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Article THE FIRST GRAND STEWARDS AND THEIR LODGES. ← Page 2 of 2 Article THE FIRST GRAND STEWARDS AND THEIR LODGES. Page 2 of 2 Article THE EARLY ORGANIZATION OF THE "ANCIENTS." Page 1 of 2 →
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The First Grand Stewards And Their Lodges.
i 735 ~ Capt Ralph Farwinter ( Prov- G . Master of East India ) No . 19 , 1730 , now Emulation Lodge , No . 21 . ,, Charles Fleetwood , No . 5 , 1723 , now Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge , No . 4 . ,, Wm . Hogarth , No . 63 , 1730 , now St . George and Corner Stone Lodge , No , . v
1737—Capt . John Lloyd , No . 10 , 1730 , now Tuscan Lodge , No . 14 . ,, Peter McCulloch , No . 43 , now Old King's Arms Lodge , No . 28 . 1738—Stephen le Bas , No . 19 , 1730 , now Emulation Lodge , No . 21 . 1739—James Harris , No . 9 , 1730 , now Royal Alpha Lodge , No . 16 . It will be seen that out of the number of lodges that had sent Stewards to Grand Lodge up to 1739 , at least thiiteen are still flourishing , and no
better or more conclusive evidence can be adduceu of the stability of our Order and the high standard of those particular lodges than the fact that eight out of the thirteen are " Red Apron Lodges " at the present time . I do not for a moment assert that they have all maintained the privilege unbroken during the whole of the period mentioned , but I have good reason for thinking that four of them have , and until recently , five . The lodges I
refer to are— No . The Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge ... ... 4 The Emulation Lodge ... ... ... ... ... 21 The Globe Lodge ... ... ... ... , _ , ... 2 3 The St . Albans Lodge ... ... ... ... ... 29 The Old King's Arms Lodge ( lost its privilege in 1 S 52 ) ... 28
I shall recur to these lodges later on and shall then furnish evidence which I think fully justifies my conclusion , meanwhile a few more extracts from the minutes of the proceedings of Grand Lodge may not be without interest .
The first mention I have met with of a distinctive colour for the Grand Stewards is in the minutes of the 17 th March , 1731 , wherein it is recorded that " Dr . Desagulier taking Notice of some Irregularities in wearing the Mark ? of Distinction which have been allowed by former Grand Lodges " Proposed
" That none but the Grand Master , his Deputy and Wardens shall wear their Jewels in Gold or Gilt , pendant lo blue Ribbons about their Necks , and White Leather Aprons lined with blue Silk . " That all those who have served any of the three Grand Offices shall wear the like Aprons lined with blue Silk in all Lodges and Assemblies of Masons when they appear clothed . "That those Brethren that are Stewards shall wear their Aprons lined with red Silk , and their proper Jewels pendant to red Ribbons .
" That all those who have served the oflice ol Steward be at liberty to wear Aprons lined with red Silk and not otherwise . " That all Masters and Wardens of Lodges may wear their Aprons lined with white Silk and their respective Jewels with plain white Ribbons and no other colour whatsoever .
"The Deputy Grand Master put the Question whether the above Regulation should be agreed to And it was carried in the affirmative Nemine Con . After the Installation of Lord Lovell as Grand Master on the 27 th March , 1731 ,
" Then the twelve present Grand Stewards were cah ' ed up and Thanks returned them from the Chair for the care they had taken in providing such an elegant Entertainment , and at the same time the Grand Master proposed the Drinking of their Healths which was done accordingly ; the Feast was concluded with mirth and unanimity . '' 2 nd March , 1732 .
"A Motion was made by Br . Pitt one of the Stewards for the ensuing Feast , that-the twelve present Stewards , shall after dinner at the said Grand Feast , each of them chuse his successor for the year ensuing , which being seconded , The Question was put , and carried in the affirmative . " It was likewise proposed that the said method of electing Stewards for the future shall be in the same manner , and the same was agreed to Nem . Con . 8 th lune . 1732 .
