Supreme Grand Chapter.

SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER .

The following is the agenda of busines to be transacted in Supreme Grand Chapter on Wednesday , the 3 rd August : The minutes of the last Quarterly Convocation to bc read for confirmation .

THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF GENERAL PURPOSES . To the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of England . The Committee of General Purposes beg to report that they have examined the accounts from the 21 st April to the 20 th July , 1 S 81 , both inclusive , which they find to be as follows :

To Balance , Grand Chapter £ nSc ) 2 2 „ Balance Unappropriated Account 215 19 1 „ Subsequent Receipts ... 2 S 9 2 5 £ 16 94 3 S

By Disbursements during the Quarter £ 1 S 6 ' 3 2 „ Balance 1314 1 5 „ Balance in Unappropriated Account 193 19 i £ 'G 94 3 S

which balances are in the Bank of England , Western Branch . The Committee have likewise to report that they have received thc following petitions : 1 st . From Comps . the Rev . Frederick Vernon Bussell , as '/ .. ; William Newton , as H . ; and Richard Francis Henry King , as J . ; and thirteen others , for a chapter to be attached to the Newton Lodge , No . 1661 , Newarkupon-Trent , to be called the Alexander Chapter , and to meet at the Savings Bank , Ncwark-upon-Trent , Nottinghamshire .

2 nd . From Comps . Herbert Jordan Adams , as Z . ; Alfred Durant , as H . ; Francis Joseph Stohwasser , as J . ; and seven others for a chapter to be attached to the Fitzroy Lodge , No . 569 , London , to be called the Fitzroy Chapter , and lo meet at the Armoury House , Head-quarters Honourable Artillery Company , London .

3 rd . From Comps . Price James Edelsten , as / . ; William Richardson , as H . ; Thomas H . Sutton , as J . ; and six others for a chapter to bc attached to the Gilbert Greenall Lodge , No . 1250 , Warrington , to be called the Gilbert Greenall Chapter , and to meet at the Masonic Rooms , Sankey-strect , Warrington , Lancashire ( Western Division ) .

4 th . From Comps . Robert Stokes , as / .. ; I homas Stephen Futcher , as H . ; William Charles P . Powning , as J . ; and seven others for a chapter to be attached to the Longleat Lodge , No . 147 S , Warminster , to be called the Thynne Chapter , and to meet at the Town Hall , Warminster , Wiltshire

5 th . 1 ' rom Comps . Joseph Charles Parkinson , as Z . ; William Bachc Roberts , as II . ; Edwin Howard , as J . ; and ten others for a chapter lo bc attached to the Universal Lodge , No . 1 S 1 , London , to be called the Universal Chapter , and lo meet al the Freemasons' Hall , Great Queenstreet , London .

6 th . From Comps . the Rev . Robert 1 lall Baynes , as '/ .. ; Sidney Henry Knaggs , as H . ; Francois Klatt , as J . ; and six others for a chapter to be attached to the Temple Lodge , No . 555 , Folkestone , to bc called the Temple Chapter , and to meet at the Town Hall , Folkestone , in the county of Kent .

The foregoing petitions being in all respects regular , the Committee recommend that the prayers thereof be respectively granted . The following- notice of motion has been received for the next Quarterly ~ . *** « - •J Convocation : By Companion Edward Letchworth , P . Z . 1237 : " That the Committee of General Purposes meet at Four o ' clock , instead of Three o ' clock as

heretofore , and that Article 7 6 of the Royal Arch Regulations be altered accordingly . " ( Signed ) JOHN CREATON , Grand Treasurer , President . Freemasons' Hall , London , W . C . 20 th July , 1881 .

The Early Use Of The Word Freemason.

THE EARLY USE OF THE WORD FREEMASON .

BY MASONIC STUDENT . As this point is a most interesting one in itself , and very important in respect of general Masonic history , 1 have looked up my references , and send the following " excerpta " from my note books : — 1 . There is no use of " Freemason " at all in the York Fabric Rolls , and only of " Masonn , " in thc 15 th century and " Mason " up to the 17 th even .

