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Article CONTENTS. Page 1 of 1 Article UNITED GRAND LODGE. Page 1 of 1 Article UNITED GRAND LODGE. Page 1 of 1 Article NEW LODGES. Page 1 of 1 Article MASONIC HISTORY—II. Page 1 of 2 Article MASONIC HISTORY—II. Page 1 of 2 →
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Contents.
CONTENTS .
United Grand Lodge 9 i New Lodges 9 Masonic History—II 9 ' Consecration of the St . Hilda Lodge , No . 1887 , Wallingford ... 93 Westbourne Lodge Ball 9 1 Earl of Carnarvon Lodge Hall 93
Burdett-Coutts Lodge Ball 93 A Farewell Gathering 93 Freemasonry and the Boers 93 Scotland 93 Masonic Festival at Glasgow 94 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls 94 REPORTS OF MASONIC
MEETINGSCraft Masonry 94 Instruction 97 Royal Arch 97 Knights Templar 97 LEADERS 9 ^ Answers to Queries 99
CORRESPONDENCENo _ -Membership in English Masonry 99 Masonic Thrift 99 Our Increasing Numbers 99 The John Hervey Memorial Fund 99 Reviews ' 99 Masonic Notes and Queries 99 Mark Masonry 100
Notes of the Day 100 Notes on Art , & c roo Masonic Tidings 101 General Tidings 101 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 102 Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution 103 Advertisements I ., H ., III ., IV ., V .. VI .
United Grand Lodge.
UNITED GRAND LODGE .
The following is the agenda paper for Wednesday , March 2 nd : — 1 . The regulations forthe government of Grand Lodge during the time of public business will be read .
2 . The minutes of the Quarterly Communication of the 1 st December , 1 SS 0 , will be read and put for confirmation . 3 . Election of a M . W . Grand Master . 4 . Election of a Grand Treasurer . 5 . Report of the Lodge of Benevolence for the last quarter , in which are recommendations forthe following grants , ; viz .:
—The widow of a brother of the Metropolitan Lodge , No . 1507 , London £ 50 o o The widow of a brother of the St . James ' Lodge , No . 7 G 5 , Southwark 50 o o A brother of the Howe Lodge , No . 5 S 7 , Birmingham 75 o o A brother of the Victoria Lodge , No . 1056 ,
London 75 o o A brother of the Silent Temple Lodge , No . 126 , Burnley , Lancashire ... ... ... ... 100 o o A brother of the East Medina Lodge , No . 175 , Ryde , Isle of Wight 75 o o A brother of the British Lodge , No . 73 C , Mauritius 50 o o
A brother of the Isca Lodge , No . 6 S 3 , Newport , Monmouthshire ... ... ... ... 150 o o A brother of the Ivy Lodge , No , 1441 , Camberwell 50 o o A brother of the Lodge of Merit , No . 934 , Whitehead , Lancashire 50 o o 6 . REPORT OF THE BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES .
To the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England . The Board of General Purposes beg to report that : 1 st . The Lodge No . S 71 ( Royal Oak ) , having laid before the Board a formal complaint against Bro . Robert Harman , Immediate Past Master , for retaining in his possession the minute and other books belonging to the lodge , and
refusing to hand them over to the Worshipful Master , the Board proceeded to deal with the complaint , and caused Bro . Harman , and also the Worshipful Master and Secretary of the lodge in question , to appear before them . 2 nd . The matter having been fully gone into and the parties heard , thc Board unanimously resolved , and ordered , as follows : — 1 st . That the lodge books , improperly retained by Bro .
Robert Harman , I . P . M ., after his vacation from the chair ° f the Lodge No . S 71 , be handed to the Worshipful Master of thc lodge forthwith . . 2 nd . That the conduct of Bro . Robert Harman , in thus improperly retaining the books of the lodge , is , in the opinion of the Board , a Masonic offence proved to their ^ f'sfaction , and that he will be , therefore , suspended fiom a 1 ' his Masonic functions until the further order of the Board .
( Signed ) J B . MONCKTON , „ President , ' reemasons' Hall , London , W . C . T 15 th February , 1 SS 1 . j lo the report is subjoined a statement of the Grand
- '"_ - accounts at tne last meeting ot tlie finance Loinrnittee , held on Friday , the nth inst ., showing a balance in of Uard { of England of £ 5977 6 s . Sd . ; and in the hands the Grand Secretary for petty cash £ 75 , and for servant s' wages £ cfi 15 s .
