Freemasonry in Gibraltar 1727 - present - Intergonintergon.net/tal/freemasonryingibraltar.pdf ·...

Freemasonry in

Gibraltar

1727 - present

Michael Jenkyns © 2006

Freemasonry in

Gibraltar

1727 - present

Compiled by

Michael Jenkyns, FCFWM (1999/2000 and 2005-2006)

Acacia Lodge, No. 561 GRC, Ottawa

2 Westfield Cres.,Nepean, ON K2G 0T5

CANADATel: 1-613-828-6433

Email: [email protected]

© 2006

The Approach

I was initiated into the mysteries of Freemasonry on February 27, 1990, passed on November 10,1990 and raised on January 22, 1991. For anyone who has joined this organization, or any organization forthat matter, there is a great “unknown.” A prevalent thought is “How am I supposed to know that?,” or “Aren’tthere any manuals/history books/ritual books?”

I spoke with many learned brethren and read many well-written papers and books on a variety ofmasonic subjects. And it always seemed to me that so much was written about the length of a poniard, ora cable-tow, whether a ring should have the points of the compasses towards, or away from, the wearer, orwhether an apron should be worn inside or outside a suit jacket. And so little was written about the detailsof the Lodges to which Freemasons belong, and the impact which those Lodges might have had on thesociety within which they were found. Mind, you, this is not an easy subject to consider, research, or writeabout and it is made more difficult because many lodges have never taken the time to write their own history.

I have spent about fifteen years consolidating everything I can find about Freemasonry in the Britisharmy and its allies and loyalist forces. As I can locate information on Patriot forces, for example (being aCanadian and having read up on the American Revolution, followed the aftermath of the Loyalists, the Warof 1812, and various Rebellions in my own country), the French (there are pointers but no accessibleinformation) I have brought this together as well. Mind you, it is another matter altogether to contemplatehow to get this out to interested people around the world.

Geographic locations like Gibraltar, Halifax and Quebec, served as assembly and staging pointsearly in the development of the British Empire (on which the sun never set until the time of the second worldwar) and were soon expanded with the capture of Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Coromandel and the Cape ofGood Hope, to name a few more. As Masonic lodges were formed on land it was only a matter of a fewdecades before military personnel found that they needed their own lodges to accompany them wherevertheir unit went. Thus was born the ambulatory or travelling lodge. Thus I had to learn about the British armyand its development over several centuries. I was surprised to find that the Royal Artillery is an entitycomposed of battalions which are, in turn, composed of companies and which at one time contained artillerydrivers and support services to move the guns. While RA battalions might be numbered as were companies,the latter tended to adopt the name of their commander (usually a Captain). But that had little meaning sincethe Royal Artillery would attach artillerymen to various infantry forces and they would train the infantrymenin the movement, set-up, loading and firing of the field artillery. Royal Artillery battalions and company-strength units tended to be assigned to major garrison points like Gibraltar, Halifax or Quebec etc.

After assembling the military lodge material I tried to review and understand research papers andbooks on Freemasonry as it evolved in particular geographic areas. For Gibraltar, there is an excellentwebsite. But there is little that I could locate on the entire development of masonry there from 1724 totoday—a span of 180 years.

These notes are simply a start of what may well be a lengthy process of writing about Freemasonryin Gibraltar. I ask only that anyone who reads them would provide feedback to correct outright errors or tofill in the many empty spots. Many of them are empty because I have not been able to access information.But between us all, I would hope that these notes might be completed and prove interesting, informative andbeneficial for others.

I am grateful to W. Bro. Lionel Boxer for the opportunity of sharing this paper with interested masonsthrough the medium of his website.

Michael Jenkyns, Nepean, July 27, 2006

Abbreviations and Acronyms used

In compiling this material generally standard abbreviations and acronyms have been used whichhave been adopted over the years. In some case, however, new ones have been “invented” to permitselected abbreviation of material.

Andalucia interchangeable name with “Gibraltar”ER(A) Registry of the Antients Grand Lodge in LondonER(M) Registry of the Moderns Grand Lodge in LondonGR Grand Registry of a Grand Lodge (e.g. GRMich = Grand Registry of the

Grand Lodge of the State of Michigan)IC Irish Constitution (refers to Warrants issued by that Grand Lodge)J.G.W. (or G.J.W.) Junior Grand Warden (or Grand Junior Warden)Local (or local) Refers to a (local) warrant issued by a provincial Grand LodgePGLAnd Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalucia (an Antients organization)PGLLC(A) Antients Provincial Grand Lodge of Lower CanadaPGLGib(A) Antients Provincial Grand Lodge of GibraltarPGLGib(M) Moderns Provincial Grand Lodge of GibraltarPGLMass(M) Moderns Provincial Grand Lodge of MassachusettsPGLMWH Provincial Grand Lodge of Montreal and William Henry (formed 1822 under

the United Grand Lodge of England)PGLNE(M) Provincial Grand Lodge of New England (Moderns)PGLNS(A) Antients Provincial Grand Lodge of Nova ScotiaPGLNY(A) Antients Provincial Grand Lodge of New YorkPGLNY(M) Moderns Provincial Grand Lodge of New YorkPGLQ(A) Provincial Grand Lodge of Quebec (Antients)PGLQ(M) Provincial Grand Lodge of Quebec (Moderns)DGLQTR District Grand Lodge of Quebec and Three Rivers (formed 1822 under the

United Grand Lodge of England)PGLUC(A) Provincial Grand Lodge of Upper Canada (Antients)PGM Provincial Grand MasterPGSec (or PGSecy) Provincial Grand SecretaryPRMass(M) Moderns Provincial Registry, MassachusettsPRMWH Montreal and William Henry Provincial RegistryPRNS(A) Antients Provincial Registry, Nova ScotiaPRNY(A) Antients Provincial Registry, New YorkPRNY(M) Moderns Provincial Registry, New YorkPRQ(A) Antients Provincial Registry, QuebecPRQ(M) Moderns Provincial Registry, QuebecPRQTR Quebec and Three Rivers Provincial RegistryPRUC(A) Antients Provincial Registry, Upper CanadaSC Scottish Constitution (refers to Warrants issued by that Grand Lodge)S.G.W. (or G.S.W.) Senior Grand Warden (or Grand Senior Warden)UD Under Dispensation (an authority to form a new Lodge and to meet, usually

under supervision, and permitting the Lodge to work some, all or none, ofthe degrees; the final step preceding issue of a Warrant)

Table of Contents

Gibraltar - A Short History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Early Freemasonry at Gibraltar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The Moderns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The Antients in Gibraltar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The Union of 1813 and afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Irish Civilian Lodges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Scottish Civilian Lodges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Military Lodges - English, Irish and Scottish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Gibraltar’s resident lodges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Concordant Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Premier and Moderns Stationary Lodges at Gibraltar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Mother St. John Lodge, No. 24, ER(M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Lodge of Inhabitants, No. 159 ER(M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Hiram’s Lodge, No. 400 ER(M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Royal Lodge of Friendship, No. 278 ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Lodge of Friendship, No. 577 ER(M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Antients Stationary Lodges at Gibraltar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Inhabitants Lodge, No. 153 ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Provincial Grand Lodge, No. 220 ER(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31English Warranted Lodges at Gibraltar (post 1813) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Ordnance Lodge, 715 ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Calpean Lodge, No. 748 ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Robert Freke Gould Lodge, No. 2874 ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Connaught Lodge, No. 2915 ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38The Letchworth Lodge, No. 3503 ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41United Services Lodge, No. 3813 ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Gibraltar Masters Lodge, No. 3825 ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Masonic District Grand Stewards Lodge, No. 9217 ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Irish Civilian Lodges warranted at Gibraltar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Irish Masters Lodge, No. 915 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Scottish Civilian Lodges warranted at Gibraltar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Lodge of St. Thomas, No. 576 SC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Al Moghreb al Aksa Lodge, No. 670 SC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Coronation Lodge, No. 934 SC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58St. Bernard Lodge of Research, No. 1817 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Royal Artillery lodges at Gibraltar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Waterloo Lodge, No. 230 ER(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Perth Lodge, No. 148 ER(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Gibraltar Lodge, No. 209 ER(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Gibraltar Lodge No. 5, PRGibraltar(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Lodge No. 68 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Gibraltar Lodge, No. 187 ER(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Ordnance Lodge, No. 202 ER(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Ambulatory (travelling) lodges in infantry regiments based at Gibraltar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Lodge No. 11 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Lodge, No. 74 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Lodge No. 244 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Lodge No. 390 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Lodge No. 12, PRGibraltar(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Lodge No. 604 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98Duke of Norfolk’s Lodge No. 58 SC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Mount Calpe Lodge, No. 1126 ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Lodge No. 211 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Lodge No. 58 ER(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Lodge No. 168 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Lodge No. 351 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Lodge No. 156 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Minden Lodge, No. 63 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Lodge No. 309 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Lodge No. 6 PRAndalusia(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Lodge No. 9 PRAndalusia(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Lodge Glittering Star, No. 322 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Lodge No. 85 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Lodge No. 535 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Lodge, No. 5 PGLGibraltar(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Meridian Lodge, No. 1045 ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Lodge No. 61 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149White’s Lodge, No. 73 SC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Officers’ Lodge No. 617 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Gibraltar Lodge No. 128 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Lodge No. 290 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Hibernia Lodge No. 42 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159St. Andrew Lodge, No. 310 SC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163Dominica Lodge No. 174 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195Lodge No. 112A ER(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198Orange Lodge No. 94 ER(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200Lodge No. 690 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202Lodge No. 420 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204Lodge No. 130 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206Lodge No. 714 IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208Lodge No. 7 PRAndalusia(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210Lodge, No. 4 PRAndalusia(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211Lodge No. 8, PRAndalusia(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212Lodge No. 3 PRGibraltar(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213Lodge No. 4 PRGibraltar(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Two erroneously labelled “Gibraltar” Lodges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Gibraltar Lodge, No. 187 ER(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217Lodge, No. 356 ER(A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Freemasonry in Gibraltar 1

Minorca was lost to the French in May 1756 by Admiral John Byng. Although Byng was tried for treason1

and shot on the deck of his own flagship for the loss, the Admiralty had interpreted the French move against theislands as a bluff and had not provided Byng with more than minimal reinforcements.

© 2006 S. M. Jenkyns

FREEMASONRY IN GIBRALTAR(1727 - present)

Gibraltar - A Short History

Gibraltar, a two-and-a-quarter-square-mile peninsula of limestone and shale is linked to the Spanishmainland by a long, half-mile wide sandy isthmus. The almost three mile long “Rock” reaches 1,398 feet atits highest point.

In classical antiquity the Rock was called Calpe and was the symbolic limit of the known world.Mount Calpe, in the north, and Mount Abyla, on the African coast were named the Pillars of Hercules andtravellers did not sail beyond them. During historical times the peninsula passed from the Phoenicians to theCarthaginians (600-300 BC) and then the Romans (until 500 AD, and who called it Fretum Gaditanum) afterwhich it fell successively to the Vandals and Visigoths. In 711 Moslem invaders crossed the straits fromNorth Africa and attacked Spain. The Rock was heavily fortified and was named Jebel al Tariq (Hill of Tariq,after the Moorish General). The City of Gibraltar was founded in 1160 by Abdel M’umen. In the final strugglebetween Arabs and Christians Gibraltar was seized by the Spanish in 1462. In 1540, Khair-ad-din Barbarossaled an expedition of Barbary pirates against Gibraltar and laid waste the entire coast but did not capture theRock which was modernized as a fortress by Charles V. Gibraltar played an important part in the long fightbetween the Netherlands and Spain: in 1607 the Dutch fleet forced its way into the port and destroyed aSpanish squadron and in 1621, just off Gibraltar, a Spanish fleet was victorious over a Dutch one.

During the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-13), the Duke of Marlborough decided to attackthe Spanish Mediterranean fleet and capture Gibraltar to prevent a linkup between the French Mediterraneanand Atlantic fleets. British forces consisting of landing parties of Marines supported by the guns of the fleetwhich was under the command of Admiral Sir George Rooke captured Gibraltar on July 23, 1704, after asiege of three days. An immediate counter attack by Spanish forces was not successful. Eleven Spanishsieges in the next two years were unsuccessful, as was the twelfth siege in 1705, which lasted six months.The base at Gibraltar was enhanced in 1708 with the capture of Port Mahon, Minorca . The conquest of1

Gibraltar by British forces in 1704 was ratified in the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713 which recognized Britishcontrol of the fortress, the town and all military installations.

The strength of Gibraltar as a military fortress and facility relied historically on the various units ofthe Royal Artillery which maintained and fired the Rock’s many cannon, on the infantry regiments which oftenused Gibraltar as a staging point enroute to, or from, other scenes of action, and the Royal Navy which hasalways had a dominating presence there. In 1779 a land and sea siege by the Spanish did not reduceGibraltar and the maritime blockade was broken by Admiral Rodney’s squadron in January 1780.

When the Suez Canal was opened in 1869, Gibraltar assumed great importance for Britain as thegateway to India and the Far East. During World War II, German plans for a land attack on the Rock werethwarted by Spanish neutrality. Italian seaborne attacks were ineffective. An air base was added toGibraltar’s arsenal during World War II.

Gibraltar’s population grew to about 26,000 at its maximum—a society which remains strongly and

Freemasonry in Gibraltar2

According to Henry Sadler in Masonic Facts and Fictions, 1887, the first Deputation to constitute a2

foreign Lodge appearing the records is dated February 6, 1728/9 for a Lodge at Fort William, Bengal. St. John’s atGibraltar is the second recorded and the third is for the Lodge in Madrid which had been founded by the Duke ofWharton in 1722. The Dispensation for this Lodge is dated February 17, 1728 and apparently no numbered Warrantwas ever given to the Lodge. Sadler is following the story as portrayed by Gould in Vol. 2 of The History ofFreemasonry (p 384).


closely linked to Great Britain. The government of Gibraltar is administered by a Governor who is alsoCommander-in-Chief of the Garrison. He is appointed by the Queen. He is assisted by a Legislative Councilwhich includes the Governor, his appointees and seven members who are elected by British subjectsmeeting strict residence requirements.

Throughout its history, daily work on the Rock is performed by Spanish labourers who commute eachday from the Spanish city of La Linea just to the north of the narrow Neutral Zone which marks Gibraltar’spolitical boundary.

In spite of the apparent healthy location of Gibraltar with no marshy areas, the population weresubject to various epidemics which spread through the area from time to time, perhaps being spread bysailors and the cargoes which were carried. In August 1828 a cholera epidemic swept through the Colonyand 1,667 people died. Churches, hospitals and even Lodges were forced to close for the duration. A secondcholera epidemic, less virulent, occurred in 1834.

Early Freemasonry at Gibraltar

When looking at Freemasonry in Gibraltar over almost two centuries it is apparent that the smallresident population could only support a few permanent Lodges and that they would receive, accept,“entertain,” many ambulatory lodges and masons normally resident in military units. Periods of growth anddemise in lodges and members, per se, reflected the “temporariness” of the military passing through thecolony.

The first Lodge to be warranted to work on Gibraltar is believed to have been working unofficiallyin (or before) 1724. Although it is entered as the second deputation received from a Lodge abroad, it maywell have been the earliest as the original application had been submitted to the Duke of Richmond as GrandMaster (and he held that office in 1724) . The Lodge was not constituted until 1728 when the premier Grand2

Lodge issued a Deputation to form Lodge of St. John of Jerusalem at Gibraltar, a copy of which istranscribed on the following page. Warrant No. 51 was later issued. This was the second English Lodge tobe warranted outside the British Isles.