If any such use of ' * I'rceinason occurs in those important documents , it has quite escaped me , and I shall be truly glad to have it pointed out , as I am a student both of Masonic nrclueology and of historical truth . The earliest use is Ccmcntarius , beginning about 1370 , and ending in 154 8 —about 200 years . Even in 1547 , when the " compoti " are written partly English , we lind still Ccmcntarius . There is a use , but rare , and late , of Scmcntarius . " Latomus " goes back lo 1351 ; perhaps a little earlier ,

and we hear of a " mutilato latomo " about 1370 ; and we also find a 15 th century use of " Latamus . " Among the wills at York , and more might be found , we hear of Magistcr Simon le Macon Ccmcntarius , 1322 . We hear of Johannes Brompton de Etor , Scmcntarius , 1414 . We read of William Hyndeley de Ebor , Latamus , 1505 . And in 1522 we are told of Cristofcro Horner , Macon , myghtie of mind , and of a " hool " myndfulness , who leaves to " Sanct Peters Wark all my tuyllis within the Mason lughe . " In 1530 wc hear of " Mayson . " We hear only of " Masons" in 1634 .

Now , there are three Orders of the Dean and Chapter of York " relative to the Cementarii and " Masonns , " which are ol great value and importance . The first seems to be dated 1352 , is in Latin , in which the word used is " cementarii , " " et ccteri operararii opcrantes . " In this wc do not lind thc word " latamus , " or Mason .

In 1370 comes that most important Order headed " Ordmacio Cemenl . 'iriorum , " page 1 S 1 , York Fabric Rolls , which , if the date of 1370 be actuall y correct , certainly prevents anything like a use of certain words being cither consecutive or sustainable . 1 confess that 1 have always doubted whether it be 14 th century English , and if any one will compare il wilh the Masonic poem he will sec what I mean .

It is practicall y a translation of the previous Latin Orderof 1352 , ancl is probably , I venture to think , interpolated here by the Scribe . Canon Raine , the learned Editor , however , seems lo think thc date is correct . He gives in a note a reference to a MS . in thc British Museum , but , if I remember rightly , the actual form of order and declaration is not there given . There is another Latin Order , a very important one , of 1410 , in which

The Early Use Of The Word Freemason.

the word used is "latomus , " or " latamus , " and no . t " cementarius . " Still , on - the other hand , we have Rymer ' s reference , given b y Mr . Wyatt Papworth , of " Ffreemacons , " in 139 6 , and at Exeter also , in 1396 , though , as it is seen , there is no use traceable of the word in York down even to the 17 th century .

If any such could be found it would be an interesting "item" among our facts , and it is just possible that we shall have to learn to be content with such a use as it is , and not to set too much store by the mere form of words . To show how uncertain this use is , in a compaint of certain Masons , who had conspired against Wm . Colchester , Master Mason , who is simply termed " Magister , " the Masons are called" lathomi sen cementarii . " The date is between 1415 and 1419 .

A Curious Old Book.

A CURIOUS OLD BOOK .

BY BRO . WILLIAM JAMES HUGHAN . " Fratrimonium Excelsum , a new Ahiman Rezon , " was published at Dublin last century by Thomas Wilkinson . It is said to have had " an elegant copper-plate frontispiece , " but the two copies I have examined had no such ornament . The date ofiits issue has

generally been accepted as 1771 , mainly because , it is presumed , that in the dedication ( the second , for there arc two ) , allusion is made to the year 1770 . On carefully noting the contents of the book , however , it is evident that the book was not published for several years later , for the Degree of Knight Templar is referred to , and a prayer-is inserted as used in the "High Knights Templars' Lodge , Dublin . "

The lodge was not warranted until thc year 1779 , by the " Mother Lodge Kilwinning , " Scotland , unless , indeed , it met before the issue of the charter , which is not likely . I am not aware of any works which allude to this Chivalric Degree so early as 1771 , neither do I know of any records so earl }' in that decade of meetings in Ireland .

