On 6 February 1819 Sir Stamford Raffles (1721-1826) founded the city (now the country) of Singapore, securing transfer of control of the island to the East India Company. Raffles was a prominent Freemason of his day and was also a founder (in 1825) and first president (elected April 1826) of the Zoological Society of London (precursor to the Royal Zoological Society) and the London Zoo – the first location to be called popularly ‘a zoo’.

The Sir Stamford Raffles
statue in Singapore.


Bro Raffles was raised on 5 July 1813 in a Dutch Lodge (in modern day Singapore) De Vriendschap.

Because of his stand against slavery during his lifetime, Raffles was refused burial inside his local parish church by the vicar (in an outstandingly un-Christian gesture!) whose family had made its money in the slave trade. However, when the church was extended in the 1920s his tomb was incorporated into the body of the building.

Nowadays at every meeting of Sir Stamford Raffles Lodge No 7444 EC in Singapore, the arms of the founder of the country are ceremonially displayed.