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Article PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF NORFOLK. ← Page 2 of 2 Article MASONIC HISTORY AND HISTORIANS. Page 1 of 1 Article MASONIC HISTORY AND HISTORIANS. Page 1 of 1
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Provincial Grand Lodge Of Norfolk.
„ R . Baldry , P . M . 807 - - - - Prov . G . D . of C „ A . Bullard , P . M . 1500 - - - - Prov . G . A . D . C . „ G . T . Plumbly , P . M . 1 S 0 S - - - Prov . G . S . B . „ F . C . Atkinson , 93 , P . M . 1648 - - - Prov . G . O . „ Geo . Kersey , W . M . 213 - - - - Prov . G . P .
„ R . Gunn , P . M . 93 . - - - Prov . G . lyler . Bros . F . E . Linging , 93 ; C . W . Bacon , 1500 ; G . J . "* ) Berry , Jno . W . Browne , P . Soman , S 07 ; and > Prov . G . Stwds . G . J . Butler , 21 3 - - - -J As each officer was invested the brethren marked their approbation by
enthusiastic applause . After some desultory business had been gone through , the . P . G . M . announced his intention , in accordance with notice given , that the amount collected at the Cathedral service in the afternoon should be given to the Restoration Fund of the St . Peter's Mancroft Church , of this City , now under repair ; his lordship characterising that grand old structure as second only to the Cathedral .
Bro . E . ORAMS , P . M ., as churchwarden thereof , on behalf of the Restoration Committee , thanked his lordship for his kind intention and
gift . The PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER , before closing the lodge , thanked the brethren for their attendance , and expressed the great satisfaction he had in hearing the report of Masonry in the province . He also expressed the pleasure he had in testifying his personal experience of the comfort provided for him and the brethren by the Masonic Association , and commended the judicious recommendation of the Provincial Committee .
( Applause . ) The Provincial Grand Lodge was then closed in peace and harmony . About four o ' clock in the afternoon the brethren assembled in the schoolroom in the Cathedral clpisters , and from thence proceeded in Masonic clothing to the Cathedral for Divine service . Bro . F . C . Atkinson , P . G . O ., presided at the organ . An excellent choral service was rendered by the choir , which included Bros . H . Thoulcss , J . H . Brockbank , and H . J . Brookes . The service was " Magnificat , " and " Nunc Dimmittus , " Bro .
Atkinson , in D . —Anthem : "On Thee each living soul depends , " Haydn . The sermon was preached by the Prov . Grand Chaplain , who took his text from the 21 st chapter of Revelations , 16 th verse , upon which the reverend brother expounded an admirable discourse , which was attentively listened to by a large congregation . At the conclusion of thc ceremony the brethren reformed , and the procession was dismissed . The collection at the end of the service amounted to about £ 14 . A large number of ladies and gentlemen assembled in the nave of the cathedral to witness the procession .
At six o ' clock a banquet was held at the Masonic Club Rooms , which proved a gigantic success , the viands being of the most recherche description . His lordship , the P . G . Master , presided , supported on his left by the D . P . G . M ,, Major Penrice , and on his right by Bro . the Rev . C . J . Martyn , D . P . G . M . Suffolk . There were about 100 brethren present .
The usual loyal and Masonic toasts were duly given and responded lo . In giving the toast of "The Masonic Association ( Limited ) , " his lordship again spoke of the great and useful benefits the Association had conferred upon the Craft of the province , as t hey had now a home and a fit and proper building to meet in .
In response to his lordship , various lodges and individual members of the province took several shares , and above 300 shares were obtained for the Association , a result which was received with immense enthusiasm . Bro . H . A . W . REEVES , in response , thanked . the brethren , and further explained the benefits arising from the use of the club . " The Ladies " brought the toast list to an end ; Bro . Rev . C . T . Martyn
favouring the brethren with his ever-green song , "She was such a charming woman . " Several excellent songs , ducts , and glees were rendered by Bros . H . Thouless , J . H . Brockbank , and F . C . Atkinson ( cathedral choir ) , Robt . Baldry and J . C Firman , accompanied by Bro . F . C . Atkinson . Bro . E . Wilkins , the Steward of the Club , gave a beautiful recitation in capital style .
