An Old Masters' Lodge.

occurs in the Records to indicate visits from brethren not subscribers to any Lodge , and probably some who had been initialed prior to the formation of Grand Lodge , under the old regime . The sum of one shilling per night was granted on January 26 th , 1732 , " to illuminate ye Lodge in a manner agreeable . " !>•

Schomberg , who was the " Right Worshipful Master " in 1732 , was one ofthe Grand Stewards in 1 73 . 5 . On April 26 th , 173 2 , it was agreed " that a copper plate be cut , that circular letters be for the future sent to all the members . " Dr . Crawley tells me that a copy of one of these engraved blank forms is preserved amongst the " Rawlinson MSS . " at Oxford .

The most valuable feature of thc records , however , is tbe referencasto the Third Degree and the minutes of the ceremony when worked . These are the earliest of the kind so far traced , for those of the "Philo Musicc Lodge " contained in the line old manuscript volume in thc British Museum { Add MSS . 23 , 202 ) ,

concern a Masonic organisation that was never acknowledged by the Grand Lodge . The latter arc of considerable importance , notwithstanding their lack of " regularity , " dating as they do from 1725 , and prove that the Degree was conferred in regular lodges at that period , instances of which arc duly recorded .

I here are several minutes of thc Master Mason ' s Degree being worked in the regular lodge originally assembling at the "Swan and Rummer , " from 1726 , as follows :

April 27 , 7727 . "Order'dThat a Lodge of Masters be summoned for Fryday next at 6 o ' clock on special Affairs . " April 20 , ifsf .

"Jno . Dixon HatnmondEsqr . " j Edw d . Burton Esq . paid ! ,, r , .,, , ,, . ,, Mr . John Vernon \ XX oro admiltcd Mastors - Capt . Ignatius Molloy J March ?/ , I ' .

" At a particular lodge for passing of Masters . K- ' # -x-. # # * " Thc Masters Lodge was formed , and the following Brethren were admitted Masters , viz-. — Brother Ne / fhorp

Brother Aynsworth Brother Quam Brother Commcrford Brother Tomkinson Brother Hare

" Brother John hmslic having been Recommended as a worthy and good Mason he was passed Afaster at thc same time . " A Debate arising concerning the Charge to be paid by every Brother upon his being admitted a Master

Mason in this Lodge . It was Resolved nomine contradicente , that no Brother for tlie future be so admitted for a less expense than Ten Shillings and Sixpence . " 14 April , 1731 . " Bro . Roul and Bro . Shipton having a desire to be

passed Masters , thc Masters' Lodge was formed and they were past accordingly . " Three days later , in the "^ Master ' s Lodge fonn'd , " they " werepant accordingly . "

25 Feb . 1731-2 . " The Masters' Lodge was formed and Mr . Delano , Mr . Adolphus , jun 1-., & Mr . Wentworth were passed Masters . "

Nov . $ " > , if 32 . "Resolv'd & Order'd that Circular Letters be sent to all the Master Masons of this Lodge [ sic ] be summon'd to meet next Lodge night at 6 of the Clock precisely , in order to admit Bro . Adol phus , 6 cc . [ two others ]

Master Masons . " On the 22 nd oi the same month the three brethren " were admitted Masters agreeable to a former resolution . " The 7 th of February , 1732-3 { i . e ., 1 733 N . S . ) was " appointed for ye passing of Afast rs . The Lodge was conven'd accordingly , and

Bro . Nimes and liro . Heaton were fussed Masters . " Thc firstmentioned was also chosen as one of the Wardens . The last minute relating to the Master Masons is daled 1 oiJi April , 1 734 , in which it is stated" This night Mr . Jam * " Styles was passed a Master Mason . "

Tlie half-a-guinea charged for raising was additional to tlie fee for " making and membership , " the former sums being kept distinct from the ordinary receipts of the lodge , that of the Master Masons being a separate organisation . Of these Masters' Lodges there are several accounts preserved , and in the Transactions of the "Quatuor Coronati Lodge , " as well as

An Old Masters' Lodge.

in published histories of lodges , many interesting facts have been made known , but thc oldest of these date from the decade following thc one 1 have herein described . As with some other old lodges , there is no mention of tbe Fellow Craft ' s Degree from first to last : the " makine "

apparently including virtually , if not actually , that ceremony , for it can scarcely be supposed that Apprentices were raised to the . Third Degree without the intermediate qualification or prequisite . In By-laws extant of 1732 "the Degrees of F . C . and M . " are provided for { Freemason , April , 1 S 72 ) , and the

former was worked in No . 41 , Bath , from 1733 ; though not in a still older lodge at Lincoln , from 1732 ( Bro . W . Dixon ' s valuable " TTidort / of Freeinastmri / in , Lincolnshire , " 1 S 94 ) . It is important to note that the two Wardens who were " raised "

as Master Masons in this old London lodge aforesaid in 1729 had been elected as Wardens at a previous meeting , thus proving that the Third Degree was not a prequisite for office in that year , neither was it at a still later period .

My opinion is that tlintinti and separate Degrees in Freemasonry were unknown prior to the second decade of last century , the esoteric ceremony before then being communicated to Apprentices , and there was no higher Degree , i . e ., secret

work before the Grand Lodge era . This , I consider , has been proved by mi ; in my "Origin ofthe English Rite of Freemasonry " ( 18 S 4 ) and other publications . W . J . HUGHAN .

An Old Patent.

An Old Patent .

BY FRED J . W . CROWE , P . Prov . G . O . Devon .

A short timc ago , I received from a gentleman at Exeter a very interestir . g old document , of which the following is a copy : — Manchester , G . M .

Zoallanbev>ev\>oWRight

SEAI Worshipful , Worshipful , & loving Brethren , We GEORGE Duke of MANCHESTER , Sic

GRAND MASTER of thc Most Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons send Greeting * .

iKnOW \> C That Wc of th ° S reat Trust ami Confidence reposed in our Right Trusty and wclbelovcd Brother Charles March of the War Office London Esquire Do hereb y Constitute and appoint him the said Charles Marsh Provincial Grand Master of and for the County of Radnor with full power and authority in

due form to make Masons and Constitute and Regulate Lodges as occasion may require and also lo do and execute all and every such other Acts and things appertaining to thc said Office as usually have been or ought to be done and executed b y other Provincial Grand Masters be the said Charles Marsh

takinespecial Care that all and every the Members of every Lodge he shall Constitute have be regularly made Masons and that they do observe perform and keep all and every the Rules Orders and Regulations contained in the P . ook of Constitutions ( except such as have been or may be repeated at any Quarterly

Communication or other general Meeting ) together also with all such other Rules Orders Regulations and Instructions as shall from lime to time be transmitted by Us or by liowland Holt Esquire Our Deputy or by any of Our Successors Grand Masters or their Deputies for the time being And wc hereb y will and

require you our said Provincial Grand Master to cause four Quarterly Communications to be held yearly , one whereof to be upon or as near the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist as conveniently may be and that yon promote on ( hose and all other occasions whatever

may be for the honour and advantage of Masonry and thc benefit of the Grand Charily and that you Yearly send to Us or our Successors Grand Masters an account in Writing of the proceedings ( herein aud also of what Lodges you Constitute and

when and where held with a List of the Members of the said several Lodges and Copies of all such Rules Orders and Reguations as shall be made for tbe good government of the same , vith whatever else you shall do by virturc of these Presents and hat you at the same time remit to the Treasurer of the Society