" Several of the Stewards making complaint to the Grand Lodge that they had employed Br . Lewis as an Attendant upon them at the last Grand Feast ; and more particularly had entrusted him to lock up and take care of Thirty Dishes of Meat , which were designed for the Grand Master and other persons of Quality and Distinction when the business of the Grand Lodge was over , But that the said Br . Lewis , by his carelessness and neglect , had suffered the same to be embezled and carried away by
People who had no manner of Right to the same , And when the Stewards had called him to account for such his tnisbehabiour , He answered insolently , and instead of extenuating his Fault , aggravated the same in a very provoking manner . And Br . Lewis now attending was called upon by the Grand Lodge to answer the said charge , who making a very frivolous and trifling Defence , the Grand Lodge in General were about to Censure the said Br . Lewis , and to deal with him in such manner as his Behaviour deserved . "
" But some Brethren observing that Br . Lewis was Tyler to several Lodges , and that if the Grand Lodge should strictly pursue their Resentment it might deprive him of the best part of his Subsistence . " The Deputy Grand Master proposed it to the Stewards " That as we are a friendly Society and far from doing a hard thing by any Brother , but rather , always willing and ready to serve him , if Br . Lewis would publickly ask pardon of the Stewards in the Grand Lodge , that they would forgive him .
" Whereupon Br . Smyth Junr Grand Warden , and one of the Stewards , Declared that the Stewards would be satisfied if Br . Lewis would make such acknowledgment and promise to behave in a more carefull and decent manner for the future , " Upon which Br . Lewis did publickly ask pardon of the Stewards and the Grand Lodge , acknowledgeing his great Neglect and insolent Behaviour , and faithfully promising for the future to take more care , and to behave decently . "
I have reason to believe that Grand Lodge did not " strictly pursue their resentment , " for when , a few years later , Bro . Lewis presented a petition for relief it was referred to the Committee of Charity in the usual way . This outrageous act of spoliation " which might have attended with serious consequences , " especially to poor Bro . Lewis , was perpetrated at the Merchant Taylors' Hall , on the 13 th April , 1732 . History does not state whether any bottles of wine were " embezled and carried off by the people who had no manner of right to them . " It may be that Bro . Lewis did not clearly understand his instructions and paid more attention to the safety of the liquids than he did to the solids ,
The First Grand Stewards And Their Lodges.
hence the depredations amongst the latter . It is just possible too that this may in some slight degree account for the free and easy way in which he is said to have treated the complaints of his employers . But what fine appetites the " Brethren of Oualitv and Distinction "
must have had ; lean only count fourteen present at that meeting who would be likely to be so denominated , unless the Grand Stewards themselves are included . One cannot help admiring the trul y Masonic spirit displayed by the Deputy Grand Master and the Stewards generally in their treatment of the delinquent , for they doubtless had iust cause for complaint .
It would appear from the foregoing incident that the functions of the Grand Stewards were formerly more extensive than they are at the present time , that , in fact , they personally catered for the brethren as well as arranging and superintending the Grand Feast . ( To be continued ) .
The Early Organization Of The "Ancients."
THE EARLY ORGANIZATION OF THE " ANCIENTS . "
VI . BY G . B . ABBOTT . The last group of members , which brings us to the end of the Register , carries us as regards number to IOU . and as regards date to the iMh
August , 1755 , while the number of new lodges is only eight—Nos . 30-37 both inclusive—the last having been constituted on the 19 th August , 1754 , and therefore during ^ the Grand Mastership of Bro . Rob . Turner , the next new Iodge—No . 38—not being constituted till the year 1755 . This fifth group of lodges is as follows , viz . : —
No . 30 , constituted 7 th January , 1754 , starts with 10 names , the first three being Bros . Jeremiah Coleman , Paul Roolce , and Jas McCleland , of whom the first is a re-register , while somewhat later on we come across the still more familiar name of Bro . James Hagan . Lodge No . 31 , of the 9 th January , 1754 , makes a much braver start , the names on its register at the beginning of its career being 18 in number ,
Bro . H . Lewis , from No . 4 , being at the head of them . Following these , as already noted , are the two Bristol lodges—Nos . 24 and 25—and then a few names further on we come to Lodge No . 32 , constituted 18 th February , which has at starting an array of 26 names . No . 33 , on the other hand , has a first batch of only 6 , of whom Bros . Fras . Mathews , John Templeton , and John White are described as Master , S . W ., and J . W ., respectively , John Doughty , likewise a well-known name , standing next on the list . No .