As Henry Sadler notes, the request from the Lodge leading to the Grand Lodge Deputation of 1728was not a request for permission to form a new Lodge but was a request to legalize an existing Lodge underthe “new” system which had been formed in 1717. Sadler also notes that this was a very early use of a nameof a Lodge which had no bearing on its location. Originally Lodges were known by their location only (suchas the Lodge at the Rummer and Grapes) and then by their number and location after numbering ofWarrants and Lodges became established.

Lodge of St. John of Jerusalem continued working under the authority of the Moderns’ Grand Lodge


The use of the spelling “Antients” rather than the more common “Ancients” is nothing more than the3

preference of the present author.

Cummerford (Sadler) and Commerford (Gould) appear in documents and refer to the same person.4

This would make Gibraltar either the second or third Provincial Grand Lodge to be established—the5

other two being Hanover in 1730 and Russia (also) in 1731.


following the Antients -Moderns split of 1751 but lapsed before the Union of 1813. The second Lodge to be3

founded in Gibraltar was No. 128 IC in the 39th Foot, receiving its Warrant in 1742.

Transcript of Grand Lodge Deputation to form St. John’s Lodge, Gibraltar, dated March 9, 1728/9

Whereas application was made to our Right Worshipfull Brother His Grace the Most Noble CharlesLenox Duke of Richmond, late Grand Master by our Brother John Bailie, Master and Thomas Wilson, andBenjamin Radenhurst, Wardens of a Lodge of St. John’s at Gibralter, for and on the behalfe of several of ourBrethren Commissioned and non-commissioned Officers and others; representing: That as they have nothingmore at heart than their duty to God, our King and Country, and to his Grace as Grand Master, They desire thatthey may be constituted a regular Lodge in due form.

These are therefore to Impower and authorize our wellbeloved Brother John Bailie, Thomas Wilson,and Benjamin Radenhurst to convene our Brethren at Gibralter aforesaid, and that they do in our place andstead, constitute a regular Lodge in due fform, at Gibralter aforesaid (taking especial care that they and everyof them have been regularly made Masons) with like Priviledges as all other regular Lodges do enjoy, and thatthey be required to conform themselves to all and every the Regulations contained in the Printed Constitutions,and observe such other Rules and Instructions as shall from time to time be transmitted to them by us, orNathaniel Blackerby, Esq., our Deputy Grand Master, or the Grand Master, or his Deputy Grand Master for thetime being, and that they do with the first opportunity send to us, or our Deputy a List of the members of theirLodge, together with the Rules agreed on to be by them observed, to the end they may be entered in the GrandLodge Book. Given under our hand and Seal of Office at London this 9th day of March 1728/9, and in the yearof Masonry 5728.

By the Grand Master’s command,

Nat. Blackerby, Deputy Gd. Master.

J. Thornhill, ) Grand

Mn. O’Connor, ) Wardens

[Source: Sadler, Masonic Facts and Fictions, p 36.]

In 1731 Captain James Cummerford , a founder member of St. John of Jerusalem Lodge, was4

appointed as Provincial Grand Master of Andalucia . The expression “Andalucia” covered Gibraltar and5

“adjacent places”. There is no indication of anyone else being appointed to the office until 1752 whenCummerford was replaced by Colonel J. G. Montresor, another founder of St. John of Jerusalem and alsothe Chief Engineer of the Fortress. Cummerford was reappointed in 1754 when Montresor embarked forAmerica, at the time he had been promoted and was a Colonel in the infantry.

Interestingly, the second Lodge to be established at Gibraltar was “No. 128 IC held in the 39thRegiment of Foot” whose warrant had been issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland on November 3, 1742. The39th had just completed several years’ duty in Ireland and it is probably that members of the Regiment hadbecome masons in Ireland.


English Freemasonry in Europe 1717-1919, by Michel Brodsky, Prestonian Lecture for 1994, as6

published in The Collected Prestonian Lectures 1988-1996, QC Correspondence Circle Ltd., London, 1997, ISBN 0-907655-34-3.


As Michel Brodsky notes, the role of English Provincial Grand Masters was made difficult for a6

variety of reasons including: weak administration at Grand Lodge until about 1750; a negative transitionperiod from 1750 to 1763 which saw an overall decline in membership in Freemasonry in Europe; and atremendous growth (and consequent competition) in Grand Lodges throughout the British Isles and Europe.In addition there were the constant ongoing series of wars between Britain and various European countrieswhich delayed, if not prevented, communications, and also because there was a lack of written policy andeven ritual by the English, Irish and Scottish Grand Lodges. It was normal practice that when a Warrant wasissued to a Lodge, a copy of the Book of Constitutions was also issued. Until the advent of the Antients in1753, only the normal first three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason were workedby English Lodges.

The Moderns

Problems in England between masons who considered changes in the organization of Grand Lodgeand the ritual to be detrimental and those who considered them beneficial resulted in the split of the premierGrand Lodge into two organizations. It is unclear when this schism began, but it could have existed sinceabout 1730 and appears to have been influenced by an influx of “Irish masons.” Research indicates that theAntients’ Grand Lodge was composed of those brethren who claimed to wish to preserve, without change,the original organization and workings of Freemasonry. As the self-styled “protectors” of the “ancientlandmarks” they referred to themselves as “Antient Masons.” They named the others, who sought changes,as “Moderns.”

It is not intended, here, to detail or justify the schism. But it is important to understand that the splitwas felt around the globe as the rivals established parallel organizations and although matters became verydifficult in England from 1751 until the Union of 1813, there do not seem to have been the same difficultieselsewhere, particularly in Gibraltar (and even more-so in North America) where the masonic scene wasdominated by military masons who were subject, daily, to sail off to fight a “real” enemy.

In Gibraltar, the Moderns’ Grand Lodge established a Provincial Grand Lodge in 1731. Although St.John of Jerusalem Lodge held fast to its allegiance to the premier (now Modern) Grand Lodge, it was notuntil 1762, that the first “new” Lodge (Inhabitants Lodge) was established under a Moderns Warrant (No.285). It was followed in 1781 by Lodge of Friendship (No. 577/486), Calpean Lodge (No. 556) and Hiram’sLodge (No. 460). These five Lodges were “civilian,” based permanently on Gibraltar and represented themaximum extent of the Moderns on Gibraltar.

The arrival of an Antients’ Lodge in the Royal Artillery in 1772 (Lodge No. 148 in the 2nd BattalionRA) saw the beginning of a period of difficulties with the Moderns’ Lodges attempting to deny the newarrivals the right to join the procession on St. John’s day, December 1773. Interestingly the plight of No. 148was seen by four Irish military Lodges who supported No. 148's right to join the procession. The situation wasreported in due time to Dublin.

The end for the Moderns Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar occurred about 1785/6 when themembers of the Provincial Grand Lodge applied to the Antients for a Provincial Warrant. The History ofCalpe Lodge, No. 325 ER notes: “In a communication addressed by the Grand Secretary of the Moderns to


This is where we have one of those “curious” circumstances about which we have no real answer. John7

Lane notes in Masonic Records 1717-1894 (p 78) the issue of Warrant No. 58 by the Antients’ Grand Lodge anddated December 1, 1756 for an unspecified Lodge at Gibraltar which “Lapsed very soon afterwards.” He shows adate of January 17, 1759 for the 14th Foot at St. Augustine, Florida..


the Grand Master, dated 20 of March 1786 he states ‘that the Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalucia, whichth

had been under the government of the Moderns for upwards of twenty years, had offered for a Warrant underthe Ancients,’ also that ‘the said Grand Lodge consisted of none under the degree of an ensign and who hadrefused to act longer under the authority of the Moderns (even) though the Duke of Cumberland is said tobe their Grand Master’.” The (new) Provincial Grand Lodge was Warranted by the Antients as No. 220 andthe new Provincial Grand Master was HRH Prince Edward Duke of Kent. He arrived in Gibraltar during 1790and left with the 7th Foot on June 23, 1791, onboard the Ulysses and Resistance for Quebec (where hewould quickly become the Antients’ Provincial Grand Master of Lower Canada).

This hasty departure from Gibraltar encouraged four of the five Moderns’ Lodges (St. John ofJerusalem/Mother St. John, No. 24 ER(M) did not participate) to assemble and produce a provisional Patentauthorizing Bro. Sweetland to be Acting Provincial Grand Master under the authority of the absent The Dukeof Kent. This action was confirmed by the Antients’ Grand Lodge of England. The effect of this action in theearly 1790’s on the Moderns’ was negligible at best: all five Moderns’ Lodges had gone into darkness soonafter 1800.

A similar situation had transpired in British North America where New France had become Britishwith the loss of Louisbourg (summer 1758), Quebec (September 1759) and Montreal (fall 1760) and theremoval of all French forces. In November 1759, the representatives of six military lodges (four holding IrishWarrants, one holding a dispensation from an Irish lodge and one warranted by the Moderns ProvincialGrand Lodge of Massachusetts) which travelled in infantry regiments, formed themselves into a “GrandLodge.” A letter detailing the events was carried to London by a Royal Navy Gunner (Thomas Dunckerly(1724-95) a natural son of George III) and eventually the new provincial organization would receive therecognition and approbation of the Moderns Grand Master. During the 1770's and 1780's close relationsbetween Antients and Moderns lodges would prevail although the Moderns’ Lodges would slowly close. In1791, decided steps were taken to secure a persona as Provincial Grand Master—the Duke of Kent.

The Antients in Gibraltar

The first Antients’ Lodge in Gibraltar was warranted in 1756 as “No. 58 in the 14th Regiment of Foot ”7

and it was joined, in 1772, by the peripatetic Perth Lodge No. 148 ER(A) held in the 2nd Battalion RA and,in 1777, by the stationary Ordnance Lodge, No. 202 ER(A). This last named, whose membership was limitedto officers and artificers in HM Ordnance at Gibraltar, would expire in 1807.

Warrant No. 220 was issued by the Antients’ Grand Lodge bearing date January 25, 1786, to holda Provincial Grand Lodge at Gibraltar. The action taken was a response to an appeal from three Antients’Lodges at Gibraltar—one quasi-civilian (stationary) and two military (ambulatory). The three Lodges were:Ordnance Lodge, No. 202 ER(A) (formed 1777), Perth Lodge, No. 148 ER(A) in the 2nd Battalion, RA(formed 1767) and Waterloo Lodge, No. 230 ER(A), held in the 1st Battalion, RA (formed 1785). Becauseof the refusal of the five Moderns’ Lodges to accept non-Moderns’ as equals, the new Provincial GrandLodge took under its authority the many travelling Lodges which arrived at the garrison with their regimentsand which numbered 11 in 1792. In acting in this manner, many of the transient masons accepted Provincialoffices—in fact, the first Antients’ Provincial Grand Master was a Bro. John Ross, an Irish Mason. On


Efforts were often made by the English Provincial Grand Lodges to charge “dues” to the temporary8

Lodges as a means of raising funds, primarily for charitable works. The Grand Lodge of ireland was frequentlywriting its ambulatory lodges that no fees or dues were to be paid in this manner as that Grand Lodge did notcharge equivalent fees on English lodges sojourning in Ireland.

In the case of Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) the new United Grand Lodge had split the original9

Province into two districts in about 1822—the District of Montreal and William Henry in the west and Quebec andThree Rivers in the east. Each was headed by a Provincial Grand Master.


January 26, 1790, HRH Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent, was appointed as Antients’ Provincial GrandMaster of Gibraltar, holding this office until 1800, even though he embarked for Quebec on June 23, 1791.

The record keeping of the Antients Provincial Grand Lodge can at best be described as useless atthis point in time. By 1804 there were at least nine military Lodges holding local Warrants according to TheHistory of Freemasonry on Gibraltar. Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry, 1886 (3rd Edition),notes the issue of six local Warrants for Gibraltar—No. 2 (1802); No. 4 (1777); No. 5 (1802); No. 5 (1811);No. 9 (1811) and No. 11 (1811). Nos. 2, 4 and 5 were issued to Lodges in the Royal Artillery. John Lane, inhis Masonic Records 1717-1894, includes PART IV, containing information (such as it was available to him)about Lodges which were warranted abroad by English Provincial Grand Lodges but not registered with theGrand Lodge in London. The following list refers to local (or Provincial) warrants issued by the AntientsProvincial Grand Lodge at Gibraltar under the authority of Warrant No. 220 dated January 25, 1786 and forwhich no definitive information about the Lodges is available: No. 2 Provincial in the Royal Artillery; No. 3Provincial in the 100th Regiment of Foot; No. 4 Provincial in the 108th Regiment of Foot; No. 5 Provincialin the Royal Artillery; No. 6 Provincial in the 28th Regiment of Foot; No. 7 Provincial in the 70th Regimentof Foot; No. 8 Provincial in the 90th Regiment of Foot and No. 9 Provincial in the 28th Regiment of Foot.The local or Provincial warrants would be issued partly to confer legitimacy on the temporary (military)lodges which put themselves under the “protection” of the Province while in temporary status . It never8

implied that the temporary Lodge had rescinded its original authority. Often these provincial warrants wereissued to confirm that the temporary lodge was recognized locally—a particular need when close to Englandwhere the Antient-Modern split was carried to extremes and where visitation was prohibited. The further awayfrom London the easier the visitation rights.

The Union of 1813 and afterwards

With the union of the Moderns’ and Antients’ Grand Lodges in 1813, new Warrants were issued toLodges starting in 1814. At the time many Lodges around the world went into darkness, although there area number of excellent examples where Warrants for issued for Lodges which were defunct. In fact the entireprocess of determining which English lodges were working and which were defunct would not be completeduntil the third (and final) renumbering of 1863.

The English Provincial Grand Lodge continued to work in Gibraltar. With the change in theorganization of Grand Lodge, Provincial Grand Lodges located in the British Isles retained the title ofProvinces while those located outside England were retitled as District Grand Lodges . The “old” Provincial9

Grand Lodge of Gibraltar was reformed as the District Grand Lodge of Gibraltar under Warrant No. 3825.Originally restricted to Installed Masters of the English Constitution it was expanded to include InstalledMasters of any recognized jurisdiction.

Following the Union of the Moderns and Antients in 1813, pressure was apparently laid on Irish


The same situation arose in present-day Ontario with Duke of Leinster’s Lodge, No. 283 IC, at10

Kingston. On January 23, 1826, the Lodge surrendered its Warrant “under duress” and then appealed to Dublin.Dublin appealed to London unsuccessfully and a duplicate Warrant was issued on July 24, 1829.


military Lodges in Gibraltar to give up their Irish Warrants and accept English ones. While it is not clear, thereasoning behind this was likely that with one English Grand Lodge it was logical to assume that Lodges inBritish Army regiments would revert to “one” Grand Lodge. The History of Freemasonry on Gibraltar notesthat “. . . the pressure . . . disturbed (the) harmonious working. The records of the next dozen years are fullof protests coming from Irish Lodges abroad and being passed from Dublin to London.” The Grand Lodge10

of Ireland, on June 9, 1815, wrote to Lodge No. 309 IC, held in the 26th (Cameronians) Regiment of Footto advise in the strongest terms that the Lodge was not required to obtain authority from the Provincial GrandLodge for permission to work on Gibraltar, nor to pay dues to it, but that the Lodge should certainly followlocal laws and regulations. The period of discontent appears to have ended amicably although it took severaldecades to do so. (Here again we have a parallel with Upper Canada where Duke of Leinster Lodge, No. 283IC, of Kingston (formed 1819, warranted February 1, 1821) was coerced by the Grand Masonic Conventionof 1817 to surrender its Irish charter and take an English dispensation pending the arrival of a new ProvincialGrand Master. The Lodge complained to Dublin and eventually a duplicate warrant was issued in 1829 andthe affair brought before the Duke of Sussex but no action was taken by London.)

