Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Right Hon. The Earl Of Zetland, M.W. Grand Master.
THE RIGHT HON . THE EARL OF ZETLAND , M . W . GRAND MASTER .
LO . VBOiV , S . lTCUDAi ; uCTOliEll 15 , 1850 .
Is presenting our readers with a portrait of tlie Most Worshipful Grand Master , as the first of a series of distinguished Masons , it will naturally be expected that we should accompany it AA * ith a brief sketch of his lordship ' s career as a Mason . Tiie Eight Hon . Thomas . Dundas , Earl of Zetland ,
Baron Dundas in the county of York , and a baronet , born Feb . 5 th , 1795 , is , we are informed by Lord Woodhouselec , " descended from a family to which the historian and the genealogist have assigned an origin of high antiquity and sp lendour , but which has been still more remarkable for producing a scries of men eminently distinguished for their
public sendees in the highest offices in Scotland . " The immediate ancestors of tlie present noble earl were Lawrence Dundas , Esq ., of ELerso , commissary general and contractor to the army from 1748 to 1759 , and who AA-as created a baronet on the 16 th Nov ., 1762 . Sir Thomas married Margaret , a daughter of Major Alexander Bruce , of Kennet ,
by whom he had one son . Sir Thomas , born in 1741 , succeeded to the title in 1781 , and was elevated to tho peerage as Baron Dundas , of Aske , county York , on the 13 th August . His lordship married ou May 24 th , 17 G 4 , Lady Charlotte ¦ Wentworth , the second daughter of AVilliam second Earl Fitzwilliam , by whom he had issue six sons and five daughters .
On his death in 1820 , he was succeeded by his eldest son Lawrence , born April 10 th , 1766 , who was created Earl of Zetland in 1838 . His lordship , who married Harriet , third daughter of General John Hale , had issue four sons and three daughters , and on his death in . Feb ., 1839 , was succeeded by the present Earl , who married in September , 1823 , Sophia . Jane , daughter of the late Sir Hedworth Williamson , Bart ., but has
no issue . His lordship was initiated into Freemasonry as the Hon . Thos . Dundas , in the Prince of Wales ' s Lodge , No . 324 , on the 18 th of June , 1830 , and served the office of Worshi pful Master in that Lodge . On the 25 th of April , 1832 , his lordship was appointed Senior Grand Warden , and paid
the fine to the Fund of Benevolence , lie not having served the oflice of Grancl Steward . Upon the 24 th of April , 1839 , he ivas appointed Deputy Grand Master , and upon the death of the Earl of Durham , in 1840 , Pro Grand Master , which office he held at the time of the death of the Grand Master his royal highness the Duke of Sussex , in April , 1843 , a ICAV
days before that appointed for the Grand Festival . By a law passed only a short time before , it was declared that if the death of a Grand Master should take place between thc animal pjeriods of election , tlie Pro Grand Master—should there be such an officer— -should execute the duties of Grancl Master until the next period of election , and be invested with
ah the attributes and privileges of an actual Grand Master . ' -The Earl of Zetland accordingly continued to exercise the duties of Grand Master until the Gth of the following March , when he ivas regularly elected , his installation taking place on the 24 th of April 1844 . His lordship has since been
, annuall y re-elected ; and though in our opinion it would lie ' more to thc advantage of tlie Order to have an occasional change , the majority of Grand Lodge have expressed a dif-| W'iit opinion ; aud it must he confessed that if the olViee ' ¦' ' to be continuous , then ; is no ' brother more worthy in iill
it than fche noble em *] . Firm mit ' courteous in his demeanour to all , liis lordship has proved himself , even iu cases of great difficulty , equal to the situation ; and has determined to rule with impartial justice , even though it may involve the sacrifice of his OAVII preconceived opinions . During his lordship ' s tenure of office Masonry has widely spread—there
being at the time of his installation only 716 Lodges on the register , of which about 470 were in England—whilst at the present time the last number upon the list is 1101 , of which 596 areiu England—thc total number , after deducting those recently expunged and the Canadian Lodges , being about 960 ; and if ive have not succeeded in keeping the
Canadian Lodges in connection with us , we believe that it is the proud boast , of the large majority of the Canadian brethren that they / took the initiative and their beino- from the Grand Lodge of England . In thc distribution ° of his patronage—thoughlit would be impossible that some should not occasionally be , ' and justly , disappointed—Ave believe his
lordshi p has alwaysVexercised the utmost impartiality ; when he has erred , it has arisen from the want of information which others ought to have supplied , or from his too readil y giving ear to those whose duty it was to provide him onl y Avith trustworthy aud accurate information ; but sure we are that no brother has more truly the interests of the Craft at
heart , or has a greater desire to advance brethren only according to their merit than his lordship . The prizes , hoivever , are but few , whilst the claimants are many , - and even tlie most deserving must therefore be occasionall y disappointed in their aspirations . We may here add that in addition to the other honours
conferred upon tho noble earl by his royal highness the Duke of Sussex , he received from his royal hi ghness ' s hands the Provincial Grand Mastership of North and East Yorkshire , which he still continues to hold .