34 has a group of 27 brethren , Bro . M . Thorpe , at the head , being the W . M ; Bro . Rob . Fisher , S . W . ; Bro . Jas . Murray , J . W . ; and Bro . Abm . Menzies , Secretary . The lodge was warranted on the 18 th April , 1 754 , while the day following was founded Lodge No . 35 , which had six members to start with , Bros . Henry Pay ton , Wm . Henning , and Geo . Sanderson being at the top of the list . However , some places further on in the Register we we come upon a second contingent of members of this lodge , these being sufficient to raise the strength of the lodge to 12 .
There remain only two more of this group to describe , and the members of these are registered out of their proper positions , No . 37 , which was constituted 19 th August being placed first , and No . 36 , which began its career on the 14 th , or five days earlier , bringing up the rear . In the case of these two lodges the description furnished in the column headed " Quality , " meaning rank or position in the lodge or Craft , is far more
particular than has been vouchsafed heretofore . Thus , as regards Lodge No . 37 , we find not only that Bro . Wm . Cowen was Master , and Bros . VV . Osborne and John Wilson , S . W . and J . W . respectively , but Bro . Charles Buss and Leonard Holiday are indicated as S . D . and J . D . respectively , and Bro . Wm . Child , as Secretary , the others being entered as members , the brethren composing the lodge at starting being 12 in number . Lodge
No . 36 starts with nine members , Bro . John McCormick , dating from Grand Secretary Morgan ' s time , being at the head as Master , with Bros . Fenwick Wederington and J . Buckley , as S . W . and J . W . respectively ; W . Healy , S . D . ; John Scolefield , J . D . ; S . Galbraith , M . of No . 3 ; Laurence Dermott , Grand Sec . ; and Richard Collins and Robert Whitehall , as members . These brethren bring us to No . 894 in the Register , the last entered in it for the year 1 754 , being No . 954 . Thus the progress made during
Grand Master Turner's year of office may be set down as considerable . Making the usual allowance for deaths , withdrawals , re-registers , & c , there were about 620 Ancient Masons when he was installed Grand Master . In December , 1754 , when he retired and made way for the Hon . E . Vaughan , there were not improbably about from 870 to S 80 , while the lodges had increased in numbers from 29 to 37 , or to be strictly accurate as there was no No . 1 , from 28 to 36 .
The remaining 59 names entered in the Register , that is , from No . 956 to 1014 , are those of brethren belonging to different lodges , and must have sufficed to swell the total number of brethren to over 920 , which , considering what I said at the outset , namely , that had all the registered members met at the Duke's Head , Greek-street , Soho , at the memorable General Assembly on 17 th July , 1751 , they would not have numbered more than 74 all told , must be looked upon asaveryconsiderableincrease . It is indeed even
more noteworthy from the fact that at the close of 1752 there seemed at one time a chance that the Ancient Craft might cease to exist entirely . However , a renewal of courage on the part of the leading members , Bro . Dermott , G , Secretary , being the most conspicuous among them , prevented this catastrophe , and our " Ancient" brethren went on prospering more and more remarkably every year , until , when steps were taken for a union of the two Societies , they proved to be a numerous , wealthy , and influential body
With these remarks my examination of " Morgan ' s Register " is virtually completed , the " Black List , " which I enumerated among the contents , needing no further remark than that it is headed by the names of the notorious " Leg-of-Mutton Masons , " Phealon and Mackey . A summary of the facts I have derived from this Register presents the following as the condition of the "Ancient" Craft in England , during the earlier years of its existence as an organised Society .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The First Grand Stewards And Their Lodges.
