It was on the 18th March 1907 that The MW Grand Master, The Duke of Connaught who when visiting Ceylon, announced the appointment of Sir Henry Blake GCMG, Governor of Ceylon, Past District Grand Master of Jamaica (1897-1901), as the First District Grand Master of Ceylon.

The inaugural meeting of District Grand Lodge was held on 1st May 1907 and constituted of St. John's Lodge (1838), St George Lodge (1886), Adam's Peak Lodge (1897), The Grant Lodge (1902), The Duke of Connaught Lodge (1902) and The Nuwara Eliya Lodge (1903).

Sir Henry Blake having then attended the Installation of St John's Lodge on 24th June returned to England in July 1907 and proved to be an absentee District Grand Master with there being no record of his ever again having presided over District Grand Lodge. He continued in the post until his death in 1918.

Whilst Masonic records included in the last edition of "The Sri Lanka Masonic Handbook” duly records Sir Henry Blake as the First District Grand Master, there is an interesting footnote in a copy of “The Ceylon Masonic Handbook" of the 1930's that reads "In 1810, Sir Alexander Johnston was appointed Provincial Grand Master by Patent although there is no record of his ever having a Provincial Grand Lodge or Private Lodge under him.”

This historical anomaly is further cemented in an old copy of the "Masonic Year Book Historical Supplement”; which gives the succession of District Grand Masters of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) citing Sir Alexander Johnston as the First District Grand Master with the date of his Patent specifically stated to be 1st May 1810. The Second holder of the office is cited as Sir Henry Blake with the names of succeeding District Grand Masters correctly stated.

Even more interestingly, The United Grand Lodge of England came into being only on St John's Day, 27th December 1813, three years after the date of the Patent. The details of who issued the Patent and why it was recognised by Grand Lodge remains a mystery to this day.