It was with great sadness that we learnt that our well-beloved and highly respected Pro Grand Master, Most Worshipful Brother John Herbert Prizeman, passed to his eternal rest on the morning of 22 January 2026, at the age of 79.
A Distinguished Masonic Career
M.W.Bro. John was a distinguished Freemason, holding high office in the Craft and Holy Royal Arch, as well as all of the Orders administered from Mark Masons’ Hall, and many of the other mainstream Companion Orders of Freemasonry.
He was Advanced into Chandler’s Ford Lodge of Mark Master Masons No. 1258 in January 1986 and held a total of eight Grand Ranks within the Mark. Most notably:
- Provincial Grand Master for Hampshire and Isle of Wight, 2007–2016
- President of the Mark Benevolent Fund, 2014–2015
- Pro Grand Master since 2022, having previously held the Offices of Assistant and Deputy Grand Master
- Member of the Grand Master’s Royal Ark Council since 2016
The Magic of the Mark
John had an infectious and unbounded enthusiasm for Mark Masonry and spread the ‘Magic of the Mark’ and its associated messages wherever he went and whenever he had the opportunity. Not least when he addressed a packed Grand Temple at Freemasons’ Hall at the Quarterly Communication of UGLE in March 2024, the first Mark Pro Grand Master ever to do so. He left the dais to a well-deserved and lengthy standing ovation.
A Friend of the Province of Surrey
M.W.Bro. John was a good friend of the Province of Surrey. Our Provincial Grand Master had the pleasure of his company on many occasions, both at Mark Grand Lodge and at many Provincial Grand Lodges.
As the Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master, he supported our 2022 MBF Festival Gala Dinner held at Brighton in July 2022. Following M.W.Bro. Raymond Smith’s retirement as Pro Grand Master, M.W.Bro. John was appointed Pro Grand Master, with his installation taking place on 13 September 2022.
On 18 March 2023, the Pro Grand Master attended the Annual Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Surrey at Croydon and District Masonic Hall, where he installed V.W.Bro. John V C French as the eighteenth Provincial Grand Master of the Mark Province of Surrey. There was a most convivial atmosphere as Brethren dined together, with the numbers so large that lunch had to be served in two dining rooms with a video link.
In January 2025, he attended the Centenary Meeting of the Richmond Lodge of Mark Master Masons to present the Worshipful Master, W.Bro. John Fleetwood, with the Centenary Warrant, one of the few times a Pro Grand Master had visited a private Lodge in Surrey, a great honour for the Province and the Lodge. All the Brethren remember fondly the way our Pro Grand Master went out of his way to speak to everyone, especially the newer members.
While Memory Lasts
As such a genuine and approachable gentleman and Brother, there will be many hundreds, if not thousands, of us who will have fond recollections of time spent in John’s presence. While memory lasts, friends will find eternal company.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to John’s wife Kay and their family.
- R.W.Bro. Daniel M Heath, P.G.J.W., Grand Secretary