John Farquharson Roberts went to Christ’s Hospitals school and was a Printer and Lithographer in the City of London.
He is credited by Cartwright with conceiving of the original idea of a lodge for the Skinners’ Company, and of being its “effective founder”. It was Roberts that wrote to all the members of the Livery in 1897 enquiring of their masonic connections, and organising the first meeting of potential petitioners. That first meeting was sparingly supported, but Parkinson, Hunt, Hewitt, Cartwright and one Bro B Wadmore. All except Wadmore would become Founders, whereas no further mention of Wadmore is recorded.
He was initiated in to the Lodge of Economy No 76 and later helped found his old school lodge, Christ’s Hospital Lodge No 2650. He also joined St Marys Lodge No 63, Jubilee Masters Lodge No 2712, British Lodge No 8, which lodge nominated him to as a Grand Steward enabling him also to join Grand Stewards’ Lodge. He was exalted into Royal Middlesex Chapter No 1194 and joined St Mary’s Chapter No 63.
Grand Lodge appointed him Grand Standard Bearer in 1907 and then AGDC, a role Supreme Grand Chapter also saw fit to bestow upon him.
In the Mark he was advanced in Bon Accord and joined Keystone Lodge No 3. He was also a a member of the KT with Bard of Avon Preceptory and Rose Croix with Metropolitan Grand Chapter and Rose & Lily Chapter No 97. In the Allied Degrees he was in Grand Master’s Council No 1.
He was a keen supporter of the Masonic Charities and was a patron of the Girls, a vice-president of the Boys, a vice-patron of the RMBI and a patron of the Mark Benevolent Fund amongst many other causes,
He had three sons, of whom the middle, Francklin, was killed in the Great aware.