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  • Oct. 15, 1859
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  • THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF ZETLAND, M.W. GRAND MASTER.
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The Right Hon. The Earl Of Zetland, M.W. Grand Master.

THE RIGHT HON . THE EARL OF ZETLAND , M . W . GRAND MASTER .

LO . VBOiV , S . lTCUDAi ; uCTOliEll 15 , 1850 .

Is presenting our readers with a portrait of tlie Most Worshipful Grand Master , as the first of a series of distinguished Masons , it will naturally be expected that we should accompany it AA * ith a brief sketch of his lordship ' s career as a Mason . Tiie Eight Hon . Thomas . Dundas , Earl of Zetland ,

Baron Dundas in the county of York , and a baronet , born Feb . 5 th , 1795 , is , we are informed by Lord Woodhouselec , " descended from a family to which the historian and the genealogist have assigned an origin of high antiquity and sp lendour , but which has been still more remarkable for producing a scries of men eminently distinguished for their

public sendees in the highest offices in Scotland . " The immediate ancestors of tlie present noble earl were Lawrence Dundas , Esq ., of ELerso , commissary general and contractor to the army from 1748 to 1759 , and who AA-as created a baronet on the 16 th Nov ., 1762 . Sir Thomas married Margaret , a daughter of Major Alexander Bruce , of Kennet ,

by whom he had one son . Sir Thomas , born in 1741 , succeeded to the title in 1781 , and was elevated to tho peerage as Baron Dundas , of Aske , county York , on the 13 th August . His lordship married ou May 24 th , 17 G 4 , Lady Charlotte ¦ Wentworth , the second daughter of AVilliam second Earl Fitzwilliam , by whom he had issue six sons and five daughters .

On his death in 1820 , he was succeeded by his eldest son Lawrence , born April 10 th , 1766 , who was created Earl of Zetland in 1838 . His lordship , who married Harriet , third daughter of General John Hale , had issue four sons and three daughters , and on his death in . Feb ., 1839 , was succeeded by the present Earl , who married in September , 1823 , Sophia . Jane , daughter of the late Sir Hedworth Williamson , Bart ., but has

no issue . His lordship was initiated into Freemasonry as the Hon . Thos . Dundas , in the Prince of Wales ' s Lodge , No . 324 , on the 18 th of June , 1830 , and served the office of Worshi pful Master in that Lodge . On the 25 th of April , 1832 , his lordship was appointed Senior Grand Warden , and paid

the fine to the Fund of Benevolence , lie not having served the oflice of Grancl Steward . Upon the 24 th of April , 1839 , he ivas appointed Deputy Grand Master , and upon the death of the Earl of Durham , in 1840 , Pro Grand Master , which office he held at the time of the death of the Grand Master his royal highness the Duke of Sussex , in April , 1843 , a ICAV

days before that appointed for the Grand Festival . By a law passed only a short time before , it was declared that if the death of a Grand Master should take place between thc animal pjeriods of election , tlie Pro Grand Master—should there be such an officer— -should execute the duties of Grancl Master until the next period of election , and be invested with

ah the attributes and privileges of an actual Grand Master . ' -The Earl of Zetland accordingly continued to exercise the duties of Grand Master until the Gth of the following March , when he ivas regularly elected , his installation taking place on the 24 th of April 1844 . His lordship has since been

, annuall y re-elected ; and though in our opinion it would lie ' more to thc advantage of tlie Order to have an occasional change , the majority of Grand Lodge have expressed a dif-| W'iit opinion ; aud it must he confessed that if the olViee ' ¦' ' to be continuous , then ; is no ' brother more worthy in iill

it than fche noble em *] . Firm mit ' courteous in his demeanour to all , liis lordship has proved himself , even iu cases of great difficulty , equal to the situation ; and has determined to rule with impartial justice , even though it may involve the sacrifice of his OAVII preconceived opinions . During his lordship ' s tenure of office Masonry has widely spread—there

being at the time of his installation only 716 Lodges on the register , of which about 470 were in England—whilst at the present time the last number upon the list is 1101 , of which 596 areiu England—thc total number , after deducting those recently expunged and the Canadian Lodges , being about 960 ; and if ive have not succeeded in keeping the

Canadian Lodges in connection with us , we believe that it is the proud boast , of the large majority of the Canadian brethren that they / took the initiative and their beino- from the Grand Lodge of England . In thc distribution ° of his patronage—thoughlit would be impossible that some should not occasionally be , ' and justly , disappointed—Ave believe his

lordshi p has alwaysVexercised the utmost impartiality ; when he has erred , it has arisen from the want of information which others ought to have supplied , or from his too readil y giving ear to those whose duty it was to provide him onl y Avith trustworthy aud accurate information ; but sure we are that no brother has more truly the interests of the Craft at

heart , or has a greater desire to advance brethren only according to their merit than his lordship . The prizes , hoivever , are but few , whilst the claimants are many , - and even tlie most deserving must therefore be occasionall y disappointed in their aspirations . We may here add that in addition to the other honours

conferred upon tho noble earl by his royal highness the Duke of Sussex , he received from his royal hi ghness ' s hands the Provincial Grand Mastership of North and East Yorkshire , which he still continues to hold .