His lordship , the P . G . Master , should be warmly congratulated upon his successful meeting and of thc great success of Masonry ; and , as both himself and the D . P . G . Master are warm favourites , if , when their duties would allow them , they would pay the lodges a visit a hearty reception would be accorded them , and a boon conferred upon the brethren .
A word of congratulation should also be accorded to Bro . H . Barwell , P . G . Sec , whose untiring efforts arc ever directed towards thc success of Masonry in general , and the Province of Norfolk in particular . His zeal for the Charities is highly to be commended , and eminentl y entitles him to thc warmest thanks of the brethren .
We would also congratulate the Masonic Association upon their success ; and , in the name of the brethren attending P . G . Lodge , thank the Committee and Secretary for their exertions in rendering the comfort of thc brethren everything desirable .
Masonic History And Historians.
MASONIC HISTORY AND HISTORIANS .
BY MASONIC STUDENT . I said that there was another " Crux " which I had to deal wilh as regards seventeenth century speculative Masonry , assuming that its existence is proved , as I apprehend it will ere long be , and that is its connection with post 1717 Masonry . Based on a certain usage of words , and special expressions , there has grown up a " Monogradc " school of Masonic writers , which holds that previously lo 1717 Freemasonry had but one Degree and one reception .
IS o doubt the direct Masonic evidence is very scanty on the point , but the want of details thereanent "is not , " as I have sought more than once to point out , in reality strictly decisive of the question . 1 here are many reasons which might bc alleged why the minutes of lodges are sparse and cautious , and speak with perhaps an " uncertain tongue " on the subject .
Non-masonic evidences , such as Dr . Plot , ike , seem to point to an early use of Masonic ceremonial , symbolism , and usages in the abstract , and the word " secrets , " explain it as you will , reduce its force , and take away its meaning as as you will , cannot be identical wilh " secret . " The evidence of the well-known Sloanc MS ., if of transcription 1715 , yet undoubtedl y of seventecth century archaisms , ( as is admitted ) , would seem establish the existence of more than one grade in the seventeenth century . Ihe entries in Ashmole ' s diary do not prove much one way or another ,
Masonic History And Historians.
as I read them ; though it has been contended that , as in 1682 , he uses the word "fellow" in relation to what took place in Warrington in 1646 , he only knew of one grade . We must first be sure we have Ashmole ' s own words , as the " interpolations" of subsequent writers are many , and the commonly received account of what took place even at Warrington is different in the original .
Bro . Allnutt , of the Bodleian Librai-3 ' , Oxford , has recently published a correct facsimile of Elias Ashmole ' s handwriting and his "ipsissima verba , " which , for the modest price of is . 6 d ., maybe obtained from Mr . Gee , Bookseller , of Oxford . And , at the utmost , it al ! depends on what sense Ashmole used "fellow , " whether as " generic term " or a special term ; also whether his authority can be really quoted one way or the other in this controversy . -
A great many dismiss the German Steinmetzen from the question , as they in no way bear on the subject , as the evidence concerning them is most uncertain , and limited , and unreliable , and a good deal which has been written about them is rank nonsense .
Ihe main point to be considered is , what is the amount of English and Scottish evidence on the subject 1 In England we have so far none available , except the Alnwick minutes , the Swakvell minutes , the Regulations of 1721 , the earlier Harleian MS ., and the Sloane MS ., already alluded to . The late Harleian MS . may also be used to some extent . The present result of their evidence , shortly summed ' up , is , in my humble opinion , —I say it with all deference to others , —incontestably this , that a system of Degrees existed long before 1717 .
In Scotland the evidence of thc minutes of Mary Chapel and other lodges have been held to demonstrate the certainty of a monograde theory . But , as I originally pointed out , and I have never changed my opinion one iota , that evidence is overstrained , and it is principally with the want of actual evidence , rather than with direct evidence on the subject , that we are confronted .
