establish ten
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London Rank
Metropolitan Grand Lodges. Under that Scheme no further appointments would have been made to London Rank, but the holder of London Rank would have retained his right to wear his London Rank Jewel and Clothing, and he would have had the same rank and precedence as a Past Metropolitan Grand Senior Deacon; but he would have had this rank and precedence only in the Metropolitan Grand Lodge containing the Lodge originally nominating him for London Rank.