William Preston And The "Ancient" Masons.

WILLIAM PRESTON AND THE "ANCIENT" MASONS .

It is difficult to suggest a reason for the conduct of WILLIAM PRESTON , author of the well-known " Illustrations of Masonry , " in almost entirely ignoring the existence of that section of English Freemasonry which stjkd itself during the latter half of last , and the early years of the present , century as the " Antient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted

Masons according to the old Institutions , " or more familiarly , as the " Ancient " or " Athol " Masons . According to the extract we published in our issue of the 29 th ult ., from KENNING ' Encyclopedia of Freemasonry , it is not clear when this distinguished member of our Order was initiated into its mysteries , but " it has been said at a lodge , which met at the White

Hart , in the Strand , in 1760 , under an Athol Warrant . " Bro . GOULD , in his "Atholl Lodges , " in the note appended to No . m , points out that PRESTON was a member of the lodge at the White Hart , having been initiated under the dispensation granted by the " Ancient" Grand Lodge to make Masons at the said White Hart to Bro . ROBERT LOCKIIEAD

on the 2 nd March , 1763 , while the lodge itself was constituted " on or about 20 th April , 176 3 " ; and he further states that " after meeting successively at the Horn Tavern , Fleet-street , the Scots' Hall , Blackfriars , and the Half Moon , Cheapside , the members of No . in ( at the instance of WILLIAM PRESTON ) petitioned for a ' Modern '

Constitution , and the Iodge was soon afterwards constituted a second time , in ample form , by the name of the ' Caledonian ' Lodge , under which name it still exists ( now No . 134 ) . " It is also clear , from the letter which appeared in our columns last week from Bro . ROBERT BERRIDGE , that it was not long before Bro . PRESTON attained to a position of eminence in the ranks of the

" Modern , " or " Regular , " Fraternity . Therefore , as an ex-member of the " Ancient" Society , and a prominent member of its more aristocratic rival , PRESTON was in a better position than yo . out of every hundred Masons of his time to know of the schism which existed amongst the Freemasons in England . Yet no one who has read the l'ourth Book of his " Illustrations , "

in which is traced " the History of Masonry in England to the great Masonic Re-union in 1 S 13 , " can have failed to remark that , as we have before said , with the exception of a few scant references to the " Ancients " andwhat could not be dealt with in a few lines—the account in detail , as it appeared in the last edition published during his lifetime , of

" The Great Masonic Re-union in 1813 , " what purports to be a " History of Masonry in England" is merely a narrative of the proceedings of the " Modern" or " Regular" Grand Lodge . As a pervert to this latter section of the Craft in England , PRESTON , perhaps , was justified in the adoption of this course j but as the self-constituted historian of English

Masonry , it was his duty to have described , as far as lay in his power , and with complete impartiality , the proceedings of both sections , and his omission to do this is a reproach to his fame which cannot be overlooked or condoned . When he was initiated , the "Ancient" Grand Lodge had 111 lodges on ils roll ; when he published the first edition of his history , this number had

increased to about 180 ; and when the Union was effected in 1813 , there were upwards of 300 of them . Moreover , this Union , as he well knew , or could without difficulty have ascertained , was effected on terms that were equally honourable to both Societies , so that , though , as we have before suggested , it may have been sound policy on the part of the " Moderns "—a

policy enjoined on them by their Grand Lodge under the severest pains and penalties—to ignore their "Ancient" brethren , the conduct of Preston in framing his history in accordance wilh that policy seems all the more

inexcusable , especially when we find from a perusal of the minutes of the " Ancient" Grand Lodge , that when it suited his purpose , he was able , or professed to able , to explain , as indeed he does in partisan fashion , the differences that existed between the two Societies .

In the minutes of the " Ancient " Grand Lodge of the ist Nov . 1775—at which time there existed a friendly intercouse between it and the Grand Lodges of Ireland and Scotland—it is recorded that Bro . DERMOTT , Deputy Grand Master , -who presided on the occassion , " reported that the Grand Secretary had ( upon y 16 th last month ) received a Pacquet from W . M .