i 735 ~ Capt Ralph Farwinter ( Prov- G . Master of East India ) No . 19 , 1730 , now Emulation Lodge , No . 21 . ,, Charles Fleetwood , No . 5 , 1723 , now Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge , No . 4 . ,, Wm . Hogarth , No . 63 , 1730 , now St . George and Corner Stone Lodge , No , . v
1737—Capt . John Lloyd , No . 10 , 1730 , now Tuscan Lodge , No . 14 . ,, Peter McCulloch , No . 43 , now Old King's Arms Lodge , No . 28 . 1738—Stephen le Bas , No . 19 , 1730 , now Emulation Lodge , No . 21 . 1739—James Harris , No . 9 , 1730 , now Royal Alpha Lodge , No . 16 . It will be seen that out of the number of lodges that had sent Stewards to Grand Lodge up to 1739 , at least thiiteen are still flourishing , and no
better or more conclusive evidence can be adduceu of the stability of our Order and the high standard of those particular lodges than the fact that eight out of the thirteen are " Red Apron Lodges " at the present time . I do not for a moment assert that they have all maintained the privilege unbroken during the whole of the period mentioned , but I have good reason for thinking that four of them have , and until recently , five . The lodges I
refer to are— No . The Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge ... ... 4 The Emulation Lodge ... ... ... ... ... 21 The Globe Lodge ... ... ... ... , _ , ... 2 3 The St . Albans Lodge ... ... ... ... ... 29 The Old King's Arms Lodge ( lost its privilege in 1 S 52 ) ... 28
I shall recur to these lodges later on and shall then furnish evidence which I think fully justifies my conclusion , meanwhile a few more extracts from the minutes of the proceedings of Grand Lodge may not be without interest .
The first mention I have met with of a distinctive colour for the Grand Stewards is in the minutes of the 17 th March , 1731 , wherein it is recorded that " Dr . Desagulier taking Notice of some Irregularities in wearing the Mark ? of Distinction which have been allowed by former Grand Lodges " Proposed
" That none but the Grand Master , his Deputy and Wardens shall wear their Jewels in Gold or Gilt , pendant lo blue Ribbons about their Necks , and White Leather Aprons lined with blue Silk . " That all those who have served any of the three Grand Offices shall wear the like Aprons lined with blue Silk in all Lodges and Assemblies of Masons when they appear clothed . "That those Brethren that are Stewards shall wear their Aprons lined with red Silk , and their proper Jewels pendant to red Ribbons .
" That all those who have served the oflice ol Steward be at liberty to wear Aprons lined with red Silk and not otherwise . " That all Masters and Wardens of Lodges may wear their Aprons lined with white Silk and their respective Jewels with plain white Ribbons and no other colour whatsoever .
"The Deputy Grand Master put the Question whether the above Regulation should be agreed to And it was carried in the affirmative Nemine Con . After the Installation of Lord Lovell as Grand Master on the 27 th March , 1731 ,
" Then the twelve present Grand Stewards were cah ' ed up and Thanks returned them from the Chair for the care they had taken in providing such an elegant Entertainment , and at the same time the Grand Master proposed the Drinking of their Healths which was done accordingly ; the Feast was concluded with mirth and unanimity . '' 2 nd March , 1732 .
"A Motion was made by Br . Pitt one of the Stewards for the ensuing Feast , that-the twelve present Stewards , shall after dinner at the said Grand Feast , each of them chuse his successor for the year ensuing , which being seconded , The Question was put , and carried in the affirmative . " It was likewise proposed that the said method of electing Stewards for the future shall be in the same manner , and the same was agreed to Nem . Con . 8 th lune . 1732 .
