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Notes On The Old Minute Books Of The British Union Lodge, No. 114, Ipswich. A.D. 1762.
of securing really good officers , and good working . Of course sickness , the pressing emergencies of public or private avocations Avould be always fairly considered ; but these apart , brethren AVIIO Avillingly accept oflice should be made to fulfil the duties appertaining thereto .
At the lodge meeting held on the Sth February , 1763 , Mr . George Ward and Mr . John Watson , of Harwich , Avere proposed to be admitted brethren , and the latter appears to have been initiated and admitted to the second degree of Masonry
the following lodge night . At this time it was " ordered by the lodge that no person be ever proposed for being made a brother unless the proposing brother Avill promise to pay the usual admittance fee of a guinea" [ the full amount charged
, for initiation at that time ] " in case the person so proposed should fail attending at the time then fixed for his making , unless a satisfactory reason be given for his nonattendance . " It Avould be well if this rule were enforced now generally . No
candidate should ever be alloAved to be proposed until the proposition fee , obtained from him , and not advanced by the proposer , be paid . A great deal of unnecessary trouble and annoyance Avould be spared if this admirable by-hiAv Avere at till times strictly enforced .
On the 3 rd October , 1703 , Bros . Wm . Prentice , William Paxman and Robert Fenn Avere raised Masters . The last two of these brethren had been made August , 1762 , and it would be Avorth knowing whether a year was required to elapse between the passing and raising , as at
present practised in some countries , and notably , Ave believe , in Prussia . There is a regular record of visitors' names at this period , but nothing to show from Avhat lodges they hailed . At the St . John ' s Festival , 27 th December , 1763 , Bros . Wm . Etiefer , John Watson and Richard Bennett Avere raised Masters . Watson had been
initiated and admitted to the second degree of Masonry , February , 1763 ; Enefer had been " admitted a brotherand raised a felloivcraft , " November 1762 , by Avhich we may conclude that a muchloDger interval elapsed between the passing and raising , than is UOAV deemed necessary , in the one case ten months , and iu the other more than tAvelve months being the period alloAved to pass before the brethren Avere deemed eligible
for the Master ' s degree . It does not appear , however , that there Avas any fixed rule upon the subject . Bro . James Clements , a visitor who had previously attended the lodge in October , 1763 , was " raised a Master" at the lodge meeting , 20 th February , 1764 . At the previous lodge
Wm . Swain , schoolmaster , of Woodbridge , Avas ballotted for , and unanimously approved of , for initiation ; and at the following one Gardiner Whiteside , of Yarmouth Ship ( probably a publican , let us hope not a sinner ) , was duly ballotted
for , and Avas made the next meeting . In June , 1764 , Thos . Buck was ballotted for , accepted , and "immediately raised a fellow craft , " the term passed apparently not being used at this period . Several foreigners appear to have visited the
British Union from time to time , as Ave may gather from the mention of such visiting brethren as Peter Mitaux , Avho subsequently joined the lodge , Benjamin Didior , Jasper Fatry ( in another place spelt Ftetus ) , Arnold Grownwald , & c .
Gardiner Whiteside , made in June , was raised to the third degree of Masonry in September , 1764 , Avhich seems conclusively to shoAv that there was no settled rule as to the limit of time between coiifemn « the
degrees longer than that allowed b y the Book of Constitutions . On the 17 th December , 1764 , there were four visitors present , hailing respectively from St . John ' s ( AVC presume New Brunswick ) , SunderlandNorwich and
, Harwich . This is the first notice of the locality from whence the visiting brethren came . A . regular record appears throughout of the absentees as Avell as of those
present . At the meeting held December , 1765 , we find the record of the names of the Master , Wardens and Tyler , who Avere all elected by the lodge . At the meeting held 7 th December , 1767 , William Kolly , a vizitant ( sic ) brother , and
Thos . Woodwards , Peter Wootton , William Clarke , Joseph William and John Spooner , Avere all raised Masters . Wm . Clarke , an inn-holder , one of the brethren named , it appears Avas ballotted for in June , 1766 , aud probably was made the next lodge night , but there is , unfortunately , a hiatus between June , 1766 , and December , 1767 , through the destructiveness of the juveniles
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Notes On The Old Minute Books Of The British Union Lodge, No. 114, Ipswich. A.D. 1762.
of securing really good officers , and good working . Of course sickness , the pressing emergencies of public or private avocations Avould be always fairly considered ; but these apart , brethren AVIIO Avillingly accept oflice should be made to fulfil the duties appertaining thereto .
