Skip to main content
Museum of Freemasonry

Masonic Periodicals Online

  • Explore
  • Advanced Search
  • Home
  • Explore
  • The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine
  • July 26, 1862
  • Page 1
  • EIGHTS OF THE WARDENS OF PRIVATE LODGES.
Current:

The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, July 26, 1862: Page 1

  • Back to The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, July 26, 1862
  • Print image
  • Articles/Ads
    Article EIGHTS OF THE WARDENS OF PRIVATE LODGES. Page 1 of 3
    Article EIGHTS OF THE WARDENS OF PRIVATE LODGES. Page 1 of 3 →
Page 1

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Eights Of The Wardens Of Private Lodges.

EIGHTS OF THE WARDENS OF PRIVATE LODGES .

LONDON , SATUMDAT , JULT 2 G , 1862 .

Much misunderstanding has arisen in the Craffc as to the powers ivith ivhich the Wardens of private lodges are invested , and it has been contended that those officers cannot , legally of them ' selves , perform the ceremony of initiating a

candidate into Freemasonry . This -view is an erroneous one , and a few authorities on the point may be cited to show that it is so . Earliest amongst masonic records ,, is the poem laioivn as Halliwell ' s History of Freemasonry in England , and in that the "Octavus punctus" reads thus : —

" Wqz tcfate pognt , lie mag U -sure , Ztt tfjou fjastg-4 afau ang-cttw , SKitber % magster tfjou fte true , $ m tfjat pgut tfjou scijal itcber nvz ' mt ; <& ttfnt metrgater tfjou most mcti U

W-a tfjg mag-ster an & tfjg ftlofos tee ; © otrfolgal .. „* ,,., t | jat tfjou rog $ j , STo frotfj partges , antr tfjat gs gooir rg # fj . "

In the above extract , although Wardens are not specially mentioned , yet the office is recognised by the word " cure / - " which , in old English , signified a deputy ; and , in this instance , Avas equivalent to a Warden , as will be evident , if Ave quote

the same " point" from Bro . Matthew Cooke ' s History and Articles of Freemasonry , where it is given in prose , and a . Warden is specially mentioned . At pages 126-7 of that ivork , it reads thus : —

" ® fje mi ] jiogttt gf fjtt Mullt Ijgm ffor fo fa foartwgiw im & gr % & m & istfx tfjat fjc U txtiaz mznz Mfojznz fits mateter & fjte Mafcw an * tfjat fje U fasg in tfje -eSamtt at fjis ntaister to tfje frottor of fjis ntatster atfo profit to tfjc lorta tfjat fje seructfj . "

Taken m conjunction with the former , these two-, extracts evidently point to the duty ofthe Warden . The latter expressly ordains that he is to be busy in the absence of Ms master to the honour of the latter : which means , if words mean

anything , that he is to do all that his master would do if he were present , and so maintain the honour of his superior in his absence .

Eights Of The Wardens Of Private Lodges.

The next authority , in point of date , ivhich Ave shall quote , is Bro . Anderson's Book of Constitutions , edition of 1746 , which states , at page 153 , under the " Old Regulations / ' " The Master of a particular lodge has the right and authority of

congregating the members of his lodge into a chapter upon any emergency or occurrence ; as well as to appoint the time and place of their usual forming * . And in case of death or sickness , or necessary absence of the Master , the Senior Warden shall

act as Master pro tempore , if no brother is present Aidio has been Master of that lodge before : for the absent Master ' s authority reverts to the last Master present , though he cannot act till the Senior Warden has congregated the lodge . " The

New Regulations , made Nov . 25 th , 1728 , are set forth in the opposite column in the following * words : — " It was agreed , but was neglected to be recorded , that if a Master of a particular lodge is deposed or demits , the Senior Warden shall forthwith fill the Master's chair till the next time of

choosing ; and ever since , in the Master ' s absence , he fills the chair , even though a former Master be present . " This last regulation is repeated at page 345 of Bro . Entick's edition of Anderson's Booh of