" Several of the Stewards making complaint to the Grand Lodge that they had employed Br . Lewis as an Attendant upon them at the last Grand Feast ; and more particularly had entrusted him to lock up and take care of Thirty Dishes of Meat , which were designed for the Grand Master and other persons of Quality and Distinction when the business of the Grand Lodge was over , But that the said Br . Lewis , by his carelessness and neglect , had suffered the same to be embezled and carried away by
People who had no manner of Right to the same , And when the Stewards had called him to account for such his tnisbehabiour , He answered insolently , and instead of extenuating his Fault , aggravated the same in a very provoking manner . And Br . Lewis now attending was called upon by the Grand Lodge to answer the said charge , who making a very frivolous and trifling Defence , the Grand Lodge in General were about to Censure the said Br . Lewis , and to deal with him in such manner as his Behaviour deserved . "
" But some Brethren observing that Br . Lewis was Tyler to several Lodges , and that if the Grand Lodge should strictly pursue their Resentment it might deprive him of the best part of his Subsistence . " The Deputy Grand Master proposed it to the Stewards " That as we are a friendly Society and far from doing a hard thing by any Brother , but rather , always willing and ready to serve him , if Br . Lewis would publickly ask pardon of the Stewards in the Grand Lodge , that they would forgive him .
" Whereupon Br . Smyth Junr Grand Warden , and one of the Stewards , Declared that the Stewards would be satisfied if Br . Lewis would make such acknowledgment and promise to behave in a more carefull and decent manner for the future , " Upon which Br . Lewis did publickly ask pardon of the Stewards and the Grand Lodge , acknowledgeing his great Neglect and insolent Behaviour , and faithfully promising for the future to take more care , and to behave decently . "
I have reason to believe that Grand Lodge did not " strictly pursue their resentment , " for when , a few years later , Bro . Lewis presented a petition for relief it was referred to the Committee of Charity in the usual way . This outrageous act of spoliation " which might have attended with serious consequences , " especially to poor Bro . Lewis , was perpetrated at the Merchant Taylors' Hall , on the 13 th April , 1732 . History does not state whether any bottles of wine were " embezled and carried off by the people who had no manner of right to them . " It may be that Bro . Lewis did not clearly understand his instructions and paid more attention to the safety of the liquids than he did to the solids ,
The First Grand Stewards And Their Lodges.
hence the depredations amongst the latter . It is just possible too that this may in some slight degree account for the free and easy way in which he is said to have treated the complaints of his employers . But what fine appetites the " Brethren of Oualitv and Distinction "
must have had ; lean only count fourteen present at that meeting who would be likely to be so denominated , unless the Grand Stewards themselves are included . One cannot help admiring the trul y Masonic spirit displayed by the Deputy Grand Master and the Stewards generally in their treatment of the delinquent , for they doubtless had iust cause for complaint .
It would appear from the foregoing incident that the functions of the Grand Stewards were formerly more extensive than they are at the present time , that , in fact , they personally catered for the brethren as well as arranging and superintending the Grand Feast . ( To be continued ) .
The Early Organization Of The "Ancients."
THE EARLY ORGANIZATION OF THE " ANCIENTS . "
VI . BY G . B . ABBOTT . The last group of members , which brings us to the end of the Register , carries us as regards number to IOU . and as regards date to the iMh
August , 1755 , while the number of new lodges is only eight—Nos . 30-37 both inclusive—the last having been constituted on the 19 th August , 1754 , and therefore during ^ the Grand Mastership of Bro . Rob . Turner , the next new Iodge—No . 38—not being constituted till the year 1755 . This fifth group of lodges is as follows , viz . : —
No . 30 , constituted 7 th January , 1754 , starts with 10 names , the first three being Bros . Jeremiah Coleman , Paul Roolce , and Jas McCleland , of whom the first is a re-register , while somewhat later on we come across the still more familiar name of Bro . James Hagan . Lodge No . 31 , of the 9 th January , 1754 , makes a much braver start , the names on its register at the beginning of its career being 18 in number ,
Bro . H . Lewis , from No . 4 , being at the head of them . Following these , as already noted , are the two Bristol lodges—Nos . 24 and 25—and then a few names further on we come to Lodge No . 32 , constituted 18 th February , which has at starting an array of 26 names . No . 33 , on the other hand , has a first batch of only 6 , of whom Bros . Fras . Mathews , John Templeton , and John White are described as Master , S . W ., and J . W ., respectively , John Doughty , likewise a well-known name , standing next on the list . No .