United Grand Lodge.
7 . Report of Bro . R . P . Harding , auditor of Grand Lodge accounts , of receipts and disbursements during the year 1 SS 0 . 8 . PROPOSED MOTIONS : — 1 . Bro . John M . Clabon , P . G . D ., President of the Lodge of Benevolence .
That inasmuch as the recommendation by the Lodge of Benevolence to Grand Lodge , that a grant of £ " 100 should be made to Bro . Hugh R . Edwards , came to an end by his death , the Lodge of Benevolence be empowered , to the extent of that sum , to repay any expenses incurred for his benefit during his life or in relation to his death . « . 2 . By Bro . Tudor Trevor , P . M ., No . 944 , Bombay , now of No . 41 , Bath , and late of No . 1511 , Hornsea .
That in consideration of the very exceptional circumstances of his application for pecuniary assistance , and that he has been much embarrassed by the unmasonic litigation which ensued in defiance of the principles of the Cratt , and especially of No . 6 of Antient Charges and Regulations , consequent on the part he took in the exclusion from his lodge , No . 1511 , of an offending brother ( which exclusion
was approved by the Provincial Grand Master ) , this Grand Lodge is pleased as a special case to direct the grant of £ 150 from the Fund of General Purposes to Bro . Tudor Trevor , P . M ., & c , in aid of his costs in defending the action "Bro . Voigtversus Bros . Carr , Laking , and'Trevor , " tried at Leeds in August last , and in respect of which costs Bro . Trevor affirms that he has already paid £ 16943 . 1 id ., and that he has been greatly impoverished thereby .
New Lodges.
NEW LODGES .
List of lodges for which warrants have been granted by the M . W . Grand Master since the last Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge : —
Lodge 1 SS 7 , St . Hilda , Wallingford , Berks . „ iSSS , St . John ' s , Featherstone , Wellington , N . Z . „ 1 SS 9 , St . Andrew ' s , Bedford , South Africa , E . Div „ iSgo , Broad Arrow , St . George ' s , Bermuda . „ 1 S 91 , St . Ambrose , Kensington . „ 1 S 92 , The Wallington , Carshalton , Surrey . „ 1 S 93 , The Lumley , Skegness , Lincolnshire . ,, 1 S 94 , The Herschel , Slough , Buckinghamshire . „ 1 S 95 , The Thames , Henley-on-Thames , Oxfordshire „ 1 S 96 , The Audley , Newport , Shropshire . „ 1 S 97 , The Citadel , Harrow , Middlesex .
Masonic History—Ii.
MASONIC HISTORY—II .
BY ROBERT FREKE GOULD . Continued from page 67 , No . C 23 . In the second ( English ) edition of Bro . Findel ' s work , at P . 137 , the following appears : " His [ Desaguliers' ] love of mechanics , and the prominent part which that science plays in Operative Masonry ,
no doubt induced him to become a member of the Fraternity . He soon , however , found that the brethren could teach him nothing . On the other hand , the spirit of toleration which he found prevailing .... inspired him with the idea of reconstructing the Society on a basis which should unite together in harmony those who were divided b y religious and political schisms , " Sic , Sic .
I he paragraph just given is contained in a foot note , and appended thereto , between brackets , are the words "See ' Masonic Eclectic , ' Vol . L , No . 4 . " Bro . D . M . Lyon , in his " History of the Lodge of Edinburgh , " at p . 150 , give ? , the same extract word for word . On referring to the " New England Freemason " for August , 1 S 74 , ( sent me by Past G . M . Nickerson , Mass . ) ,
at p . 370 , under the title "Historical and Bibliographical Memoranda , " by Hon . Josiah H . Drummond , Past Grand Master of Maine , I find "' The Masonic Eclectic '—A monthly magazine edited by lohn W . Simons and Robert Macoy , and published in New York . Three volumes were issued , and then it was discontinued" [ 1 SC 7 ] .
