The Four Old Lodges.

Lodge * and it is UOAV the Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge No . 4 . Orig inal No . 4 became No . 3 in list of 1729 ( possibly

earlier ) , No . 2 oa that of 1740 ( 1738 Constit , ); but on List of 1750 there appeared but one Time Immemorial Lodge , as original No . 4 , then No . 2 , had been struck off the roll in pursuance of the following order of Grand Lodge : —

" April 3 , 1747 . —Ordered that the Lodge No . 2 , at the Horn , in Westminster , not attending according to the order of the last Quarterly Communication , be crazed out of the Book of Lodges . " +

Four years later , £ this Lodge resumed its olcl position on the Roll , the following entry in the Constitutions explaining the reason of its restoration : —• " Sept . 4 , 1751 . —Upon the petition of several Avorthy

brethren , after a long debate , ifc Avas ordered , that in respect to Brother Payne , late Grand Master , the Lodge No . 2 , lately held afc the Horn in Palace Yard , Westminster , should be restored , and have its former rank and place in tho list of Lodges . " ||

13 . —LIST No . G . PINE'S LIST OF LODGES—1723 . EAKH OF DALKEITH G . M . 1723 .

Goose and Gridiron ... Sfc . Paul's Church yard Queen ' s Head Knave ' s Aero Queen ' s Head Turnstile Moon ( or-Black Ball ?) ... Arundel Sfc . Horn Westminster Head ? Ivy Lane Griffin NeAVgate Street

3 Swans Poultry 3 Compasses Silver Street 3 Fishes ? In the Strand Crown and Cushion ? ... King ' s Street West Greyhound Fleet Street

Crown Near Cripplegate Rummer Charring Cross Crescent In the Strand Sfc . John ' s Gate Clerkenwell Castlo Drury Lane DB ¦ )

and > , Southampton St ., Covenfc Garden Fignre ) Castle ? St . Giles EC } and S Charring Cross Figure J Swan Fish Street Hill

Bull Southwark Anchor Dutchy Lane , iu the Strand Baptist Head ? Chancery Lane Sun ? Clave Market Crescent Cbeapsido Crown Behind the Royal Exchange Swan Ludgatc Street

PP } and > Cavendish Street Figure ) Ben ' s Coffee House ... New Bond Street

Ship ... ... .. Dartholotnew Lane Arms ? St , Paul ' s Church Yard Queen ' s Head Great Queens Street Crown St . John ' s Wapping

St . George and Dragon ? ... Charring Cross Ship Behind y Royal Exchange Dolphin ? Tower Street Arms ? At Edgworth Crown ... At Acton

The Busybody and Figure Charring Cross , near the Hay Market Dick ' s Coffee House ... By y New Church iu y ° Strand Ship Without Temple Barr Nag ' s Head Princess Street by Drury Lane Ship Fish Street Hill Bell King ' s Street , Westminster

Crown aud Anchor ... Against St , Clement ' s Ch . in y Strand Boar Near Shoe Lane , Fleet Street Mitro Near Temple Burr , Fleet Street Tom ' s Coll ' ee House ... Clare Street , near Clare Market Lion ? Tottenham Court Road Two Posts ? Near Middle Row , Holborn

The Four Old Lodges.

This , as before stated ( see § 4 ) , is the earliest of the engraved lists : the " Signs of the houses , " as continues to be the practice throughout tho entire series , are shown in miniature , and their exact signification cannot always bo conjectured , especially with regard to " Coats of Arms , " and " effigies " of contemporary celebrities .

If tho Lodge meeting at the Anchor , in Dutchy-lane ( fcAventy-third in order on above list ) is rightly identified as existing No . -0 , constituted 28 th March 1723 ( See § 4 , List 2 ) : then Ave can arrive at no other conclusion than thafc precedency by virtue of seniority of Constitution , has been

entirely ignored . Excluding the four old Lodges , which are probably afc , or near , the top of list , Ave should find , assuming the list had been arranged in chronological order , that nineteen Lodges , ending with the Anchor in Dutchylane , had been Warranted between 1717 and 28 th March

1723 ; Avhilst , in the short period from March 1723 , to , say , even December same year ( Pine ' s first list Avas probably brought out some two or three months niter Sfc . John Baptist Day , 24 th Jane ) no less than twenty eight additional Lodges were added to the roll ! ( See § 11 , Note 4 ) .

§ 14 . —LIST No . 7 . DESCRIPTION 1776 C ) - DESCRIPTION 1781 ( a ) . DESCRIPTION 1878 . Mitre , Fleet-street ; Lodge of Antiquity Lodge of Antiquity . Adelphi , Strand Somerset House Royal Somerset Honse Lodge & Inverness L . Star and Garter , New Lodge of Friendship L . of Friendship .

