Trinidad and Tobago Freemasonry

Freemasonry has been part of Trinidad's civic life for more than two centuries, making it one of the oldest and most layered Masonic communities in the Caribbean. The tradition traces its origins to 1795, when Lodge United Brothers arrived in Port of Spain after relocating from St. Lucia — making it among the first lodges established in the southern Caribbean. The island's singular history as a Spanish colony that passed to British rule in 1797, combined with its position as a major colonial hub, gave its Masonic community a cosmopolitan character that persists to this day.

What distinguishes Trinidad and Tobago from most Caribbean jurisdictions is the coexistence of three separate but mutually recognized regular Masonic constitutions on a single island nation: the District Grand Lodge of Trinidad and Tobago under the English Constitution (UGLE), the District Grand Lodge of Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada under the Scottish Constitution (Grand Lodge of Scotland), and the 8th Masonic District of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. All three bodies are in fraternal amity, maintain active inter-visitation, and jointly participate in the Trinidad and Tobago Masonic Charitable Association, founded in 1974.

The English Constitution body, formed in 1968, oversees seven lodges. The Scottish Constitution body, erected and consecrated on March 19, 1958, now encompasses thirteen lodges across Trinidad, Tobago, and Grenada, including Lodge United Brothers No. 251 SC — the descendant of the original 1795 lodge, now the second-oldest lodge outside Scotland under the Grand Lodge of Scotland's jurisdiction. The 8th Masonic District operates four Prince Hall lodges in Trinidad and Tobago, all recognized by UGLE and acknowledged in the Annual Masonic Directory of Trinidad and Tobago. Together, these bodies represent one of the most active and historically documented Masonic communities in the Caribbean.

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PHA Grand Lodge

The District Grand Lodge of Trinidad and Tobago (English Constitution) is recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England as the regular English-rite Masonic authority in Trinidad and Tobago. Established in 1968 when six English Constitution lodges petitioned UGLE for their own district body, the English DGL is headquartered at 15 Hutton Road, St. Ann’s, Port of Spain.

Freemasonry under the English Constitution in Trinidad dates to 1835, when the Philanthropic Lodge No. 856 was consecrated in Port of Spain — the same year a Masonic Temple foundation stone was later laid at Mount Zion in 1850 by the Governor of Trinidad, Lord Harris. The English Constitution lodges developed in parallel with the established Scottish lodges throughout the nineteenth century, eventually achieving sufficient membership and institutional depth to constitute their own district in the late 1960s. Today the English DGL oversees seven lodges, reflecting a modest but stable Masonic presence operating in close fraternal cooperation with the Scottish and Prince Hall constitutions.

Visiting Masons from UGLE-recognized jurisdictions are welcomed at English Constitution lodges in Trinidad. Contact information for the District Grand Secretary is available through UGLE’s Districts and Groups directory.

Trinidad and Tobago’s three-constitution Masonic structure (English, Scottish, and Irish) is unique in the Caribbean and reflects the island’s history as a meeting point of British, Scottish, and Irish colonial traditions. The Irish Constitution lodges, active since the nineteenth century, are governed under the Grand Lodge of Ireland, which is also recognized by UGLE, making Trinidad and Tobago home to three simultaneously active UGLE-recognized Masonic traditions. This institutional richness grew from the diversity of the British Isles communities that shaped Trinidad during the colonial era.

Port of Spain’s cosmopolitan character — the product of its extraordinary ethnic and cultural diversity, including significant African, East Indian, Chinese, Syrian-Lebanese, French Creole, and other communities — has shaped a lodge culture that is among the most diverse in the English-speaking Caribbean. Trinidad’s world-famous Carnival, the most elaborate in the Caribbean, reflects the cultural creativity of a society built from many traditions, within which the Masonic fraternity has served as one of the few spaces where men from different backgrounds could meet as equals.

Port of Spain, the capital, is the center of Masonic activity in Trinidad and Tobago and one of the most accessible points for Masonic travel in the southern Caribbean. All three constitutions have lodges headquartered in or near Port of Spain. The Scottish Constitution DGL is headquartered at 7 Alexandra Street, Port of Spain; the English Constitution DGL is at 15 Hutton Road, St. Ann's. Visiting Masons should contact either district body in advance to arrange lodge visits. Tobago, reached by ferry or short flight from Trinidad, has Masonic lodges under the Scottish Constitution. The island of Tobago was first introduced to Freemasonry in 1869 by Lodge Scarborough No. 488 SC, making any Tobago Masonic connection a historically resonant one. The Trinidad and Tobago Masonic Charitable Association, founded in 1897 as the Trinidad Masonic Provident Society and now the oldest Masonic charitable organization in the Caribbean, is worth noting for Brothers interested in the fraternity's community role in the islands.

Port of Spain (Trinidad's capital and commercial center) is the hub of Masonic activity in the country, with lodges under three UGLE-recognized constitutions meeting in and around the city. The Queen's Park Savannah, the National Academy for the Performing Arts, and the historic neighborhoods of Woodbrook and St. Clair document the character of the colonial and post-independence capital. The National Museum and Art Gallery holds collections spanning Trinidad's full history.

Tobago (the smaller island, known for its coral reefs, rainforests, and beaches) has lodge communities with their own histories. The Main Ridge Forest Reserve is one of the oldest protected forests in the Western Hemisphere. For Masonic travelers interested in exploring all three Caribbean Masonic constitutions in a single jurisdiction, Trinidad and Tobago is the only destination in the region that provides this experience. Visiting Masons should contact the relevant district grand lodge for their constitution in advance of any planned visit.

Scottish Rite bodies operate in Trinidad and Tobago, with one Sovereign Chapter of Prince Rose Croix (18th Degree) and one Sovereign Council Grand Elect Knight KH (30th Degree) active in the jurisdiction. These operate independently of the craft lodges but are open to Master Masons who are members of lodges under the regular Trinidad constitutions.

York Rite bodies are active in Trinidad under both the English and Scottish constitutions. Under the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland, the District Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Trinidad and Tobago operates seven Chapters, along with five Royal Ark Mariners' Lodges and Councils, five Cryptic Councils, and two Preceptories and Priories of Knights Templar. This represents one of the more comprehensive York Rite structures in the Caribbean.

No formal Shrine Temple has been established in Trinidad and Tobago. Masons seeking Shrine connections in the region are directed to the larger jurisdictions where Shrine Temples operate.

A Provincial Grand Lodge of Trinidad and Tobago of the Royal Order of Scotland is active in the jurisdiction, as is the Trinidad Aquarius Conclave of the Grand Imperial Council of Scotland. The Order of the Eastern Star and similar concordant bodies have a presence in the islands' Masonic community, reflecting the broader organizational depth of Trinidadian Freemasonry.

District Grand Lodge of Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada — founding history of the Scottish Constitution DGL (1958), genealogy of Masonic constitutions in Trinidad and Tobago, and description of fraternal relations among the three constitutions.

United Grand Lodge of England — Districts and Groups — confirms English Constitution DGL address and UGLE recognition.

Royal Philanthropic Lodge, Trinidad — history of English Constitution Freemasonry in Trinidad; English DGL formation in 1968.

Trinidad and Tobago Masonic Provident Society — founding of TTMPS in 1897; PHA admission to the TTMPS in 2003.

Development of Freemasonry in the Caribbean with Reference to Guyana — comparative Caribbean Masonic history; lodge counts under each constitution.