Our noble brother AA'as exalted into Eoyal Arch Masonry in the Prince of Wales ' s Chapter on the 1 st of June , 1832 , and served the office of each of tlie Principals . Pursuant to the laws of the Order , his lordship became Second Grand Principal upon his appointment as Deputy Grand Mastei * . As Pro Grand Master he became . . First Grand Principal

immediately on thc death of his royal highness the Duke of Sussex , and , of course , continued in that office upon being elected Grand Master—the Grand Master being at all times ex officio First Grand Principal . It is worthy of remark that his lordship ' s family have ever taken great interest in the prosperity of the Craft and

, that Lord Dundas , grandfather of the present Grand Master , was appointed Deputy Grand Master b y his royal hi ghness the Duke of Sussex on the day of his first installation as Grand Master in succession to his royal hi ghness tlie Prince Regent . ' Lord Dundas continued in that office until the 21 st of April , when he was succeeded by his son Lawrence , tlie J . •/ J U .. W

' second Lord Dundas . Upon his lordship going abroad , in 1822 , he was succeeded in his office b y General Sir John Doyle . On the 27 th of April , 1825 , his lordship ivas appointed Deputy Grand Master , and continued to hold the office until tho 30 th of April , 1834 , whon he ivas appointed Fro Grand Master , which oflice lie held until his deathin 1839

, —he having in the previous year been created Earl of Zetland . His lordship Avas succeeded as Pro Grand Master b y the late Earl of Durham , the then D . G . M . , and trie 2 n * esent Earl of Zetland , as we have stated above , was appointed Deputy Grand Master , from which time he Iras continuouslybeen in office . Thc noble carl is a liberal supporter of our

various charities , of all of which his lordship is president , having also served the oflice of steward at different festivals of those institutions . Prior to succeeding to tho peerage , his lordship for some years represented Richmond , Yorkshire , in the House of Commons , on liberal principles , which he Iras since supported in the House of Louis , though nevrr inking a very active part in polities .

“The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine: 1859-10-15, Page 1” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 9 June 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mmr/issues/mmr_15101859/page/1/.
  • List
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Title Category Page
THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF ZETLAND, M.W. GRAND MASTER. Article 1
BETHEL-GOLGOTHA. Article 2
THE THEORY OF LIGHT. Article 3
FREEMASONRY AND THE USEFUL ARTS. Article 3
MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES. Article 4
Literature. Article 4
Poetry. Article 8
CORRESPONDECE. Article 8
THE MASONIC MIRROR. Article 12
MARK MASONRY. Article 17
ROYAL ARCH. Article 17
KNIGHTS TEMPLAR. Article 17
INDIA. Article 18
AMERICA. Article 18
Obituary. Article 18
THE WEEK. Article 19
TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 20
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Right Hon. The Earl Of Zetland, M.W. Grand Master.

THE RIGHT HON . THE EARL OF ZETLAND , M . W . GRAND MASTER .

LO . VBOiV , S . lTCUDAi ; uCTOliEll 15 , 1850 .

Is presenting our readers with a portrait of tlie Most Worshipful Grand Master , as the first of a series of distinguished Masons , it will naturally be expected that we should accompany it AA * ith a brief sketch of his lordship ' s career as a Mason . Tiie Eight Hon . Thomas . Dundas , Earl of Zetland ,

Baron Dundas in the county of York , and a baronet , born Feb . 5 th , 1795 , is , we are informed by Lord Woodhouselec , " descended from a family to which the historian and the genealogist have assigned an origin of high antiquity and sp lendour , but which has been still more remarkable for producing a scries of men eminently distinguished for their

public sendees in the highest offices in Scotland . " The immediate ancestors of tlie present noble earl were Lawrence Dundas , Esq ., of ELerso , commissary general and contractor to the army from 1748 to 1759 , and who AA-as created a baronet on the 16 th Nov ., 1762 . Sir Thomas married Margaret , a daughter of Major Alexander Bruce , of Kennet ,

by whom he had one son . Sir Thomas , born in 1741 , succeeded to the title in 1781 , and was elevated to tho peerage as Baron Dundas , of Aske , county York , on the 13 th August . His lordship married ou May 24 th , 17 G 4 , Lady Charlotte ¦ Wentworth , the second daughter of AVilliam second Earl Fitzwilliam , by whom he had issue six sons and five daughters .