Our noble brother AA'as exalted into Eoyal Arch Masonry in the Prince of Wales ' s Chapter on the 1 st of June , 1832 , and served the office of each of tlie Principals . Pursuant to the laws of the Order , his lordship became Second Grand Principal upon his appointment as Deputy Grand Mastei * . As Pro Grand Master he became . . First Grand Principal
immediately on thc death of his royal highness the Duke of Sussex , and , of course , continued in that office upon being elected Grand Master—the Grand Master being at all times ex officio First Grand Principal . It is worthy of remark that his lordship ' s family have ever taken great interest in the prosperity of the Craft and
, that Lord Dundas , grandfather of the present Grand Master , was appointed Deputy Grand Master b y his royal hi ghness the Duke of Sussex on the day of his first installation as Grand Master in succession to his royal hi ghness tlie Prince Regent . ' Lord Dundas continued in that office until the 21 st of April , when he was succeeded by his son Lawrence , tlie J . •/ J U .. W
' second Lord Dundas . Upon his lordship going abroad , in 1822 , he was succeeded in his office b y General Sir John Doyle . On the 27 th of April , 1825 , his lordship ivas appointed Deputy Grand Master , and continued to hold the office until tho 30 th of April , 1834 , whon he ivas appointed Fro Grand Master , which oflice lie held until his deathin 1839
, —he having in the previous year been created Earl of Zetland . His lordship Avas succeeded as Pro Grand Master b y the late Earl of Durham , the then D . G . M . , and trie 2 n * esent Earl of Zetland , as we have stated above , was appointed Deputy Grand Master , from which time he Iras continuouslybeen in office . Thc noble carl is a liberal supporter of our
various charities , of all of which his lordship is president , having also served the oflice of steward at different festivals of those institutions . Prior to succeeding to tho peerage , his lordship for some years represented Richmond , Yorkshire , in the House of Commons , on liberal principles , which he Iras since supported in the House of Louis , though nevrr inking a very active part in polities .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Right Hon. The Earl Of Zetland, M.W. Grand Master.
THE RIGHT HON . THE EARL OF ZETLAND , M . W . GRAND MASTER .
LO . VBOiV , S . lTCUDAi ; uCTOliEll 15 , 1850 .
Is presenting our readers with a portrait of tlie Most Worshipful Grand Master , as the first of a series of distinguished Masons , it will naturally be expected that we should accompany it AA * ith a brief sketch of his lordship ' s career as a Mason . Tiie Eight Hon . Thomas . Dundas , Earl of Zetland ,
Baron Dundas in the county of York , and a baronet , born Feb . 5 th , 1795 , is , we are informed by Lord Woodhouselec , " descended from a family to which the historian and the genealogist have assigned an origin of high antiquity and sp lendour , but which has been still more remarkable for producing a scries of men eminently distinguished for their
public sendees in the highest offices in Scotland . " The immediate ancestors of tlie present noble earl were Lawrence Dundas , Esq ., of ELerso , commissary general and contractor to the army from 1748 to 1759 , and who AA-as created a baronet on the 16 th Nov ., 1762 . Sir Thomas married Margaret , a daughter of Major Alexander Bruce , of Kennet ,
by whom he had one son . Sir Thomas , born in 1741 , succeeded to the title in 1781 , and was elevated to tho peerage as Baron Dundas , of Aske , county York , on the 13 th August . His lordship married ou May 24 th , 17 G 4 , Lady Charlotte ¦ Wentworth , the second daughter of AVilliam second Earl Fitzwilliam , by whom he had issue six sons and five daughters .
