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Article BETWEEN 1776 AND 1876. Page 1 of 2 Article BETWEEN 1776 AND 1876. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Between 1776 And 1876.
BETWEEN 1776 AND 1876 .
AS centennial celebrations appear to be the order of the clay among onr Transatlantic friends , there is a certain propriety in calling attention to tho fact that only a few weeks are wanting to complete a century since our Freemasons' Hall , in Great Queen-street , was opened and dedicated , in solemn form , to the service of the Craft .
Preston , in his Illustrations , says , that " In commemoration of an event so pleasing to the Society , it was agreed that the anniversary of the ceremony should be ever after regularly kept . " Whether Grand Lodge will think it worth while to note the centennial anniversary by any special
ceremony , is a question which Grand Locige alone is competent to decide . As tho leading organ of the Craft , however , in this country , wo may be pardoned for thinking this an opportune moment for contrasting the present condition of our Order with what it was a hundred years ago , when , for
the first time in its history , the Grand Lodge of England found a settled habitation not unworthy of its high position . Lord Petre , whose full-length portrait must be familiar to members of Grand Locige as one of the series of portraits which adorn its Avails , was Grand Master both when tho first
stone was laid in May 1775 , and when the hall was solemnl y opened and dedicated on the 23 rd May of the following year . Tho Craft of the day were much indebted to his lordship for the active zeal he showed in promoting its interests and extending its influence . During a reio-n of
five years , extending from 1772 to 1777 , Lord Petre never missed an opportunity of doing what lay in his power to advance tlie well-being of the Society . He granted several provincial deputations , and many new Lodges were added to the roll , so that , to use Preston ' s words , "underhis banner
the Society became truly respectable . " But in his day the world of Masonry by no means enjoyed a perfect tranquillit y . The schism which had existed some years had become more
pronounced than ever by the election of the Duke of Athol to be Grand Master of the so-called Ancients , and hardl y had Lord Petre vacated the chair of the Moderns in favour of the Duke of Manchester , when troubles arose within the
jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of England—as contra-distinguished from the Grand Lodge of all England under the old Institutions—itself . A dispute arose between it and the Lodge of Antiquity , owing to some members of the latter having attended St . Dnnstan ' s Church ancl marched to the
Mitre Tavern in full Masonic costume . Tho dispute became further embittered , and at length the Lod ^ e of Antiquity withdrew its allegiance from Grand Locige , published a manifesto in vindication of its conduct , ancl avowed alliance with the Lodge of York . Happier influences ,
however , in time prevailed . In 1790 , the difference was healed , ancl the Lodgo of Antiquity resumed its position on the roll of Grand Lodgo . But in spite of such partial drawbacks , the cause of Masonry made considerable progress , especially in the East , where the eldest son of the Nabob
of the Carnatic was initiated , and honoured by Grand Locige with the present of an apron elegantly decorated , and a handsomely bound copy of the Book of Constitutions , of which a new edition had been published in 1775 . This present the young Indian Prince suitably and Gratefully
acknowledged in a letter to the Grand Master . In 1782 His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland , who , with his brother of Gloucester , had been initiated into Masonry in the year 17 ( 30 , was elected Grand Master—the Duke of York having been initiated tho year previous—and appointed the Earl of Effingham to be Acting or Pro Grand
Between 1776 And 1876.
Master . In 1786 , Princo William ( afterwards William IV . ) was initiated in a Plymouth Lidsje , and the year following Geo . Princo of Wales ancl tho Duke of York became Masons , His Royal Highness the Grand Master presiding in person at the initiation of the two last . Tho beginning of this
year was further marked by the opening , in London , of the Grand Chapter of Harodim , while in 1788 a still more im portant event occurred , namely , the institution of the Girls ' School , under the patronage of Her Grace of Cumberland , and mainly by the exertions of the Chevalier Ruspini . Tho
beginning was small , only fifteen children being taken into a house , rented for tho purpose at Somers Town , on 1 st January 1789 ; but since then it has grown so considerably that close on one hundred and fifty girls are now maintained and educated at the expense of the Craft , and no lono- time hence the number will be increased to over two
hundred . At the Grand Feast , held on the 2 nd May 1790 , the GrancP Master presided , attended by his nephews , the Princo of Wales ancl the Dukes of York and Clarence , and some five hundred brethren , and tho occasion was made memorable by the reinstatement of tho Locige of Antiquity
in all its privileges . This , however , was the Duke of Cumberland's last public appearance as Grand Master . Ho died soon afterwards , and the Prince of Wales was unanimously chosen his successor . On the 2 nd May 1792 , tho
Prince was formally installed , to the satisfaction of the whole Craft , among those present at the ceremony being the Duke of York and Lord Rawdon , Acting Grand Master .
