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Article FRENCH SCOTTISH MASONRY. ← Page 2 of 2 Article Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 1 Article Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 1 Article Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 1 Article Untitled Page 1 of 1
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French Scottish Masonry.
amnesty and clemency . The new Grand Alaster has adopted with gratification this generous idea , which accorded admirably with the sentiments of his own heart , filled with fraternal affection for all Alasons , his brethren . DECREE . On the proposition of the Supreme Grand Commander , sunoorted and developed by the Very Illustrious
Lieut-Grand Commander , it is unanimously decreed : _ ist Article . —Al ! the decrees , without exception , issued up to this date by the Supreme Grand Council , suspending and dissolving the lodges of the Rite , affecting and removing the brethren of the obedience , are withdrawn without restriction and without reserve . _ _
ln consequence , all the lodges and brethren [ affected by those decrees re-enter from to-day into the fulness of their Masonic rights . 2 nd Article . —Thc third decree , dated the 30 th of October last , is maintained , concerning the nomination of a commission of revision , and inviting the lodges of the obedience to offer their support to this work , but only as regards the
. 3 rd Article—The Grand Secretary Chancellor of the Rite is charged with the ratification and the . execution of the present decree . E . ARAGO . BERARD . PRO A I ..
DEQI - ARATION ' . AS a corollary to the present decree , the Supreme Council declares that it is firmly resolved to persevere in the path of reforms claimed by various lodges , in so far as they are not contrary to the statutes and principles of the Constitution of the Scottish Alasonic Order , as well as to the treaties of alliance which bind it to confederate Alasonic
powers . Already the commission nominated by thc third section ol the Central Grand Lodge has begun its work of revision , which it is actively pursuing , aided by the light which is offered to it by all the lodges of the Rite and by all Alasons of goodwill . Among the most urgent reforms , and which will become the subject of profound study and serious examination on thc part of uhe Supreme Council , we ought
to point out principally the following : 1 . The necessity for thc Supreme Council of completing its numbers by calling to itself the young and vigorous element of Scottish Masonry , and facilitating thc access of all Alasons to thc High Grades by all possible means . 2 . The suffrage more largely expressed for thc nomination of tlie Presidents of thc Sections .
3 . Thc duty of the members of the Supreme Council to form part , as active members , of a symbolic lodge , whose labours they will share , in assisting there with the ribbon of the Third Degree , as a testimony rendered to the principles of Masonic equality . 4 . The nomination of a permanent commission charged with the preparation of matters to submit to thc decision of
the administrative and executive commission of the Supreme Council , as a means of obtaining a more prompt despatch of the affairs of the Rite . 5 . Such measures whose urgency and necessity will be subsequently demonstrated . The Sovereign Grand Commander , Grand Master , and the Supreme Council close this declaration by making a last appeal to concord , and the oblivion of a mournful past .
Sincerely animated by thc desire of good , desirous ol marching on the path of true progress , that which they wish before all , and above all , is the prosperity of the Rite Ecossais , A . and A ., and a sincere return to union and peace . Tlvcy entreat all thc Alasons of thc obedience to be reunited in a fraternal embrace , without recriminations and without hesitation . The trowel ought to efface even thc for the future
memory of our discords ; let us think only which belongs to the new generation , which will know how , we arc convinced , to ally love of progress with respect for the fundamental law whicii we all have taken an oath , from the first to the last , to obey . If some unquiet and dissatisfied spirits persist in their ideas of schism , and if , dreaming of a chimerical independence , they refuse to
answer to our fraternal appeal , we are sincerely sorry lor them ; but they must acknowledge on their part that if they desert oui banner it will be our duty to repudiate them . We still hope , and we shall always hope , that the new head of the Rite Ecossais and the Supreme Council will not see themselves under thc cruel obligation of having
recourse lo measures which arc repugnant to every true Mason ' s heart We trust that tbe accession of the G . M . will be greeted by the reconciliation of all the Alasons of the Rite . 'This is our most ardent and most sincere wish . Our band is loyally held out to you—help us to make firmer the disjointed ( inks of the Alasonic chain . PROAI .. E . ARAGO . BERARD .
Masonic Notes And Queries.
Masonic Notes and Queries .
SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN . In reply to thc " tradition" argument , put forward by " Alasonic Student , " no one knows better than this worthy brother , that unless our Alasonic traditions are somewhat roughly handled , we might as well wholly abandon any further attempt at Alasonic research . A tradition , to carry weight , must be continuous , and in working " up steam , ' if 1 may so express myself—that is to say , proceeding from
the known to the unknmon ( instead [ of the reverse of this process ) , should we arrive at a period when the tradition ceases ( as happens in the case of Wren ' s alleged connection with the Craft , cir ca 1737 ) , we at once rate it as a myth and nothing more . It is as clear as anything can be , that the election of Preston as W . AL by thc Lodge of Antiquity , and his discovery of Wren ' s membership , 81 c ,
represent cause and effect . " Before that time , " says his Inend Stephen Jones , " he had been Alaster of the Philanthropic Lodge above six years , and of several other lodges , but he was now taught to consider the importance of the office of thc first Master under the
English Constitution" ( " Freemasons' Atagazinc , " Jan ., 1795 , 11 . 3 ) . // Wren had been at any time a member of original No . 1 I think it almost certain that this connection would have ensured the lodge from 1717 a preeminence whicii it did tint obtain until after Preston's admission in 1774 . Desaguliers , Anderson , Payne , Alartin Folkes , Alartin Clare , or sonic at all events of thc great
Masonic Notes And Queries.
Alasons or personages who joined the society between 1717 —40 , would have belonged to Sir Christopher ' s lodge in preference to any othci . In Parcntalia ( 1750 ) it is stated : "The highest or last stone on the top of the Lantern was laid by the hands of the surveyor ' s son , Christopher Wren , deputed by his father , in the presenceof that excellent artificer , Mr . Strong , his sonand other Free and Accepted Masons , chiefly
, employed in the execution of thc work . " It may , I think , be reasonably inferred that if Joseph Ames had believed Wren to have been a Freemason ( as the phrase is now understood ) , he would have said so . As regards the expression "Free and Accepted Alasons , " I am of opinion that he alluded to the trade or professional description of the Strongs , which he slightly enlarged , under the influence , no doubt , of Dr . Anderson ' s statement
in the Constitution of 173 S . Although it is evident he did not credit the alleged fact of Wren ' s adoption , it is scarcely possible that he could have rated the positive assertions of Anderson as the solemn nonsense ( or worse ) which we now know these amount to , endorsed , as they were , by the tacit approval of Dr . Desaguliers , his ( Ames ' s ) brother Fellow of the Royal Societ }* , and former tutor .
The term "Freemason" * vvas in common use from a very early period , and signified a superintendent of works or employer of operative Masonic labour . On a monument erected to the memory of Valentine Strong ( father of Edward Strong , Wren ' s " Alaster Alason " ) at Fairford , in Gloucestershire , appears the following : — " Here lycth the body of Valentine Strong , Frce-AIason ,
He departed this life November the . . . A . D . 1 G 62 . Here ' s one that was an able workman long , Who divers houses built , both fair and strong ; Though Strong he vvas , a stronger came than he , And robb'd him of his life and fame , wc sec : Afot'ing an old house a new one for to rear ,
Death met him by thc way , and laid him here . " The above named Valentine Strong "had six sons , all of whom werc bred to thc AIason ' s trade . " According to a memoir of the "Strong" family f ( cited in Clutterbuck's "History of Hertfordshire , " Vol . L , p . 1 G 7 ) , "in the year 1 G 75 the eldest son , Thomas , made the first contract for rebuilding thc Cathedral Church of St Paul ' s , in London , and on " the 21 st of func that year laid the first stone in
the foundation with his own hands . % Ihomas Strong died in 1 GS 1 , " and left all his employment to his brother Edward , whom he made his sole executor . " Edward Strong , the second son of Valentine , continued to carry on thc several works commenced by his brother , and died on the Sth February , 1723 , aged seventy-two . He was buried at St Alban ' s , his epitaph describing him as " citizen and mason of London , " and stating " that he
laid thc last stone of St Paul ' s . " ( According to tbe Parcntalia , thc last stone on the I-antern was laid by the architect ' s son in 1710 , but Edward Strong in his memoir states most positively that hc himself laid it on thc 26 th October , 160 S . ) Thomas Strong is not claimed as a Grand Warden by cither Anderson or Preston , and it is scarcely probable that his existence was known by these writers , liven thc late
