Provincial Grand Mark Lodge Of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, And Rutland.

PROVINCIAL GRAND MARK LODGE OF LEICESTERSHIRE , NORTHAMPTONSHIRE , DERBYSHIRE , AND RUTLAND .

CONSECRATION OF THE ILKESTON LODGE , No . 373 . A great gathering of Mark Masons assembled at Ilkeston on Wednes-, the 27 th ult ., to consecrate anew Mark lodge there . A lodge of Mark Masters was opened at the Temperance Hall by Bro . Percy Wallis , P . G . D . Fnsr . P . P . S-G . W ., and a great number of candidates were duly advanced .

The Prov . Grand Master , R . W . Bro . Wm . Kelly , and the officers of Prov . Grand Mark Lodge were then received , and the ceremeny of consecrating and dedicating the new lodge was ably performed by R . W . Bro . Kelly , assisted'by Bros . S . S . Partridge , P . G . D . Eng ., P . D . P . G . M . ; T . Cox , D . P . G . M . ; Percy Wallis ; Henry George , P . A . G . D . of C Eng . ; and

others . gro . T . Cox , D . P . G . M ., then took the chair , and proceeded to install Bro . Charles Maltby as W . M . of the Ilkeston Lodge , No . 373 . The W . M . then appointed and invested his officers . The R . W . P . G . M . again took the

chair , and proceeded to open Provincial Grand Lodge in due form . The report of the Masters of lodges , the Committee of General Purposes , the Reg istrar , and the Treasurer having been received , were adopted . The new by-laws were also adopted . Bro . Samuel Cleaver was re-elected Treasurer .

The R . W . P . G . M . then read his annual address , in which he alluded to the great progress of Mark Masonry in the province , particularly in Derbyshire . Bro . Kelly also remarked upon his re-appointment as P . G . M ., an office which he had held for 26 years , and to the sound financial position of the Provincial Grand Lodge . The Prov . Grand Master then invested his officers as follows :

Bro . T . Cox ... ... ... ... D . P . G . M . W . J . Freer ... ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W . ' , G . H . Percival ... ... ... Prov . J . G . W . „ Butler Wilkins ... ... ... Prov . G . M . O . J . H . Thompson ... ... ... Prov . G . S . O . „ J . Howell ... ... ... ... Prov . G . J . O . „ Rev . R . C . Faithfull ... ... ... Prov . G . Chap . „ Rev . C W . Groas ... ... ... Prov . G . Chap . „ S . Cleaver ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Treas .

„ S . A . Morns ... ... ... ... Prov . U . Keg . „ M . J . Walker ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Sec . „ J . Bland ... ,. ... ... Prov . S . G . D . „ Edgar Home ... ... ... ... Prov . J . G . D . „ J . Wiggins ... ... ... ... Prov . G . L of W . „ J . D . Harris ... ... ... ... Prov . G . D . of C .

„ VV . Boughen ... ... ,,. ... Prov . A . G . D . C „ C Maltby ... ... ... ... Prov . G . S . B . „ A . Woodiwiss ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Std . B . „ W . H . Tutt ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Org . „ F . C . Dunwell ... ... ... ... Prov . G . I . G . „ J . C . Webb ... ... ... ,..- ,

„ H . P . Brown ... ... ... ... ,. n „ . , „ R . L . H . Mole W Prov . G . Stwds . „ J . E . Whitehead ... ... ... J „ J . Tanser ... ... ... ,., ) r „ . „ W . Stone ... ... ... ... ] Prov G- fyIers

-The sum of ^ , ' 5 5 s . was voted to be placed upon the list of Bro . T . Cox , D . P . G . M ., as Steward at the next Festival of the Mark Benevolent Fund ; £ 2 2 s . was also voted to the " F . Binckes Presentation Fund . " The Provincial Grand Lodge having been duly closed , the brethren adjourned to the Rutland Hotel , where a very capital banquet was served by the host , Bro . Daykin .

Notes On The Minute Book Of An Early Athol Lodge.

