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From the Magazine

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Issue No. 122

Known Freemasons

On 1st August, 2008, the Isle of Man issued a series of stamps depicting 10 remarkable characters who had helped “Shape the island during the 20th Century” . The stamps were printed as ‘10 se-tenant strips of 5 designs’ as shown above . Two of those depicted (below) had both served as Provincial Grand Masters of the Craft on the island. They were selected from a book called “New Manx Worthies” the names of the individual authors are shown where applicable.

Sir William Gelling Johnson, OBE (1889-1972) Provincial Grand Master 1964-1971

He was a ‘Deemster’ (an Isle of Man Judge), Captain of the Parish and Agricultural Marketing Reformer. Law was his great interest as well as being his career. From 1943-1969 he was President of the Law Society but his greatest contribution ‘island life’ was probably to agriculture. He helped secure the use of the prefix “Royal” for the Agricultural Society. He became the first President of the Royal Manx Agricultural Society in 1951. (Rosemary Penn)

During the 1914-18 war he was wounded at Messines on the 7th of June, 1917, while serving with the Loyal Field Artillery.

Is there a mistake in the design? Medals are usually worn on the left breast

Sir William Percy Cowley KBE, CBE, (1886-1958)

Provincial Grand Master 1931-1957

“The Ablest Manxman of His Generation”. T he Isle of Man Weekly Times wrote of him in June 1945 “Deemster Cowley Has a wonderful quick mind, an uncanny gift for figures and is a born conciliator”. (Henry Crowe)

After WW1 the Island went through a period of high emigration which successive governments sought to address, principally by developing Man as a haven for retirement and then as an offshore financial centre. Those instrumental in these developments were the Ramsey-born politician Sir William Percy Cowley and Sir John Brown Bolton who, born in Norfolk, and who moved to the island in 1919.