Freemasonry in Trinidad and Tobago
Freemasonry in Trinidad and Tobago
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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