NOTES ON THE MINUTE BOOK OF AN EARLY ATHOL LODGE .

Through the kindness of W . Bro . L . V . Walker , W . M . of Neptune Lod ge , No . 22 , 1 have been favoured with an inspection of an old Minute Book now the property of that lodge , but which , however , contains within

; "s covers the ori ginal Minutes , Rules and Regulations , Lists of Members , a "d Cash Accounts of the lodge No . 20 , constituted on the 9 th July , 1753 , ; at the " Hampshire Hog , " in Gosvvell-street , London .

On the Title page are the names of "John Mc Cormick , Mastr , Samuel ^ albraith , Jas . Bedford Wards , " the former of whom became , subsequentl y , Grand Secretary of the "Seceders . " Then evidently followed a V' t ? e ( although now out of its nroDer nlace in the hnnl ^ nn u / hirh is written

we the Master , Wardens , and Deacons , with the rest of our fellow memer s of ° ur lodge , No . 20 , do approve of the following Rules and Orders as 0 and wholesome for the good government of this lodge , to which we utuall

y submit . As witness our hand , October 2 nd , 1753 . " This approval gned b y the beforenamed Master and Wardens and by nearly all the , who belonged to the lodge during its brief existence . the fi ^ ' and Orde rs are 2 5 ' number , but it is to a portion only of rst ru ' that I now wish to draw special attention . It reads

"THAT - i Hamrj h * a Loc te ° f Free & Accepted Antient Masons be held at the 3 d MonH % ' '" Gosswell Str' - London ( or elsewhere ) , on the 1 st and T \ v W ri ° - mont ^> and that such lodge consist of One Master , Master ar ns ' ^ Deacons , and a T yler , with as many members as the Thi a . Majority shall think proper , " & c , & c . to D ! earliest instance in any Minutes known to me of a reference te "s me h - reco 8 nised officers of an English Lodge , and Bro . Hughan ' ° dge e ! J not aware or an earlier notice than this in England in any '' Antient " 0 ne may ' 1 think ' reasonabIy and fairl y infer that the Masons copied this practice from Ireland .

Notes On The Minute Book Of An Early Athol Lodge.

Another incident recorded is that on the 24 th June 1754 , the lodge was opened " at two at noon , being the festival of St . John . Call'd off " to Refreshment at three , Call'd on in order to make Bro . Robert Whitehall an Antient Mason , he being a Moddren Mason before , made him in all the

parts . " As this was only three years after the formation of the Grand Lodge of the Antients * it will be evident that its power and influence as a separate organisation were being felt by the Original Grand Lodge from whom they had seceded . At the other end of the volume is inscribed a list of " Visiters " to this

old Lodge No . 20 , and amongst them , under the several columns headed "Names , " " Quality , " and "No ., " the name of " L . Dermott , G . S . 1 , " appears as a visitor in July and December , 1753 , and in January , April , June , and July , 1754 . Eight times he is so described as of " No . 1 , " and as these entries take the lodge ( No . 1 ) a considerable period further back than has yet been mentioned , it is desirable , doubtless , that the information should be generally known .

Lodge No . 20 became extinct in 1756 , f the members having then dwindled down to eight , and their last meeting was held on Sth September in that year . The Minute Book of the extinct lodge evidently came into the possession of some other brethren , who united to form another lodge at Depttord , which became No . 64 , and its minutes , & c , are recorded here and there in the book , without regularity or sequence , according to the fancy or caprice

of the Secretary for the time being , commencing with the " Transactions of a Freemasons' Lodge , held at Mr . Saml . Garth , at the Red house , Deptford J not constituted . August 22 th , 1757 . Lodge open'd at 6 o ' clock . " They proceeded to " make" Entered Apprentices and "raise" Fellow Crafts and Master Masons , although not constituted , this ceremony not taking place until 14 th December in the same . year . During the interval they had made several Masons , some of whom were actuall y holding office at the time of the lodge being constituted .