It was not until 1876 that any Grand Master of the three principal Grand Lodges visited Gibraltar. Inthat year the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, HRH The Prince of Wales (afterwardsKing Edward VII), visited the Rock and laid the foundation stone of the old markets with full masonichonours. By the end of the century there were six civilian (i.e. non-ambulatory, military) lodges working atGibraltar—three English (Royal Lodge of Friendship No. 278 ER (originally Calpean 556 ER(M)); OrdnanceLodge (originally No. 202 ER(A)) and now Inhabitants No. 153 ER; and the Provincial Grand Lodge); oneIrish (Calpe No. 325 IC) and two Scottish (Lodge No. 576 and Al Moghreb al Aksa No. 670).

During the twentieth century Gibraltar would provide a home for five more English Lodges: RobertFreke Gould No. 2874 ER; Connaught No. 2915 ER; The Letchworth No. 3503 ER; United Services No. 3813ER; and Gibraltar Masters No. 3825 ER all of which are still working.

Irish Civilian Lodges

By the end of 19th century there was one Irish “civilian” Lodge (i.e. non-ambulatory, military) atGibraltar. Since its formation in 1826 it has operated under three names—Gibraltar Lodge, Rock Lodge andLodge Calpe—albeit under one Warrant, No. 325. Calpe Lodge is still working and is the oldest Lodge onthe Rock. It was joined, in 1992, by Irish Masters Lodge, No. 915 IC.

Scottish Civilian Lodges

By the end of the 19th century there were two Scottish “civilian” Lodges (i.e. non-ambulatory,military) working at Gibraltar—Lodge No. 576 (formed in 1876) and Al-Moghreb al Aksa Lodge, No. 670. Thislast named Lodge was originally issued with a dispensation and a warrant (No. 18) by the (Canadian) GrandLodge of Manitoba A.F. & A.M., which like the Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province ofOntario, had one experience on the international scene. Both are still working.



Military Lodges - English, Irish and Scottish

Gibraltar was an extremely important garrison for Great Britain and for many years the militarypresence on “the Rock” has been very great. The Royal Artillery presence has been constant throughoutGibraltar’s history and a number of RA Lodges have worked on Gibraltar. In addition, a succession ofregiments have spent varying amounts of time on the Rock both for its defence and also for stagingthroughout the Mediterranean area on other assignments reaching around the Globe. Many of the RoyalArtillery and infantry regiments had masonic Lodges attached to them which worked on Gibraltar. It isinteresting to note the numbers of Irish, Scottish and English Lodges which worked in Gibraltar:

Numbers of Infantry and RA Lodges which worked on Gibraltar

44 Lodges in Infantry Regts 7 Lodges in the RA

Two Lodges are working; bothare civilian and stationary

None of these are working

Premier/Moderns Nil Nil

Antients 3 [#58; 94; 112] 6 [#148; 209; 187; 345 (#5 PRGib);230; 202]

United Grand Lodge 2 [#1045; 1126] Nil

Irish 26 [#11; 42; 61; 63; 73; 74; 85;128; 130; 156; 168; 174; 211; 227;244; 290; 309; 322; 351; 390; 420;535; 604; 617; 690; 714]

1 [#68]

Scottish 3 [#58; 73; 239] Nil

Local 10 [#3; 3; 4; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 12] Nil

These fifty-one lodges were “housed” in the following regiments:

(a) Infantry

1st (Royal) Regiment Lodge No. 11 IC (at Gibraltar 1770's) Defunct

1st (Royal) Regiment Lodge No. 74 IC (at Gibraltar 1790's) Defunct

2nd (Queen’s Royal) Lodge No. 244 IC (at Gibraltar 1770's) DefunctLodge No. 390 IC (at Gibraltar 1770's) Defunct

4th (King’s Own) Lodge No. 12 PRGibraltar(A) Defunct

11th Foot Lodge No. 604 IC (worked on Gibraltar 1787) Defunct



12th (Duke of Norfolk’s) Duke of Norfolk Lodge No. 58 SC/320 ER(worked at Gibraltar 1763) Defunct

12th (Duke of Norfolk’s) Mount Calpe Lodge No. 1126/824 ER(formed at Gibraltar 1860) Defunct

14th Foot Lodge No. 211 IC Defunct

14th Foot Lodge No. 58 ER(A) (formed at Gibraltar 1756) Defunct



19th (Green Howards) Lodge No. 156 IC/3 PRGibraltar(A) Defunct

XXth Foot Lodge No. 63 IC (formed at Gibraltar 1736) Defunct

26th Foot Lodge No. 309 IC/261 IC Defunct

28th (North Gloucestershire) Lodge No. 6 PRGibraltar(A) Defunct

28th (North Gloucestershire) Lodge No. 9 PRAndalucia(A) Defunct

29th (The Worcestershire Reg) Lodge 322 IC Current



31st Foot Lodge No. 5 PRGibraltar(A) Defunct

31st Foot Lodge No. 1045 ER/743 ER Defunct

32nd Foot Lodge No. 61 IC Defunct

32nd Foot Whites Lodge, No. 73 SC Defunct

32nd Foot Officer’s Lodge No. 617 IC Defunct

39th Foot Gibraltar Lodge No. 128 IC (formed at Gibraltar 1741/2) Defunct

39th Foot Lodge No. 290 IC (formed at Gibraltar 1758) Defunct

42nd Foot Hibernia Lodge No. 42 IC Defunct

42nd Foot St. Andrew Lodge, No. 239/310/315/232/243/239 SC Defunct

46th Foot Lodge of Social and Military Virtues No. 227 IC Current

Duke of Cornwall’s LI (46th) Dominica Lodge No. 174 IC



50th Foot Lodge No. 112 ER(A)/113 IC Defunct

51st Foot Lodge No. 690 IC Defunct

51st Foot Orange Lodge No. 94 ER(A)/94 IC Defunct

56th (Pompadours) Lodge No. 420 IC Defunct

64th (2nd Staffordshire) Lodge No. 130 IC Defunct

68th Foot Lodge No. 714 IC (formed at Gibraltar 1790) Defunct

70th (Surrey) Lodge No. 7 PRGibraltar(A) Defunct

82nd Foot Lodge No. 4 PRAndalucia(A) Defunct

90th Foot Lodge No. 8 PRAndalucia(A) Defunct

100th Foot Lodge No. 3 PRGibraltar(A) Defunct

108th Foot Lodge No. 4 PRGibraltar(A) Defunct

(b) Royal Artillery

1st Battalion RA Waterloo Lodge, No. 230 ER(A)/No. 288 ER (formed at Gibraltar1785) Defunct

2nd Battalion RA Perth Lodge, No. 148 ER(A), now St. John’s No. 115 ER (civil)(worked at Gibraltar 1771-90) Defunct

4th Battalion RA Gibraltar Lodge No. 209 ER(A) (formed at Gibraltar 1779 andremained there) Defunct

4th Battalion RA Gibraltar Lodge No. 5 PRGibraltar/345 ER(A)/443 ER (formed atGibraltar 1805 and remained there) Defunct

7th Battalion RA Lodge No. 68 IC (at Gibraltar about 1825) Defunct

9th Battalion RA Lodge No. 187 ER(A)/No. 228 ER (worked at Gibraltar 1812-22)Defunct

Ordnance Department Ordnance Lodge, No. 202 ER(A) (formed at Gibraltar 1777 andremained there) Defunct

In keeping with the attitude prevalent in most military Lodges, upon arrival at Gibraltar, most wouldregister with the local authority—in this case the Antients’ Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar (akaAndalucia)—and some would receive a Local Warrant. In cases where there was any disagreement ofauthority the mother Grand Lodge would usually instruct its military Lodges to act under the authority of theProvincial Grand Lodge—as happened in 1792/3 when the Grand Lodge of Ireland instructed Lodge No. 617(in the 32nd Foot) to conform to the Provincial Grand Lodge’s laws and regulations.


White’s Lodge, No. 73 SC, in the 32nd Foot (Warrant issued November 25, 1754 and erased 1809).11

These were: Lodge No. 11 IC, in the 1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot (Warrant issued November 7, 173212

and surrendered April 1847); Lodge No. 604 IC, in the 11th Regiment of Foot (Warrant issued June 6, 1782 andcancelled July 15, 1815); Lodge No. 168 IC, in the 18th Regiment of Foot (Warrant issued September 2, 1747 anderased November 5, 1801); Lodge No. 227 IC, in the 46th Regiment of Foot; Lodge No. 690 IC, in the 51st (2ndYorkshire, West Riding) Regiment of Foot (Warrant issued September 4, 1788 and cancelled in December 1858);and Lodge No. 714 IC, in the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Warrant issued April 1, 1790 and cancelled October7, 1813).

These were Lodge No. 112 ER(A) in the 2nd Battalion 50th Regiment of Foot (Warrant issued April 21,13

1763 and erased in 1813; an Irish Warrant, No. 113 IC, had been issued to the same Lodge on April 21, 1763 whenthe Regiment arrived in Ireland. It was not cancelled until July 6, 1815); Perth Lodge, No. 148 ER(A), in the 2ndBattalion of Royal Artillery (Warrant issued September 5, 1767, replaced with Warrant No. 181 ER in 1814 whichbecame a civilian Lodge at Gibraltar in 1821) and Garrison Lodge for which a number is not stated.


The number of military lodges on Gibraltar would vary at any one time: the History of Calpe Lodge,No. 325 ER, notes that by 1792 there were no fewer than eleven military Lodges in Gibraltar: one Scottish ,11

six Irish , 3 Antients and one local (in the Company of Artificers). Robert F. Gould, in his History of12 13

Freemasonry, 1886, notes a further three as having shortly before left the garrison, and the Warrant No. 61IC which had been copied and left behind for the remaining civilian members. The current review notes thatthere were at least 13 Irish, 1 Scottish and three Antient, military Lodges by 1800, which had passed throughand worked in Gibraltar, although this still probably understates the actual number due to the loss of Lodgematerial, minute books, correspondence files, and other records. The precise number is not important—itis certainly clear that Gibraltar was truly an “Antients” place, where Irish, Scottish and Antients masonsworked the regular three degrees, plus the Royal Arch, Knight Templar and Mark degrees, under theauthority of their Lodge Warrants.

Gibraltar’s resident lodges

So, one outstanding question is “how many Gibraltar lodges have there been?” This question is notfocussed on lodges which have existed and worked on Gibraltar at some time in their life (as the transitorymilitary ones have done), but rather, refers to lodges which have spent their entire existence on the Rock.

The current tracking shows that nineteen lodges have been formed and worked on Gibraltar. Sixhave closed. Thirteen lodges provide a permanent (and occasionally a temporary) home for Freemasons.These lodges are:

Calpe Lodge No. 325 IC (formed 1826)

Lodge of St. John No. 115 (formed 1767 in 2nd Battalion RA)

Inhabitants Lodge No. 153 ER (originally Ordnance No. 202 ER(A) formed in 1777)

(English) Provincial Grand Lodge No. 276 ER (originally Antients’ PGL, formed 1786)

Royal Lodge of Friendship No. 278 ER (originally Calpean No. 556 ER(M) formed in 1788)

Lodge of St. Thomas No. 576 SC (formed 1876)



Al Moghreb al Aksa Lodge No. 670 (originally No. 18 GR Manitoba, formed 1881)

Robert Freke Gould Lodge No. 2874 ER (formed 1901)

Connaught Lodge No. 2915 ER (formed 1902)

The Letchworth Lodge No. 3503 ER (formed 1911)

United Services Lodge No. 3813 ER (formed 1917)

Gibraltar Masters’ Lodge No. 3825 ER (formed 1917)

Irish Masters’ Lodge No. 915 IC(formed 1992)

Issuance and cancellation/termination of Warrants for Gibraltar Lodges(Note: Figure in square brackets denotes known termination)

TOTAL PREMIER MODERN ANTIENT U. G. L. IRISH SCOTS

1725-1749 1 1

1750-1775 2 1 1

1776-1800 5 [1] 3 [1] 2

1801-1825 2 [3] [1] [2] 2

1826-1850 1 [1] [1] 1

1851-1875 [1] [1]

1876-1900 2 1

1901-1925 5 5

1926-1950

1950-PRESENT 1 1

TOTAL 19 [6] 1 [1] 4 [3] 3 7 [2]

In addition, three are so new (from an outsider’s perspective) and no information has been collected on them,including: St. Bernard Lodge of Research, No. 1817 SC; Coronation No. 934 SC; and Masonic District GrandStewards Lodge, No. 9217 ER.



Concordant Bodies

There is a large quantity of evidence from surviving lodge documents, reports and certificates toindicate that military lodges practiced a wide range and variety of masonic degrees and orders. Many cameout of Ireland and many came out of Europe (particularly France and Prussia) during the latter half of theeighteenth century.

The earliest written references to the Royal Arch come out of Ireland in 1743 and there arereferences to Knights Templary from the same date. Early certificates date from this period. History indicatesthat while Antients and Irish lodges practiced a variety of degrees, the Moderns decried the habit andprohibited the working of degrees beyond the three established ones. As late as the 1850's the Grand Lodgeof Ireland took care to explain to lodges that the Grand Lodge warrant was the only one issued and thatlodges were authorized to work any masonic degree thereunder.

Certainly the ritual of the various concordant bodies were carried to Gibraltar and have contributedto the present establishment of:

C five Royal Arch Chapters, namely St. John 115 ER, Prince of Wales 153 ER, Calpean 278 ER,Calpe 325 IC and St. Thomas 168 SC;

C three Mark Lodges, namely Gibraltar Mark Lodge 43 EC, Mediterranean Mark Lodge 278 EC andHammerton Mark Lodge 516 EC and a District Grand Mark Lodge;

C Cockburn Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners 43 EC (held under authority of the Grand Mark Lodge)

C Calpe Preceptory and Priory of Knights Templars 60 EC;

C Royal Europa Chapter pf Rose Croix 14 ER;

C Gibraltar Conclave of the Oder of the Secret Monitor 369 ER;

C St. Thomas Cryptic Council 168 SC;

C Calpe Council of Knight Masons 88 IC; and

C Provincial Grand Lodge of the Royal order of Scotland SC.



Sources

Brodsky, Michel; English Freemasonry in Europe 1717-1919; 1994 Prestonian Lecture; The CollectedPrestonian Lectures 1988-1996, QC Correspondence Circle Ltd., London, 1997, ISBN 0-907655-34-3.

Calpe Lodge; The History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC; held on the Lodge website:<http://www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html> along with a twelve page summary entitled The FirstTwo Hundred Years of the Craft in Gibraltar.

Cerza, Alphonse; The American War of Independence and Freemasonry; as printed in the Transactions ofQuatuor Coronati Lodge.

Cochrane, Keith; (CD-ROM) Update (2002) of Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records; available in CD-ROM versiononly from R. W. Bro. Cochrane, Belfast, June 2002.

Crossle, Philip; Irish Masonic Records; limited manuscript publication in the Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973.

Douglas, William; Freemasonry in Manitoba—1864-1925; published by the Research Committee of TheGrand Lodge of Manitoba, A.F. & A.M., Winnipeg, 1925.

Emmett, Robert; Freemasonry in Manitoba 1925-1980 Part II; published by the Research and EducationCommittee of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, A.F. & A.M., Winnipeg, 1975.