In fact , the argument based on the Scottish minutes isa very able attempt to " prove a negative . " For we must bear in mind this one great fact , tha though everything turns on the theory that Desaguliers when in Scotland introduced our present tri-gradal system , —a new fact in Scottish Masonry , — there is not in any Scottish minute the slightest allusion to the fact itself . There is no trace in any Scottish minute book before 1 750 , at any rateof any such
, known or recognized change , of any introductions of fresh formula ; or new Degrees . When Desaguliers visited Many Chapel he was only admitted after an " examination , " and the minutes allege that he was "found duly qualified in all points of Masonry . " . What these " all points " were weare not told ; but it would only be reasonable and fair to conclude lhat a preknowledge of them was familiar to the brethren .
If the Second and Third Degrees were introduced into Scotland as the result of Dr . Desaguliers' visit , there would in well-kept minutes , like those of Mary ' s Chapel , be some allusion to such an important fact to so very great a change in the normal life of Scottish Masonry . In fact , it would have been revolution
a . Surely any proposal to introduce new working , new lectures , new " aparreta , " would have been " minuted , " and some " sanction " of " Mary ' s Chapel " must have been given for such an important addition to and change in the well-known and ancient ritual of Scottish Masonry .
It may be well to observe here that the minutes of Mary Chapel , as I am informed , having never had the pleasure of seeing them myself , and as , indeed , we learn as students from Bro . D . M . Lyon's most interesting and ably-written volume , are quoad Masony—full and complete . They were kept by a professional lawyer , the clerk or secretary of the incor-DOratioil Of Marv's ChnnrA . nf wllirh tli-il- fnmnnc- nn-1 vunorohln Wlrrn „ ,.,,.
a sort of appendage , and down until about 1 740 this . functionary always •entered the minutes . The existence of a Third Degree—if not " expressed "may be said I think " to be" understood ; and I think this point is illustrated by the minutes of the Witham Lod ge , where the giving of the Third Degree in the Master ' s Lodge is just alluded to in the regular minutes , though no record of its proceedings is so far known to exist .
Otherwise we are driven to this extreme conclusion , that in consequence of Desagulier ' s visit , Mary Chapel and Scottish Masonry increased their degrees , expounded their symbolism , and added to their " aporreta , " without note or comment , resolution or sanction , " word or sign . " On the whole , I feel sure myself that the Scottish minutes , looked at from this expert and archaeological point of view , nrove for us the existence
of a trigradal system from 1660 ; that thc formalities then in existence were the same as at the time of Desagulier ' s visit . I also think we may contend that there was a general identity and concurrent agreement , otherwise some note or remark to that effect mi ght fairly be looked for in the carefully penned and posted minutes of Mary Chapel . If , as is now almost a certainty that careful researches will establish the
fact of speculative lodges in England in 1646 , and later on in the seventeenth century , a great deal of the difficulty of this " Crux " and a large amount of thc "haze " which overhangs the subject at present , will be dispelled . It is very remarkable to note , as I am informed is undoubtedly the case , that in 1634 in the minutes of No . 1 of Scotland , when certain "
nonopcratives were admitted , — " gentlemen , "—they were dubbed fellows of thc Craft . In 166 7 , Sir Patrick Home was admitted a " Fellow of Craft , " [ and Master ] of this lodge . The brackets embracing words " and Master " occurs in the " minute" of the transactions thus recorded . It may fairl y be asked—what does all this mean ? There must have been an object in designing this qualification of rank or decree .
The apprentice degree seems often to have been given out of the lodge , ( whatever it was ); and if my memory does not mislead me , there is evidence at Aberdeen , or one of thc great Scottish towns and lodges " meeting in thc open , " to receive apprentices outside the lodge . The same usage seems to have prevailed at Swalwell .
I he question is a very important one " per se , " though it may not seem so to some who take a superficial view of the controversy ; as on its eventual settlement depends to a great extent the veracity of many Masonic writers , and the reality of the position of the Masonic system in its threefold traditions .
To believe that our present system was arranged in London subsequently to the revival of 1717 , and had no basis or existence before 1700 , is what , on every ground of positive and inferential evidence of our ancient annals of our mystic traditions , I can never concede , or bring myself lo believe . And therefore I raise the question airain to-dav , calmlv
and clearly in the Freemason , as it will turn out to be a most important " factor " in respect of the future bearing of true and reliable Masonic History . I have to thank a very esteemed and distinguished friend of mine for many most admirable and effective " suggestions in this , " my little " essay " on a confessedl y " vexata tjuwstio , "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial Grand Lodge Of Norfolk.
