Masonic Certificates*

MASONIC CERTIFICATES *

It is difficult to imagine a drier or , at lirst si ght , more uninteresting subject to write about than that ol " Certificates . These documents testify in simple language to certain facts which concern their owners and the bodies corporate which issued

them . Iheu * appearance is not particularly attractive , except , it may be , when they happen lo be enclosed in gold caskets or have been designed by artists of pre-eminent ability . Yet Bro . Rl LEY , who is facile princeps among authorities on Masonic

Certificates , has succeeded in compiling about them a most admirable treatise , in which are set forth clearly , concisely , and in order an array of facts which are valuable beyond anything that the most enthusiastic student of Masonry can ' * have dreamt of in his

p hilosophy . The classification and nomenclature of : the various kinds of certificates which have been issued by our Grand Lodges and Grand Chapters leave nothing to be desired as regards precision and propriety , and doubtless those brethren who are the

fortunate possessors of small collections of these documentsboth those testifying to their own status in the Cralt ancl those which belonged to their fathers and grandfathers and greatgrandfathers and great-uncles before them— -will regard them

with far keener interest when they find , on reading this work ol their worthy Bro . RiLEY , that they include specimens of the "Three Graces , " or a ist or 2 nd Angel , a ist or 2 nd Gloria , a "Three Pillars , " with a stray DKKMOTT . Trinity , or St . Paul's .

Bc this as it may , the treatise , as we have said , is most admirable , and contains far more information than we could have deemed it possible for even so painstaking and energetic a student of Craft lore as Bro . Rll . KY to have accumulated .

The " Introductory " chapter treats of Certificates generally , the necessity for their issue—which has always existed but not always been recognised—and their value for purposes of identification , ancl we certainly share in the surprise which the author

expresses that a period of nearl y 40 years should have elapsed before Grand Lodge ( Moderns ) considered it expedient lo introduce some approach to " system" in the transaction of its business . According to a footnote in one of DERMOTT ' S minutes

bearing date the 27 th December , 1 755 , "the Ancients had granted Certificates time immemorial , " but this boastful language is hardl y consistent with the fact that the bod y of which he was then Grand Secretary , and to which his statement was intended

( 0 apply , had only been in existence as a separate and distinct organisation between four ancl five years . At all events , the ori g inal Grand Lodge of England was established in 1717 , but it was not until 1 755 , during the Grand Mastership of the

Marquis u ' i CARNARVON , that Grand Lodge resolved on issuing " Certificates of membershi p signed b y the Grand Secretary . " Some time necessarily elapsed before effect could be given to this resolution , so that Bro . RlLEY ' S Class A of

Certificatesissued b y the " Modern " Grand Lodge—is set down as dating , at the earliest from 1756-7 . Moreover , it was not till several years later—1768—that Grand Lodge instituted the " still more important system of Registration , " so that in all probability full

effect was not g iven lo the issue of Certificates until that of registration had been instituted ancl was being regularly enforced . It is not surprising , therefore , to be told that very few specimens ofthe documents issued between 1756-7 and 17 68 are in

existence , nor is it much in the way of consolation to learn that "ot improbably " we should now possess a very good collection " "f them had it not been for " the still prevalent practice of burning such as turn up amongst old family papers , " & c .

We are told there are , in fact , 68 varieties of the certificates which have been issued by Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter , but that the series may be held to be " very well represented by 50

documents of the right kind , " and a list of lliese 50 is appended I" Bro . RlLEY ' S Treatise . These have been properly classed ancl "anied , there being six classes of Craft and four of Royal Arch Certificates . The former are as follow : The " 3 Graces" in use

' ' ) ' the "Moderns" from 1 756-7 to 1809 ; the " Universis , issued b y the " Ancients , " in liro . RlLEY ' S opinion some time " between 1765 ancl 1767 ; " the " ist Angel , " also issued b y thc