Gould, Robert Freke; The History of Freemasonry, 3 volumes; 3rd Edition; Thomas C. Jack, 45 Ludgate Hill,London, 1886.

Graham, John H.; Outlines of the History of Freemasonry in the Province of Quebec; John Lovell & Son,Montreal; 1892.

Grand Lodge of Scotland; Listing of Military Lodges Chartered by the Grand Lodge of Scotland; 1995.

Harris, R. V.; History of St. Andrew’s Lodge, No. 1 GRNS Halifax, NS; Wm. Macnab & Son, Halifax, 1920.

Harris, R. V.; The Story of Lodge “Glittering Star” No. 322 (Irish) (1759-1966) and The Beginning of KnightTemplary in Canada; Paper No. 86 of the Canadian Masonic Research Association; as published by TheHeritage Lodge, No. 730 GRC, 1986.

Harris, R. V.; The Irish Civilian Lodges of Canada 1820-1888; February 20, 1959, Canadian MasonicResearch Association, Volume 2 Paper 48, as published by The Heritage Lodge, No. 730 GRC, 1986.

Harris, R. V., Milborne, A. J. B. and Case, Col. James R.; Freemasonry at the Two Sieges of Louisbourg:1745 and 1758; May 13, 1958; Vol. 2, paper 46, Canadian Masonic Research Association, printed in 1986.

Kyte Sr., Elinor; British Regulars in Montreal: An Imperial Garrison 1832-1854, McGill-Queen’s UniversityPress, Montreal, 1981, ISBN 0-7735-0372-2.

Lane, John; Masonic Records 1717-1894; 2nd Edition; London, 1895.

Lepper, John Heron and Crossle, Philip; History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland,Vol. 1; published by the Lodge of Research, No. CC IC, Dublin, 1923.



Lepper, John Heron; “The Poor Common Soldier,” A Study of the Irish Ambulatory Warrants, as printed inthe Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1957.

Masonic Holdings; Whence Come We? Freemasonry in Ontario 1764 - 1980, published by Masonic Holdings,Hamilton, 1980.

Milborne, A. J. B.; The Provincial Grand Lodge of Quebec 1759-1792 Parts I and II; articles as printed in theTransactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1956.

Nevison, Harry M.; History of the Lodge of Antiquity, Montreal; printed 1963, printer unknown.

Parkinson, R. E.; History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. 2; published bythe Lodge of Research, No. CC IC, Dublin, 1923.

Parkinson, R. E.; Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, printed in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland,Transactions for the Years 1949-1957, printed 1959, Dublin.

Pick, Fred L. and Knight, Norman, The Pocket History of Freemasonry, Revised by Frederick Smyth, 8thEdition, published by Muller (London, Sydney, Aukland, Johannesburg), 1991.

Reddyhoff, James; Freemasonry in the Royal Artillery; AQC, Volume 116, 2003.

Robertson, John Ross; History of Freemasonry in Canada; 2 Volumes; The Hunter, Rose Co. Ltd., Toronto,1899.

Rogers, Norman, Lancashire Military Lodges, June 24, 1963, as printed in the Transactions of the QuatuorCoronati Lodge, No. 2076 ER, London, 1963.

Sadler, Henry; Masonic Facts and Fictions; published by Diprose & Bateman, Sheffield Street, Lincoln’s Inn,London, 1887.

Sheppard, W. Bro. Ray, Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, September 2002, noteson Lodges in the XXth Foot.

Sheppard, W. Bro. Ray; “My Hero”, Segt.-Major William Shepherd; September 1992; private printing.

Singer, Herbert T. and Lang, Ossian; New York Freemasonry: A Bicentennial History 1781-1981; publishedby the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted masons of the State of New York; 1981; LCC H2537.N75S55.

Smith, Pemberton; Early Canadian Freemasonry 1759-1869; Quality Press, Montreal; 1939.

Smyth, Bro. Frederick, The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces,Prestonian Lecture for 1990 as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076 ER,London, 1990.

Thomas, Captain William, Freemasonry in the British Army, article published in the Grand Lodge of ScotlandYear Book, 1997.

Websites of the United Grand Lodge of England, Grand Lodge of Ireland and Grand Lodge of Scotland



(a) Premier and Moderns Stationary Lodges at Gibraltar


John Lane, in his Masonic Records 1717-1894 notes that “Gibraltar Lodge” is referred to in Grand14

Lodge minutes for May 10, 1727.

According to Henry Sadler in Masonic Facts and Fictions, 1887, the first Deputation to constitute a15

foreign Lodge appearing the records is dated February 6, 1728/9 for a Lodge at Fort William, Bengal. St. John’s atGibraltar is the second recorded and the third is for the Lodge in Madrid which had been founded by the Duke ofWharton in 1722.


Mother St. John Lodge, No. 24, ER(M), Gibraltar 1792?-1813Mother St. John Lodge, No. 25, ER(M), Gibraltar 1785-1792St. John of Jerusalem Lodge, 25 ER(M), Gibraltar 1780-1785St. John of Jerusalem Lodge, 28 ER(M), Gibraltar 1770-1780St. John of Jerusalem Lodge, 30 ER(M), Gibraltar 1768-1770St. John of Jerusalem (Gibraltar) Lodge, 30 ER(M), Gibraltar 1755-1768St. John of Jerusalem (Gibraltar) Lodge, 51 ER, Gibraltar 1729-1753St. John of Jerusalem (Gibraltar) Lodge, no number, Gibraltar 1728-1729Gibraltar Lodge, (time immemorial), Gibraltar 1724?-1728

This Lodge may have been working from as early as 1724 or 1727 although the premier Grand14

Lodge did not issue an authority for its formation until March 9, 1728/9. It is entered as the second deputationreceived from a Lodge abroad in the records, but it may well have been the earliest as the originalapplication (see below) appears to have been submitted to the Duke of Richmond as Grand Master and heheld that office in 1724 . This makes Gibraltar (or St. John of Jerusalem) Lodge the second Lodge in history15

to receive a warrant from the premier Grand Lodge for a Lodge located outside Great Britain—Lodge of theThree Fleur de Luces at Madrid having been the first. Irish Masons from various Regiments serving on theRock during the siege of 1727 were some of the earliest members of this new Lodge.

Whereas application was made to our Right Worshipfull Brother His Grace the Most Noble CharlesLenox Duke of Richmond, late Grand Master by our Brother John Bailie, Master and Thomas Wilson, andBenjamin Radenhurst, Wardens of a Lodge of St. John’s at Gibralter, for and on the behalfe of several of ourBrethren Commissioned and non-commissioned Officers and others; representing: That as they have nothingmore at heart than their duty to God, our King and Country, and to his Grace as Grand Master, They desire thatthey may be constituted a regular Lodge in due form.

These are therefore to Impower and authorize our well-beloved Brother John Bailie, Thomas Wilson,and Benjamin Radenhurst to convene our Brethren at Gibralter aforesaid, and that they do in our place andstead, constitute a regular Lodge in due fform, at Gibralter aforesaid (taking especial care that they and everyof them have been regularly made Masons) with like Priviledges as all other regular Lodges do enjoy, and thatthey be required to conform themselves to all and every the Regulations contained in the Printed Constitutions,and observe such other Rules and Instructions as shall from time to time be transmitted to them by us, orNathaniel Blackerby, Esq., our Deputy Grand Master, or the Grand Master, or his Deputy Grand Master for thetime being, and that they do with the first opportunity send to us, or our Deputy a List of the members of theirLodge, together with the Rules agreed on to be by them observed, to the end they may be entered in the GrandLodge Book. Given under our hand and Seal of Office at London this 9th day of March 1728/9, and in the yearof Masonry 5728.

By the Grand Master’s command,

Nat. Blackerby, Deputy Gd. Master.

J. Thornhill, ) Grand

Mn. O’Connor, ) Wardens

[Source: Sadler, Masonic Facts and Fictions, p. 36.]


Sadler, p. 113, accepts Robert Freke Gould’s explanation that the use of the name “St. John” denoted16

an unattached Lodge or Brother at this time (1720's) which would seem to fit with the possibility that the Lodge wasnot seeking permission to exist, but, rather seeking a recognition of the new established Grand Lodge. Sadler alsocites Bazot’s Manual of Freemasonry (Paris, 1811) which makes the case that the “St. John” referred to was not St.John the Baptist or St. John the Evangelist, but rather, St. John the Almoner, “to whom Encampments of KnightsTemplars are dedicated.”

This would make Gibraltar either the second or third Provincial Grand Lodge to be established—the17

other two being Hanover in 1730 and Russia (also) in 1731.


As Henry Sadler notes in Masonic Facts and Fictions, the request from the Lodge leading to theGrand Lodge deputation of 1728 was not a request for permission to form a new Lodge but was a requestto legalize an existing Lodge under the “new” system which had been formed in 1717. Sadler also notes thatthis was a very early use of a name of a Lodge which had no bearing on its location. Originally Lodges were16

known by their location only (such as the Lodge at the Rummer and Grapes) and then by their number andlocation after numbering of Warrants and Lodges became established.

The beginning of the Lodge and its early intake of new members, as well as its appreciation to GrandLodge for the deputation and consequent consecration is evidenced in the following letter. Regrettably HenrySadler does not include the list of members which was attached. The Lodge letter does, however, indicatea change in the name from “St. John” to “St. John of Jerusalem”. The entry in the Grand Lodge records reads“A Letter from the Lodge of St. John of Jerusalem lately Constituted at Gibralter by authority from the presentGrand Master was read, and ordered to be entered, viz:—

Most Noble and Right Honorable Grand Master

My Lord

We the Master and Wardens of the Lodge of St. John of Jerusalem, established by yourLordship’s Letters of Consecration, dated the seventh day of March, 1728/9, in this His Majesty’s Garrison ofGibralter, do for ourselves and Fellow Masons, beg Leave to return our most humble Thanks for the Honour yourLordship hath been pleased to do us, in impowering us to hold a Lodge in as due and ample manner as hathbeen hereto practised by our Brethren; In pursuance of which we did on the fifth Instant, hold our first Lodge,and as our Number was then but small: We admitted six Brothers, whose names are distinguished in the Listof the Members of the Lodge, which together with the Orders thereof, We now transmitt to you. And we furtherbeg Leave to assure your Lordship that we shall in every respect conform to what you have prescribed to us,and shall keep an exact account of our Proceedings in order to lay them before your Lordship or our GrandMaster for the time being when it shall be necessary or by you required. And so We humbly Salute yourLordship, the Right Worshipful the Deputy Grand Master and Warden, and the rest of our Brethren, and in thename of our Lodge We remain with great Respect,

My Lord

Your Lordship’s most humble and most

Obedient Servants and Brethren,

John Baylie, Master

Josias Wilson )

Benjn. Rodenhurst ) Wardens

From our Lodge at Gibralter,

the 19 day of October, 1729th

[Source: Sadler, Masonic Facts and Fictions, p. 38.]

In 1731 Captain James Cummerford, a founder member of St. John of Jerusalem Lodge, wasappointed as Provincial Grand Master of Andalucia . In 1752 Cummerford was replaced by Colonel J. G.17


The “B” is Lane’s manner of indicating that there were (at least) two warrants carrying the same18

number. Usually this would indicate two different Lodges with the number at different times, although in this case itis the same Lodge.


Montresor, another founder of St. John of Jerusalem and also the Chief Engineer of the Fortress.Cummerford was reappointed in 1754 when Montresor embarked for America, at the time he had beenpromoted and was a Colonel.

When the split of 1751 occurred in the premier Grand Lodge and resulted in the formation of theAntients’ and Moderns’ Grand Lodges, St. John of Jerusalem Lodge retained its allegiance to the ModernsGrand Lodge. At about this time the Lodge became known as “Mother Lodge of St. John” or “Mother Lodge”and received Warrant No. 24.

The authority of the Moderns’ Grand Lodge all but disappeared from Gibraltar by 1791 when theModerns’ Provincial Grand Master, HRH Duke of Kent, departed for Quebec (where he would become theAntients’ Provincial Grand Master). On his departure, four of the five Moderns’ Lodges on the Rockassembled and produced a Provisional Patent for Bro. Sweetland as Acting Moderns’ Provincial GrandMaster, citing the authority of the then absent Duke of Kent. The action was confirmed by the Moderns’Grand Lodge. Mother St. John Lodge did not participate in the action which had little impact anyway as allthe Moderns’ Lodges had gone into darkness soon after 1800.

John Lane, in his Masonic Records 1717-1894, Second Edition, provides the following entry for theLodge on page 52: “Gibraltar Lodge. St. John’s Lodge, 1768. Mother Lodge of St. John, 1785. The Rock,Gibraltar, (Malaga), Spain 1728. Lodge at Gibraltar is referred to in G. L. Min. 10 May 1727. Deputation toconstitute 9 March 1728/9. (G. L. Warrant) Nov. 1728 No. 51B . 9 March, 1729 No. 51. No. 51 1740. No.18

30, 1755. No. 28, 1760. No. 25, 1780. No. 25 1781. No. 241792. Warrants of Confirmation, 12 Mar. 1785and 22 Nov. 1786. Last payment 1800. Lapsed before the Union 1813.”

In 1831 the name “St. John” was adopted by Perth Lodge No. 181 (originally No. 148 ER(A) in theArtillery which had become civilian and stationary about 1826. This Lodge still works as St. John’s Lodge,No. 115 ER.

[Sources: (1) Masonic Facts and Fictions, by Henry Sadler, P.M. and P.Z., Published by Diprose & Bateman,Sheffield Street, Lincoln’s Inn, 1887. (2) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, Second Edition, 1895.]



Lodge of Inhabitants, No. 159 ER(M), Gibraltar 1792-1800?Lodge of Inhabitants, No. 186 ER(M), Gibraltar 1781-1792Lodge of Inhabitants, No. 185 ER(M), Gibraltar 1780-1781Lodge of Inhabitants, No. 231 ER(M), Gibraltar 1770-1780Lodge of Inhabitants, No. 285 ER(M), Gibraltar 1762-1770

Warrant No. 285 was issued by the Moderns’ Grand Lodge for the Lodge of Inhabitants on Gibraltar.This was a stationary civilian Lodge (although it probably took in military personnel) and continued itsexistence until sometime after 1800. When the split of 1751 occurred in the premier Grand Lodge betweenAntients and Moderns, Lodge of Inhabitants retained its allegiance to the Moderns Grand Lodge and receivedWarrant No. 159. Although the authority of the Moderns’ Grand Lodge had all but disappeared by 1791, fourof the five Lodges assembled and produced a Provisional Patent for Bro. Sweetland as Acting Moderns’Provincial Grand Master, citing the authority of the then absent Provincial Grand Master, HRH PrinceEdward, The Duke of Kent. Lodge of Inhabitants was one of the four lodges. The action was confirmed bythe Moderns’ Grand Lodge. Mother St. John Lodge did not participate in the action which had little impactanyway as all the Moderns’ Lodges had gone into darkness soon after 1800.

John Lane, in his Masonic Records 1717-1894 lists the Lodge on page 128 as follows: “Lodge ofInhabitants, Gibraltar (Malaga), Spain 1762. (GL Warrant) 12 July 1762 No. 285 ER(M). Renumbered as 231in 1770, 185 in 1780, 186 in 1781 and 159 in 1792. No payment after 1800. Erased in 1813.” It is probablethat the Lodge was defunct by 1800 at the latest.

