Dove Lodge 8519 was formed in 1973. It is said to have come into being for several reasons but amongst the foremost was that there was considerable pressure of candidates waiting to join Forresters Lodge 456, the other Masonic Craft Lodge in Uttoxeter. It has also been asserted that due to the then large membership of that lodge it was taking many years for brethren to attain the chair. Curiously Forresters lodge had been formed as a direct result of a bridge being built over the River Dove but the name of Dove Lodge was not chosen.

The Banner of Dove Lodge features a bridge over the river but equally significantly a Dove flying above both. This Masonic symbol is associated with the Deacons in a lodge and it is maintained by many of our senior members that it is to that and not to the river that the lodge owes its name. What is certain is that senior brethren in Forresters Lodge were prime movers in the venture and that Forresters Lodge 456 sponsored the formation of Dove Lodge.

There is significance to the River Dove that has become more apparent in modern times. The river forms part of the boundary between the neighbouring counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Though the lodge is very firmly within the Masonic Province of Staffordshire many of our members reside in Derbyshire. We also warmly welcome many visitors from that Province and from many other parts of England and indeed the world.

Research to date has not revealed any other Masonic Dove Lodges in existence today. There was a Dove Lodge formed in Richmond, Virginia, in 1850. Its number in the Grand Lodge of Virginia was 51 and in 1933 it had 544 members. The most famous member of that lodge was Maj Gen G E Pickett CSA who led “Pickett's Charge” in the battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.

Dove Lodge 8519 has continued to build on its reputation for sincere and welcoming Freemasonry. Some of the original members are still regular attenders and in our Past Masters we are blessed with a body of Masonic knowledge and support that help ensure that the living history of the lodge is maintained and respected as we move confidently into the future.

The Lodge has met in several venues in Uttoxeter. These have included church premises, council chambers, and a set of rooms rented in a local factory complex. In 2007 we moved with the other Masonic Lodges and Orders in Utoxetter to our present home in the St John Ambulance HQ in Carter Street.