Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Legend Of The Introduction Of Masons Into England.
THE LEGEND OF THE INTRODUCTION OF MASONS INTO ENGLAND .
BY BRO . HARRY RYLANDS , F . S . A . PART II .
MY good friend , Bro . Woodford , having in his article on " The Antiquity of Stone Buildings in England , " published in the Masonic Magazine for May last , to some extent at least followed in the lines commenced in my article published in April , * he must forgive me if I take exception to some of his statements and deductions .
The guild legends , that is I suppose the rough sketch of the history contained in the old charges , being probably all based in their main facts on . one original (? not yet known ) , they naturally attribute to St . Alban the credit of the introduction of building into England , just as the ancient histories , being all more or less based on Gildas ,
Nennius and the works of Bede , give to the Romans the glory of first building a stone AA all in Britain . It is interesting , however , to note that the Masonic Constitutions in making St . Alban a Mason , besides the extra wages , and the charter obtained by him from the King , only credit St . Alban with having the " governaunce " of the making
of the walls of Verulam , and even this is not mentioned , as Bro . Woodford informs us , f in the two earliest Masonic MSS . In fact it does not appear until the middle of the sixteenth century . J Not even is it included , as far as I am aware , in the life of St . Alban , written in and for the Abbey named after him .
The chronicles , as Bro . Woodford states , § and of this there seems no doubt , know nothing of St . Alban as a builder , he merel y appears as a martyred convert to Christianity .
Bede , whether wrong or right in his statements as to the various walls built by the Britons and Romans , is quite clear in his description of them , and appears to have no doubt in his mind as to the manner of their construction , as will be seen from the extracts given anon .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Legend Of The Introduction Of Masons Into England.
THE LEGEND OF THE INTRODUCTION OF MASONS INTO ENGLAND .
BY BRO . HARRY RYLANDS , F . S . A . PART II .
MY good friend , Bro . Woodford , having in his article on " The Antiquity of Stone Buildings in England , " published in the Masonic Magazine for May last , to some extent at least followed in the lines commenced in my article published in April , * he must forgive me if I take exception to some of his statements and deductions .
The guild legends , that is I suppose the rough sketch of the history contained in the old charges , being probably all based in their main facts on . one original (? not yet known ) , they naturally attribute to St . Alban the credit of the introduction of building into England , just as the ancient histories , being all more or less based on Gildas ,
Nennius and the works of Bede , give to the Romans the glory of first building a stone AA all in Britain . It is interesting , however , to note that the Masonic Constitutions in making St . Alban a Mason , besides the extra wages , and the charter obtained by him from the King , only credit St . Alban with having the " governaunce " of the making
of the walls of Verulam , and even this is not mentioned , as Bro . Woodford informs us , f in the two earliest Masonic MSS . In fact it does not appear until the middle of the sixteenth century . J Not even is it included , as far as I am aware , in the life of St . Alban , written in and for the Abbey named after him .
The chronicles , as Bro . Woodford states , § and of this there seems no doubt , know nothing of St . Alban as a builder , he merel y appears as a martyred convert to Christianity .
Bede , whether wrong or right in his statements as to the various walls built by the Britons and Romans , is quite clear in his description of them , and appears to have no doubt in his mind as to the manner of their construction , as will be seen from the extracts given anon .