In 1807 Ordnance Lodge, No. 202 ER(A), took over the lapsed name of Lodge of Inhabitants andis still working as No. 153 ER, Gibraltar.




Hiram’s Lodge, No. 400 ER(M), Gibraltar 1792-1813Hiram’s Lodge, No. 460 ER(M), Gibraltar 1786-1792

Warrant No. 460 was issued by the Moderns Grand Lodge on November 22, 1786 to hold Hiram’sLodge on Gibraltar. This was a stationary civilian Lodge (although it probably took in military personnel).

Although the authority of the Moderns’ Grand Lodge had all but disappeared by 1790, four of the fiveLodges assembled and produced a Provisional Patent for Bro. Sweetland as Acting Provincial Grand Masterof the Moderns Grand Lodge, citing the authority of the then absent Provincial Grand Master, HRH PrinceEdward, The Duke of Kent. Hiram’s Lodge was one of the four lodges. The action was confirmed by theModerns’ Grand Lodge. Mother St. John Lodge did not participate in the action which had little impactanyway as all the Moderns’ Lodges had gone into darkness soon after 1800.

John Lane, in his Masonic Records 1717-1894, p 213, describes the Lodge as: “Hiram’s Lodge.Gibraltar (Malaga), Spain 1786. (G. L. Warrant) 22 Nov. 1796. No 490. 1792 renumbered as No. 400. Erasedin 1813.




Royal Lodge of Friendship, No. 278 ER 1903-presentLodge of Friendship, 278 ER, Gibraltar 1863-1903Lodge of Friendship, 345 ER, Gibraltar 1832-1863Lodge of Friendship, 465 ER, Gibraltar 1814-1832Lodge of Friendship, No. 556 ER(M), Gibraltar 1803-1814Calpean Lodge, No. 556 ER(M), Gibraltar 1789-1803Calpean Lodge, UD ER(M), Gibraltar 1788-1789

There is little regarding the origins and working of this Lodge in The History of Freemasonry inGibraltar. Calpean Lodge is listed in the Moderns’ Register as having been meeting since 1788 underdispensation. It was constituted in 1789 as No. 556. Although the authority of the Moderns Grand Lodge inGibraltar had all but disappeared by 1790, four of the five Lodges assembled and produced a ProvisionalPatent for Bro. Sweetland as Acting Moderns’ Provincial Grand Master, citing the authority of the then absentProvincial Grand Master, HRH Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent. Calpean Lodge was one of the four lodges.The action was confirmed by the Moderns’ Grand Lodge. Mother St. John Lodge did not participate in theaction which had little impact anyway as all the Moderns’ Lodges had gone into darkness after 1800. In 1803Calpean Lodge adopted the lapsed name of “Lodge of Friendship”. [Note: The History gives both 1803 and1815 as the year in which the Lodge adopted the name “Friendship” and it is more likely it occurred after1813 when the original Lodge of Friendship was erased from the roll.]

With the Union of the Moderns’ and Antients’ Grand Lodges in 1813, new Warrants were issued in1814 and the Lodge was confirmed as Lodge of Friendship, No. 465, Gibraltar. Shortly after receiving thenew Warrant it was lost and a Warrant of Confirmation was issued by United Grand Lodge in 1817. ThisWarrant, too, became lost and a second Warrant of Confirmation was issued in 1825 and is the Warrantunder which the Lodge continues to work.

This Lodge is the only recognized survivor of the Moderns at Gibraltar and continues to hold theoriginal manuscript book of 1789 By-Laws and a list of members up to 1806. The Bylaws contain prohibitiveclauses regarding intercourse with Antients’ masons. At that time the old original Lodge would hold a festivalon September 9 to commemorate the “sinking of the junk ships” during the great siege. The Lodge alsopossesses the Minutes, manuscript By-Laws and list of members of the original Lodge of Friendship, No.577/486 ER(M)—see next Lodge entry. Royal Friendship Lodge also holds the Minute book of DurhamFaithful Lodge, No. 446 ER, which was held in the 68th (Durham Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot.

The History notes that the Lodge tended to draw its members from the English on Gibraltar, one ofits members being HRH The Duke of Connaught who, as Grand Master in 1903, granted the use of the prefix“Royal” with the Lodge name.

John Lane, in his Masonic Records 1717-1894, p 213, describes the Lodge as: “No. 278 (1894.)Calpean Lodge, 1789. Lodge of Friendship 1815. Gibraltar (Malaga) Spain 1788. “Have met by Dispensationas a Lodge since 1 Dec. 1788.” (G. L. Warrant) 15 Dec. 1789 No. 556. 1792 No. 465. 1814 No. 520 (ER).1832 No. 345. 1863 No. 278. Warrants of Confirmation in 1817 and 8 Dec. 1825. Centenary Warrant, 2 May1892. Met at Freemasons’ Hall, Glynn’s Buildings, Gibraltar, 1860; Horse Barracks Lane, Gibraltar 1874;Masonic Hall, Alameida, Gibraltar, 1886.”



A Spanish word for “tight rope walker”.19


Lodge of Friendship, No. 486 ER(M), Gibraltar 1791-1813Lodge of Friendship, No. 577 ER(M), Gibraltar 1781-1791

The Lodge of Friendship was constituted by Lodge of Inhabitants in 1791 under authority from theModerns’ Grand Lodge and under its own Warrant No. 486 ER(M). Warrant No. 577 was issued from Londonbearing the date of April 13, 1791. The warrant was renumbered as 486 in 1792.

Lodge of Friendship was a signatory of the Provisional Patent for Bro. Sweetland as ProvincialGrand Master. Although the authority of the Moderns Grand Lodge had all but disappeared by 1790, four ofthe five Lodges assembled and produced a Provisional Patent for Bro. Sweetland as Acting Moderns’Provincial Grand Master, citing the authority of the then absent Provincial Grand Master, HRH PrinceEdward, The Duke of Kent. Lodge of Friendship was one of the four lodges. The action was confirmed bythe Moderns Grand Lodge. Mother St. John Lodge did not participate in the action which had little impactanyway as all the Moderns’ Lodges had gone into darkness soon after 1800. Many of the members of theLodge at the time of closing joined Calpean Lodge.

Royal Lodge of Friendship, which inherited the lapsed name of “Friendship” now possesses theMinutes, manuscript By-Laws and list of members of the original Lodge of Friendship, No. 577/486 ER(M).The membership roll shows that the members were most seafaring people or Brethren connected with thesea through business (Italians, Genoese, Sardinians, Sicilians, French, Spanish and Portuguese). The By-Laws are written in English and Italian. Many of the members were “captain of privateer” and “merchant”,one was “equilibrista” and several were Spanish and Portuguese priests (even though the Inquisition was19

still going on).John Lane, in his Masonic Records 1717-1894, p 225, describes the Lodge as: Lodge of Friendship.

Gibraltar (Malaga), Spain, 1791. (G. L. Warrant) 13 April 1791 No. 577. 1792 No. 486. Last payment 1800.Erased in 1813.”




(b) Antients Stationary Lodges at Gibraltar


The History is held on website <www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/history.htm>20


Inhabitants Lodge, No. 153 ER (original), Gibraltar 1885-presentInhabitants Lodge, No. 153 ER (Warrant of Confirmation) 1877-presentInhabitants Lodge, No. 153 ER, Gibraltar 1863-1877Inhabitants Lodge, No. 178 ER, Gibraltar 1832-1863Inhabitants Lodge, No. 251 ER, Gibraltar 1814-1832Inhabitants Lodge, No. 202 ER(A), in HM Ordnance at Gibraltar 1804-1814

REF: E159 Ordnance Lodge, No. 202 ER(A), in HM Ordnance at Gibraltar 1777-1804

The History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER, Gibraltar notes “In 1777 another Ancients Lodge was20

warranted as the Ordnance Lodge No. 202, Admission to which was restricted to officers and artificers in HMOrdnance establishment. When the original Lodge of Inhabitants lapsed in 1807, No. 202 took over the nameof Inhabitants and still works with us as No. 153.” It is an interesting note that a Lodge Certificate was issuedon January 23, 1810 to Bro. Geo. Fairfowl of the Lodge in which he is described as a “Regular geometricMaster Mason of the Ancient Craft.”

United Grand Lodge issued Warrant No. 715 on October 6, 1819, for Ordnance Lodge, to be heldin HM Ordnance at Gibraltar. The Warrant was surrendered to United Grand Lodge in 1826.

The first WM of Mount Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC (the first civilian Irish Lodge on Gibraltar whoseWarrant was issued on September 7, 1826) was W. Bro. Daniel Durham, who had been initiated into LodgeNo. 309 IC in the 26th (The Cameronians) and had been released locally (i.e. at Gibraltar) from militaryservice in about 1822. The SW (Bro. Isaac Thompson); JW (Bro. Alexander Imbrie); Secretary (Bro. JohnPratt) and one Charter Member, Bro. Robert Moravia; were from Lodge No. 68 IC, held in the 2nd Company,7th Battalion of Royal Irish Artillery and which was one of the sponsoring Lodges for No. 325. The SD (Bro.Charles Causton) and one other Charter Member, Bro. John Wheatley, were members of Lodge No. 130 ICin the 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot. The members from the Royal Artillery had also beenreleased from service on Gibraltar and their unit had left. In addition, the Treasurer (Bro. FranciscoSemonetti); JD (Bro. Joseph Baggetto) and Tyler (Bro. Giacomo Celicia) and Charter Member W. Bro.Thomas Varnor; were members of Lodge No. 715 ER, in the Gibraltar Ordinance Department, which hadsurrendered its Warrant in 1826.

By 1857 the Lodge had been dormant for several years and it was resurrected by the actions ofofficers of the 31st Regiment of Foot, particularly Bro. Lieutenant Robert Freke Gould (he was 21 years oldat the time and had been a mason for two years). By 1858, Gould had re-established the Lodge with himselfas Master and Bros. Irwin and Schreiber as Wardens. These officers also helped in the establishment ofMeridian Lodge, No. 1045 ER, Gibraltar.

The History of Freemasonry on Gibraltar notes that in 1877 the Lodge was forced to apply to UnitedGrand Lodge for a Warrant of Confirmation as the original Warrant which had been surrendered to GrandLodge, had become lost. At the same time the Lodge applied for recognition of the Centennial of the Lodgewhich was also approved as was a Centennial jewel. In 1885 the original Warrant was found and returnedto the Lodge by United Grand Lodge and the Warrant of Confirmation was surrendered. Because of thehistorical interest in the various signatures on the Warrant of Confirmation it was returned to the Lodge andcarries a footnote to this effect on the bottom lefthand corner—thus making the Lodge probably the only oneworking under two warrants at the same time.

In 1901 the Inhabitants Lodge founded Robert Freke Gould Lodge, which received Warrant No. 2874from the United Grand Lodge of England.

The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894, page 148, reads: “Inhabitants’ Lodge. Namedin 1804. In His Majesty’s Ordnance, in the Garrison of Gibraltar, (Malaga), Spain 1777. (G. L. Warrant) 18Nov. 1777 No. 202. 1814 No. 251. 1832 No. 178. 1863 No. 153. A Stationary, and not a Military Lodge. G.L. Reg. Meeting at: Crown and Anchor, Gibraltar, 1815. Glyn’s Buildings, Gibraltar, 1860. Three Anchors



Coffee House, Main Street, Gibraltar, 1863. 6 Engineers’ Lane, Gibraltar, 1866. Garrison Library, Gibraltar,1869. 19 Bell Lane, Gibraltar, 1874. 32 Engineers’ Lane, Gibraltar, 1876. Masonic Hall, Armstrong Buildings,Gibraltar, 1877. Had a Warrant of Confirmation, 10 July 1877, the original warrant having been lost , but ithas since been recovered. Centenary Warrant (Special Jewel) 1 Oct. 1862. Cancelled in 1877. CentenaryWarrant 18 Nov. 1877.”

In reporting the entry in the Grand Lodge Register, Lane is flagging that this was not an ambulatorymilitary Lodge and allowing for the interpretation that it was a stationary Lodge for military personnel of theOrdnance Department on the Rock, a not insubstantial establishment.

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (2) History ofFreemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (3) W. Bro. Ray Sheppard 1994 listing of military Lodges.(4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth’sPrestonian Lecture for 1990 as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge.]



(English) Provincial Grand Lodge, No. 276 ER, Gibraltar 1813-????Antients’ Provincial Grand Lodge, No. 220 ER(A), Gibraltar 1786-1813

On January 25, 1786, the Antients Grand Master signed Warrant No. 220, establishing the ProvincialGrand Lodge at Gibraltar. This would be the second use of the number “220" due to an error in the GrandSecretary’s office, he having used it for a Lodge at Lichfield in error and had been required to issue a newwarrant there numbered “224" and to use “220" for Gibraltar.

The action taken was a response to an appeal from three Antients’ Lodges at Gibraltar—one quasi-civilian (stationary) and two military (ambulatory). The three Lodges were: Ordnance Lodge, No. 202 ER(A)(formed 1777), Perth Lodge, No. 148 ER(A) in the 2nd Battalion, RA (formed 1767) and Waterloo Lodge,No. 230 ER(A), held in the 1st Battalion, RA (formed 1785).

Because of the refusal of the five Moderns’ Lodges to accept non-Moderns’ as equals, the newProvincial Grand Lodge took under its authority the many travelling Lodges which arrived at the garrison withtheir regiments. In acting in this manner, many of the transient masons accepted Provincial offices—in fact,the first Antients’ Provincial Grand Master was a Bro. Ross, an Irish Mason (refer to Grand Lodge of irelandrecords, 1789, letter signed by Bro. John Ross complaining about the ill conduct of members of Lodge No.244 IC). HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, was appointed as Provincial Grand Master in January 1790 andhe held the office for the remaining existence of the Antients’ Provincial Grand Lodge on Gibraltar (i.e. 1813)even though he left in 1791 for Quebec.

Early masonic record-keeping around the world was often incomplete—or documents were lost anddestroyed in the frequent fighting between nation states. In a great many cases the records are incomplete.John Lane, in his Masonic Records 1717-1894, includes PART IV, containing information (such as it wasavailable to him) about Lodges which were warranted abroad by English Provincial Grand Lodges but notregistered with the Grand Lodge in London. The following list refers to local (or Provincial) warrants issuedby the Antients Provincial Grand Lodge at Gibraltar under the authority of Warrant No. 220 dated January25, 1786 and for which no definitive information about the Lodges is available:

No. 2 Provincial in the Royal Artillery

No. 3 Provincial in the 100th Regiment of Foot


No. 5 Provincial in the Royal Artillery





The above eight warrants were issued but it is not clear to which Lodges they applied. It was traditionfor Grand Lodges and Provincial Grand Lodges to reuse numbers. Given the frequent movement of militaryunits and lodges into and out of Gibraltar these numbers were frequently interchanged. The above listing isbelieved to be additional to the listing of local warrants on pages 9, 10, 11 of this presentation.

With the union of the Antient’s and Moderns’ Grand Lodges in 1813 the Provincial Grand Lodge wasissued with a new warrant as No. 276 ER.



(c) English Warranted Lodges at Gibraltar (post 1813)



Ordnance Lodge, 715 ER, Gibraltar 1819-1826

United Grand Lodge issued Warrant No. 715, dated October 6, 1819, for a new Lodge at Gibraltar,to be named “Ordnance Lodge”, using the lapsed name of the original Ordnance Lodge, No. 202 ER(A),which had been issued in 1777. This Lodge would be short-lived and surrendered its Warrant in 1826.