Dean Alilman , in his "Annals of St Pauls , represents one aud the same "Strong" ( whom he styles the master mason ) as having assisted in laying thc first stone and in fixing the last in the Lantern . Dean Alilman , however , quotes copiously from Ehnes , and , on referring to the latter authority , we find thc familiar nonsense of the mallet , candlesticks , & c , copied almost word for word from Preston , who is , moreover , styled the best historian of
Freemasonry . Dean Alilman states ( at p . 404 ) " The architect himself had thc honour of laying the first stone June 21 , 1 O 75 . " Sir William Dugdale , however , in the second edition , " History of St . Paul ' s Cathedral" ( published 1716 ) , after reciting King Charles the Second's commission of 12 th November , 1673 , adds : "By vertue of which Commission , thc new Fabrick was begun in the Alonth of Alay next following ( An . Scil . 1 G 74 ) . " Dugdale , it will be perceived ,
does not credit the architect with having laid the first stone , and , indeed , asserts that the edifice was commenced thirteen months prior to the date assigned by Alilman . Sir Henry Ellis , it is true , in his edition of Dugdale ( 1 S 1 S ) states : "On the ist May , 1674 , the ground began ta be cleared for a new foundation ; and on June 2 ist , 1 G 75 , the first ' stone was laid in the new foundation . " But this is the opinion of Ellis , and not of Dugdale , and
notwithstanding the high reputation of Sir 11 . Ellis , I demur to Dugdale ' s own words— " the new Fabrick was begun " —being deemed capable of the interpretation placed upon them in 1 S 18 . To sum up—the authors of the Constitutions of 173 S , of "The Complete Freemason , or Multa Paucis for Lovers of Secrets" ( 17 G 3 ) , and the "Illustrations of Alasonry " ( 17 S 1-1 S 1 S ) , assert that the first stone of St . Paul's was laid by Charles the Second in 1673 . Dugdale says " the
Fabrick was begun in 1 G 74 , " but all other authorities date the laying of the first stone at 1 G 75 . Which is correct ? Wc may well pause to inquire—was the foundation stone laid by Charles the Second , Sir Christojiher Wren , or Thomas Strong ? and the last stone of the Lantern by Christopher Wren , junior , or b y Edward Strong ? Writing in 171 ( 1 , from a personal knowledge of the facts narrated , vvas Edward Strong more likely to have fixed the actual date of the completion of the Lantern than Joseph Ames ,
Masonic Notes And Queries.
writing in 1750 , from the papers of thc deceased architect and son ? In other words , do we , or do we not , accord credit to the only eye-witness ( Strong ) whose deposition is before us ? R . F . GOULD .
A little caution ought to be shown as regards the discussion in "re" Sir Christopher Wren , & c . It is not quite sufficient to allege that because there is no strict historical proof of this or that , therefore all thc traditions respecting Sir Christopher Wren are untenable . Thc Masons at the beginning of the last century were very tenacious as to publication , and even preservation of minutes , and , in my
opinion , it will be a very unsafe and uncritical mode of procedure to assume that all the statements relative to Sir Christopher Wren can receive strict historical proof . Bro . Gould , and Alasonic Student , and Bro . Hughan are , no doubt , critically speaking , justified in attempting to clear away unsupported and unhistorical " myths , " but still I would venture to urge caution before we assume too
hastily , that because we cannot prove this or that , by " chapter or verse , " therefore it becomes unhistorical tradition . On the whole , despite all that has been said , tlie balance of probability inclines , in my opinion , to the fact that Sir Christopher was a Freemason , and connected with the old Lodge of St Paul ' s , now thc Lodge of Antiquity . SEN EX .
The notes of Bro . Gould 011 this subject ( Freemason , 20 th Alarch ) ajipear to imply a doubt , almost amounting to a denial , as to whether Wren was a member of the society of Freemasons , and in supjnortof the views he has advanced he refers to the writings of Aubrey and Anderson , and other authorities . He also gives as the result of his own own personal researches that he is " of opinion that there
is not a particle of hstorical evidence to support the theory of Wren having been at any time a member of the society . It is not my intention to enter into any controversy or discussion of the question ; but , with a desire to assist Bro . Gould in his further investigation , I wish to submit a few " particles" of evidence in support of thc generally accepted theory that Wren was in reality a member of the Order .