Bond St . Sun , Curzonsfc ., May British Lodge British L . Fair Talbot , Tottenham- Tyrian Lodgo Westminster & Keyet . Rd . stone L .

Running Horse , Da- Ionic Lodge Royal Alpha L . vid sfc ., Grosv . Sq . Kings Arms , New Tuscan Lodge Tuscan L . Bond st . Roebuck , Oxford- Lodge of Fortitude Fortitude & Old Cum .

street berland L . Red Lion , Sfc . W ; ip . Dundee Arms Lodgo Old Dundee L . ping Post Office ( Chat- Kentish Lodge of Royal Kent ; Lodge of bam ) Antiquity Antiquity ( Chatham ) .

( i ) Freemasons' Calendar , 1776 . ( 2 ) Ibid ., 1781 . The very general assumption of distinctive names by Lodges within the short space of five years ( 177 G-1781 ) , is worthy of more attention than the subject has yet received .

" Lists of Lodges' referred to : — EN-OKAYED LISTS ( 18 ) . —1723 ; 1725 ; 1736 ; 1738-41 ; 1744-5 1750 ; 1752-55 . —( G . Secy . ' s Office . ) 1729 ; 1734 : 1763 .- ( Pub . by Bro . W

J . Hngban . ) MISCELLANEOUS LISTS ( 14 ) . —1722 ; 1738 ; 1756 . —( Constit . ) 1730 ( Hughan ) ; 1733 ( Rawlinson ) . 1735 ( Picart ) ; 1764 ( Poclcet Companion ); 1765 ( J . Cooke ); 1775-6 ; 1781 ; 1788 f 7 Ai ' i > Amn unit *& rin 7 /» ii / 7 rf ** l 1707 / TP . XTrt *«*

berry ); 1813-14 ( Hnghan ' s Mas . Mem . ) TI 10 " FRIENDSHIP" met in 1723 at the Head , Ivy Lane ; 1730-5 the Swan , Hampstead ; 1736-41 Shakespear ' s Head , Marlbro St . ; 1756 George , Grafton St ., St . Anne ' s ; 1763-5 Sun and Punch

Bowl , High Holborn ; 1775-0 Star and Garter , New Bond St ., appear , ing as tho Lodge of Friendship in 1781 . The "BRITISH" met in 1729-30 at Tom ' s Coffee Honse , Clare St ., Clare Market ; 1735-56 Brautid ' s Head , New Bond St . ; 1763-5 Crown and Rolls ; 1775 King ' s Arms , Oxford St . ; 1776 the Sun , Cansoa St .,

Mayfair ; and in list for 1781 is styled tho British Lodge . The " WESTSUXSTEU AND KEYSTONE" met in 1729-44 afc the Rummer , Queen St ., Cheapside ; 1750-56 Tower St ., Seven Dials ; 1763-5 Fox and Goose , Seven Dials ; 1775-6 Talbot , Tottenham Court Road ; 1781-8 styled the Tyrian Lodge .

Tho "ROI - ALPHA " met 1729-35 at the Tun , Noble St .: 1736-45 Red Cross Barr , Barbican ; 1750-4 SOD , Milk St . ; 1755-6 Crown , Leadenhall St . ; 1763-76 Running Horse , David St ., Grosvenor Sq . ; styled tho Ionic Lodge 1781-97 ; aud the United Lodge Ionic aud Prudence in 1814 .

The " TL - SCAN " mot 1729-30 Lion and Shield , Brewer Sfc . ; 1734-76 King ' s Arms , New Bond St . ; styled the Tuscan Lodge in 1781 . The "OLD DUNDEE" met 1729-30 at the Three Tans , Swifchin ' s Alley ; 1734-9 Castle , Drury Lane ; 1740-45 New Crane , Wapping ; 1750-76 Dundee Arms , Wapping ; styled in 1781 the Dundee Arms

Lodge . The"RovAL KENT LODGE or ANTIQUITV" met 1723-30 at the Anchor , Dutchy Lane ; 1734 Covenfc Garden ; 1735 Bedford , Cavent

Garden : 1738-45 Bnry ' s Coffee House , Bridge ' s St . ; 1750 . 56 Grapes , Chatham ; 1763-5 Globe , Chatham ; 1775-6 Post Office , Chatham ; styled in the 1781 list tho Kentish Lodge of Antiquity . ( T Q & e imUimd . )