All Essex Freemasons given access to 16,000-book new learning resource
Provincial Mentoring Lodge announces launch of a Masonic Library with access for all
As part of its mission to promote Masonic learning and development in the Province of Essex, Sylvan Lodge No. 6831 has announced the launch of a Masonic Library. The bulk of the library will be online for ease of use and access, but donations are needed of unwanted Masonic books which brethren across Essex can collect from, and return to, their nearest member of the Provincial Mentoring Lodge.
Keith Carpenter, a Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden (PPJGW), and the Deputy Lodge Mentor for Sylvan Lodge, has kindly made available to all Essex Freemasons, his online Masonic E-library which contains over 16,000 books either directly related to Freemasonry, or reference books used by Masonic authors. Everything within the e-library is in PDF format, which can be downloaded or read online on all platforms with a PDF reader. All the books are in the public domain and free from copyright protection but should not be used for financial gain.
Keith created the library 19 years ago just after being initiated. At the time the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) did not have a website and the Solomon virtual learning platform did not exist. To answer his many questions, he set about researching and started with 30 Masonic eBooks, which has evolved into the Count Cagliostro Masonic E-library which he named after Cagliostro, a Freemason whom Keith has come to greatly respect both as a scholar and a philanthropist.
The library already has over 6,000 members world-wide and is used by some very well-known masonic scholars, and can be found at the following URL; https://countcagliostrosmasonicelibrary.wordpress.com/
It is recommended to download a copy of the catalogue of the contents which is regularly updated, as it will make it easier to find books. The Facebook group can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CountCagliostro/permalink/2707963439315056/
If you have difficulty in finding a book online, please contact Keith via the Facebook group and he will assist.
The other section of the Provincial Mentoring Library are physical books and an initial list will be published on the Sylvan Lodge No. 6381, The Provincial Mentoring Lodge, Facebook page to begin with.
For brethren who do not use Facebook, Sylvan Lodge will email all Lodge Mentors with the initial list and then with updates as the library grows.
Currently pick-up and return locations are Clacton on Sea, Colchester, Canvey, Southend and Wickford. If you would like to borrow a book initially for two months, please contact
Current Titles include:
The Freemason by Eugen Lennhoff
The Master’s Chair, Essex Freemasonry 1716 – 2006 by Gorman, Henderson, & Wright
The Hiram Key by Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas
The Widow’s Son and the Lost Word by Ramesh Gupta
Freemasonry: Illustrated History of the Once Secret Order by Jack M. Driver
Finally, if anyone has any Masonic books or knows of any which could be donated, please also email Vishnu Ramoutar, Deputy Provincial Mentor, at