Bro. Sir Christopher Wren.*

although they differ as to when he was made a Mason ) , is satisfactory evidence that the Craft may claim him as a brother . Anderson , in his first Constitutions , published in the year 1723 , states that the erection of St . Paul ' s Cathedral " was conducted by the ingenious architect , Sir Christopher Wren . " It has been inferred from this , by those who deny that Wren was a Mason , that if he had beenAnderson would not have failed to have then asserted it as a

, fact . It must be remembered , however , as Bro . Mackey has suggested , that King George I . was then on the English throne , and was so unfriendl y to Wren that five years previously , in 1718 , he had removed him from his office of Surveyor-General and appointed a German favourite in his place . It was , therefore , servility to the ruling power that led Anderson to say but little concerning one who had been marked ( although altogether unjustly ) by the

disfavour of the King . In the second edition of Anderson ' s Constitutions , published in 1738 , he gives Wren all Masonic honour , and more official stations that can be substantiated by any authority whatever , making him a " Grand Master" at an era when the station of Grand Master had not been created in England , for this supreme function , so far as we can learn , was unknown prior to 1717 . There were lodges long prior to that time , but not a Grand Lodge or

a Grand Master , although likely there were Grand Patrons . Preston , in his " Illustrations of Masonry " ( published in 1775 ) , follows a second statement of Anderson , ancl calls the architect " Deputy Wren . " In his 1781 edition he states that " the mallet with which the foundation-stone ( of St . Paul ' s ) was laid is now in the possession of the Lodge of Antiquity , ancl preserved there as a great curiosity ; " while in his 1788 edition he states ,

more specifically : " The mallet , etc ., was delivered by Sir Cristopher Wren to the old lodge of St . Paul , now the Lodge of Antiquity . " Noorthorick , in his Constitutions ( published in 1784 ) says , with reference to the laying of the cap-stone of St . Paul ' s : " The age and infirmities of the Grand Master ( Wren ) , which prevented his attendance on this solemn occasion , confined him afterwards to great retirement , so that the lodges suffered from want of his usual presence in visiting and regulating their meetings , and were reduced to a small number . "

The Rev . J . W . Laughlin , in a lecture on the life of Wren , delivered in London in 1857 , and reported in the Freemason ' s Magazine , says , " Wren was for ei ghteen years a member of the old Lodge of St . Paul ' s , then held at the Goose and Gridiron , near the Cathedral , now the Lodge of Antiquity . " Row , in his " Masonic Biography and Dictionary , " states that in the year 1703 there were but four lodges in London , and these were neglected and

nearl y deserted , and that in order to revive the interest in St . Paul ' s Lodge the following resolution was adopted : " ' Resolved , —That the privileges of Masonry shall no longer be confined to operative Masons , but be free to all men of all professions , provided that they are regularl y approved and initiated into the fraternity . ' " Sir Christopher Wrenhoweverdid not of this innovationand it

, , approve , was not until after his death ( this , however , is an error , as Wren did not die until 1723 ) that the four lodges felt it their privilege to assemble themselves and elect a Grand Master , ancl put into practical operation the resolution passed by St . Paul ' s Lodge in 1703 . " The unknown author of " The Complete Freemason , or Multa Paucis for Lovers of Secrets " ( published in 1763 ) in that work refers to Wren as Grand Msster

of Masons . As Bro . Gould has suggested , he probably copied and enlarged upon Anderson ' s second statement . Bro . Woodford , who is a member of the Lodge of Antiquity , says ( in the London Freemason ) , "The candlesticks ( before referred to ) have always been said _ to have belonged to the old Lodge of St . Paul ' s , and given by Sir Christopher Wren . There is a picture of Wren belonging to the Lodge of Antiquity , though it is now said it is not Wren . " He also adds , "Hooked