Now , in what 1 am about to say , I carefully guard myself from being supposed in any way to reflect upon the ability and learning of Bros . Simons and Macoy . Both these brethren are well known as ripe Masonic scholars . Bro . Simons was Grand Master of New York in 1 S 60 , and is now the Masonic editor of the New York Dispatch . His annual report on " Foreign Correspondence , " is one of the very
best of those retrospects of Freemasonry , with which all readers of American Grand Lodge " proceedings" are familiar . Bro . Macoy is a Masonic author of repute , and at present holds the position of Grand Recorder of the Knights Templar of New York . But can any excuse be suggested for the adoption by Bros . I . ndel and Lyon of the startling assertions in the
"Masonic Eclectic ? " 'These distinguished historians appear , indeed , to have worked in this instance , on the lines marked out by John Aubrey , who ( in his " Perambulation of the County of Surrey" ) says : " And I now set things down tumultuarily , as if tumbled out of a sack , as they come to my hand ! ! "
Each of these eminent Masonic writers—in an historical work—incorporates with a narrative of the proceedings of the Grand Lodge of England , a highl y imaginative magazine article ; dealing with and summaril y deciding one of the most important points in English Masonic history . As a suggestion , speculation , or theory , the " reconstruction of the Society" by Desaguliers may , perhaps , be soberly
Masonic History—Ii.
entertained , but as the statement of a fact , and unsupported by a scintilla of evidence , its appearance in such " Masonic Classics , " as Findel's "History of Freemasonry , " and Lj'on ' s " History of the Lodge of Edinburgh , is calculated , to say the least , to seriously weaken the authority of those standard works .
It seems to me in the highest degree improbable that either Payne cr Desaguliers took part in the creation of the Grand Lodge of England . Anthony Sayer , the " premier Grand Master , " was clearly an " Operative , " in the ordinary , if not in the " Masonic , " sense of that term , and having regard to thc ascendency which the " Speculatives " or gentlemen speedily established over the " Operatives" or
working men , from the earliest known period of the former class being heard of in Grand Lodge Masonry , I believe that if Payne or Desaguliers had been present at the "Goose and Gridiron" ale-house , on St . John ' s Day , 1717—or if they had participated in the movement which culminated in the meeting of that date—one or other of them would have been elected Grand Master . Of the proceedings of this meeting , a very meagre record
endures . A "hearsay" account , appears for the first time in Anderson's Constitutions of 173 S , twenty-one years subsequent to the great event then described . Our confidence , moreover , in the accuracy of this narrative , sustains a rude shock , if we venture on a comparison with the previous statements of Anderson in his earlier Constitutions of 1723 . Jacob Lamball , carpenter , * the Senior Grand Warden of 1717 , was a regular attendant at Grand Lodge until
1742 , and must have approved , if he did not communicate , the details of the " revival ; " otherwise I should experience much difficulty in yielding credence to Dr . Anderson ' s description of this occurrence . Payne , I think , must have joined the Fraternity during 1717-18 , and Desaguliers in the following year . The latter , to my mind , could hardly have been a member at the period of the former ' s election as Grand Master . I do not think
that then , or at any other time , he overshadowed Payne in Masonic circles , otherwise he would have been continued as Grand Master in 1720 , instead of having to give way to his predecessor of 1718 . It is , however , almost certain , that had Desaguliers been a member of the Society at the date of Payne ' s ^? , st Grand Mastership ( 1718 ) , the learned natural philosopher would have been elected a Grand Warden .
Anderson , I imagine , must have joined in 1721 . It is unlikely that he became a Freemason very long before receiving his mandate to digest the old Gothic Constitutions ( 29 th September , 1721 ) . I ground this impression chiefly upon the gross ignorance of Masonic history ( 1717-23 ) , displayed in hisj first Book of Constitutions ( 1723 ) , though his tardy preferment to the office of Grand Warden—1723—also weighs with me in forming an opinion . His
later work ( 173 S ) it is true , has been rightly termed " The Basis of Masonic History , " but whilst thankful for the additional facts which that publication discloses , the Critical Student ( if such a being exists ) , cannot but lament , that such a mass of contradictions and discrepancies , should be presented by a collation of the two Constitution-book _ i for which Anderson was responsible . It has been the custom of Masonic historians , to dub
Payne a "learned Antiquarian ; " indeed , in this habit , to quote Bro . Hughan— " We have copied the one from the other , with any amount of credulity and assurance . " His name , however , is not to be found amongst those of the fellows or members of the " Society of Antiquaries ; " an association called into existence contemporaneously with the Grand Lodge of England ( 1717 ) . From his nonmembership of this Society , it may , perhaps , be inferred
that his archaeological tastes were strictly of a " Masonic " character . The recorded proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Eng land , date from 1723 . In the first volume of these records , the names of the membersof the fouroldororiginal lodges are given . Amongst those of Nos . 1 ( Antiquity ) , 2 ( defunct ) , 3 ( Fortitude and O . C . ) , appear no brethren of note—Anthony Sayer excepted—who is shown on the roll of No . 3 .