There are rather earlier in the United States ( 1769 ) and as thc Dc free , doubtless , had a British or Irish origin , it is likely that it was " worked " as far back as 1765 , yet so far no records have been produced of that year , 01 - cven of 1769 , as in America . By another examination I came across a song which was composed for the Carbcrry Lodge , No . 504 , which could not have been warranted in

Ireland so early as 1771 , and still another test may be submitted as conclusive against 1771 as the year of publication , viz ., " The Great Officers of the Grand Lodge of Ireland . " The Grand Master being the Right Honourable Richard Lord Baron Donoughmore , whose creation onl y dated from 17 S 3 . Thc same nobleman , it appears , was the Grand Master of the Order of Grand Hi gh Knights Templars Encampment of Ireland , and K . R . C ., No . 1 .

There was also an " Early Grand Knights Templars Encampment , " and the oflicers are also inserted in the work herein noticed . In the roll of Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of Ireland contained in the official calendar , I fail to find Lord Donoughmore ' s name , and I should be glad if my friend and brother , J . H . Neilson , would look into the matter so as to discover when his lordship acted in that capacity , for that

would tend to decide , beyond a question , as to an appropriate date of issue of this "Ahiman Rezon . " The Deputy Grand Master given is "John Perce , Esq ., " and the two Wardens " Francis Featherstone and John Stanford , Esquires , " other officers also inserted . On running through the last of the songs I find there is one extracted from Walker ' s Magazine , for

February , 1782 , which was set to music for the Orange Lodge , No . 257 , at Belfast . This date settles that of 1771 completely , but it is strange that the name of the Grand Master is omitted from the Grand Lodge calendar , and 1 should like to know thc character of the elegant frontispiece , if any bibliographers have copies .

The book is rarel y to be met with , and is mainl y a "hash" of Bro . Dermott ' s work ( "Ahiman Rezon " ) , and illustrative of thc laws of the Grand Lodge of Ireland . It contains a copy of the proposed " Charter of Incorporation " for the Grand Lodge of England . —Voice of Masonry .

Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS .

A meeting of thc General Committee was held on Thursday , at Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen-street , Bro . Col . Creaton in the chair , when there were also present Bros . A . II . Tattershall , E . Letchworth , J . Nunn , Col . J . Peters , D . M . Dewar , Thomas Massa , Griffith Smith , Frank Richardson , H . A . Dubois , John A . Ruckcr , C . Brown , Wm . Stephens , IL E . Gladwell , J . De Lande Long , and E . C . Massey { Freemason ) .

' 1 he minutes of the last General Committee , held 30 th June , were read nnd confirmed . The minutes of the Quarterly Court of the 9 th inst ., the Premises Committee held on same date , Special House Committee held on 141 I 1 , and Audit Committee held 26 th inst ., were also read , lt was moved by Bro . DEWAR and carried , that thc action of the House Committee in regard to repairs be approved and their recommendations adopted . This concluded the regular business .

Bro . NUNN then submitted for the consideration of the Quarterly General Court the following resolution : " That the House Committee are of opinion that a swimming bath be provided for the use of the School , and that lenders be received for the execution of thc same , and that they bc allowed lo expend a sum net to exceed ^ " 2000 . "

LONDON . —The history of Masonry in London commences hislorica ")' with 1717 . Previous to that , so far as present evidence helps us , we mil consider we had pre-historic times . That lodges of Freemasons existe d from which , in 1717 , the revival sprang , is , we apprehend , an incontestable fact ; but of their condition nothing is known , of their history , so far , nothing positively has turned up . Ashmole ' s evidence and Plot ' s " statement

point distinctly to the existence of a Fraternity analogous to our own , but so far no positive evidence is known to be extant—of their work or their ways . No minute books ( unlike Scotland ) exist , so far as is at present ascertained , after much anxious research , previous to 1700 { e . g ., the "Alnwick Lodge " ) , though we do not mean lo contend that none exist , or may not

yet turn up . As our Masonic history may be greatly affected by the production of earlier documents , we say nothing more to-day than , that if they are found , we feel sure they will disclose the existence of a bod y very similar to our own . Thc revival of Masonry in London by thc four old lodges , in 1717 , is the source of all true Cosmopolitan Masonry at the present time . — Kenning ' s Cyclobcedia of Freemasonry .