The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894, page 251, reads: “Ordnance Lodge. InGarrison, Gibraltar (Malaga), Spain 1819. (G. L. Warrant) 6 Oct. 1819 No. 715. Warrant surrendered in1826.”

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895.]



Calpean Lodge, No. 482 ER, Gibraltar 1832-1863?Calpean Lodge, No. 748 ER, Gibraltar 1822-1832

United Grand Lodge issued 748 dated November 9, 1822, for a new Lodge at Gibraltar, to be named“Calpean” using the original name “Calpean Lodge” which had been in use from 1788 to 1803 (see p 20).Although the warrant was renumbered as 482 in 1832 the Lodge may have lapsed about this time and waserased from the Grand Lodge roll in 1862.

The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894, page 254, reads: “Calpean Lodge. Namedin 1824. Gibraltar (Malaga), Spain 1822. (G. L. Warrant) 9 Nov. 1822 No. 748. 1832 No. 482. Erased 4 June1862.”

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895.]



Robert Freke Gould Lodge, No. 2874 ER, Gibraltar 1901-present

In 1901 the Inhabitants Lodge, No. 153 ER, Gibraltar founded Robert Freke Gould Lodge, whichreceived Warrant No. 2874 from the United Grand Lodge of England. The Lodge was named in honour ofR. W. Bro. Lieutenant Robert Freke Gould of the 31st Foot accepted the honour of the First Immediate PastMaster of the Lodge at its formation and the Founder Master was W. Bro. W, H, Hoare.

No further information is presently known about the Lodge.

[Sources: (1) Calpe Lodge; The History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC; held on the Lodge website:<http://www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html> along with a twelve page summary entitled The FirstTwo Hundred Years of the Craft in Gibraltar.]



Connaught Lodge, No. 2915 ER, Gibraltar 1902-present

In 1902 Connaught Lodge was founded at Gibraltar and received Warrant No. 2915 from the UnitedGrand Lodge of England. It was constituted as a Lodge for Officers, Warrant Officers and civil officials ofrelative rank in the navy or army. It was named after the Grand Master of United Grand Lodge, HRH TheDuke of Connaught, who agreed to be registered as the first Immediate Past Master of the Lodge.





HRH The Duke of Connaught

(1850-1942)

(Photo: Photographer or Artist/NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF CANADA/PA-29978)

Arthur William Patrick Albert, 1st Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was born at BuckinghamPalace on May 1, 1850, the third son of Queen Victoria. He was educated privately and then attended theRoyal Military Academy, Woolwich. He spent a year with the 1st Battalion of the Rifle Brigade in Montrealwhere he turned out for a Fenian raid in 1870. After a military career which took him to Egypt, India, Irelandand South Africa he was made a Field Marshal in 1902.

The Duke of Connaught was appointed as Governor General of Canada from 1911 to 1916. Asnominal commander-in-chief of the Canadian militia he took his role very seriously and his insistence onbeing consulted about the details of war administration created considerable tension between him and theMinister of Militia, Sam Hughes and stretched his constitutional position and the patience of the PrimeMinister, Robert L. Borden, to the limit.

The Duke of Connaught returned to England in 1916. He died at Bagshot Park, Surrey, on January16, 1942.

Both the Duke of Connaught and his elder brother, HRH the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII)were dedicated Masons.

Masonic Career

In 1870 the Duke of Zetland gave up the Grand Mastership of the United Grand Lodge of Englandand was succeeded by the Marquess of Ripon (then Earl de Grey and Ripon). Ripon’s successor in 1874 wasthe Prince of Wales. In 1876 the Duke of Connaught became Senior Grand Warden, and in 1886 the Dukewas made Provincial Grand Master for Sussex (the first time such an office had been held by a member ofthe Royal family). When the Prince of Wales ascended the Throne in 1901 as King Edward VII he resignedas Grand Master and became Protector of the Craft. He was succeeded by his brother, the Duke ofConnaught, who reigned as Grand Master for 38 years (the second longest recorded period, the longestsitting Grand Master being the Duke of Leinster in Ireland, who was Grand Master for 61 years.

The Duke of Connaught’s reign as Grand Master saw the greatest success and prosperity of the Craftin the United Kingdom and around the world. Some of the key events included: the creation of “LondonGrand Rank” in 1908; the 1917 Bicentenary of Grand Lodge and the 1919 Masonic Peace Celebrations; theconstruction and opening of the Royal Masonic Hospital in 1920 which has gone through several extensionsand upgrades; the Masonic Peace Memorial of 1933 (the name given to the new Masonic Hall at GreatQueen Street).

For health reasons the Duke of Connaught resigned as Grand Master in 1939 and was succeededby HRH George, Duke of Kent.



Knights Templary

The Convent-General of the 1870's, designed to embrace the Knight Templar Orders in England,Scotland and Ireland, but leaving domestic control to each, came into being with the Prince of Wales asSovereign. Scotland did not join, having problems to deal with first. The English Grand Conclave of KnightsTemplars changed its name to National Great Priory and, when the Convent-General ceased to exist in 1895,again amended its style and title to Great Priory of England and Wales and resumed completeindependence. The Duke of Connaught was Grand Master of the Orders in England from 1907 to 1939 and,concurrently, Grand Master of the Orders in Ireland from 1878 to his death in 1942.

During his tenure as Governor General of Canada, the Duke of Connaught was granted the rank ofPast Supreme Grand Master of the Sovereign Great Priory of Canada in 1914 in recognition of continuoussupport for the Masonic Order in general, and in recognition of his involvement in, and support for KnightsTemplary in particular.

[Sources: (1) The Sovereign Great Priory of Canada of the United Orders of Malta and of the Temple 1855-2002, The Supreme Grand Masters, published 2003 by Gryphon Jenkyns Enterprises, ISBN 0-9732736-0-7.(2) Photo: Photographer or Artist/NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF CANADA/PA-29978.]



The Letchworth Lodge, No. 3503 ER, Gibraltar 1911-present

In 1911 Royal Lodge of Friendship (see p 20) founded The Letchworth Lodge at Gibraltar for officersserving in the two (now three) Services. The new Lodge received Warrant No. 3503 from the United GrandLodge of England. It was named after R. W. Bro. Letchworth who was Grand Secretary of United GrandLodge for many years until his death in 1910.





United Services Lodge, No. 3813 ER, Gibraltar 1917-present

In October 1917 a new Lodge for officers in the Services was Constituted at Gibraltar. UnitedServices Lodge received Warrant No. 3813 from the United Grand Lodge. Membership in the Lodge isrestricted to past and present members of the Armed Forces.





Gibraltar Masters Lodge, No. 3825 ER, Gibraltar 1917-present

In December 1917 the Gibraltar Masters Lodge was formed under Warrant No. 3825 issued by theUnited Grand Lodge of England. It was originally restricted to Installed Masters of the English Constitutionbut was later widened to admit any Installed Master from a recognized jurisdiction. It was formed with theobject of “promoting intercourse between Installed Masters belonging to Lodges located in Gibraltar, toprovide a means of responsible discussion on all points relating to masonic working, policy and conduct inthe District and to assist Lodges.”

The Lodge is still working.No further information is presently known about the Lodge.




Masonic District Grand Stewards Lodge, No. 9217 ER, Gibraltar ????-present

The Lodge appears in the Gibraltar Masonic website as belonging to the District Grand Lodge EC.No further information is available.



(d) Irish Civilian Lodges warranted at Gibraltar


Other records indicate that the Lodge was held in the 2nd Battalion.21

The number “325" was first used by the Grand Lodge of Ireland for a Warrant on May 3, 1759 to hold22

Cappoquin Lodge, in County Waterford. The Lodge removed to Mallow, County Cork on February 3, 1803. TheWarrant was cancelled by the Grand Lodge of Ireland on July 7, 1825.


Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar 1863-presentRock Lodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar 1844-1863RA Chapter, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar 1836-????Gibraltar Lodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar 1826-1844

In 1826, with the sponsorship of Lodge No. 68 IC (held in the 2nd Company, 7th Battalion, RoyalArtillery), Lodge No. 42 IC (held in the 42nd (Black Watch) Regiment), and Lodge No. 130 IC (held in the1st Battalion, North Staffordshire (ex 64th) Regiment of Foot) , a number of Irish Masons residing at21

Gibraltar petitioned the Grand Lodge of Ireland for authority to form a civilian Lodge. The Petitionersspecifically asked for a Warrant containing the number “5” as they were in possession of a set of regaliaengraved with that number. It is believed to have been used by a Lodge held in the 2nd Company, 4thBattalion, Royal Artillery, which had operated under a Local Warrant, No. 5, in the period 1805/6-1821 (No.345 ER(A) 1809-1814 and No. 443 ER 1814-1827) and whose English Warrant had been erased in 1827.Warrant No. 325 IC was authorized by the Grand Lodge of Ireland on September 18, 1826 as per the22

following letter:

Dublin 18 September 1826th

Dear Sir & Bro.

I duly received your Memorial for a Permanent Warrant to be held in Gibraltar, which has been granted by ourGrand Lodge, it shall be prepared, and ready to forward by first opportunity. I have also received in sameaccount from Lodge No. 68, an Order for Seven pounds 7/9d. being the amount of the Warrant, and theirinformation, that the schooner Vigilent Capn. Tooles, is on passage here, and by whose return, hope to transmitWarrant gear - Should Lodge 68 not have sailed before this reaches, please inform them, that I have got theirletter, but defer writing until they write me from England agreeable to their directions. The Warrant for Gibraltarwill be No. 325, being the earliest open with a five in it.

I beg to add that I feel pleasure at this renewal of our correspondence.

Sir & Bro

Your obedient Servant

(signed) W. F. Graham D.G.Sect.

The Lodge history makes it clear that the formation of this civilian Lodge was necessary due toimminent departure of Lodges 68 IC and 130 IC, whose parent Regiments were being transferred back toEngland, and the need of an Irish Lodge to provide a masonic home for Irish Masons remaining on the Rock.

The first WM of Lodge No. 325 IC was W. Bro. Daniel Durham, who had been initiated into LodgeNo. 309 IC in the 26th (The Cameronians) and had been released locally (i.e. at Gibraltar) from militaryservice in about 1822. The SW (Bro. Isaac Thompson); JW (Bro. Alexander Imbrie); Secretary (Bro. JohnPratt) and one Charter Member, Bro. Robert Moravia; were from Lodge No. 68 IC. The SD (Bro. CharlesCauston) and one other Charter Member, Bro. John Wheatley, were members of Lodge No. 130 IC. Themembers from the Royal Artillery had also been released from service on Gibraltar and their unit had left.


Originally Warrant No. 370 IC had been issued on August 6, 1761 by the Grand Lodge of Ireland to23

hold a Lodge in the 52nd Foot. After many vicissitudes during the American Revolution and through India, theWarrant was cancelled by the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1825, but the Lodge kept working. On May 3, 1832,Warrant No. 244 IC was issued by Grand Lodge “. . . . to three old members of 370 in lieu of latter Warrant.”Warrant 244 IC shows the names of WM - Thomas Rafferty and Wardens - James Reed and Peter Alleyz.


In addition, the Treasurer (Bro. Francisco Semonetti); JD (Bro. Joseph Baggetto) and Tyler (Bro. GiacomoCelicia) and Charter Member W. Bro. Thomas Varnor; were members of Lodge No. 715 ER, in the GibraltarOrdinance Department, which had surrendered its Warrant in 1826.

Lodge No. 325 IC was Consecrated on January 23, 1827 at the Freemason’s Tavern by the Mastersand officers of Lodges No. 42 (Hibernia Lodge, No. 42 IC, held in the 42nd Foot) and 130 under authorityfrom Grand Lodge.

By 1832 only the Charter WM was alive of the Founding Members and two cholera epidemics (1828and 1834) resulted in a decline in membership. Growth was rapid and by April 1836, the Lodge wrote toGrand Lodge requesting a Warrant for Royal Arch Chapter, which was approved in September 1836.However, life in the Chapter was not made easy and the new Lodge/Chapter complained to Grand Lodgeabout the unmasonic behaviour of Sergeant Rafferty of the 52nd Foot, who was WM of Lodge No. 244 ICand (as reported by Chapter No. 325 IC) also First Principal of a Chapter in Gibraltar . There is no indication23

in the Lodge History of the action taken by Grand Lodge although Lodge No. 244 IC was known to have beenworking in Dublin as late as 1844, and its Warrant was surrendered in 1845.

The death of the Lodge Tyler, on August 27, 1840, provoked the first recorded conflict between theRoman Catholic Church and Freemasons on Gibraltar. The first Papal Bull against the Craft, published in1738, appears to have never been promulgated in Gibraltar and the newly arrived RC Bishop of Gibraltarrefused to permit the burial of a Catholic who had become a Freemason. The Tyler was buried withappropriate Masonic honours under the direction of the Rev. Dr. Burrow of the Anglican Church of the HoldTrinity (who was also the English Provincial Grand Master of Gibraltar). The overall situation was eventuallyresolved to the satisfaction of everyone by the removal of the RC Bishop. In 1844 the Lodge name waschanged to “Rock Lodge” in recognition of its location on the Rock of Gibraltar.

Calpe Lodge has assisted in the formation of a number of new Lodges in and around the area. In1851 Rock Lodge petitioned for, and obtained, a Warrant for the erection of an Irish Lodge in Malta wheremany non-resident service members were stationed and in November 1851, Leinster Lodge, No. 387 IC wasConsecrated. In 1858 some of the military brethren of Rock Lodge took part in the resuscitation of Lodge No.178 ER (now Inhabitants Lodge, No. 153 ER) using the old original Warrant. Apparently this was donewithout any approval of any masonic authority and Rock Lodge wrote to Grand Lodge explaining the situationand that the Lodge, per se, did not actively condone the action. No reply appears on the Lodge filesaccording to the Lodge History. In early 1863 Calpe Lodge submitted a Petition to Grand Lodge for authorityto form a new Lodge at Cadiz although no approval appears to have been granted. In 1907 the WM andofficers assisted in the revival of Dominica Lodge, No. 174 IC (held in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry -ex 46th Foot).

In July 1862 Rock Lodge sought approval from Grand Lodge to work “in different languages whenoccasion may require”. The languages in question were Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. Approvalwas quickly given (and remains in force today) and the Lodge grew significantly; a much quicker andfavourable response than that which occurred when St. John, No. 115 ER obtained its limited authority fromUnited Grand Lodge for the minutes only to be kept in Spanish. In spite of this authority the first degree tobe given in that language was worked on November 12 1870 and the earliest Minutes written in Spanish datefrom 1873.

In 1863 the Lodge applied to the Grand Lodge of Ireland for permission to use the lapsed name of“Calpe Lodge” which had earlier existed at Gibraltar as No. 556 ER(M) from 1788 to 1803.

Calpe Lodge assisted in a number of public events with a distinct masonic orientation. Th Lodgeparticipated in the laying of the cornerstone of the New Market at Waterport in 1876, attended by the GrandMaster of England, HRH The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII).



On instructions from Grand Lodge, dated November 2, 1877, a Resolution of Grand Lodge was readprohibiting masonic intercourse with the Grand Orient of France over the latter’s removal of the requirementfor a belief in a supreme being.

The first Lodge of Instruction was worked on July 11, 1910. It has since been named as “Robert’sLodge” and is run in conjunction with Calpe Lodge.

The History is replete with benevolence activities of Calpe Lodge throughout its existence. It is notedthat several English District Grand Masters reported in their own records that brethren in distressedcircumstances regardless of their masonic affiliation received better support from Irish Masons on the Rockthan from any other jurisdiction. The pace of support of the distressed has been constantly set by CalpeLodge.