Amongst other authorities referred to by Bro . Gould is the " Pocket Companion for 1735 and 1536 , " and such being the case , he may not be unwilling to accept also as an authority " 'The Pocket Companion and History of Freemasons , 17 G 4 . " 1 will therefore venture tosubmit for his consideration the following extracts : — Page S 6 . — "In iCiCtx Henry Jermyn , Earl of St . Albans ,
being Grand Alaster ; Sir John Denham , Deputy Grand Alaster ; Sir Christopher Wren and Air . John Webb , Grand Wardens , made thc following regulations . " [ The regulations referred to arc six in number , and relate to the admission of Freemasons and the government of the Fraternity ] . Page 87 . — "June 24 , iGGG . Thomas Savage , Earl Rivers , succeeded St Albans as Grand Alaster , who appointed Sir
Christopher Wren Deputy Grand Alaster , and Air . John Webb and | AIr . Grinlin Gibbons Grand Wardens ; but the Deputy and Wardens had thc management of everything concerning the Craft " Page 89 . — " 1 G 74 . —George Villers , Dukeof Buckingham , an old Alason , became Grand Alaster , but , being indolent , he left all to Deputy Wren and his Wardens ; and vvas
succeeded by Henry Bennet , Earl of Arlington ( in 1 G 79 ) , vvho was too deeply engaged in State affairs to mind the lodges ; yet in his Mastership the Craft was very considerable , and many persons of distinction requested to be admitted , and were accordingly accepted by the Fraternity . " Page 92 . — " Upon the death of Grand Master Arlington , m flm ,. / tn r- > / I * , f ll . n l *\ AtYs , c , » , # »! - ftnt , nlnftnrt C- I 1 . t-, t-f ... » l ,. ir . 1 / kJI
( . * H * i J ,- * .. | UUJ , HIV . IVUS * J III ** "II" * .. * . * . ** . * . . ** wt IO ** J | JII * . I Wren Grand Alaster , who annually , while carrying on St . Paul ' s , met those brethren who could attend him to keep up old usages till the Revolution . " Page 92 . — " Particular lodges were mostly occasional in London , except where some great works were carrying on . Sir Robert Clayton procured an occasional lodge of Alasters to meet at St . Thomas's Hospital in the year iGg 3 , near wnich a stated lodge continued long
afterwards . Besides the old Lodge of St Paul ' s there vvas one in Piccadilly , another by Westminster Abbey , Holbourn , and 'Tower Hill . King William was privately made a Alason , approved of the choice of Sir Christopcr Wren , greatly promoted thc interests of the Craft , " & c . Page 03 . — "This year ( 1 G 95 ) the most noble Charles , Duke of Richmond and Lenox , Master of a lodge at
Chichester , coming to the annual assembly in London , was chosen Grand Alaster , and approved by the King ; Sir Christopher Wren was his Deputy , who acted , as before , at thc head of the Craft , and was again chosen Grand Master in thc year 1698 . " Page 93 . — " In the beginning of the reign of Queen Anne the annual assembly was for some years not duly attended ;
and , what was the worst oi al ) , SirCbristopher Wren , through his great age , bodily infirmities , and retirement from the stage of business and hurry , was no longer able to preside in their assemblies , by which the Craft suffered some detriment . " Alluding to St . Paul ' s , Bro . Gould says , " It is tolerably clear that the foundation stone vvas laid by Wren , but thc
honour has been claimed for Edward Strong , the master mason ( or superintendent of work ) , as well as for King Charles IL , " and the following extract from the same source may be interesting : Page 88 . — "The foot stone was levelled in due form by the King , Grand Alaster Rivers designed and conducted b y the Deputy Grand Master Wren , as master of work , with his Wardens , Edward Strong , the elder and
younger . " The evidence adduced by Bro . Gould in support of his opinion that VVren vvas not a member of the society of F ' reemasons does not appear to me conclusive on the point , and , in the absence of more positive evidence than he has already g iven , 1 am disposed to think that such an opinion is not fairly inferential ; whilst , on the other hand ,
assuming the authority 1 haye quoted to be a reliable one , thc so termed "prediction" of Aubrey , cited by Bro . Gould , seems _ to me to reall y amount to nothing- at all , and that there is abundant evidence in the circumstantial extracts whicii 1 have given that Wren was not only " a member of the society , " but , occupying the highest positions in the Craft , hc was for many years very prominent and active in thc management and government of its affairs . B . BROUGHTON [( Prov . G . J . W . West Yorks ) .
Ar00403
* An instructive paper bearing on this subject was read at the Royal Institute of British Architects , 2 nd Dec , 1 SG 1 , by Air . Wyatt Papworth , Fellow . j * By Edward Strong , second son of Valentine , and commonly known as Wren ' s Alaster Alason ( according to Preston , a member of the Lodge of Antiquity and a Past Grand Warden ) . The memoir is thus headed . * " London , Alay
the 12 th , 171 G . Alemorandums of several works in Alasonry done by our family , viz ., by my grandfather , Timothy Srtong ; by my father , Valentine Strong ; by my brother , Thomas Strong ; by myself , Edward Strong ; and my son , Edward Strong . " It should be observed tbat Edward Strong ' s statements are entitled , historically , to greater
weight than the merel y secondary evidence of the Parenfiitin , to say nothing of the loose assertions made at third and fourth hand by writers of the current century . J It is noteworthy , that in the Parentaliafit is merely stated , " The lirst stone was laid in the year 1 G 75 . " 'The honour of having laid it not being claimed for Wren by his literary executors .