On his death in 1820 , he was succeeded by his eldest son Lawrence , born April 10 th , 1766 , who was created Earl of Zetland in 1838 . His lordship , who married Harriet , third daughter of General John Hale , had issue four sons and three daughters , and on his death in . Feb ., 1839 , was succeeded by the present Earl , who married in September , 1823 , Sophia . Jane , daughter of the late Sir Hedworth Williamson , Bart ., but has
no issue . His lordship was initiated into Freemasonry as the Hon . Thos . Dundas , in the Prince of Wales ' s Lodge , No . 324 , on the 18 th of June , 1830 , and served the office of Worshi pful Master in that Lodge . On the 25 th of April , 1832 , his lordship was appointed Senior Grand Warden , and paid
the fine to the Fund of Benevolence , lie not having served the oflice of Grancl Steward . Upon the 24 th of April , 1839 , he ivas appointed Deputy Grand Master , and upon the death of the Earl of Durham , in 1840 , Pro Grand Master , which office he held at the time of the death of the Grand Master his royal highness the Duke of Sussex , in April , 1843 , a ICAV
days before that appointed for the Grand Festival . By a law passed only a short time before , it was declared that if the death of a Grand Master should take place between thc animal pjeriods of election , tlie Pro Grand Master—should there be such an officer— -should execute the duties of Grancl Master until the next period of election , and be invested with
ah the attributes and privileges of an actual Grand Master . ' -The Earl of Zetland accordingly continued to exercise the duties of Grand Master until the Gth of the following March , when he ivas regularly elected , his installation taking place on the 24 th of April 1844 . His lordship has since been
, annuall y re-elected ; and though in our opinion it would lie ' more to thc advantage of tlie Order to have an occasional change , the majority of Grand Lodge have expressed a dif-| W'iit opinion ; aud it must he confessed that if the olViee ' ¦' ' to be continuous , then ; is no ' brother more worthy in iill
it than fche noble em *] . Firm mit ' courteous in his demeanour to all , liis lordship has proved himself , even iu cases of great difficulty , equal to the situation ; and has determined to rule with impartial justice , even though it may involve the sacrifice of his OAVII preconceived opinions . During his lordship ' s tenure of office Masonry has widely spread—there
being at the time of his installation only 716 Lodges on the register , of which about 470 were in England—whilst at the present time the last number upon the list is 1101 , of which 596 areiu England—thc total number , after deducting those recently expunged and the Canadian Lodges , being about 960 ; and if ive have not succeeded in keeping the
Canadian Lodges in connection with us , we believe that it is the proud boast , of the large majority of the Canadian brethren that they / took the initiative and their beino- from the Grand Lodge of England . In thc distribution ° of his patronage—thoughlit would be impossible that some should not occasionally be , ' and justly , disappointed—Ave believe his
lordshi p has alwaysVexercised the utmost impartiality ; when he has erred , it has arisen from the want of information which others ought to have supplied , or from his too readil y giving ear to those whose duty it was to provide him onl y Avith trustworthy aud accurate information ; but sure we are that no brother has more truly the interests of the Craft at
heart , or has a greater desire to advance brethren only according to their merit than his lordship . The prizes , hoivever , are but few , whilst the claimants are many , - and even tlie most deserving must therefore be occasionall y disappointed in their aspirations . We may here add that in addition to the other honours
conferred upon tho noble earl by his royal highness the Duke of Sussex , he received from his royal hi ghness ' s hands the Provincial Grand Mastership of North and East Yorkshire , which he still continues to hold .
Our noble brother AA'as exalted into Eoyal Arch Masonry in the Prince of Wales ' s Chapter on the 1 st of June , 1832 , and served the office of each of tlie Principals . Pursuant to the laws of the Order , his lordship became Second Grand Principal upon his appointment as Deputy Grand Mastei * . As Pro Grand Master he became . . First Grand Principal
immediately on thc death of his royal highness the Duke of Sussex , and , of course , continued in that office upon being elected Grand Master—the Grand Master being at all times ex officio First Grand Principal . It is worthy of remark that his lordship ' s family have ever taken great interest in the prosperity of the Craft and
, that Lord Dundas , grandfather of the present Grand Master , was appointed Deputy Grand Master b y his royal hi ghness the Duke of Sussex on the day of his first installation as Grand Master in succession to his royal hi ghness tlie Prince Regent . ' Lord Dundas continued in that office until the 21 st of April , when he was succeeded by his son Lawrence , tlie J . •/ J U .. W
' second Lord Dundas . Upon his lordship going abroad , in 1822 , he was succeeded in his office b y General Sir John Doyle . On the 27 th of April , 1825 , his lordship ivas appointed Deputy Grand Master , and continued to hold the office until tho 30 th of April , 1834 , whon he ivas appointed Fro Grand Master , which oflice lie held until his deathin 1839
, —he having in the previous year been created Earl of Zetland . His lordship Avas succeeded as Pro Grand Master b y the late Earl of Durham , the then D . G . M . , and trie 2 n * esent Earl of Zetland , as we have stated above , was appointed Deputy Grand Master , from which time he Iras continuouslybeen in office . Thc noble carl is a liberal supporter of our
various charities , of all of which his lordship is president , having also served the oflice of steward at different festivals of those institutions . Prior to succeeding to tho peerage , his lordship for some years represented Richmond , Yorkshire , in the House of Commons , on liberal principles , which he Iras since supported in the House of Louis , though nevrr inking a very active part in polities .