Calpe Lodge members served in two World Wars and special funds were collected and set asideto assist brethren and widows who were in need of assistance. In 1940 special permission was given to remitthe dues of serving brethren and dues were remitted for those not on service but who suffered financialdifficulties during the period of conflict.

Although Calpe Lodge did not celebrate its centennial (according to its minutes) the memberscelebrated its sesquicentennial by entertaining the Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Irelandduring a visit to the Rock in September 1976. In January 1992 a Centenary Certificate was prepared for theLodge by Grand Lodge.

Calpe Lodge is still working and meets in the Lodge Rooms at the Gibraltar Institute, 47a PrinceEdward’s Road.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, limited publication in manuscript form bythe Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 andFall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) History of Freemasonry, by RobertFreke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (4) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol.I, 1925. (5) Calpe Lodge website.]



Worshipful masters of Calpe Lodge, No. (* = charter members)

(year* = elections/installations every six months)

1827* D. Durham 1827* D. Durham1828* D. Durham 1828* J. Thompson1829* J. Thompson 1829* J. McKeane1830 J. Thompson 1831 J. Thompson1832 J. Thompson 1833 R. Hill1834 R. Hill 1835 A. C. Hemson1836 A. C. Hemson 1837 G. Bolton1838 A. C. Hemson 1839 E. Greshon1840 J. Gilbertson 1841 W. Murphy1842 E. Hill 1843 M. Vonberg1844 J. Ellison 1845 B. McGinn1846 B. McGinn 1847 B. McGinn1848 T. Beal 1849 B. McGinn1850 B. McGinn 1851 J. Foster1852 B. McGinn 1853 B. McGinn1854 B. McGinn 1855 B. McGinn1856 B. McGinn 1857 B. McGinn1858 J. S. Smith 1859 J. S. Smith1860 T. Lake 1861 J. West1862 J. Romero 1863 J. Romero1864* J. Walsh 1865* P. McCormick1865* H. Paisley 1866* G. Laider1866* C. Molinary 1867* J. Johnstone1867* C. Molinary 1868* W. Osmond1868* C. Molinary 1869* C. Molinary1869* H. B. Thyne 1870 J. Descalzo1871* J. Holliday 1871* P. De La Vega1872* J. Descalzo 1872* J. Messias1873 J. F. Franceri 1874 J. Holliday1875 J. F. Franceri 1876* W. Leslie1876* J. F. Franceri 1877 A. Ross1878 R. Jackson 1879 A. P. Crawley1880 A. Ross 1881 W. Bell1882 R. Jackson 1883 P. Lyons1884 N. A. Bassadone 1885 W. Morley1886 J. Radford 1887 J. F. Courier1888 F. G. Hendley 1889 F. G. Hendley1890 J. Descalzo 1891 J. Descalzo1892 E. J. Legget 1893 J. Tough1894 A. M. Hall 1895 A. M. Hall1896 W. T. Pike 1897 J. Walsh1898 J. Descalzo 1899 W. D. Browne1900 J. Descalzo 1901 W. Braund1902 W. Braund 1903 S. Roberts1904 C. Bartholomew 1905 C. Bartholomew1906 P. R. Chapman 1907 H. S. Smith



1907 H. S. Smith 1908 A. Smith1909 J. Carrigher 1910 G. Villiers1911 F. Lawrence 1912 F. Lawrence1913 F. Lawrence 1914 F. Delebeque1915 E. T. Davies 1916 J. H. Barton1917 F. G. Graham 1918 J. Littlewood1919 J. H. Barton 1920 C. Bartholomew1921 T. E. Lakely 1922 W. Browne1923 F. G. Batten 1924 J. H. Weir1925 G. Sheridan 1926 E. Santos1927 J. H. Weir 1928 F. Tabb1929 H. E. Horton 1930 P. Lowe1931 W. J. Shergold 1932 W. J. Shergold1933 S. W. Taylor 1934 C. L. Santos1935 R. W. Lee 1936 M. C. Nuza1937 H. A. Selby 1938 R. E. G. Cross1939 T. W. Mason 1940 J. W. V. Cumming1941 W. Whetten 1942 J. E. Deale1943 H. Rowan 1944 N. N. Cumming1945 G. Holloway 1946 T. H. Russel1947 S. Cane 1948 J. M. Alcantara1949 J. Ellis 1950 H. Melrose1951 T. H. Russel 1952 F. H. Risso1953 J. M. Vella 1954 J. M. Vella1955 A. Fenick 1956 J. A. Desoiza1957 J. A. Desoiza 1958 A. J. Milan1959 A. J. Milan 1960 J. E. Lara1961 J. E. Lara 1962 J. Ellul1963 A. A. Ferrer 1964 A. A. Ferrer1965 J. Lagares 1966 J. P. Winspear1967 A. A. Ferrer 1968 E. Gallardo1969 S. Valarino 1970 M. Gracia1971 M. Gracia 1972 J. Ellis1973 M. Hanglin 1974 H. J. Neale1975 F. Olivares 1976 J. Laguea1977 G. A. Dalli 1978 E. J. Hammond1979 D. Bear 1980 A. J. Gordon1981 J. J. Finlayson 1982 W. Francis1983 W. Francis 1984 J. J. Garro1985 E. Gaduzo 1986 J. J. Rodriguez1987 J. Chiara 1988 C. Carter1989 A. Enriles 1990 J. Bugeja1991 J. L. Cruz 1992 J. C. Noguera1993 H. Vassallo 1994 E. Gaduzo1995 M. Olivera 1996 L. Chichon1997 E. Sanchez 1998 G. Laguea1999 R. H. Dickson 2000 M. Hanglin2001 C. Noguera 2002 G. Mauro2003 A. Posso


The number “915" was first used on May 6, 1802, for a Warrant to hold a Lodge at Ballynure,24

Ballyclare, Co. Antrim. The warrant was returned to Grand Lodge on February 3, 1825, in exchange for lowernumbered warrant No. 177.


Irish Masters Lodge, No. 915 IC, Gibraltar 1992-present

Irish Masters Lodge was only the second Irish Lodge to be formed on Gibraltar. It was formed onMarch 17, 1992 St. Patrick’s Day) and issued with Warrant No. 915 by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, being24

Constituted by a team from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Down, acting on behalf of Grand Lodge. CalpeLodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar provided the majority of founders (charter members) of the Lodge.

The Lodge is still working and meets in the Lodge Rooms at the Gibraltar Institute, 47a PrinceEdward’s Road.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, limited publication in manuscript form bythe Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 andFall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) History of Freemasonry, by RobertFreke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (4) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol.I, 1925. (5) Calpe Lodge website.]



(e) Scottish Civilian Lodges warranted at Gibraltar



Lodge of St. Thomas, No. 576 SC, Gibraltar 1876-present

The Grand Lodge of Scotland issued Warrant No. 576 in 1876 for a civilian Lodge to be held atGibraltar under the name Lodge of St. Thomas. No details are currently known.

[Sources:


There is some discrepancy in the records. Freemasonry in Manitoba 1864-1925 shows the warrant25

issued as Number 16. Freemasonry in Manitoba 1925-1974 Part II shows the Warrant as No. 18.

Various records show the Lodge name as Al-Moghreb Al-Aksa and Al-Moghreb Al-Aska. Lacking a copy26

of the Warrant the precise spelling is unclear.

The Grand Lodge of Manitoba used the number “16" twice for overlapping periods—the number being27

carried by Kinistino Lodge, No. 16, GRM, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan from 1883 to 1906.


Al Moghreb al Aksa Lodge, No. 670 SC, Gibraltar 1882-presentAl Moghreb al Aksa Lodge, No. 18 , GRM, Tangier, Morocco 1882-189025

Al Moghreb al Aksa Lodge, No. 18, GRM, Gibraltar 1881-1882Al Moghreb al Aksa Lodge , UD, GRM, Gibraltar 1881-188126

At the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba (Canada), held in February 1881,a petition was read from a number of brethren, requesting dispensation to open a regular Lodge at Gibraltarwhich would be removed to Morocco. A covering letter was attached to the petition recommending thedispensation and signed by R. W. Bro. Robert Stewart Patterson, the first Master of Prince Rupert’s Lodge,No. 1, GRM. It is not clear that a dispensation was issued although Grand Lodge issued Warrant No. 1627

to Al Moghreb al Aska Lodge on July 28, 1881.Shortly afterwards a copy of the May Communication of the Grand Lodge of Scotland was received

by the Grand Lodge of Manitoba which indicated that Scotland considered the action to be an infringementupon the jurisdictional rights of the Grand Lodges of England, Ireland and Scotland, and instructed theScottish Lodge at Gibraltar (Lodge No. 576 SC, formed 1876) to withhold masonic intercourse with theManitoba Lodge. A similar protest was received from United Grand Lodge in August 1881. R. W. Bro.Patterson was cabled and instructed not to constitute the Lodge or that if it had been so constituted, tosuspend the Warrant until the Lodge had removed to Morocco, in keeping with the intent of the originalpetition. R. W. Bro. Patterson was instructed to return the Warrant if the Lodge did not move out of Gibraltar.

In the meantime R. W. Bro. Patterson had constituted the Lodge and had convened “an occasional”Grand Lodge at which he constituted a Territorial Grand Lodge. In July 1882 an order was issued by theGrand Lodge of Manitoba demanding the return of all documents, including the Lodge Warrant. No reply oraction appears to have been taken by R. W. Bro. Patterson and Grand Lodge had the order inserted into TheFreemason (a magazine published in London). The Master and Wardens of Al Moghreb al Aska Lodgeresponded to Grand Lodge and pointed out that they had been “seduced” by R. W. Bro. Patterson and hadno desire to create problems. They also advised that by this time the Lodge was domiciled in Tangier.

At the Annual Communication of 1883, the Grand Lodge of Manitoba confirmed the Warrant inTangier. R. W. Bro. Patterson appealed the actions of Grand Lodge but was not successful. The Charter ofAl Moghreb al Aska Lodge, No. 16, GRM, Tangier, Morocco, was suspended at the 1890 AnnualCommunication of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, “for failure to submit returns to Grand Lodge”. The lastreport of the Lodge, received in 1888, showed that they had 26 members.

The Lodge removed back to Gibraltar in 1882 or 1883 and applied to the Grand Lodge of Scotlandfor a Warrant, receiving No. 670, dated 1882. As this now gave Gibraltar two Scottish Lodges in residence,the Grand Lodge of Scotland authorized them to form a Scottish District Grand Lodge.

The History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar notes a fraternal visit by members of Al MoghrebAl Aksa Lodge. The history of the Lodge after this time is unknown.

[Sources: (1) Freemasonry in Manitoba—1864-1925, by William Douglas, P.G.M. Manitoba, Published bythe Research Committee of The Grand Lodge of Manitoba, A.F. & A.M., Winnipeg, 1925. (2) Freemasonry



in Manitoba 1925-1980 Part II, by Robert Emmett, P.G.M., Published by the Research and EducationCommittee of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, A.F. & A.M., Winnipeg, 1975.]



Coronation Lodge, No. 934 SC, Gibraltar 1953?-present

The Lodge appears in the Gibraltar Masonic website as belonging to the District Grand Lodge SC.No further information is available.



St. Bernard Lodge of Research, No. 1817 SC, Gibraltar ????-present

The Lodge appears in the Gibraltar Masonic website as belonging to the District Grand Lodge SC.No further information is available.



(f) Royal Artillery lodges at Gibraltar(Lodges are listed in order of the Battalion - 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th)


History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER, Gibraltar <www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/history.htm>.28

This Lodge is reported by Reddyhoff to have been in New Brunswick in 1789 and then settled at29

Woolwich in 1792.


REF: E135 Waterloo Lodge, No. 288 ER, in the 1st Battalion, Royal Artillery 1814-1826REF: E135 Waterloo Lodge, No. 230 ER(A), in the 1st Battalion, Royal Artillery 1785-1814

Warrant No. 230 was issued on June 25, 1785, by the Antients Grand Lodge to twenty-two Masonsto hold Waterloo Lodge in the 1st Battalion of Royal Artillery when the Battalion was at Gibraltar. This wouldappear to be the first time that a newly formed Lodge on Gibraltar was issued with an Antients’ Warrant, asthe Provincial Grand Lodge prior to 1786 had been “Modern” and had only recently “converted” to theAntients . 28

James W. Reddyhoff notes that during 1785, there were four companies of the 1st Battalion, RA,at Gibraltar: Captains J. Wright, T. Brady, S. P. Adye and T. Blomefield, the last named company beingassigned to Jamaica in September 1785. The other three companies embarked on the transport GeneralElliot in June 1786 and arrived in Halifax in August and amongst these companies was the warrant andparaphernalia of Waterloo Lodge. Captain Adye’s Company stayed in Halifax, that of captain Brady went onto St. John’s, Newfoundland and that of Captain Wright went on to Saint John, New Brunswick. The threecompanies stayed on station until August 1789 when they returned to Woolwich.

During this period in Canada, the Lodge membership was split with 16 being stationed in Halifax andsix in St. John. Problems developed in St. John which led to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Nova Scotiarefusing to recognize the authority of Waterloo Lodge. This occurred during the 1785-9 period when the sixmembers met in St. John and, at one meeting, initiated a civilian candidate which Hiram Lodge “claimed asits property”. While there were occasions when military lodges initiated civilians, it was usually because therewas no civilian lodge close-by. Indications are, however, that harmonious relations were eventually re-established.

The 1st Battalion was assembled in full at Woolwich in 1792 and Waterloo Lodge was noted as beingthere. The outbreak of war with France in 1783 saw the companies assigned to various locations butWaterloo Lodge remained at Woolwich.

With the unification of the Antients and Moderns Grand Lodges in 1813, new Warrants were issuedin 1814 and Waterloo Lodge received No. 288 ER.

While it is unclear how amalgamations were accomplished during the 1820's, Lodge No. 13 ER, inthe Royal Artillery at Woolwich, united on December 1, 1826 with two Royal Artillery Lodges—WaterlooLodge No. 288 ER (which had been issued on June 25, 1785 as No. 230 ER(A)) in the Royal Artillery atGibraltar ) and Royal Marine Lodge No. 418 ER (issued as No. 328 ER(A) on November 23, 1810 to meet29

in Woolwich)—to become Union Waterloo Lodge. The Lodge met as a civilian Lodge in Woolwich up to 1889when it removed to Plumstead, Kent, and is now meeting at Dartford Masonic Hall.

John Lane, in his Masonic Records 1717-1894 includes an entry for the Waterloo Lodge on page161 as follows” First Battalion Royal Artillery, Gibraltar (Malaga) Spain 1785. (G. L. Warrant) 25 June 1785No. 230 ER(A). 1814 No. 288. Was at New Brunswick, North America 1789. (At) Ordnance Arms, BeresfordSquare, Woolwich, London 1792. New Barracks Tavern, Woolwich Common, Woolwich, London 1794. RedLion, Mulgrave Place, Woolwich, London 1802. Shakespeare’s Coffee House, Powis Street, Woolwich,London 1808. Edinburgh House, Samuel Street, Woolwich, London 1809. Barracks Tavern, WoolwichCommon, Woolwich, London 1810. Red Lion, Mulgrave Place, Woolwich, London 1814. Royal Oak,Mulgrave Place, Woolwich, London 1815. General Abercrombie, Artillery Place, Woolwich, London 1819.Red Lion, Mulgrave Place, Woolwich, London 1821. United with No. 13 [No. 86 (A) of 6 March 1761], 1December 1826.