„ R . Baldry , P . M . 807 - - - - Prov . G . D . of C „ A . Bullard , P . M . 1500 - - - - Prov . G . A . D . C . „ G . T . Plumbly , P . M . 1 S 0 S - - - Prov . G . S . B . „ F . C . Atkinson , 93 , P . M . 1648 - - - Prov . G . O . „ Geo . Kersey , W . M . 213 - - - - Prov . G . P .
„ R . Gunn , P . M . 93 . - - - Prov . G . lyler . Bros . F . E . Linging , 93 ; C . W . Bacon , 1500 ; G . J . "* ) Berry , Jno . W . Browne , P . Soman , S 07 ; and > Prov . G . Stwds . G . J . Butler , 21 3 - - - -J As each officer was invested the brethren marked their approbation by
enthusiastic applause . After some desultory business had been gone through , the . P . G . M . announced his intention , in accordance with notice given , that the amount collected at the Cathedral service in the afternoon should be given to the Restoration Fund of the St . Peter's Mancroft Church , of this City , now under repair ; his lordship characterising that grand old structure as second only to the Cathedral .
Bro . E . ORAMS , P . M ., as churchwarden thereof , on behalf of the Restoration Committee , thanked his lordship for his kind intention and
gift . The PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER , before closing the lodge , thanked the brethren for their attendance , and expressed the great satisfaction he had in hearing the report of Masonry in the province . He also expressed the pleasure he had in testifying his personal experience of the comfort provided for him and the brethren by the Masonic Association , and commended the judicious recommendation of the Provincial Committee .
( Applause . ) The Provincial Grand Lodge was then closed in peace and harmony . About four o ' clock in the afternoon the brethren assembled in the schoolroom in the Cathedral clpisters , and from thence proceeded in Masonic clothing to the Cathedral for Divine service . Bro . F . C . Atkinson , P . G . O ., presided at the organ . An excellent choral service was rendered by the choir , which included Bros . H . Thoulcss , J . H . Brockbank , and H . J . Brookes . The service was " Magnificat , " and " Nunc Dimmittus , " Bro .
Atkinson , in D . —Anthem : "On Thee each living soul depends , " Haydn . The sermon was preached by the Prov . Grand Chaplain , who took his text from the 21 st chapter of Revelations , 16 th verse , upon which the reverend brother expounded an admirable discourse , which was attentively listened to by a large congregation . At the conclusion of thc ceremony the brethren reformed , and the procession was dismissed . The collection at the end of the service amounted to about £ 14 . A large number of ladies and gentlemen assembled in the nave of the cathedral to witness the procession .
At six o ' clock a banquet was held at the Masonic Club Rooms , which proved a gigantic success , the viands being of the most recherche description . His lordship , the P . G . Master , presided , supported on his left by the D . P . G . M ,, Major Penrice , and on his right by Bro . the Rev . C . J . Martyn , D . P . G . M . Suffolk . There were about 100 brethren present .
The usual loyal and Masonic toasts were duly given and responded lo . In giving the toast of "The Masonic Association ( Limited ) , " his lordship again spoke of the great and useful benefits the Association had conferred upon the Craft of the province , as t hey had now a home and a fit and proper building to meet in .
In response to his lordship , various lodges and individual members of the province took several shares , and above 300 shares were obtained for the Association , a result which was received with immense enthusiasm . Bro . H . A . W . REEVES , in response , thanked . the brethren , and further explained the benefits arising from the use of the club . " The Ladies " brought the toast list to an end ; Bro . Rev . C . T . Martyn
favouring the brethren with his ever-green song , "She was such a charming woman . " Several excellent songs , ducts , and glees were rendered by Bros . H . Thouless , J . H . Brockbank , and F . C . Atkinson ( cathedral choir ) , Robt . Baldry and J . C Firman , accompanied by Bro . F . C . Atkinson . Bro . E . Wilkins , the Steward of the Club , gave a beautiful recitation in capital style .