_ I he members of N 0 . 4 ( Somerset House ) were very numerous in 1723 , and still more so in 1725 . In the list of the former . year appear the names of the Dukes of Richmond and Eluetnsborough ; Marquis Des Marches ; Earl Deloraine ; ords Paisley , Waldegrave , and Carmichael ; Counts La Lippe and Watzdorf ; Baron Dis Kaw ; Sir Richard Manningham , Sir Adolphus Oughton , Sir Robert Rich , and Sir Thomas Prendergast ; many " Honourables ; " seven Colonels ; a Major and Captain . According to Anderson ' s
narrative of 1738 , this was the lodge , then held at the Rummer and Grapes , Channel-row , Westminster , which in 1717 joined with original Nos . 1 , 2 , and 3 , in establishing the Grand Lodge of England . The process of its conversion from a lodge of working men ( 1717 ) , into an association comprising all the "notables" of the society ( 1723 ) , is one of the many puzzles of the period of transition ( 1717-23 ) . t It is possible that Payne and Desaguliers were the first "Speculative " members , and upon this point I will presently offer some remarks , but for thc moment ,
* It is well to be accurate , even in trifles ; and as all subsequent writers have copied wrongly from Anderson , I draw attention to the corrections at the end of the 1738 Constitutions . Bro . Findel , and others , will theie see that the carpenter , and not the captain , was placed as the
Senior of the Grand Wardens in the year 1717 . _ t As 110 date of Constitution was assigned to this lodge in the Engraved List of 1729 , though its seniors , Nos . 1 and 2 , were placed at 16 91 and 1712 respectively , it seems probable that the traditions of the lodge died out along with its operative element .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Contents.
CONTENTS .
United Grand Lodge 9 i New Lodges 9 Masonic History—II 9 ' Consecration of the St . Hilda Lodge , No . 1887 , Wallingford ... 93 Westbourne Lodge Ball 9 1 Earl of Carnarvon Lodge Hall 93
Burdett-Coutts Lodge Ball 93 A Farewell Gathering 93 Freemasonry and the Boers 93 Scotland 93 Masonic Festival at Glasgow 94 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls 94 REPORTS OF MASONIC
MEETINGSCraft Masonry 94 Instruction 97 Royal Arch 97 Knights Templar 97 LEADERS 9 ^ Answers to Queries 99
CORRESPONDENCENo _ -Membership in English Masonry 99 Masonic Thrift 99 Our Increasing Numbers 99 The John Hervey Memorial Fund 99 Reviews ' 99 Masonic Notes and Queries 99 Mark Masonry 100
Notes of the Day 100 Notes on Art , & c roo Masonic Tidings 101 General Tidings 101 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 102 Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution 103 Advertisements I ., H ., III ., IV ., V .. VI .
United Grand Lodge.
UNITED GRAND LODGE .
The following is the agenda paper for Wednesday , March 2 nd : — 1 . The regulations forthe government of Grand Lodge during the time of public business will be read .
2 . The minutes of the Quarterly Communication of the 1 st December , 1 SS 0 , will be read and put for confirmation . 3 . Election of a M . W . Grand Master . 4 . Election of a Grand Treasurer . 5 . Report of the Lodge of Benevolence for the last quarter , in which are recommendations forthe following grants , ; viz .:
—The widow of a brother of the Metropolitan Lodge , No . 1507 , London £ 50 o o The widow of a brother of the St . James ' Lodge , No . 7 G 5 , Southwark 50 o o A brother of the Howe Lodge , No . 5 S 7 , Birmingham 75 o o A brother of the Victoria Lodge , No . 1056 ,
London 75 o o A brother of the Silent Temple Lodge , No . 126 , Burnley , Lancashire ... ... ... ... 100 o o A brother of the East Medina Lodge , No . 175 , Ryde , Isle of Wight 75 o o A brother of the British Lodge , No . 73 C , Mauritius 50 o o
A brother of the Isca Lodge , No . 6 S 3 , Newport , Monmouthshire ... ... ... ... 150 o o A brother of the Ivy Lodge , No , 1441 , Camberwell 50 o o A brother of the Lodge of Merit , No . 934 , Whitehead , Lancashire 50 o o 6 . REPORT OF THE BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES .
To the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England . The Board of General Purposes beg to report that : 1 st . The Lodge No . S 71 ( Royal Oak ) , having laid before the Board a formal complaint against Bro . Robert Harman , Immediate Past Master , for retaining in his possession the minute and other books belonging to the lodge , and
refusing to hand them over to the Worshipful Master , the Board proceeded to deal with the complaint , and caused Bro . Harman , and also the Worshipful Master and Secretary of the lodge in question , to appear before them . 2 nd . The matter having been fully gone into and the parties heard , thc Board unanimously resolved , and ordered , as follows : — 1 st . That the lodge books , improperly retained by Bro .
Robert Harman , I . P . M ., after his vacation from the chair ° f the Lodge No . S 71 , be handed to the Worshipful Master of thc lodge forthwith . . 2 nd . That the conduct of Bro . Robert Harman , in thus improperly retaining the books of the lodge , is , in the opinion of the Board , a Masonic offence proved to their ^ f'sfaction , and that he will be , therefore , suspended fiom a 1 ' his Masonic functions until the further order of the Board .
( Signed ) J B . MONCKTON , „ President , ' reemasons' Hall , London , W . C . T 15 th February , 1 SS 1 . j lo the report is subjoined a statement of the Grand
- '"_ - accounts at tne last meeting ot tlie finance Loinrnittee , held on Friday , the nth inst ., showing a balance in of Uard { of England of £ 5977 6 s . Sd . ; and in the hands the Grand Secretary for petty cash £ 75 , and for servant s' wages £ cfi 15 s .
United Grand Lodge.
7 . Report of Bro . R . P . Harding , auditor of Grand Lodge accounts , of receipts and disbursements during the year 1 SS 0 . 8 . PROPOSED MOTIONS : — 1 . Bro . John M . Clabon , P . G . D ., President of the Lodge of Benevolence .
That inasmuch as the recommendation by the Lodge of Benevolence to Grand Lodge , that a grant of £ " 100 should be made to Bro . Hugh R . Edwards , came to an end by his death , the Lodge of Benevolence be empowered , to the extent of that sum , to repay any expenses incurred for his benefit during his life or in relation to his death . « . 2 . By Bro . Tudor Trevor , P . M ., No . 944 , Bombay , now of No . 41 , Bath , and late of No . 1511 , Hornsea .
That in consideration of the very exceptional circumstances of his application for pecuniary assistance , and that he has been much embarrassed by the unmasonic litigation which ensued in defiance of the principles of the Cratt , and especially of No . 6 of Antient Charges and Regulations , consequent on the part he took in the exclusion from his lodge , No . 1511 , of an offending brother ( which exclusion
was approved by the Provincial Grand Master ) , this Grand Lodge is pleased as a special case to direct the grant of £ 150 from the Fund of General Purposes to Bro . Tudor Trevor , P . M ., & c , in aid of his costs in defending the action "Bro . Voigtversus Bros . Carr , Laking , and'Trevor , " tried at Leeds in August last , and in respect of which costs Bro . Trevor affirms that he has already paid £ 16943 . 1 id ., and that he has been greatly impoverished thereby .
New Lodges.
NEW LODGES .
List of lodges for which warrants have been granted by the M . W . Grand Master since the last Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge : —
Lodge 1 SS 7 , St . Hilda , Wallingford , Berks . „ iSSS , St . John ' s , Featherstone , Wellington , N . Z . „ 1 SS 9 , St . Andrew ' s , Bedford , South Africa , E . Div „ iSgo , Broad Arrow , St . George ' s , Bermuda . „ 1 S 91 , St . Ambrose , Kensington . „ 1 S 92 , The Wallington , Carshalton , Surrey . „ 1 S 93 , The Lumley , Skegness , Lincolnshire . ,, 1 S 94 , The Herschel , Slough , Buckinghamshire . „ 1 S 95 , The Thames , Henley-on-Thames , Oxfordshire „ 1 S 96 , The Audley , Newport , Shropshire . „ 1 S 97 , The Citadel , Harrow , Middlesex .