Masonic Certificates*

" Ancients in all probability in 1791 or 1792 ; the " 2 nd Angel , " issued b y the "Ancients" in 1810 ; the "St . Paul- ' s , " which was issued b y the " Moderns " in 1 S 10 ancl continued after the Union of 1813 ; and the " 3 Pillars " issued by the United Grand Lod ge

in 1819 , and in a new form in thc following year . The latter " practicall y represents the document now in use , being very nearly the same in all respects . " The four Royal Arch Certificates arc the " Dermott , " so called because designed b y him ,

the lirst and onl y engraved certificate ol " the Ancients' Grand Grand Chapter , and in use at the close of its re < rime : "tlu Trinity , " the first issued by the Moderns Grand Chapter ; the " 1 st Gloria , " dating from 1817 , when the Union of the two Grand Chapters was effected ; and the " 2 nd Gloria , " which came into

use 50 years ago . As regards the hi g hl y interesting particulars which may be found in Bro . Rl LEY ' S treatise , and the various other characteristics of those different classes of Certificates which he has

noted , we must refer our readers lo the work itself , which , like everything else that has been published b y the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , is beautifull y printed , while the plates illustrating the differentcertificates ancl the seals affixed to , or impressed upon , them ,

materiall y enhance the value of the publication . In fact , without these illustrations , much of the effect would be lost of the valuable facts which Bro . RlLEY has been at such pains to collate . We are p leased beyond measure at the opportunity which has been

afforded us of offering our opinion upon this important work , and regret that through an oversi ght , or miscarriage , or similar unavoidable shortcoming , we have been unable to use this opportunity at an earlier date .

Transactions No. 2429, Leicester.

TRANSACTIONS No . 2429 , LEICESTER .

The " Lodge of Research , " No . 2429 , Leicester , is doing an excellent work , and is both prosperous and useful as an organisation for the promotion of a more careful study of the history , antiquity , and symbols of the Craft , besides providing an attractive centre and bond of union for Masonic students and brethren of literary tastes .

Bro . E . Holmes , the indefatigable Provincial Grand Secretary , is the Master , and has his two predecessors in office , Bro . W . Maurice Williams , the historian of Lodge No . 279 , being the I . P . M ., and Bro . John T . Thorp , the first W . M ., being the courteous Secretary and the ab ' e editor of the Transactions . Bro . W . H . Staynes , P . M . 2081 , the S . W ., is the W . M , elect . The remaining officers are either Masters , Past Masters , or Wardens of other lodges .

The founders—eight in number— besides those mentioned , are Bros . S . S . Partridge , P . A . G . D . C . of England , D . P . G . M . ; Dr . R . Pratt , F . W . Billson , LL . B ., and the Rev . Henry S . Biggs , B A . The joining members number 10—rather a disappointing total , as there surely should be more brethren eligible for membership of No . 2429 . The honorary members number three . Some 50 brethren have aho joined the " Correspondence Circle , " several hailing from lodges not connected with the Province of

Leicestershire and Rutland . This is as it should be , but I consider there ought to be fully one hundred from Leicester alone . I anticipate that as the value of the published Transactions becomes better known , and the importance and special character of the meetings are appreciated as they deserve to be , the lodge will become the recognised Masonic centre for the Midlands in relation to the study of the history , antiquity , ceremonies ritual-, and symbols of the Craft .

The " Correspondence Circle " only entails the small annual fee of 5 s ., and for my part I would much rather pay double that sum than miss either of the numbers of the published Transactions , for they include many distinctive features , and each year contains a supplemental catalogue of the ever increasing Freemasons' Hall Library , carefully described by Bro . Thorp , the Hon . Secretary and Chief Librarian .

fhe present issue ( 1894-5 ) gives racy accounts of five meetings ( 1 ith to 15 th inclusive ) , the first containing a sketch of my lecture on "The Continuity of British Freemasonry ; " the second states that 37 brethren were elected members of the " Correspondence Circle , " and Bro . F . W . Billson S . D ., read a very thoughtful paper on " Freemasonry , its Origin and Purpose , " mainly devoted to an examination of the traditional history , and some of the principal theories which had been advanced of the origin and purof brief sketch is

pose freemasonry . A appended . Bro . Thorp says " The paper was of considerable length , was of great interest , and the brethren listened with pleasure and profit to the gradual unfolding of Bro . Bdlson ' s views on the question . " The 13 th assembly was devoted to the study of the paper , and the editor has wisely described the chief points of the discussion , which prove conclusively that there is no lack of students who are determined to sift the evidence and discover the actual truth for themselves .

Bro . fhorp undertook the duty of entertaining the members present at the 14 th meeting by reading a paper on ' * English Grand Lodge Certificates . " I had made up my mind to describe and particularise this admirable sketch of the certificates owned by the Freemasons' Library and Bro . Thorp , but as it covers some 12 pages , and is brimful of interesting information , my remarks must be deferred until I am able to go through the two collections , with the excellent digest before me for consultation . The 15 th meeting ( as with the others , presided over by Bro . E . Holmes W . M . ) was a distinct success , a most instructive paper being read by Dr . '