His lordship , the P . G . Master , should be warmly congratulated upon his successful meeting and of thc great success of Masonry ; and , as both himself and the D . P . G . Master are warm favourites , if , when their duties would allow them , they would pay the lodges a visit a hearty reception would be accorded them , and a boon conferred upon the brethren .
A word of congratulation should also be accorded to Bro . H . Barwell , P . G . Sec , whose untiring efforts arc ever directed towards thc success of Masonry in general , and the Province of Norfolk in particular . His zeal for the Charities is highly to be commended , and eminentl y entitles him to thc warmest thanks of the brethren .
We would also congratulate the Masonic Association upon their success ; and , in the name of the brethren attending P . G . Lodge , thank the Committee and Secretary for their exertions in rendering the comfort of thc brethren everything desirable .
Masonic History And Historians.
MASONIC HISTORY AND HISTORIANS .
BY MASONIC STUDENT . I said that there was another " Crux " which I had to deal wilh as regards seventeenth century speculative Masonry , assuming that its existence is proved , as I apprehend it will ere long be , and that is its connection with post 1717 Masonry . Based on a certain usage of words , and special expressions , there has grown up a " Monogradc " school of Masonic writers , which holds that previously lo 1717 Freemasonry had but one Degree and one reception .
IS o doubt the direct Masonic evidence is very scanty on the point , but the want of details thereanent "is not , " as I have sought more than once to point out , in reality strictly decisive of the question . 1 here are many reasons which might bc alleged why the minutes of lodges are sparse and cautious , and speak with perhaps an " uncertain tongue " on the subject .
Non-masonic evidences , such as Dr . Plot , ike , seem to point to an early use of Masonic ceremonial , symbolism , and usages in the abstract , and the word " secrets , " explain it as you will , reduce its force , and take away its meaning as as you will , cannot be identical wilh " secret . " The evidence of the well-known Sloanc MS ., if of transcription 1715 , yet undoubtedl y of seventecth century archaisms , ( as is admitted ) , would seem establish the existence of more than one grade in the seventeenth century . Ihe entries in Ashmole ' s diary do not prove much one way or another ,
Masonic History And Historians.
as I read them ; though it has been contended that , as in 1682 , he uses the word "fellow" in relation to what took place in Warrington in 1646 , he only knew of one grade . We must first be sure we have Ashmole ' s own words , as the " interpolations" of subsequent writers are many , and the commonly received account of what took place even at Warrington is different in the original .
Bro . Allnutt , of the Bodleian Librai-3 ' , Oxford , has recently published a correct facsimile of Elias Ashmole ' s handwriting and his "ipsissima verba , " which , for the modest price of is . 6 d ., maybe obtained from Mr . Gee , Bookseller , of Oxford . And , at the utmost , it al ! depends on what sense Ashmole used "fellow , " whether as " generic term " or a special term ; also whether his authority can be really quoted one way or the other in this controversy . -
A great many dismiss the German Steinmetzen from the question , as they in no way bear on the subject , as the evidence concerning them is most uncertain , and limited , and unreliable , and a good deal which has been written about them is rank nonsense .
Ihe main point to be considered is , what is the amount of English and Scottish evidence on the subject 1 In England we have so far none available , except the Alnwick minutes , the Swakvell minutes , the Regulations of 1721 , the earlier Harleian MS ., and the Sloane MS ., already alluded to . The late Harleian MS . may also be used to some extent . The present result of their evidence , shortly summed ' up , is , in my humble opinion , —I say it with all deference to others , —incontestably this , that a system of Degrees existed long before 1717 .
In Scotland the evidence of thc minutes of Mary Chapel and other lodges have been held to demonstrate the certainty of a monograde theory . But , as I originally pointed out , and I have never changed my opinion one iota , that evidence is overstrained , and it is principally with the want of actual evidence , rather than with direct evidence on the subject , that we are confronted .
In fact , the argument based on the Scottish minutes isa very able attempt to " prove a negative . " For we must bear in mind this one great fact , tha though everything turns on the theory that Desaguliers when in Scotland introduced our present tri-gradal system , —a new fact in Scottish Masonry , — there is not in any Scottish minute the slightest allusion to the fact itself . There is no trace in any Scottish minute book before 1 750 , at any rateof any such
, known or recognized change , of any introductions of fresh formula ; or new Degrees . When Desaguliers visited Many Chapel he was only admitted after an " examination , " and the minutes allege that he was "found duly qualified in all points of Masonry . " . What these " all points " were weare not told ; but it would only be reasonable and fair to conclude lhat a preknowledge of them was familiar to the brethren .