In June 1793 was published the first Masonic magazine , bearing the title of The Freemasons' Magazine or General and Complete Library , the Freemason ? Calendar having made its appearance in 177 G . In 1797 were published the attacks of the Abbe Barnel and Professor Robison on Freemasonry .
Both these writers abused it most heartily , but the latter , in a second edition , was pleased to except the English Freemasons from the charges he brought against them . Four years later were taken the first steps towards effecting that union between the rival English Grand Lodges , so happily
accomplished in 1813 , under the auspices of the Dukes of Kent and Sussex . The attempt was unsuccessful , but the idea was not lost sight of . Earl Moira , visiting Scotland a little later , presented to the Grand Lodge of that country a faithful picture of the condition of Masonry in England ,
and this led to a closer intimacy between the Scottish ancl English ( Moderns ) Grand Lodges , tho Prince of Wales being even elected Patron of the Order in Scotland ( 1806 ) . The Irish Grand Lodge also made closer acquaintance with the English Grand Locige , and as Scotch ancl Irish Masonry
had previously inclined towards the ancients rather than the Moderns , these closer ties with the latter were not without their influence on the Grand Locige of the former . We need not , however , go further into detail respecting an event in our history with which our readers must be so
familiar . Suffice it say that the Duke of Sussex , having succeeded his brother the Prince of Wales , on the latter becoming Regent , as Grand Master of Masons ( Moderns ) , and the Duke of Athol having in 1813 resigned the chair in favour of the Dnke of Kent as Grand Master of tho
Ancients , the two became one Grand Locige , and a schism , extending over a considerable part of a century , was happily determined in the month of December 1813 . But we have digressed somewhat from the strict order of events . In
1791 the Masonic Boys' School , under the auspices of the Ancients , came into being . An Act was also passed for the more effectual suppression of secret societies established for seditious and treasonable purposes . From this Act all
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Between 1776 And 1876.
BETWEEN 1776 AND 1876 .
AS centennial celebrations appear to be the order of the clay among onr Transatlantic friends , there is a certain propriety in calling attention to tho fact that only a few weeks are wanting to complete a century since our Freemasons' Hall , in Great Queen-street , was opened and dedicated , in solemn form , to the service of the Craft .
Preston , in his Illustrations , says , that " In commemoration of an event so pleasing to the Society , it was agreed that the anniversary of the ceremony should be ever after regularly kept . " Whether Grand Lodge will think it worth while to note the centennial anniversary by any special
ceremony , is a question which Grand Locige alone is competent to decide . As tho leading organ of the Craft , however , in this country , wo may be pardoned for thinking this an opportune moment for contrasting the present condition of our Order with what it was a hundred years ago , when , for
the first time in its history , the Grand Lodge of England found a settled habitation not unworthy of its high position . Lord Petre , whose full-length portrait must be familiar to members of Grand Locige as one of the series of portraits which adorn its Avails , was Grand Master both when tho first
stone was laid in May 1775 , and when the hall was solemnl y opened and dedicated on the 23 rd May of the following year . Tho Craft of the day were much indebted to his lordship for the active zeal he showed in promoting its interests and extending its influence . During a reio-n of
five years , extending from 1772 to 1777 , Lord Petre never missed an opportunity of doing what lay in his power to advance tlie well-being of the Society . He granted several provincial deputations , and many new Lodges were added to the roll , so that , to use Preston ' s words , "underhis banner
the Society became truly respectable . " But in his day the world of Masonry by no means enjoyed a perfect tranquillit y . The schism which had existed some years had become more
pronounced than ever by the election of the Duke of Athol to be Grand Master of the so-called Ancients , and hardl y had Lord Petre vacated the chair of the Moderns in favour of the Duke of Manchester , when troubles arose within the
jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of England—as contra-distinguished from the Grand Lodge of all England under the old Institutions—itself . A dispute arose between it and the Lodge of Antiquity , owing to some members of the latter having attended St . Dnnstan ' s Church ancl marched to the
Mitre Tavern in full Masonic costume . Tho dispute became further embittered , and at length the Lod ^ e of Antiquity withdrew its allegiance from Grand Locige , published a manifesto in vindication of its conduct , ancl avowed alliance with the Lodge of York . Happier influences ,
however , in time prevailed . In 1790 , the difference was healed , ancl the Lodgo of Antiquity resumed its position on the roll of Grand Lodgo . But in spite of such partial drawbacks , the cause of Masonry made considerable progress , especially in the East , where the eldest son of the Nabob
of the Carnatic was initiated , and honoured by Grand Locige with the present of an apron elegantly decorated , and a handsomely bound copy of the Book of Constitutions , of which a new edition had been published in 1775 . This present the young Indian Prince suitably and Gratefully
acknowledged in a letter to the Grand Master . In 1782 His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland , who , with his brother of Gloucester , had been initiated into Masonry in the year 17 ( 30 , was elected Grand Master—the Duke of York having been initiated tho year previous—and appointed the Earl of Effingham to be Acting or Pro Grand
Between 1776 And 1876.