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French Scottish Masonry.
amnesty and clemency . The new Grand Alaster has adopted with gratification this generous idea , which accorded admirably with the sentiments of his own heart , filled with fraternal affection for all Alasons , his brethren . DECREE . On the proposition of the Supreme Grand Commander , sunoorted and developed by the Very Illustrious
Lieut-Grand Commander , it is unanimously decreed : _ ist Article . —Al ! the decrees , without exception , issued up to this date by the Supreme Grand Council , suspending and dissolving the lodges of the Rite , affecting and removing the brethren of the obedience , are withdrawn without restriction and without reserve . _ _
ln consequence , all the lodges and brethren [ affected by those decrees re-enter from to-day into the fulness of their Masonic rights . 2 nd Article . —Thc third decree , dated the 30 th of October last , is maintained , concerning the nomination of a commission of revision , and inviting the lodges of the obedience to offer their support to this work , but only as regards the
. 3 rd Article—The Grand Secretary Chancellor of the Rite is charged with the ratification and the . execution of the present decree . E . ARAGO . BERARD . PRO A I ..
DEQI - ARATION ' . AS a corollary to the present decree , the Supreme Council declares that it is firmly resolved to persevere in the path of reforms claimed by various lodges , in so far as they are not contrary to the statutes and principles of the Constitution of the Scottish Alasonic Order , as well as to the treaties of alliance which bind it to confederate Alasonic
powers . Already the commission nominated by thc third section ol the Central Grand Lodge has begun its work of revision , which it is actively pursuing , aided by the light which is offered to it by all the lodges of the Rite and by all Alasons of goodwill . Among the most urgent reforms , and which will become the subject of profound study and serious examination on thc part of uhe Supreme Council , we ought
to point out principally the following : 1 . The necessity for thc Supreme Council of completing its numbers by calling to itself the young and vigorous element of Scottish Masonry , and facilitating thc access of all Alasons to thc High Grades by all possible means . 2 . The suffrage more largely expressed for thc nomination of tlie Presidents of thc Sections .
3 . Thc duty of the members of the Supreme Council to form part , as active members , of a symbolic lodge , whose labours they will share , in assisting there with the ribbon of the Third Degree , as a testimony rendered to the principles of Masonic equality . 4 . The nomination of a permanent commission charged with the preparation of matters to submit to thc decision of
the administrative and executive commission of the Supreme Council , as a means of obtaining a more prompt despatch of the affairs of the Rite . 5 . Such measures whose urgency and necessity will be subsequently demonstrated . The Sovereign Grand Commander , Grand Master , and the Supreme Council close this declaration by making a last appeal to concord , and the oblivion of a mournful past .
Sincerely animated by thc desire of good , desirous ol marching on the path of true progress , that which they wish before all , and above all , is the prosperity of the Rite Ecossais , A . and A ., and a sincere return to union and peace . Tlvcy entreat all thc Alasons of thc obedience to be reunited in a fraternal embrace , without recriminations and without hesitation . The trowel ought to efface even thc for the future
memory of our discords ; let us think only which belongs to the new generation , which will know how , we arc convinced , to ally love of progress with respect for the fundamental law whicii we all have taken an oath , from the first to the last , to obey . If some unquiet and dissatisfied spirits persist in their ideas of schism , and if , dreaming of a chimerical independence , they refuse to
answer to our fraternal appeal , we are sincerely sorry lor them ; but they must acknowledge on their part that if they desert oui banner it will be our duty to repudiate them . We still hope , and we shall always hope , that the new head of the Rite Ecossais and the Supreme Council will not see themselves under thc cruel obligation of having
recourse lo measures which arc repugnant to every true Mason ' s heart We trust that tbe accession of the G . M . will be greeted by the reconciliation of all the Alasons of the Rite . 'This is our most ardent and most sincere wish . Our band is loyally held out to you—help us to make firmer the disjointed ( inks of the Alasonic chain . PROAI .. E . ARAGO . BERARD .
Masonic Notes And Queries.
Masonic Notes and Queries .
SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN . In reply to thc " tradition" argument , put forward by " Alasonic Student , " no one knows better than this worthy brother , that unless our Alasonic traditions are somewhat roughly handled , we might as well wholly abandon any further attempt at Alasonic research . A tradition , to carry weight , must be continuous , and in working " up steam , ' if 1 may so express myself—that is to say , proceeding from
the known to the unknmon ( instead [ of the reverse of this process ) , should we arrive at a period when the tradition ceases ( as happens in the case of Wren ' s alleged connection with the Craft , cir ca 1737 ) , we at once rate it as a myth and nothing more . It is as clear as anything can be , that the election of Preston as W . AL by thc Lodge of Antiquity , and his discovery of Wren ' s membership , 81 c ,
represent cause and effect . " Before that time , " says his Inend Stephen Jones , " he had been Alaster of the Philanthropic Lodge above six years , and of several other lodges , but he was now taught to consider the importance of the office of thc first Master under the
English Constitution" ( " Freemasons' Atagazinc , " Jan ., 1795 , 11 . 3 ) . // Wren had been at any time a member of original No . 1 I think it almost certain that this connection would have ensured the lodge from 1717 a preeminence whicii it did tint obtain until after Preston's admission in 1774 . Desaguliers , Anderson , Payne , Alartin Folkes , Alartin Clare , or sonic at all events of thc great
Masonic Notes And Queries.
Alasons or personages who joined the society between 1717 —40 , would have belonged to Sir Christopher ' s lodge in preference to any othci . In Parcntalia ( 1750 ) it is stated : "The highest or last stone on the top of the Lantern was laid by the hands of the surveyor ' s son , Christopher Wren , deputed by his father , in the presenceof that excellent artificer , Mr . Strong , his sonand other Free and Accepted Masons , chiefly
, employed in the execution of thc work . " It may , I think , be reasonably inferred that if Joseph Ames had believed Wren to have been a Freemason ( as the phrase is now understood ) , he would have said so . As regards the expression "Free and Accepted Alasons , " I am of opinion that he alluded to the trade or professional description of the Strongs , which he slightly enlarged , under the influence , no doubt , of Dr . Anderson ' s statement
in the Constitution of 173 S . Although it is evident he did not credit the alleged fact of Wren ' s adoption , it is scarcely possible that he could have rated the positive assertions of Anderson as the solemn nonsense ( or worse ) which we now know these amount to , endorsed , as they were , by the tacit approval of Dr . Desaguliers , his ( Ames ' s ) brother Fellow of the Royal Societ }* , and former tutor .
The term "Freemason" * vvas in common use from a very early period , and signified a superintendent of works or employer of operative Masonic labour . On a monument erected to the memory of Valentine Strong ( father of Edward Strong , Wren ' s " Alaster Alason " ) at Fairford , in Gloucestershire , appears the following : — " Here lycth the body of Valentine Strong , Frce-AIason ,
He departed this life November the . . . A . D . 1 G 62 . Here ' s one that was an able workman long , Who divers houses built , both fair and strong ; Though Strong he vvas , a stronger came than he , And robb'd him of his life and fame , wc sec : Afot'ing an old house a new one for to rear ,
Death met him by thc way , and laid him here . " The above named Valentine Strong "had six sons , all of whom werc bred to thc AIason ' s trade . " According to a memoir of the "Strong" family f ( cited in Clutterbuck's "History of Hertfordshire , " Vol . L , p . 1 G 7 ) , "in the year 1 G 75 the eldest son , Thomas , made the first contract for rebuilding thc Cathedral Church of St Paul ' s , in London , and on " the 21 st of func that year laid the first stone in
the foundation with his own hands . % Ihomas Strong died in 1 GS 1 , " and left all his employment to his brother Edward , whom he made his sole executor . " Edward Strong , the second son of Valentine , continued to carry on thc several works commenced by his brother , and died on the Sth February , 1723 , aged seventy-two . He was buried at St Alban ' s , his epitaph describing him as " citizen and mason of London , " and stating " that he
laid thc last stone of St Paul ' s . " ( According to tbe Parcntalia , thc last stone on the I-antern was laid by the architect ' s son in 1710 , but Edward Strong in his memoir states most positively that hc himself laid it on thc 26 th October , 160 S . ) Thomas Strong is not claimed as a Grand Warden by cither Anderson or Preston , and it is scarcely probable that his existence was known by these writers , liven thc late
