George Daniel Harvey

27 September, 2016

1803 – 1831

George Daniel Harvey was born at Wivenhoe in Essex in 1770 and was educated at Eton. He was called to the Bar and subsequently appointed a Commissioner in Bankruptcy. Harvey was a friend of William Forssteen and, like him, a Member of Shakespear Lodge having been initiated into it in 1800. In 1802-3, he served the office of Grand Steward and on 11th May 1803 received his Patent of Appointment as Provincial Grand Master of Hertfordshire. Interestingly, he apparently used this Patent as a certificate when he joined the St. Frederick des Amis Choisis, Orient de Boulogne, because it bears the endorsement “Vu et Fraternellement Accueilli Dans La R.L. de St. Frederick Des Amis Choisis O. de Boulogne-sur-Mer, Le 31e Jour du lOe Mois L’An deLaV.L.5816”.

In 1829 he granted a dispensation to the Founders of what is now Watford Lodge No. 404 to assemble as a Lodge of Freemasons pending the receipt of the warrant which HRH the Duke of Sussex had granted for its constitution, and it was under the authority of this instrument that the Lodge was consecrated by W. Bro Thomas Cant at the Spread Eagle Tavern, Watford on 13th November 1829. Before this, on 8th September 1829, Hertford Lodge, now No. 403, had been consecrated at the Salisbury Arms, Hertford by W. Bro John Bott. There is no evidence of George Harvey being present at either consecration.

On 26th November 1830 Bro Harvey held his first and only, and the Province’s first, Provincial Lodge meeting. It was at the Assembly Rooms, Watford and his officers were selected with impartiality from the Principal Officers of the two Lodges then in existence,  Hertford  and  Bamborough (now Watford). In 1831 he was elected an Honorary Member of both Lodges.

Shortly afterwards in1831 he resigned his office.

He died at the residence of Mr. Henry Lang in Clapham on 5th March 1833 and was buried at Stanmore, Middlesex  which had long been his place of residence.

Two of his grandsons became prominent Masons, one, Bro Rev. C. Wigan Harvey, a Master of Hertford Lodge No. 403 who became Provincial Grand Chaplain of Hertfordshire in 1884.

Back | Next