Constitutions , dated 1767 . The above extracts , from Anderson , lay it down as a positive ru ] e that in the Senior Warden is vested the poAver of acting as W . M . pro tempore , and if he be so empoAvered he is , to our thinking ,

eligible to make , pass , and raise , but not being a P . M ., as we suppose for the sake of argument , he cannot install , not being himself an installed Master , but so strong are the Avords— " shall act as Master pro tempore "—that , if such an anomaly

could exist , of one not an installed Master being permitted to perform the ceremony of Installation , AA e hold the Senior Warden Avould be able to come

in under the sentence quoted . The last of these extracts , repeated by Entick , is still more to the pm-pose , because the Senior Warden is , under the circumstances of a Worshipful Master resigning during his official year ,

or being expelled , de facto and de jure Worshipful Master in preference to , and in the presence of , a Past Master of that lodge .

In the last edition of Preston ' s Illustrations ( Dr . Oliver ' s ) , page 71 , we find the Worshipful Master , in addressing liis Senior Warden , says , after investing him , " Tour regular attendance on

“The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine: 1862-07-26, Page 1” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 5 June 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mmr/issues/mmr_26071862/page/1/.
  • List
  • Grid
Title Category Page
EIGHTS OF THE WARDENS OF PRIVATE LODGES. Article 1
THE THREATENED SECESSION EBOM THE SUPREME GBANDBOYAL AECH CHAPTER OE SCOTLAND.—No. II. Article 3
THE SUPREME GRAND COUNCIL OF FRANCE AND MARSHAL MAGNAN. Article 5
KABBALISM , SECRET SOCIETIES , AND MASONRY. Article 7
MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES. Article 9
NOTES ON LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. Article 10
THE MAGAZINE IN A NEW CHARACTER. Article 11
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 11
SUDDEN DEATH. Article 11
THE MASONIC MIRROR. Article 12
MASONIC MEMS. Article 12
METROPOLITAN. Article 12
PROVINCIAL. Article 12
ROYAL ARCH. Article 17
KNIGHTS TEMPLAR. Article 17
NOTES ON MUSIC AND THE DRAMA. Article 17
PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS. Article 17
THE WEEK. Article 18
TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 20
Page 1

Page 1

2 Articles
Page 2

Page 2

2 Articles
Page 3

Page 3

3 Articles
Page 4

Page 4

2 Articles
Page 5

Page 5

3 Articles
Page 6

Page 6

2 Articles
Page 7

Page 7

2 Articles
Page 8

Page 8

2 Articles
Page 9

Page 9

3 Articles
Page 10

Page 10

3 Articles
Page 11

Page 11

3 Articles
Page 12

Page 12

4 Articles
Page 13

Page 13

2 Articles
Page 14

Page 14

2 Articles
Page 15

Page 15

2 Articles
Page 16

Page 16

2 Articles
Page 17

Page 17

6 Articles
Page 18

Page 18

2 Articles
Page 19

Page 19

2 Articles
Page 20

Page 20

3 Articles
Page 1

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Eights Of The Wardens Of Private Lodges.

EIGHTS OF THE WARDENS OF PRIVATE LODGES .

LONDON , SATUMDAT , JULT 2 G , 1862 .

Much misunderstanding has arisen in the Craffc as to the powers ivith ivhich the Wardens of private lodges are invested , and it has been contended that those officers cannot , legally of them ' selves , perform the ceremony of initiating a

candidate into Freemasonry . This -view is an erroneous one , and a few authorities on the point may be cited to show that it is so . Earliest amongst masonic records ,, is the poem laioivn as Halliwell ' s History of Freemasonry in England , and in that the "Octavus punctus" reads thus : —

" Wqz tcfate pognt , lie mag U -sure , Ztt tfjou fjastg-4 afau ang-cttw , SKitber % magster tfjou fte true , $ m tfjat pgut tfjou scijal itcber nvz ' mt ; <& ttfnt metrgater tfjou most mcti U