Masonic History—Ii.
MASONIC HISTORY—II .
BY ROBERT FREKE GOULD . Continued from page 67 , No . C 23 . In the second ( English ) edition of Bro . Findel ' s work , at P . 137 , the following appears : " His [ Desaguliers' ] love of mechanics , and the prominent part which that science plays in Operative Masonry ,
no doubt induced him to become a member of the Fraternity . He soon , however , found that the brethren could teach him nothing . On the other hand , the spirit of toleration which he found prevailing .... inspired him with the idea of reconstructing the Society on a basis which should unite together in harmony those who were divided b y religious and political schisms , " Sic , Sic .
I he paragraph just given is contained in a foot note , and appended thereto , between brackets , are the words "See ' Masonic Eclectic , ' Vol . L , No . 4 . " Bro . D . M . Lyon , in his " History of the Lodge of Edinburgh , " at p . 150 , give ? , the same extract word for word . On referring to the " New England Freemason " for August , 1 S 74 , ( sent me by Past G . M . Nickerson , Mass . ) ,
at p . 370 , under the title "Historical and Bibliographical Memoranda , " by Hon . Josiah H . Drummond , Past Grand Master of Maine , I find "' The Masonic Eclectic '—A monthly magazine edited by lohn W . Simons and Robert Macoy , and published in New York . Three volumes were issued , and then it was discontinued" [ 1 SC 7 ] .
Now , in what 1 am about to say , I carefully guard myself from being supposed in any way to reflect upon the ability and learning of Bros . Simons and Macoy . Both these brethren are well known as ripe Masonic scholars . Bro . Simons was Grand Master of New York in 1 S 60 , and is now the Masonic editor of the New York Dispatch . His annual report on " Foreign Correspondence , " is one of the very
best of those retrospects of Freemasonry , with which all readers of American Grand Lodge " proceedings" are familiar . Bro . Macoy is a Masonic author of repute , and at present holds the position of Grand Recorder of the Knights Templar of New York . But can any excuse be suggested for the adoption by Bros . I . ndel and Lyon of the startling assertions in the
"Masonic Eclectic ? " 'These distinguished historians appear , indeed , to have worked in this instance , on the lines marked out by John Aubrey , who ( in his " Perambulation of the County of Surrey" ) says : " And I now set things down tumultuarily , as if tumbled out of a sack , as they come to my hand ! ! "
Each of these eminent Masonic writers—in an historical work—incorporates with a narrative of the proceedings of the Grand Lodge of England , a highl y imaginative magazine article ; dealing with and summaril y deciding one of the most important points in English Masonic history . As a suggestion , speculation , or theory , the " reconstruction of the Society" by Desaguliers may , perhaps , be soberly
Masonic History—Ii.
entertained , but as the statement of a fact , and unsupported by a scintilla of evidence , its appearance in such " Masonic Classics , " as Findel's "History of Freemasonry , " and Lj'on ' s " History of the Lodge of Edinburgh , is calculated , to say the least , to seriously weaken the authority of those standard works .