At the lodge meeting held on the Sth February , 1763 , Mr . George Ward and Mr . John Watson , of Harwich , Avere proposed to be admitted brethren , and the latter appears to have been initiated and admitted to the second degree of Masonry
the following lodge night . At this time it was " ordered by the lodge that no person be ever proposed for being made a brother unless the proposing brother Avill promise to pay the usual admittance fee of a guinea" [ the full amount charged
, for initiation at that time ] " in case the person so proposed should fail attending at the time then fixed for his making , unless a satisfactory reason be given for his nonattendance . " It Avould be well if this rule were enforced now generally . No
candidate should ever be alloAved to be proposed until the proposition fee , obtained from him , and not advanced by the proposer , be paid . A great deal of unnecessary trouble and annoyance Avould be spared if this admirable by-hiAv Avere at till times strictly enforced .
On the 3 rd October , 1703 , Bros . Wm . Prentice , William Paxman and Robert Fenn Avere raised Masters . The last two of these brethren had been made August , 1762 , and it would be Avorth knowing whether a year was required to elapse between the passing and raising , as at
present practised in some countries , and notably , Ave believe , in Prussia . There is a regular record of visitors' names at this period , but nothing to show from Avhat lodges they hailed . At the St . John ' s Festival , 27 th December , 1763 , Bros . Wm . Etiefer , John Watson and Richard Bennett Avere raised Masters . Watson had been
initiated and admitted to the second degree of Masonry , February , 1763 ; Enefer had been " admitted a brotherand raised a felloivcraft , " November 1762 , by Avhich we may conclude that a muchloDger interval elapsed between the passing and raising , than is UOAV deemed necessary , in the one case ten months , and iu the other more than tAvelve months being the period alloAved to pass before the brethren Avere deemed eligible
for the Master ' s degree . It does not appear , however , that there Avas any fixed rule upon the subject . Bro . James Clements , a visitor who had previously attended the lodge in October , 1763 , was " raised a Master" at the lodge meeting , 20 th February , 1764 . At the previous lodge
Wm . Swain , schoolmaster , of Woodbridge , Avas ballotted for , and unanimously approved of , for initiation ; and at the following one Gardiner Whiteside , of Yarmouth Ship ( probably a publican , let us hope not a sinner ) , was duly ballotted
for , and Avas made the next meeting . In June , 1764 , Thos . Buck was ballotted for , accepted , and "immediately raised a fellow craft , " the term passed apparently not being used at this period . Several foreigners appear to have visited the
British Union from time to time , as Ave may gather from the mention of such visiting brethren as Peter Mitaux , Avho subsequently joined the lodge , Benjamin Didior , Jasper Fatry ( in another place spelt Ftetus ) , Arnold Grownwald , & c .
Gardiner Whiteside , made in June , was raised to the third degree of Masonry in September , 1764 , Avhich seems conclusively to shoAv that there was no settled rule as to the limit of time between coiifemn « the
degrees longer than that allowed b y the Book of Constitutions . On the 17 th December , 1764 , there were four visitors present , hailing respectively from St . John ' s ( AVC presume New Brunswick ) , SunderlandNorwich and
, Harwich . This is the first notice of the locality from whence the visiting brethren came . A . regular record appears throughout of the absentees as Avell as of those
present . At the meeting held December , 1765 , we find the record of the names of the Master , Wardens and Tyler , who Avere all elected by the lodge . At the meeting held 7 th December , 1767 , William Kolly , a vizitant ( sic ) brother , and
Thos . Woodwards , Peter Wootton , William Clarke , Joseph William and John Spooner , Avere all raised Masters . Wm . Clarke , an inn-holder , one of the brethren named , it appears Avas ballotted for in June , 1766 , aud probably was made the next lodge night , but there is , unfortunately , a hiatus between June , 1766 , and December , 1767 , through the destructiveness of the juveniles