W-a tfjg mag-ster an & tfjg ftlofos tee ; © otrfolgal .. „* ,,., t | jat tfjou rog $ j , STo frotfj partges , antr tfjat gs gooir rg # fj . "

In the above extract , although Wardens are not specially mentioned , yet the office is recognised by the word " cure / - " which , in old English , signified a deputy ; and , in this instance , Avas equivalent to a Warden , as will be evident , if Ave quote

the same " point" from Bro . Matthew Cooke ' s History and Articles of Freemasonry , where it is given in prose , and a . Warden is specially mentioned . At pages 126-7 of that ivork , it reads thus : —

" ® fje mi ] jiogttt gf fjtt Mullt Ijgm ffor fo fa foartwgiw im & gr % & m & istfx tfjat fjc U txtiaz mznz Mfojznz fits mateter & fjte Mafcw an * tfjat fje U fasg in tfje -eSamtt at fjis ntaister to tfje frottor of fjis ntatster atfo profit to tfjc lorta tfjat fje seructfj . "

Taken m conjunction with the former , these two-, extracts evidently point to the duty ofthe Warden . The latter expressly ordains that he is to be busy in the absence of Ms master to the honour of the latter : which means , if words mean

anything , that he is to do all that his master would do if he were present , and so maintain the honour of his superior in his absence .

Eights Of The Wardens Of Private Lodges.

The next authority , in point of date , ivhich Ave shall quote , is Bro . Anderson's Book of Constitutions , edition of 1746 , which states , at page 153 , under the " Old Regulations / ' " The Master of a particular lodge has the right and authority of

congregating the members of his lodge into a chapter upon any emergency or occurrence ; as well as to appoint the time and place of their usual forming * . And in case of death or sickness , or necessary absence of the Master , the Senior Warden shall

act as Master pro tempore , if no brother is present Aidio has been Master of that lodge before : for the absent Master ' s authority reverts to the last Master present , though he cannot act till the Senior Warden has congregated the lodge . " The

New Regulations , made Nov . 25 th , 1728 , are set forth in the opposite column in the following * words : — " It was agreed , but was neglected to be recorded , that if a Master of a particular lodge is deposed or demits , the Senior Warden shall forthwith fill the Master's chair till the next time of

choosing ; and ever since , in the Master ' s absence , he fills the chair , even though a former Master be present . " This last regulation is repeated at page 345 of Bro . Entick's edition of Anderson's Booh of

Constitutions , dated 1767 . The above extracts , from Anderson , lay it down as a positive ru ] e that in the Senior Warden is vested the poAver of acting as W . M . pro tempore , and if he be so empoAvered he is , to our thinking ,

eligible to make , pass , and raise , but not being a P . M ., as we suppose for the sake of argument , he cannot install , not being himself an installed Master , but so strong are the Avords— " shall act as Master pro tempore "—that , if such an anomaly

could exist , of one not an installed Master being permitted to perform the ceremony of Installation , AA e hold the Senior Warden Avould be able to come

in under the sentence quoted . The last of these extracts , repeated by Entick , is still more to the pm-pose , because the Senior Warden is , under the circumstances of a Worshipful Master resigning during his official year ,

or being expelled , de facto and de jure Worshipful Master in preference to , and in the presence of , a Past Master of that lodge .

In the last edition of Preston ' s Illustrations ( Dr . Oliver ' s ) , page 71 , we find the Worshipful Master , in addressing liis Senior Warden , says , after investing him , " Tour regular attendance on

  • Prev page
  • You're on page1
  • 2
  • 20
  • Next page
  • Accredited Museum Designated Outstanding Collection
  • LIBRARY AND MUSEUM CHARITABLE TRUST OF THE UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1058497 / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2025

  • Accessibility statement

  • Designed, developed, and maintained by King's Digital Lab

We use cookies to track usage and preferences.

Privacy & cookie policy