It seems to me in the highest degree improbable that either Payne cr Desaguliers took part in the creation of the Grand Lodge of England . Anthony Sayer , the " premier Grand Master , " was clearly an " Operative , " in the ordinary , if not in the " Masonic , " sense of that term , and having regard to thc ascendency which the " Speculatives " or gentlemen speedily established over the " Operatives" or
working men , from the earliest known period of the former class being heard of in Grand Lodge Masonry , I believe that if Payne or Desaguliers had been present at the "Goose and Gridiron" ale-house , on St . John ' s Day , 1717—or if they had participated in the movement which culminated in the meeting of that date—one or other of them would have been elected Grand Master . Of the proceedings of this meeting , a very meagre record
endures . A "hearsay" account , appears for the first time in Anderson's Constitutions of 173 S , twenty-one years subsequent to the great event then described . Our confidence , moreover , in the accuracy of this narrative , sustains a rude shock , if we venture on a comparison with the previous statements of Anderson in his earlier Constitutions of 1723 . Jacob Lamball , carpenter , * the Senior Grand Warden of 1717 , was a regular attendant at Grand Lodge until
1742 , and must have approved , if he did not communicate , the details of the " revival ; " otherwise I should experience much difficulty in yielding credence to Dr . Anderson ' s description of this occurrence . Payne , I think , must have joined the Fraternity during 1717-18 , and Desaguliers in the following year . The latter , to my mind , could hardly have been a member at the period of the former ' s election as Grand Master . I do not think
that then , or at any other time , he overshadowed Payne in Masonic circles , otherwise he would have been continued as Grand Master in 1720 , instead of having to give way to his predecessor of 1718 . It is , however , almost certain , that had Desaguliers been a member of the Society at the date of Payne ' s ^? , st Grand Mastership ( 1718 ) , the learned natural philosopher would have been elected a Grand Warden .
Anderson , I imagine , must have joined in 1721 . It is unlikely that he became a Freemason very long before receiving his mandate to digest the old Gothic Constitutions ( 29 th September , 1721 ) . I ground this impression chiefly upon the gross ignorance of Masonic history ( 1717-23 ) , displayed in hisj first Book of Constitutions ( 1723 ) , though his tardy preferment to the office of Grand Warden—1723—also weighs with me in forming an opinion . His
later work ( 173 S ) it is true , has been rightly termed " The Basis of Masonic History , " but whilst thankful for the additional facts which that publication discloses , the Critical Student ( if such a being exists ) , cannot but lament , that such a mass of contradictions and discrepancies , should be presented by a collation of the two Constitution-book _ i for which Anderson was responsible . It has been the custom of Masonic historians , to dub
Payne a "learned Antiquarian ; " indeed , in this habit , to quote Bro . Hughan— " We have copied the one from the other , with any amount of credulity and assurance . " His name , however , is not to be found amongst those of the fellows or members of the " Society of Antiquaries ; " an association called into existence contemporaneously with the Grand Lodge of England ( 1717 ) . From his nonmembership of this Society , it may , perhaps , be inferred
that his archaeological tastes were strictly of a " Masonic " character . The recorded proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Eng land , date from 1723 . In the first volume of these records , the names of the membersof the fouroldororiginal lodges are given . Amongst those of Nos . 1 ( Antiquity ) , 2 ( defunct ) , 3 ( Fortitude and O . C . ) , appear no brethren of note—Anthony Sayer excepted—who is shown on the roll of No . 3 .
_ I he members of N 0 . 4 ( Somerset House ) were very numerous in 1723 , and still more so in 1725 . In the list of the former . year appear the names of the Dukes of Richmond and Eluetnsborough ; Marquis Des Marches ; Earl Deloraine ; ords Paisley , Waldegrave , and Carmichael ; Counts La Lippe and Watzdorf ; Baron Dis Kaw ; Sir Richard Manningham , Sir Adolphus Oughton , Sir Robert Rich , and Sir Thomas Prendergast ; many " Honourables ; " seven Colonels ; a Major and Captain . According to Anderson ' s
narrative of 1738 , this was the lodge , then held at the Rummer and Grapes , Channel-row , Westminster , which in 1717 joined with original Nos . 1 , 2 , and 3 , in establishing the Grand Lodge of England . The process of its conversion from a lodge of working men ( 1717 ) , into an association comprising all the "notables" of the society ( 1723 ) , is one of the many puzzles of the period of transition ( 1717-23 ) . t It is possible that Payne and Desaguliers were the first "Speculative " members , and upon this point I will presently offer some remarks , but for thc moment ,
* It is well to be accurate , even in trifles ; and as all subsequent writers have copied wrongly from Anderson , I draw attention to the corrections at the end of the 1738 Constitutions . Bro . Findel , and others , will theie see that the carpenter , and not the captain , was placed as the
Senior of the Grand Wardens in the year 1717 . _ t As 110 date of Constitution was assigned to this lodge in the Engraved List of 1729 , though its seniors , Nos . 1 and 2 , were placed at 16 91 and 1712 respectively , it seems probable that the traditions of the lodge died out along with its operative element .