The history of this lodge which purchased the vacant No . 13 in 1759 § , is being written by its W . M ., Bro . L . V . Walker , and will , no doubt , be of considerable interest , not only to the members of the lodge , but to brethren generally . One entry of significant import I may here transcribe . Under date 22 nd May , 1758 , it is stated that " Brother Wm . Watson being an Antient Freemason was this night enter'd and made in all the three steps of

Masonry . " Now , as this was an "Antient" Lodge , and Bro . Wm . Watson an "Antient" Mason , where was the necessity or reason for such a ceremony ? In the cash account , under same date , appears this entry— "To Cash rec - from Bro . Wm . Watson for being enter'd as a member 5 s . o . " This evidently points out that the brother was what we now designate a

joining member , and it is probable that , having been made in some lodge under a Scottish or Irish Constitution ( whose forms , although similar , may not have been altogether identical ) they put him through all the Degrees in one night , so that there might be no doubt whatever of his claim to be termed an "Antient" Mason . I am always glad to have an opportunity of examining any old lodge records of either the " Moderns " or the " Ancients . " JNO . LANE .

Catalogue Of Masonic Books And Mss. (Ii.)

CATALOGUE OF MASONIC BOOKS AND MSS . ( II . )

The list of Masonic works printed in the " Freemason , " for April 30 th , is not of the same general interest and value as the first portion , though several of the lots will be found to be of special importance , and not a few " plums "are scattered throughout the collection , which dilgent Masonic students will soon detect . The speciality of this , the second list , is works

of an occult and astrological character , a few of which are not easily procured , and some are scarcely ever met with . To begin with there is a copy of the Astrological Magazine of 1794 , Sibley ' s Illustrations of Astrology in 2 vols , with plates , and "Stella Nova , " being a sermon preached before the learned Society of Astrologers , August ist , 1640 , by Robert Gell , D . D .

Of modern works on this curious and " out of the way subject , there are Cooke ' s " Curiosities of Occult Literature , " Guide to "Horary Astrology , " and others . Then there is that famous volume by Bro . Godfrey Higgins , on the " Celtic Druids , " of 1829 , which fetches such a large sum in "Second-hand Book Catalogues . " Though this work is not quite so valuable

as the other companion volume , the "Anacalypsis , " still it is both curious and scarce , and the one may be said to be the complement of the other . The "Complete system of Magick , or the History of the Black Art , " of the year 1729 , is a work beyond our poor ability to describe , and in fact has so much frightened us from its title as to prove a warning to any but the

" initiated" to look into its pages . The "Art of Secret Information " of 1685 is a pleasant change , and so also is one of the original editions of Hone ' s " Ancient Mysteries " of 1823 ; but a little way down is " England ' s Black Tribunal" of the year 1737 staring at us , but doubtless to those interested it will prove anything but what its title suggests . We never saw

a copy of this volume before , and may not again ! "Light on Masonry " is an American exposure , fit for the anti-Masons of America for whom it was written , and by whom it has become so valued as to render copies most difficult to . procure even at high prices . Laurie ' s History of the Grand Lodge of Scotland is a noble volume ; the author having been Grand Secretary

for many years , he was able to " speak from actual knowledge . It is the second edition really , though the first of 1804 ( by his father ) was much inferior in every sense . A number of works will be found in this list at low prices , by Stewart , Macoy , Dr . Morris , Dr . Mackey , Smith ( of 1783 ) , Webb , Ashe , Sickel , Creigh , Findel , Jones , Pierson , Y 2 rker , and other well-known

writers , as also old and rare Sermons on Freemasonry , and Manuals . A copy is offered , we note , of Bro . J . Ramsden Riley ' s History of the Airedale Lodge , the edition being out of print , and now scarce . There is also a few volumes of the " Freemasons' Magazine , " 1793-6 , which was the first

of its kind issued in England , and contains portraits of several Masonic worthies . The Mythological and Chemical works are worthy of attention , as also those Masonic pamphlets relating to this Country and America , especially as they are the most easily lost sight of , and the most difficult lo obtain when wanted of all publications on the Craft ,