On his death in 1820 , he was succeeded by his eldest son Lawrence , born April 10 th , 1766 , who was created Earl of Zetland in 1838 . His lordship , who married Harriet , third daughter of General John Hale , had issue four sons and three daughters , and on his death in . Feb ., 1839 , was succeeded by the present Earl , who married in September , 1823 , Sophia . Jane , daughter of the late Sir Hedworth Williamson , Bart ., but has

no issue . His lordship was initiated into Freemasonry as the Hon . Thos . Dundas , in the Prince of Wales ' s Lodge , No . 324 , on the 18 th of June , 1830 , and served the office of Worshi pful Master in that Lodge . On the 25 th of April , 1832 , his lordship was appointed Senior Grand Warden , and paid

the fine to the Fund of Benevolence , lie not having served the oflice of Grancl Steward . Upon the 24 th of April , 1839 , he ivas appointed Deputy Grand Master , and upon the death of the Earl of Durham , in 1840 , Pro Grand Master , which office he held at the time of the death of the Grand Master his royal highness the Duke of Sussex , in April , 1843 , a ICAV

days before that appointed for the Grand Festival . By a law passed only a short time before , it was declared that if the death of a Grand Master should take place between thc animal pjeriods of election , tlie Pro Grand Master—should there be such an officer— -should execute the duties of Grancl Master until the next period of election , and be invested with

ah the attributes and privileges of an actual Grand Master . ' -The Earl of Zetland accordingly continued to exercise the duties of Grand Master until the Gth of the following March , when he ivas regularly elected , his installation taking place on the 24 th of April 1844 . His lordship has since been

, annuall y re-elected ; and though in our opinion it would lie ' more to thc advantage of tlie Order to have an occasional change , the majority of Grand Lodge have expressed a dif-| W'iit opinion ; aud it must he confessed that if the olViee ' ¦' ' to be continuous , then ; is no ' brother more worthy in iill

it than fche noble em *] . Firm mit ' courteous in his demeanour to all , liis lordship has proved himself , even iu cases of great difficulty , equal to the situation ; and has determined to rule with impartial justice , even though it may involve the sacrifice of his OAVII preconceived opinions . During his lordship ' s tenure of office Masonry has widely spread—there

being at the time of his installation only 716 Lodges on the register , of which about 470 were in England—whilst at the present time the last number upon the list is 1101 , of which 596 areiu England—thc total number , after deducting those recently expunged and the Canadian Lodges , being about 960 ; and if ive have not succeeded in keeping the

Canadian Lodges in connection with us , we believe that it is the proud boast , of the large majority of the Canadian brethren that they / took the initiative and their beino- from the Grand Lodge of England . In thc distribution ° of his patronage—thoughlit would be impossible that some should not occasionally be , ' and justly , disappointed—Ave believe his

lordshi p has alwaysVexercised the utmost impartiality ; when he has erred , it has arisen from the want of information which others ought to have supplied , or from his too readil y giving ear to those whose duty it was to provide him onl y Avith trustworthy aud accurate information ; but sure we are that no brother has more truly the interests of the Craft at

heart , or has a greater desire to advance brethren only according to their merit than his lordship . The prizes , hoivever , are but few , whilst the claimants are many , - and even tlie most deserving must therefore be occasionall y disappointed in their aspirations . We may here add that in addition to the other honours

conferred upon tho noble earl by his royal highness the Duke of Sussex , he received from his royal hi ghness ' s hands the Provincial Grand Mastership of North and East Yorkshire , which he still continues to hold .

Our noble brother AA'as exalted into Eoyal Arch Masonry in the Prince of Wales ' s Chapter on the 1 st of June , 1832 , and served the office of each of tlie Principals . Pursuant to the laws of the Order , his lordship became Second Grand Principal upon his appointment as Deputy Grand Mastei * . As Pro Grand Master he became . . First Grand Principal

immediately on thc death of his royal highness the Duke of Sussex , and , of course , continued in that office upon being elected Grand Master—the Grand Master being at all times ex officio First Grand Principal . It is worthy of remark that his lordship ' s family have ever taken great interest in the prosperity of the Craft and

, that Lord Dundas , grandfather of the present Grand Master , was appointed Deputy Grand Master b y his royal hi ghness the Duke of Sussex on the day of his first installation as Grand Master in succession to his royal hi ghness tlie Prince Regent . ' Lord Dundas continued in that office until the 21 st of April , when he was succeeded by his son Lawrence , tlie J . •/ J U .. W

' second Lord Dundas . Upon his lordship going abroad , in 1822 , he was succeeded in his office b y General Sir John Doyle . On the 27 th of April , 1825 , his lordship ivas appointed Deputy Grand Master , and continued to hold the office until tho 30 th of April , 1834 , whon he ivas appointed Fro Grand Master , which oflice lie held until his deathin 1839

, —he having in the previous year been created Earl of Zetland . His lordship Avas succeeded as Pro Grand Master b y the late Earl of Durham , the then D . G . M . , and trie 2 n * esent Earl of Zetland , as we have stated above , was appointed Deputy Grand Master , from which time he Iras continuouslybeen in office . Thc noble carl is a liberal supporter of our

various charities , of all of which his lordship is president , having also served the oflice of steward at different festivals of those institutions . Prior to succeeding to tho peerage , his lordship for some years represented Richmond , Yorkshire , in the House of Commons , on liberal principles , which he Iras since supported in the House of Louis , though nevrr inking a very active part in polities .

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