34 has a group of 27 brethren , Bro . M . Thorpe , at the head , being the W . M ; Bro . Rob . Fisher , S . W . ; Bro . Jas . Murray , J . W . ; and Bro . Abm . Menzies , Secretary . The lodge was warranted on the 18 th April , 1 754 , while the day following was founded Lodge No . 35 , which had six members to start with , Bros . Henry Pay ton , Wm . Henning , and Geo . Sanderson being at the top of the list . However , some places further on in the Register we we come upon a second contingent of members of this lodge , these being sufficient to raise the strength of the lodge to 12 .
There remain only two more of this group to describe , and the members of these are registered out of their proper positions , No . 37 , which was constituted 19 th August being placed first , and No . 36 , which began its career on the 14 th , or five days earlier , bringing up the rear . In the case of these two lodges the description furnished in the column headed " Quality , " meaning rank or position in the lodge or Craft , is far more
particular than has been vouchsafed heretofore . Thus , as regards Lodge No . 37 , we find not only that Bro . Wm . Cowen was Master , and Bros . VV . Osborne and John Wilson , S . W . and J . W . respectively , but Bro . Charles Buss and Leonard Holiday are indicated as S . D . and J . D . respectively , and Bro . Wm . Child , as Secretary , the others being entered as members , the brethren composing the lodge at starting being 12 in number . Lodge
No . 36 starts with nine members , Bro . John McCormick , dating from Grand Secretary Morgan ' s time , being at the head as Master , with Bros . Fenwick Wederington and J . Buckley , as S . W . and J . W . respectively ; W . Healy , S . D . ; John Scolefield , J . D . ; S . Galbraith , M . of No . 3 ; Laurence Dermott , Grand Sec . ; and Richard Collins and Robert Whitehall , as members . These brethren bring us to No . 894 in the Register , the last entered in it for the year 1 754 , being No . 954 . Thus the progress made during
Grand Master Turner's year of office may be set down as considerable . Making the usual allowance for deaths , withdrawals , re-registers , & c , there were about 620 Ancient Masons when he was installed Grand Master . In December , 1754 , when he retired and made way for the Hon . E . Vaughan , there were not improbably about from 870 to S 80 , while the lodges had increased in numbers from 29 to 37 , or to be strictly accurate as there was no No . 1 , from 28 to 36 .
The remaining 59 names entered in the Register , that is , from No . 956 to 1014 , are those of brethren belonging to different lodges , and must have sufficed to swell the total number of brethren to over 920 , which , considering what I said at the outset , namely , that had all the registered members met at the Duke's Head , Greek-street , Soho , at the memorable General Assembly on 17 th July , 1751 , they would not have numbered more than 74 all told , must be looked upon asaveryconsiderableincrease . It is indeed even
more noteworthy from the fact that at the close of 1752 there seemed at one time a chance that the Ancient Craft might cease to exist entirely . However , a renewal of courage on the part of the leading members , Bro . Dermott , G , Secretary , being the most conspicuous among them , prevented this catastrophe , and our " Ancient" brethren went on prospering more and more remarkably every year , until , when steps were taken for a union of the two Societies , they proved to be a numerous , wealthy , and influential body
With these remarks my examination of " Morgan ' s Register " is virtually completed , the " Black List , " which I enumerated among the contents , needing no further remark than that it is headed by the names of the notorious " Leg-of-Mutton Masons , " Phealon and Mackey . A summary of the facts I have derived from this Register presents the following as the condition of the "Ancient" Craft in England , during the earlier years of its existence as an organised Society .