In “100 years of Freemasonry in Sri Lanka” published in 2001 for the centenary of the inauguration of the Victoria Masonic Temple, we read : “The first Irish Lodge was Orange Lodge No. 51 I.C., with a warrant dated 21st October 1761”.

While it is true that that there is an extant Masonic certificate issued in Colombo in 1802 by Orange Lodge, the number of this Lodge is not 51, which refers to the to the 51st Regiment to which the lodge was attached, but No. 94 on the roll of the English Register (Antients). To add to the confusion it should be noted that is also trace of Orange Lodge No. 274 S.C. attached to the same 51st Regiment, and active in Colombo at the same time. There is no Orange Lodge under the Irish Constitution.

The chronology of Irish Freemasonry in Sri Lanka is as follows :

1802 Lodge No. 863 – 89th Foot. 2nd Bn. Royal Irish Fusiliers.
Chartered 1802. Stationed in Ceylon in 1802.

1817 Lodge No. 227.- 46th Foot. 2nd Bn. Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.
Chartered 1752. Lodge of Social and Military Virtues.

1820 Lodge No. 83. – 83rd Foot. 1st Bn. Ulster Riffles.
Chartered 1817. Stationed in Ceylon.

1821 Lodge No. 62 - St. Thomas and St. James Colombo.
Chartered 4th October 1821, sent in 1855.

Lodge No. 227, I.C., “Social and Military Virtues”
46th Foot. 2nd Bn. Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
Chartered 1752. Stationed in Ceylon in 1817.

1858 Lodge No. 58 – 50th Foot.
Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Queen’s Own Lodge, stationed in Kandy till 1861

1861 Sphinx Lodge No. 107, Colombo.

1863 Serendib Lodge No. 112, Colombo.
Chartered 1864. Sent in 1891.

1863 Lanka Royal Arch Chapter and Mark Lodge No. 107.
Chartered 1863, inaugurated 1865.

1868 Leinster Lodge No. 115, Colombo.

1868 Serendib Royal Arch Chapter and Mark Lodge No. 112.
Chartered 1868 Masonic Hand-Book for Ceylon.

1874 Dimbula Lodge No. 298, Lindula.
Chartered 28th May 1874. Removed to Hatton on 4th December 1894.
And to Talawakelle on 04th November 1907.

1878 formation of a Provincial Grand Lodge under the GL of Ireland.

1990 Serendib Lodge No. 905, Colombo.

2006 Re-constitution of the Provincial Grand Lodge
under the Grand Lodge of Ireland.

2007 Lanka Royal Arch Chapter and Mark Lodge No. 107.

Extracted from a masonic paper presented
by Rt. W. Bro. Jacques Huyghebaert on 29th November 2008,
at Dimbula Lodge No. 298, I.C. Talawakelle, Sri Lanka.

The full masonic paper can be downloaded from the below link.