MASON , Esq ., Grand Secretary of Scotland , containing sundry printed Papers composed by one WM . PRESTON , a Lecturer on Masonry in London , that it appeared by such papers and a private letter sent with them to the Grand Secretary of Scotland , that the said WM . PRESTON had used every Art to cause a Disunion between the Grand Lodges of Scotland and

England , that upon the 19 th of the same month , he , the D . G . M . ( in the presence of the Hon . Col . MURRAY , G . Sec , DICKEV , and G . STEWART , Master 14 ) had laid the above Pacquet before His Grace of ATHOLL , Grand Master , who after perusing them very Attentively was pleased to order them to be laid before the Grand Lodge without loss of time for the purpose of

William Preston And The "Ancient" Masons.

their framing a proper Answer to be transmitted to the R . W . G . I ., of Scotland , and when done to be presented to His Grace for his approbation . " The " Pecquet" referred to contained firstly a letter from WILLIAM MASON dattd " Edinr . 17 th Augt . 1775 , " to " WM . DICKEY Esq . Bow St . Covent Garden , Londn ., " in which he describes the purport of PRESTON ' letter

and adds , by way of postscript , " I have given no Answer to Mr . PRESTON ' Letter , nor will not , until I hear from you , therefore shal expect you will be speedy in your Return to this , that I may have an opportunity to do it . " PRESTON , in his letter to MASON , applied " for a Correct List of the present Officers of the Grand Lodtre of

Scotland and of the several Lodges under your Constitution . As it is intended for an Annual Publication which goes to Press about a month hence , I shall be greatly obliged if favoured with an answer from you by return of Post . " In a poslscript PRESTON adds : " I should be extreamly happy to be Instrumental in introducing a Correspondence between the

Grand Lodge of Scotland , the place of my nativity , and the Grand Lodge of England . My Interest and Connexions in Masonry are at present very extensive here , &* it would give me a sensible pleasure to have the satisfaction of recommending English Brethren to your favour & the Brethren Initiated by you to the Regular Lodges of this Metropolis . " Secondly ,

there is a letter from Bro . MASON to Bro . DICKEV , in reply to one from the latter of the 28 th August , in which he forwards copy of a letter which he had writlen to Bro . PRESTON on the 7 th September , and which wns to the following effect : " Sir—I duly reed , your Letter of the 7 th ulto . & would have returned an immediate answer but that your request was somewhat singular

and therefore as the Grand Lodge of Scotland have an Establish'd Correspondence with the Grand Lodges of England & Ireland &* they the same with us , whatever new matter happens with the one is made known to all . So I made this known to my worthy Brother DICKEV , Secretary to the Grand Lodge of England & of him in Bow Street , Covent Garden , you will get any

Information you may want to publish with regard to Masonry . " The next letter is also from Bro . MASON , bearing date " Edinburgh , 9 October , 1775 , " and enclosing copy of a letter received from PRESTON in the interim . PRESTON in this letter , after politely declining to avail himself of Bro . MASON ' S reference to Bro . DICKEV , on the ground that he has not "the pleasure of

knowing that gentleman , neither do I wish to correspond with him in the characlcr you give him , proceeds as follows : "It is with regret I understand by your Letter that the Grand Lodge of Scotland has been so grossl y imposed upon as to have established a correspondence with an irregular body of men who falsely assume the appellation of Antient Masons . And

I still more sensibly lament that this imposition has likewise received the countenance of the Grand Lodge of Ireland . " Hc refers Bro . MASON to an enclosed exceript from his " History of Masonry in England from the revival of the Grand Lodge in 1717 " for the alleged "Origin of those Irregular Masons with whom you correspond " and forwards a list of the Grand

Masters of his Society from 1717 . He adds— " I am sorry to find that the Duke of ATHOL , Gen . OUGHTON , Lord KELLY , and some other respectable personages have at different times been prevailed upon to give a sanction to these assemblies . I am convinced no nobleman apprised of the deception would give their countenance or wish to Intrude upon the ri ghts of other

Noblemen who ever smce . theyear 1721 have been regularly ' elected to preside as Grand Masters agreeable to the Antient Laws of the Society . You will find by the list that the greater part of our patrons have been noblemen of Scotch extraction , who have regularly attained the direction of the Fraternity . Under our patronage 480 lodges are established at home

and abroad , and some of thc first Princes in Europe do not disdain our Alliance . " In commenting on this letter , Bro . MASON writes : " As this seems to be new and serious matter , I shall expect with your first conveniency that you will favour me with an answer , and you will please also return the papers , as I intend laying the whole before our next

Quarterly Communication , which happens on the 13 th proxo . " The " Ancient" Grand Lodge was fully equal to the occasion . A reply , in which is traceable the bold hand of Bro . DERMOTT , was at once prepared and Grand Secretary DICKEY was instructed to submit it for the approval of the Duke of ATHOL , Grand Master , and , if approved by his Grace , to

dispatch it forthwith to the Grand Lodge of Scotland . This letter contains the following statements : "That all the Lodges under our Constitution pursue the Universal Practice of the Royal Craft , as appears by the Brethren now Assembled , several of whom were made in Scotland , Ireland

Asia , & America ; We do most strenuously Insist & most religiously declare that the Masonical practice of the Gentlemen called Modern Masons ( now under the sanction of Lord PETRIE ) is contrary to the Ancient & Universal Custom of the Royal Craft . We do freely acknowledge that