If the Second and Third Degrees were introduced into Scotland as the result of Dr . Desaguliers' visit , there would in well-kept minutes , like those of Mary ' s Chapel , be some allusion to such an important fact to so very great a change in the normal life of Scottish Masonry . In fact , it would have been revolution
a . Surely any proposal to introduce new working , new lectures , new " aparreta , " would have been " minuted , " and some " sanction " of " Mary ' s Chapel " must have been given for such an important addition to and change in the well-known and ancient ritual of Scottish Masonry .
It may be well to observe here that the minutes of Mary Chapel , as I am informed , having never had the pleasure of seeing them myself , and as , indeed , we learn as students from Bro . D . M . Lyon's most interesting and ably-written volume , are quoad Masony—full and complete . They were kept by a professional lawyer , the clerk or secretary of the incor-DOratioil Of Marv's ChnnrA . nf wllirh tli-il- fnmnnc- nn-1 vunorohln Wlrrn „ ,.,,.
a sort of appendage , and down until about 1 740 this . functionary always •entered the minutes . The existence of a Third Degree—if not " expressed "may be said I think " to be" understood ; and I think this point is illustrated by the minutes of the Witham Lod ge , where the giving of the Third Degree in the Master ' s Lodge is just alluded to in the regular minutes , though no record of its proceedings is so far known to exist .
Otherwise we are driven to this extreme conclusion , that in consequence of Desagulier ' s visit , Mary Chapel and Scottish Masonry increased their degrees , expounded their symbolism , and added to their " aporreta , " without note or comment , resolution or sanction , " word or sign . " On the whole , I feel sure myself that the Scottish minutes , looked at from this expert and archaeological point of view , nrove for us the existence
of a trigradal system from 1660 ; that thc formalities then in existence were the same as at the time of Desagulier ' s visit . I also think we may contend that there was a general identity and concurrent agreement , otherwise some note or remark to that effect mi ght fairly be looked for in the carefully penned and posted minutes of Mary Chapel . If , as is now almost a certainty that careful researches will establish the
fact of speculative lodges in England in 1646 , and later on in the seventeenth century , a great deal of the difficulty of this " Crux " and a large amount of thc "haze " which overhangs the subject at present , will be dispelled . It is very remarkable to note , as I am informed is undoubtedly the case , that in 1634 in the minutes of No . 1 of Scotland , when certain "
nonopcratives were admitted , — " gentlemen , "—they were dubbed fellows of thc Craft . In 166 7 , Sir Patrick Home was admitted a " Fellow of Craft , " [ and Master ] of this lodge . The brackets embracing words " and Master " occurs in the " minute" of the transactions thus recorded . It may fairl y be asked—what does all this mean ? There must have been an object in designing this qualification of rank or decree .
The apprentice degree seems often to have been given out of the lodge , ( whatever it was ); and if my memory does not mislead me , there is evidence at Aberdeen , or one of thc great Scottish towns and lodges " meeting in thc open , " to receive apprentices outside the lodge . The same usage seems to have prevailed at Swalwell .
I he question is a very important one " per se , " though it may not seem so to some who take a superficial view of the controversy ; as on its eventual settlement depends to a great extent the veracity of many Masonic writers , and the reality of the position of the Masonic system in its threefold traditions .
To believe that our present system was arranged in London subsequently to the revival of 1717 , and had no basis or existence before 1700 , is what , on every ground of positive and inferential evidence of our ancient annals of our mystic traditions , I can never concede , or bring myself lo believe . And therefore I raise the question airain to-dav , calmlv
and clearly in the Freemason , as it will turn out to be a most important " factor " in respect of the future bearing of true and reliable Masonic History . I have to thank a very esteemed and distinguished friend of mine for many most admirable and effective " suggestions in this , " my little " essay " on a confessedl y " vexata tjuwstio , "