On the initiation of C.W. Leadbeater
During a contact with an Australian Masonic investigator about something completely different, I received a photo of the membership register of the Australian federation of Le Droit Humain which lists Charles Webster Leadbeater (1854-1934) plus a page of the minutes of the meeting of his initiation.
It is not like either provides a whole lot of new information, but as the provider of the information says: “I believe they may have some historic value.” I haven’t found the information elsewhere, so just for the sake of completeness, looked around a bit context and here present you with the information that perhaps may be of some value to someone at some point.
Halfway you can find the name of Leadbeater. Interestingly, his address is listed as Adyar, the head quarters of the Theosophical Society. This is somewhat noticeable. Earlier I described how Leadbeater landed and stayed in Australia during a tour giving Theosophical lectures. In 1915 he was in Sydney, where he was visited by J.I. Wedgwood from London to revise the then current co-Masonic rituals. They revised the rituals, Wedgwood initiated Leadbeater in 1915 and the rituals were published in 1916.
The membership list suggests that Leadbeater was touring from Adyar. A bit higher on the list, is another member listed as living in Adyar.
You can see that his occupation was listed as “Clerk in Holy Orders”, that he was 68 years of age, that he (and he alone) was initiated, passed and raised on 12-6-15 and that he was the 50th member of the Australian federation. There is a column with an unreadabe header that is only filled at Leadbeater. There seems to be a date there: 7-11-25. All the way at the right it says “?? member 1920 Died 1-3-34”.
Click on the image above (and then another time) to see if any of the other names are of interest (I blurred addresses).
On to the minutes then (click for larger image (twice)).
Or more readable:
…regular Lodge meeting held at the
Oddfellows Temple, on June 14th 1915
Present: V.Illus. J.I. Wedgwood 33º degrees
acting R.W.M. Illus. Bro. T.H. Martyn 30º
R.W.M. Wor. B.B. W.G. Köllerström
(acting I.P.M.) W.G. John (or.) I. John 18º
(S.D.) also B.B. W.S. Ireloar (S.W.)
M. Köllerström (J.W.) Richmond (Treas.)
Mc Gowan (Sec.) Greig (J.D.) Chappell
(D of C) Scheidel (org.) Artlett (Lib.)
Needham (I G) Haynes (S.) Spring (Alm.)
Carey (Ass. Sec.) Chedgey (Tyler)
C.H. Hammon, A.A. Hammon, Brown,
Finkernagel, Wigney, Asbworth, Barnes,
Titchener, Stemmler, L.W. Bort, J.M. Bort,
Penberthey, Victor, Whelan, Glasson, Blum,
Levy.Bro Leneham of 209 E.C. also favoured
us with his presence; 37 members of the Craft
being present.Mr Charles Webster Leadbeater, age 68,
Clerk in Holy Orders was duly Initiated, Passed
and Raised to the 3º. On the motion of the
R.W.M. (Illus. T.H. Martyn 30º) It was
resolved that the fees of the candidate be paid
by the Lodge, and that on his taking the obligations
he be made an Honorary Member of the Lodge.
Wedgwood was “acting Right Worshipful Master”.
In 1947 Lawrence Burt (a few places above Leadbeater on the membership list) wrote that: “Bro. T: H. Martyn was in the Chair.”, but that: “Bro. T. H. Martyn, then placed the Grand Secretary in the Chair, the candidate was admitted”. (2) The Grand Secretary being Wedgwood.
Of the forty odd Brethren present at the admission ceremony of Bro. Leadbeater only three remain members of Sydney Lodge, namely: Ills. Bro. M. G. Kollerstrom, 30°. Bro. Gladys Carey, 18°, and the writer.
The editors note of the special edition of The Light of Luxor that reprinted the 1947 Burt report writes: “In this special edition you will find a paper presented by Bro. Lawrence Burt published in 1947 where he gives homage to Leadbeater 13 years after his passing.”
The Manor
As you may have noticed, Leadbeater was initiated, passed and raised during a: “regular Lodge meeting held at the Oddfellows Temple”, so not at the famous “The Manor”.
“The Manor is a mansion located in Mosman, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Built c. 1911” (2). This may be explained by the fact that the house was perhaps built: “around 1912 by a Mr. Bakewell” (3), but only in the 1920’ies it was turned into a Theosophical community house.
“Charles Leadbeater, a prominent theosophist of the day and a bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church, arrived in Sydney around this time.” (3)
As we saw, he arrived already in 1915 and was initiated that very year. From the 1920’ies Leadbeater would live at The Manor and lead it.
There is a famous painting of Leadbeater hanging in The Manor still. I have not found a good photo of that paining, but it looks something like this:
With a broad, wooden frame. The picture was made around 1925 and on the top left a name of “Robertson” can be read.
Not all that much new information, I said it, but: “I believe they may have some historic value.”
(1) http://www.cwlworld.info/The_Light_Of_Luxor_Special_Edition-2__1_.pdf (accessed 30/12/2025)
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Manor,_Mosman (accessed 30/12/2025)
(3) https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/manor (accessed 30/12/2025)