Dean Alilman , in his "Annals of St Pauls , represents one aud the same "Strong" ( whom he styles the master mason ) as having assisted in laying thc first stone and in fixing the last in the Lantern . Dean Alilman , however , quotes copiously from Ehnes , and , on referring to the latter authority , we find thc familiar nonsense of the mallet , candlesticks , & c , copied almost word for word from Preston , who is , moreover , styled the best historian of
Freemasonry . Dean Alilman states ( at p . 404 ) " The architect himself had thc honour of laying the first stone June 21 , 1 O 75 . " Sir William Dugdale , however , in the second edition , " History of St . Paul ' s Cathedral" ( published 1716 ) , after reciting King Charles the Second's commission of 12 th November , 1673 , adds : "By vertue of which Commission , thc new Fabrick was begun in the Alonth of Alay next following ( An . Scil . 1 G 74 ) . " Dugdale , it will be perceived ,
does not credit the architect with having laid the first stone , and , indeed , asserts that the edifice was commenced thirteen months prior to the date assigned by Alilman . Sir Henry Ellis , it is true , in his edition of Dugdale ( 1 S 1 S ) states : "On the ist May , 1674 , the ground began ta be cleared for a new foundation ; and on June 2 ist , 1 G 75 , the first ' stone was laid in the new foundation . " But this is the opinion of Ellis , and not of Dugdale , and
notwithstanding the high reputation of Sir 11 . Ellis , I demur to Dugdale ' s own words— " the new Fabrick was begun " —being deemed capable of the interpretation placed upon them in 1 S 18 . To sum up—the authors of the Constitutions of 173 S , of "The Complete Freemason , or Multa Paucis for Lovers of Secrets" ( 17 G 3 ) , and the "Illustrations of Alasonry " ( 17 S 1-1 S 1 S ) , assert that the first stone of St . Paul's was laid by Charles the Second in 1673 . Dugdale says " the
Fabrick was begun in 1 G 74 , " but all other authorities date the laying of the first stone at 1 G 75 . Which is correct ? Wc may well pause to inquire—was the foundation stone laid by Charles the Second , Sir Christojiher Wren , or Thomas Strong ? and the last stone of the Lantern by Christopher Wren , junior , or b y Edward Strong ? Writing in 171 ( 1 , from a personal knowledge of the facts narrated , vvas Edward Strong more likely to have fixed the actual date of the completion of the Lantern than Joseph Ames ,
Masonic Notes And Queries.
writing in 1750 , from the papers of thc deceased architect and son ? In other words , do we , or do we not , accord credit to the only eye-witness ( Strong ) whose deposition is before us ? R . F . GOULD .
A little caution ought to be shown as regards the discussion in "re" Sir Christopher Wren , & c . It is not quite sufficient to allege that because there is no strict historical proof of this or that , therefore all thc traditions respecting Sir Christopher Wren are untenable . Thc Masons at the beginning of the last century were very tenacious as to publication , and even preservation of minutes , and , in my
opinion , it will be a very unsafe and uncritical mode of procedure to assume that all the statements relative to Sir Christopher Wren can receive strict historical proof . Bro . Gould , and Alasonic Student , and Bro . Hughan are , no doubt , critically speaking , justified in attempting to clear away unsupported and unhistorical " myths , " but still I would venture to urge caution before we assume too
hastily , that because we cannot prove this or that , by " chapter or verse , " therefore it becomes unhistorical tradition . On the whole , despite all that has been said , tlie balance of probability inclines , in my opinion , to the fact that Sir Christopher was a Freemason , and connected with the old Lodge of St Paul ' s , now thc Lodge of Antiquity . SEN EX .
The notes of Bro . Gould 011 this subject ( Freemason , 20 th Alarch ) ajipear to imply a doubt , almost amounting to a denial , as to whether Wren was a member of the society of Freemasons , and in supjnortof the views he has advanced he refers to the writings of Aubrey and Anderson , and other authorities . He also gives as the result of his own own personal researches that he is " of opinion that there
is not a particle of hstorical evidence to support the theory of Wren having been at any time a member of the society . It is not my intention to enter into any controversy or discussion of the question ; but , with a desire to assist Bro . Gould in his further investigation , I wish to submit a few " particles" of evidence in support of thc generally accepted theory that Wren was in reality a member of the Order .