Master . In 1786 , Princo William ( afterwards William IV . ) was initiated in a Plymouth Lidsje , and the year following Geo . Princo of Wales ancl tho Duke of York became Masons , His Royal Highness the Grand Master presiding in person at the initiation of the two last . Tho beginning of this
year was further marked by the opening , in London , of the Grand Chapter of Harodim , while in 1788 a still more im portant event occurred , namely , the institution of the Girls ' School , under the patronage of Her Grace of Cumberland , and mainly by the exertions of the Chevalier Ruspini . Tho
beginning was small , only fifteen children being taken into a house , rented for tho purpose at Somers Town , on 1 st January 1789 ; but since then it has grown so considerably that close on one hundred and fifty girls are now maintained and educated at the expense of the Craft , and no lono- time hence the number will be increased to over two
hundred . At the Grand Feast , held on the 2 nd May 1790 , the GrancP Master presided , attended by his nephews , the Princo of Wales ancl the Dukes of York and Clarence , and some five hundred brethren , and tho occasion was made memorable by the reinstatement of tho Locige of Antiquity
in all its privileges . This , however , was the Duke of Cumberland's last public appearance as Grand Master . Ho died soon afterwards , and the Prince of Wales was unanimously chosen his successor . On the 2 nd May 1792 , tho
Prince was formally installed , to the satisfaction of the whole Craft , among those present at the ceremony being the Duke of York and Lord Rawdon , Acting Grand Master .
In June 1793 was published the first Masonic magazine , bearing the title of The Freemasons' Magazine or General and Complete Library , the Freemason ? Calendar having made its appearance in 177 G . In 1797 were published the attacks of the Abbe Barnel and Professor Robison on Freemasonry .
Both these writers abused it most heartily , but the latter , in a second edition , was pleased to except the English Freemasons from the charges he brought against them . Four years later were taken the first steps towards effecting that union between the rival English Grand Lodges , so happily
accomplished in 1813 , under the auspices of the Dukes of Kent and Sussex . The attempt was unsuccessful , but the idea was not lost sight of . Earl Moira , visiting Scotland a little later , presented to the Grand Lodge of that country a faithful picture of the condition of Masonry in England ,
and this led to a closer intimacy between the Scottish ancl English ( Moderns ) Grand Lodges , tho Prince of Wales being even elected Patron of the Order in Scotland ( 1806 ) . The Irish Grand Lodge also made closer acquaintance with the English Grand Locige , and as Scotch ancl Irish Masonry
had previously inclined towards the ancients rather than the Moderns , these closer ties with the latter were not without their influence on the Grand Locige of the former . We need not , however , go further into detail respecting an event in our history with which our readers must be so
familiar . Suffice it say that the Duke of Sussex , having succeeded his brother the Prince of Wales , on the latter becoming Regent , as Grand Master of Masons ( Moderns ) , and the Duke of Athol having in 1813 resigned the chair in favour of the Dnke of Kent as Grand Master of tho
Ancients , the two became one Grand Locige , and a schism , extending over a considerable part of a century , was happily determined in the month of December 1813 . But we have digressed somewhat from the strict order of events . In
1791 the Masonic Boys' School , under the auspices of the Ancients , came into being . An Act was also passed for the more effectual suppression of secret societies established for seditious and treasonable purposes . From this Act all