where did the office of lodge chaplain come from and what are his duties

The office of Grand Chaplain was instituted on May 1, 1775, on the occasion of laying the foundation stone of Freemasons' Hall in London 1. Although the English Constitutions of 1784 note that the position was revived on that day after having been discontinued for several years, no official record of any earlier appointment survives 1.

At the local lodge level, the office of Chaplain was historically not recognized in American ritual, though it was frequently conferred as a courtesy 1. In general practice, the Master of the lodge performs the devotional duties 1. Where the role is formalised, as in a Grand Lodge, the duties are confined to offering prayer at communications and conducting devotional exercises on public occasions 1.

The historical records do not establish that lodge chaplains were required to be ordained clergymen, though ordained ministers frequently filled chaplaincies and oratorical roles. Lodges often selected clergymen to deliver addresses or conduct devotional aspects of meetings due to their professional background and moral standing 1.

Prominent historical appointments documented in the sources consistently feature ordained ministers. The Rev. James Wright, a minister of Maybole, served as Chaplain to the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1786–87 2. In Bengal, the Rev. William Johnson served as Provincial Grand Chaplain in the 1780s while working as an Anglican settlement chaplain 3. Similarly, the Rev. A. F. A. Woodford was ordained as a priest in the Church of England before his appointment as Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of England in 1863 4.

While ordained clergymen were frequently appointed to Grand Lodge chaplaincies or invited to speak 1, the provided sources contain no rule or historical record restricting the local office of chaplain exclusively to the ordained clergy.

The websites I drew on here are not among those a Masonic researcher would ordinarily rely upon. Please weigh what they say accordingly.