Amongst other authorities referred to by Bro . Gould is the " Pocket Companion for 1735 and 1536 , " and such being the case , he may not be unwilling to accept also as an authority " 'The Pocket Companion and History of Freemasons , 17 G 4 . " 1 will therefore venture tosubmit for his consideration the following extracts : — Page S 6 . — "In iCiCtx Henry Jermyn , Earl of St . Albans ,
being Grand Alaster ; Sir John Denham , Deputy Grand Alaster ; Sir Christopher Wren and Air . John Webb , Grand Wardens , made thc following regulations . " [ The regulations referred to arc six in number , and relate to the admission of Freemasons and the government of the Fraternity ] . Page 87 . — "June 24 , iGGG . Thomas Savage , Earl Rivers , succeeded St Albans as Grand Alaster , who appointed Sir
Christopher Wren Deputy Grand Alaster , and Air . John Webb and | AIr . Grinlin Gibbons Grand Wardens ; but the Deputy and Wardens had thc management of everything concerning the Craft " Page 89 . — " 1 G 74 . —George Villers , Dukeof Buckingham , an old Alason , became Grand Alaster , but , being indolent , he left all to Deputy Wren and his Wardens ; and vvas
succeeded by Henry Bennet , Earl of Arlington ( in 1 G 79 ) , vvho was too deeply engaged in State affairs to mind the lodges ; yet in his Mastership the Craft was very considerable , and many persons of distinction requested to be admitted , and were accordingly accepted by the Fraternity . " Page 92 . — " Upon the death of Grand Master Arlington , m flm ,. / tn r- > / I * , f ll . n l *\ AtYs , c , » , # »! - ftnt , nlnftnrt C- I 1 . t-, t-f ... » l ,. ir . 1 / kJI
( . * H * i J ,- * .. | UUJ , HIV . IVUS * J III ** "II" * .. * . * . ** . * . . ** wt IO ** J | JII * . I Wren Grand Alaster , who annually , while carrying on St . Paul ' s , met those brethren who could attend him to keep up old usages till the Revolution . " Page 92 . — " Particular lodges were mostly occasional in London , except where some great works were carrying on . Sir Robert Clayton procured an occasional lodge of Alasters to meet at St . Thomas's Hospital in the year iGg 3 , near wnich a stated lodge continued long
afterwards . Besides the old Lodge of St Paul ' s there vvas one in Piccadilly , another by Westminster Abbey , Holbourn , and 'Tower Hill . King William was privately made a Alason , approved of the choice of Sir Christopcr Wren , greatly promoted thc interests of the Craft , " & c . Page 03 . — "This year ( 1 G 95 ) the most noble Charles , Duke of Richmond and Lenox , Master of a lodge at
Chichester , coming to the annual assembly in London , was chosen Grand Alaster , and approved by the King ; Sir Christopher Wren was his Deputy , who acted , as before , at thc head of the Craft , and was again chosen Grand Master in thc year 1698 . " Page 93 . — " In the beginning of the reign of Queen Anne the annual assembly was for some years not duly attended ;
and , what was the worst oi al ) , SirCbristopher Wren , through his great age , bodily infirmities , and retirement from the stage of business and hurry , was no longer able to preside in their assemblies , by which the Craft suffered some detriment . " Alluding to St . Paul ' s , Bro . Gould says , " It is tolerably clear that the foundation stone vvas laid by Wren , but thc
honour has been claimed for Edward Strong , the master mason ( or superintendent of work ) , as well as for King Charles IL , " and the following extract from the same source may be interesting : Page 88 . — "The foot stone was levelled in due form by the King , Grand Alaster Rivers designed and conducted b y the Deputy Grand Master Wren , as master of work , with his Wardens , Edward Strong , the elder and
younger . " The evidence adduced by Bro . Gould in support of his opinion that VVren vvas not a member of the society of F ' reemasons does not appear to me conclusive on the point , and , in the absence of more positive evidence than he has already g iven , 1 am disposed to think that such an opinion is not fairly inferential ; whilst , on the other hand ,
assuming the authority 1 haye quoted to be a reliable one , thc so termed "prediction" of Aubrey , cited by Bro . Gould , seems _ to me to reall y amount to nothing- at all , and that there is abundant evidence in the circumstantial extracts whicii 1 have given that Wren was not only " a member of the society , " but , occupying the highest positions in the Craft , hc was for many years very prominent and active in thc management and government of its affairs . B . BROUGHTON [( Prov . G . J . W . West Yorks ) .
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* An instructive paper bearing on this subject was read at the Royal Institute of British Architects , 2 nd Dec , 1 SG 1 , by Air . Wyatt Papworth , Fellow . j * By Edward Strong , second son of Valentine , and commonly known as Wren ' s Alaster Alason ( according to Preston , a member of the Lodge of Antiquity and a Past Grand Warden ) . The memoir is thus headed . * " London , Alay
the 12 th , 171 G . Alemorandums of several works in Alasonry done by our family , viz ., by my grandfather , Timothy Srtong ; by my father , Valentine Strong ; by my brother , Thomas Strong ; by myself , Edward Strong ; and my son , Edward Strong . " It should be observed tbat Edward Strong ' s statements are entitled , historically , to greater
weight than the merel y secondary evidence of the Parenfiitin , to say nothing of the loose assertions made at third and fourth hand by writers of the current century . J It is noteworthy , that in the Parentaliafit is merely stated , " The lirst stone was laid in the year 1 G 75 . " 'The honour of having laid it not being claimed for Wren by his literary executors .