The lodge is named after an extraordinary character, Major Henry De Burgh Adams, Principal Purveyor to the British Imperial Army. He was born in Canada and served in the Crimean War. On his arrival in New Zealand in 1857 he took part in the Taranaki and Waikato campaigns. He created Masonic lodges in several parts of the world, including at least six in New Zealand, but there is no record of him having attended a meeting of his lodge in New Plymouth. He left the country with the troops in 1866 and died at the age of 39 in London three years later. In 1865 a third lodge was formed-the Southern Killwinning Lodge (Scottish Constitution). But with the departure of the British troops it was realised that the town could not support three lodges, and in 1870 it merged with De Burgh Adams. In 1889 the Grand Lodge of New Zealand was formed, and Sir Harry Atkinson, who had been an initiate of Mt Egmont Lodge, became District Grand Master of the New Zealand Constitution. Four other lodges have since been formed under the New Zealand Constitution- Ngamotu, Te Henui, the Research Lodge of the Taranaki Province, New Plymouth and Serenity. New Plymouth Freemasons have occupied various premises for their meetings. A special lodge room was used in the Masonic Hotel, until a Freemason's Hall was built in Brougham Street, almost opposite the present lych gate of St Mary's which was administered by Egmont and De Burgh. In 1875, in post-war depression, the company went into liquidation and the hall was sold.
In 1882, De Burgh Adams Lodge bought a site in Robe Street from F. A. Carrington at 'three pounds a square foot' and a contract was let to a member, William Brooking, to erect a new building at a cost of $500. This served masonry in the town until 1956 when it was sold to the New Plymouth Operatic Society, which still uses it as a clubroom, and visitors and no doubt some members must wonder at the meanings of the Masonic signs and emblems which still decorate the windowless room. The present Masonic Hall on the corner of Leach and Liardet Streets is the meeting place for masons of all lodges and is often let for other occasions. In 1980 there was more than 500 Freemasons in New Plymouth, one of the few cities in New Zealand where all four constitutions operate from the same premises. Past masters have included such well-known characters as Frederic Carrington, Dr O'Carroll, Judge Eyre Kennedy, Sir Harry Atkinson, Arthur Standish, James Bellringer, three of his sons and a son-in-law Clyde Waters, all of Egmont Lodge; and John Ellis and Abraham Goldwater, of De Burgh Adams.
Two hundred years before the European settlement of New Zealand had begun, friendly societies had become a general feature of British social life. For many years these had been modelled on the lines of Freemasonry, with many of their rituals and proceedings being con- ducted in their select 'courts' and in secret. No doubt because of this, much documentary evidence of their formation and business has been lost. It is known that nine months after the arrival of the first colonists at Ngamotu, the New Plymouth Friendly Society was formed on December 27, 1841, with the object of providing a bulwark against the economic perils of the settlement's first years. It existed' until 1946, when it merged with Court Waireka of the Ancient Order of Foresters, an offshoot of Court Taranaki, formed on January 5, 1864. The role of friendly societies was two-fold: to provide for the welfare of members with sickness, death, funeral and widows and orphans benefits, and as social centres where members could act out their rituals and provide entertainment for their own members as well as the public. By 1874 the New Plymouth Friendly Society advertised that the annual meeting would be celebrated by a picnic 'on Mr S. Joll's farm', to which' kindred societies' were invited. 'No admission to grounds except by ticket and the committee regrets to state that horses on no account be allowed inside the gates.' Sports were' the latest games and amusements customary on such occasions and the Taranaki Amateur Band' was in attendance. Such was the influence of the friendly societies that Superintendent Carrington proclaimed the day (Thursday January 8) a public holiday.
Society, Rechabites, Good Templers (two lodges), Temperance Crusaders, Oddfellows, Foresters, the Orange Institution and Druids, all of which , in addition to the 'usual' benefits, loaned money for housing and conducted life assurance business and credit unions. Most of them had their own doctors. In 1918 the New Plymouth Friendly Society's Dispensary opened. Business is now conducted in premises opposite Devonport Flats in St Aubyn Street. Typical fees in 1870 were those of the Egmont Lodge of Oddfellows: 5c weekly for management expenses and 3c to the general fund from which all benefits were paid. Sickness benefit was $1.30 a week. Most lodges had their own appointed salaried surgeons, most of whom performed their duties with general approval. There were a few exceptions which resulted in some very plain talk and action. The first minute books of the Excelsior Lodge of Odd fellows records that in 1866 a 'special meeting was called to consider the unsatisfactory manner in which the duties of the lodge surgeon were performed and the charges preferred against Dr Lister. The doctor had been sent for but had not come to see Bro Tuson who was by then in a dangerous state, said Bro T. G. Brooking. Unable to wait any longer he had to call in Dr Rawson. Dr Lister said that he was called away to attend some woman at Bell Block; he thought the woman's case required attention before Bro Tuson's and if such petty charges were brought against him he would have nothing more to do with the Lodge. Dr Lister appeared to me to be the worse for liquor. '8 The special meeting decided: 'Because of the unsatisfactory manner in which the duties of the Lodge Surgeon have been performed the committee are of the opinion that the full amount of fines of £5 ($10) allowed by Bye Law 26 shall be enforced and that the Lodge Surgeon pay the necessary expenses for Bro Tuson incurred by his neglect and that the Lodge take immediate steps to dismiss Dr Lister and procure another surgeon'.
There is no record of Bro Tuson's subsequent condition, nor of whether Dr Lister paid up, but at the next meeting it was' resolved that Dr Patrick O'Carroll become the Surgeon of this Lodge'. O'Carroll was also surgeon to the Foresters' Court Waireka, and in 1870 he informed that lodge that he would 'attend on members of the court and their families gratis, and requested that the salary which would be paid to him be placed in the management fund as a donation.' Lodge discipline was strict. Members were fined for non-attendance, or for failing to wear the proper regalia; initiation ceremonies were elaborate and new members of most lodges were required to undergo stringent medical examinations. Prizes were awarded to members who proposed the most members for initiation during the year. Prosperity increased. In 1883 the average capital per member was $25 by 1960 it was more than $300. This was in spite of a decrease in membership by almost half following the introduction of the Social Security Act of 1938. Under this legislation the State assumed responsibility for most of the benefits previously provided by the friendly societies. Wise investment has continued to increase the capital of most societies, although membership has decreased. There is no doubt that the friendly societies in New Plymouth have played a decisive role in the community, not the least of which was their influence on social and moral discipline.