Extracts From The Minutes Of The Royal Arch Chapter Of Concord Attached To The Anchor And Hope Lodge, No. 37, Bolton.

EXTRACTS FROM THE MINUTES OF THE ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF CONCORD ATTACHED TO THE ANCHOR AND HOPE LODGE , No . 37 , BOLTON .

BY COMP . JAMBS NEWTON , P . Z ., SCRIBE E . 37 . THE Chapter ( as will appear from these extracts ) was originally established under a charterdated 11 th Nov ., 1785 , granted

, by the Grand Chapter ( Moderns ) , ancl was numbered 4-5 , the Chapters at this time being numbered consecutively ( as we learn from our esteemed friend , Bro . W J . Htighan ) , and not , as at present , bearing the numbers of the Craft Lodges to which

they were attached . Its place of meeting at its commencement appears to have been at the sign of the " Hope , " " Hope and Anchor , " or the '' Anchor and Hope , " in Bolton , whichever of these may be the correct name , though probably it would be

the latter , as no doubt the " Anchor and Hope" Lodge ( itself warranted 9 th Nov ., 1732 ) took its name from the place where the Lodge met at the time when lodges began to assume distinctive names . In 183 , 5 , after the union of the two Grand Chapters , the old charter appears to

have been surrendered by direction of the Supreme Grand Chapter , and a new Charter , dated 3 d August , 1 S 3 G , granted in lieu thereof , the Chapter to be attached to the Anchor and Hope Lodge ( then numbered 44 ) . The Chapter appears to have onl y held

its meetings at four different rooms during the 91 years of its existence , namelj * , at the "Anchor and Hope" from 1785 to 1807 , at the " Legs of Man " from 1807 to 1844 , at the " Swan Hotel " from 1844 to 18 G 6 since which time the meetings have

, been held in the Freemasons' flail , Church Institute , Bolton , the distance between each of these places not being more than a quarter of a mile , a circumstance which is rarely equalled in the history of a Chapter nearly a century old .

The Minutes of the Chapter are contained in three books , the first of which extends from 5 th October , 1785 , to 22 nd January , 1832 , and from this book , in the

first instance , we purpose to make such extracts as appear interesting . The first entry therein of a meeting is in the following terms : " Bolton , 5 th October , 1785 . " At a General Encampment of Royal

Arch Superexcellent Masons , held in clue form , Bro . M . J . Boyle in the chair , the following Royal Arch Brethren were properly instructed and afterwards initiated into the higher degree of Masonry : Bro . Abrm . BowkerBro . Win . JohnsonBro .

, , "Wm . Whalley , Bro . Thos . Ry croft , and Bro . Jas . Crook . This is signed , " Mien . JAMES BOYLE . ' From this it appears exceedingly probable that Bro . Michael Jas . Boyle , the same Brother who is referred to in Bro .

Ellis ' s interesting extracts from the Minutes of the R . A . Chapter of Paradise , No . 139 , as a " Mason of the World " ( vide Masonic Magazine for May , 1876 , page 449 ) , attended in Bolton for the purpose of assisting the Brethren to establish a

Royal Arch Chapter there . This supposition is borne out by the Minutes of the five following meetings , held 10 th , 11 th , 13 th , loth and lGth October , 1785 respectively ,

at each of which Bro . Boyle was stated to be " in the chair . " At these meetings sixteen " Royal Arch Brethren" ( whose names are recorded ) are stated to have been " properly instructed , " five of whom , also , were at the meeting on 15 th October , 1785 " initiated to the hiher order . " It

, g does not , however , appear by what authority Bro . Boyle conferred the Royal Arch degree . We may here remark that the whole of the Royal Arch meetings recorded in this book are described as " General

Encampment , " but , in order to avoid the frequent repetition of those words we will now simply call them "Meetings . " The next meeting recorded is on 21 st Oct ., 17 S 5 , "Bro . Boyle in the chair , " when Bro . Thos . Rycroft was elected to

the office of Z . ; Bro . Wm . Johnson , H . ; Bro . Nathl . Howarth , J . ; Bro . Jas . Howarth , J . S . ; Bro . Tho . Thornley , 3 rd G . M . " And it was determined " that a petition for a Royal Arch Chapter ( to bo known by the name of ' Love and Concord , and to meet at Bro , Alex . Martin ' s the last Wednesday in February , May ,