A second and separate entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1896, page 39, is very extensive



and is cited here in extenso. “Union Waterloo Lodge, Named in 1826. Royal Artillery, Salutation, BeresfordSquare, Woolwich, London 1761. (G. L. Warrant) 6 March 1761 No. 86 and 4 June 1788 No. 7. No. 86 (A)purchased No. 7 (A) for £5 5s. 0d., 4 June 1788. W.M. of No. 86 stated to G. L. that understanding theWarrant of No. 7 was dormant, they would give £5 5s. 0d. Agreed to in G. L. Min. 4 June 1788. (As No. 7)At Royal Mortar, Beresford Sq., Woolwich, London 1792. At Salutation Tavern, Woolwich, London 1792. AtPrince of Wales Tavern, Woolwich, London 1792. At Salutation Tavern, Woolwich, London 1804. At Starand Garter, Powis Street, Woolwich, London 1806. At Royal Oak, Mulgrave Place, Woolwich, London 1807.At Lord Whitworth Tavern, Woolwich, London 1813. At Ordnance Arms, Beresford Sq., Woolwich, London1814. At Shakespeare Tavern, Powis Street, Woolwich, London 1818. At Fortune of War, Thomas Street,Woolwich, London 1819. At Red Lion, Mulgrave Place, Woolwich, London 1822. At Barracks Tavern,Woolwich Common, Woolwich, London 1825. United with No. 288 and No. 418 [No. 230 (A) of 25 June 1785,and No. 328 (A) of 23 Nov. 1810), 1 December 1826. At George IV Tavern, Rectory Place, Woolwich,London 1830. At Red Lion, Mulgrave Place, Woolwich, London 1831. At King’s Arms Tavern, Frances St.,Woolwich, London 1837. At Queen’s Arms Tavern, Barrage Road, Woolwich, London 1839. At King’s ArmsTavern, Frances St., Woolwich, London 1856. At Freemasons’ Tavern, Dock Yard, Woolwich, London 1858.At. Masonic Hall, William Street, Woolwich, London 1862. At Freemasons’ Hall, Mount Pleasant, Plumstead,Kent 1889.”

[Sources: (1)Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (2) History ofFreemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (3) W. Bro. Ray Sheppard 1994 listing of military Lodges.(4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth’sPrestonian Lecture for 1990 as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (5) Freemasonryin the Royal Artillery, by Bro. James W. Reddyhoff, AQC, Volume 116, 2003.]


These were Lodge of St. John of Jerusalem (originally No. 51 ER, dating from 1751 and which had30

remained under the authority of the Moderns’ Grand Lodge) and which was known as Mother St. John and Lodge ofInhabitants, No. 285 ER(M) (dating from 1761).

These were: Lodge No. 11 IC, in the 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment of Foot; No. 244 IC, in the 2nd31

(Queen’s Royal) Regiment of Foot; No. 290 IC, in the 39th Regiment of Foot; and No. 466 IC, in the 58th Regimentof Foot.


St. John’s Lodge, No. 115 ER, (civil, stationary) Gibraltar 1863-presentSt. John’s Lodge, No. 132 ER, (civil, stationary) Gibraltar 1832-18St. John’s Lodge, No. 181 ER, (civil, stationary) Gibraltar 1826-1832

REF: E136 St. John’s Lodge, No. 181 ER, in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Artillery 1821/2-1826REF: E136 Perth Lodge, No. 181 ER, in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Artillery 1813-1821/2REF: E136 Perth Lodge, No. 148 ER(A), in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Artillery, various locations including

Gibraltar 1767-1813

Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry, 1887, notes the issue of Warrant No. 148 by theAntients Grand Lodge on September 5, 1767, to Perth Lodge in the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Artillery. TheWarrant was signed by the Duke of Athol as Grand Master and Laurence Dermott, as Grand Secretary. TheHistory of Calpe Lodge, No 325 ER, held on website <www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/history.htm> notes thatthe Lodge had been constituted when the 2nd Battalion RA was at Perth, Scotland, which likely accounts forthe name adopted.

According to James H. Reddyhoff, the Lodge was held in Captain John Dovers’ Company RA. TheCompany had mustered at Woolwich on April 1, 1767 and arrived at Perth, Scotland, in May. It remainedthere until July 1, 1771, when it marched to Woolwich. On August 7, 1771, Captain Dover transferred to aCompany of Invalids and George Graves was promoted Captain of the Company. Captain Graves’ Companyleft for Gibraltar in March 1772 and arrived in April via Mahon, a port on the Balearic Islands. The Companyhad taken Perth Lodge with them to Gibraltar.

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his May 1994 publication Masonic Lodges held in the 28th Regt.Gloucestershire Old Braggs notes that the difficulties between Antients’ and Moderns’ Masons in Englandwere carried to Gibraltar. On St. John’s Day, December 1772, members of the two Moderns’ Lodges wished30

to exclude Perth Lodge No. 148 ER(A), from taking part in the customary procession, but Lodge No. 148 wassupported by four Irish Lodges to attend the procession. In addition to this, Sheppard writes that at this time31

there was, on the Governor’s staff, a naval Captain called Murray. He was able to verify that the signatureon the Warrant was that of his Uncle, the Duke of Athol, and that both the Warrant and Lodge must regardedas authentic. The Irish Lodges wrote in May 1773 to the Grand Lodge of Ireland justifying their action, and,apparently, received a reply endorsing it. The minutes of the Antients Grand Lodge of December 15, 1773note: “Heard a letter from 148 at Gibraltar setting forth that a set of people who had their authority from theModerns Grand Lodge thought it proper to dispute the legality of the said warrant No. 148. That in the saidgarrison there was held Lodges 11, 244, 290, 359, 420 and 466 on the registry of Ireland and 58 on theregistry of Scotland”. For his support in “proving the authenticity of the Warrant”, Captain Murray RN wasvoted a gold medal by the Antient Grand Lodge on June 4, 1777.

The Moderns’ military Lodges, considering Perth Lodge to be irregular, wrote to the Master ofInhabitants Lodge at Gibraltar, noting that: “As to the pretended Lodge held in the detacht. of the Artillery,under an authority from Mr. Dermott, and who call themselves Ancients your Lodge acted with the utmostpropriety in objecting to their being reced in any manner as regular Masons. Their pretense to the appelation(sic) of Ancient Masons, is too ridiculous to merit an ansr. They are never acknowledged as Masons in ourLodges, nor can they be admitted into a Lodge of ours without being remade & paying the full fees ofinitiation. I am therefore to intreat (sic) that all possible means may be taken to suppress this pretended, this


An excellent 72 page summary of the full history of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar is maintained on32

the Lodge web site at <http://www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html>. It is accompanied by a twelve pagesummary entitled The First Two Hundred Years of the Craft in Gibraltar.


spurious Lodge of Free Masons.”During 1779 the Lodge was open and working when the Spanish began an attack, since referred to

in history records as the “Great Siege.” The Lodge was called to refreshment and the members went off toman the artillery. The Spanish armies did not abandon the siege until 1783 at which time the Lodge membersreassembled and the Lodge was called from refreshment to labour. The Lodge had been “called off” for 3½years. Records indicate that post-Lodge refreshments consisted on bread, cheese and beer.

In 1790 detachments of the 2nd Battalion were assigned to Port Royal (Jamaica) and Jamaica, butPerth Lodge remained in Gibraltar with the active brethren. The members of the Lodge who arrived inJamaica took advantage of meeting with Waterloo Lodge, No 230 ER(A), held in the 1st Battalion, whileapplying to London for their own Warrant.

Although the Lodge was originally a exclusively military Lodge, in 1807 the first civilian member,John Nicholls, was initiated into the Lodge. He is described as “an inhabitant of Gibraltar”.

Following the unification of Antients and Moderns Grand Lodges in 1813, new Warrants were issuedin 1814, and Perth Lodge received No. 181 ER. There are no references in records to the Lodge requestingor being issued with a local Warrant.

In 1821/2 the Lodge adopted the name “St. John’s”. It continued to initiate civilians and by 1826,when the Regiment was preparing to leave Gibraltar and return to Britain a decision was made to close theLodge as it had been and to (re)constitute it on Gibraltar as a civilian Lodge. Thus the civilian and (very fewremaining) military members petitioned Grand Lodge for a Warrant of Confirmation as a civilian Lodge .32

This was granted on December 2, 1826, and the original Warrant and records of the military Lodge werereturned to Grand Lodge where they currently reside. At this time (1826) English was not spoken fluently bymany of the civilians living and working on Gibraltar and difficulties were experienced in working the Ritual.Following a Petition, Grand Lodge permitted the use of Spanish for the business portions of meeting in 1831,an authority which remained in effect until withdrawn in 1944, although this authority was reinstated in 1956.Thus the original Minutes of Perth Lodge for the period 1767 to 1826, which were deposited with GrandLodge, are written in English. From 1831 to 1944 the Minutes are written in Spanish, and from 1944 to 1956they are in English and in Spanish since 1956.

With the renumberings of English Lodges in 1832 and 1863, St. John’s Lodge became No. 132 ERand then No. 115 ER.

Since its location on Gibraltar the Lodge has worked in the Cloister Buildings, Irish Town, Tuckey’sLane, Horse Barrack Lane, Parliament Lane, at Armstrong Buildings, at Prince of Wales Recreation Club,at Beanland and Malin, Main Street, and at the Assembly Rooms.

The Lodge is still working as St. John’s Lodge, No. 115 ER and received its bicentenary Warrant in1976 from United Grand Lodge.

The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894, page 124, reads as follows: “St. John’sLodge. Named in 1831. 2 Battalion Royal Artillery, Perth, Perthshire, Scotland 1767 (G. L. Warrant) 5 Sept.nd

1767 No. 148 ER(A). 1814 No. 181 ER. Warrant of Confirmation 2 December 1826. 1832 No. 132 ER. 1864No. 115 ER. Centenary Warrant, 6 Feb. 1874. In Royal Artillery, Gibraltar (Malaga) Spain 1773. (At)Tuckey’s Lane, Gibraltar 1878. At Horse Barracks Lane, Gibraltar 1881. Masonic Hall, Alameida, Gibraltar1886.” Lane indicates that the Lodge was still working at the time of publication (1894).

Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, notes on page 33 that the Lodge “. . . became stationary inGibraltar after only six years and has long been known as St. John’s, now No. 115”.

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, Second Edition, 1895. (2) History of Freemasonry,



by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (3) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in theArmed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions ofthe Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (4). web site at <http://www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html> alongwith a twelve page summary entitled The First Two Hundred Years of the Craft in Gibraltar. (4) Freemasonryin the Royal Artillery, by Bro. James W. Reddyhoff, AQC, Volume 116, 2003.]



REF: E139 Gibraltar Lodge, No. 209 ER(A), in the 4th Battalion of Royal Artillery, at Gibraltar 1779-1801

Warrant No. 209 was originally issued on February 16, 1779, by the Antients Grand Lodge, to hold aLodge in the 4th Battalion of the Royal Artillery, located at Gibraltar. There are no records regarding theLodge after 1779. The Lodge was closed by 1801. The Lodge name “Gibraltar” was used by Robert FrekeGould, in his History of Freemasonry, 1887, page 401 and should be used with care as a number of Lodgeslocated on “The Rock” were referred to as “Gibraltar Lodge”. This appellation is more an indication of thelocation of the Lodge rather than a formal name. Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC, for example, was variouslyreferred to as “Gibraltar Lodge” (1826-1844), “Rock Lodge” (1844-1863) and Calpe Lodge (from 1863onwards, a name which has been officially recognized by the Grand Lodge of Ireland). Records indicate that the Antients Grand Lodge issued a new Warrant No. 209 in 1803 to hold a Lodgein the King’s Own Stafford (Militia) Regiment; being returned in 1814 following the unification of the Antientsand Moderns Grand Lodges. This second reissue can be found in the entry for this Militia Lodge. The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 for Warrant No. 209A ER(A), page 151, reads asfollows: “4 Battalion, Royal Artillery, Gibraltar (Malaga), Spain 1779. (G. L. Warrant) 16 Feb. 1779 No.th

209A. No records after 1779. Grand Lodge records indicate that in 1813 a new Warrant No. 209 was issued to a new civilian lodge,“Etonian Lodge of St. John,” at Windsor, Berkshire.

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, Second Edition, 1895. (2) History of Freemasonry,by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (3) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in theArmed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions ofthe Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (4). web site at <http://www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html> alongwith a twelve page summary entitled The First Two Hundred Years of the Craft in Gibraltar.]





REF: E140 Gibraltar Lodge No. 443 ER, in the 4th Battalion, Royal Artillery, at Gibraltar 1814-1827REF: E140 Gibraltar Lodge No. 345 ER(A), in the 4th Battalion, Royal Artillery, at Gibraltar 1809-1814REF: E140 Gibraltar Lodge No. 5, PRGibraltar(A), in the 4th Battalion, Royal Artillery, at Gibraltar

1805/6?-1821

Warrant No. 325 IC was issued on September 7, 1826 to Calpe Lodge, Gibraltar (the first civilian33

Irish Lodge at Gibraltar and which is still working). The Calpe Lodge History notes that “The Petitioners forthe Warrant had specifically asked for a number with a five in it as they possessed a set of regalia carvedwith that number. This regalia may well have belonged to the Lodge No. 2 Company 4 Battalion Royalth

Artillery which had obtained a local Warrant No. 5 from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalusia some timeafter its arrival and had left Gibraltar in 1821.”

During its sojourn in Gibraltar the Freemasons of the 4th Battalion Royal Artillery petitioned to theProvincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar for authority to form a Lodge. A local Warrant, No. 5, was issued ineither 1805 or 1806 (although there is no conclusive evidence and Reddyhoff accepts a date of issue as lateas 1808). The Lodge or the Provincial Grand Lodge (it is unclear which) appears to have forwarded papersto register the Lodge with London and Warrant No. 345 was issued on November 6, 1809 by the AntientsGrand Lodge—as the RA Company and Lodge would have been in Canterbury by this time, the Lodge mayhave applied directly to London to replace its Gibraltar Warrant with a Grand Lodge Warrant). The authorityin both cases was to hold a Lodge in the 4th Battalion, then at Gibraltar. The loss of whatever minutes, lettersand documents of the Lodge prevents any knowledge of the Lodge’s activities while at Gibraltar.

By 1810 the 4th Battalion had returned to England and was at Canterbury in 1810, and at Sandwich,Sandgate and Portsmouth in 1812 when it was assigned to Portugal. The Lodge appears to have met atthese places. Reddyhoff notes that the only company of the 4th Battalion known to have followed thosemovements was that of Captain George Skyring, who had been promoted to command the company on thepromotion of its previous Captain, H. Framingham, to Major. Captain Skyring’s Company was held in reserve(without guns) in the march from Lisbon to Salamanca (October 1808) and the retreat to Corunna (January1809), from where it returned to Canterbury. In July 1811, Captain Skyring took command of Captain WilliamMorrison’s company in the 8th Battalion RA and Captain Morrison took Skyring’s company (including theLodge, apparently). Morrison’s company removed to Sandgate (July 1811 to February 1812), Portsmouth(March to September 1812) and Lisbon at the end of 1812. The company participated in Wellington’sadvance across Spain, fought at Vittoria (June 1813) and San Sebastian (August 1813), where it receivedsix new 18-pounder guns. It embarked from Bordeaux in July 1814 and returned to Dover.

Following the unification of the Antients and Moderns Grand Lodges in 1813, the Lodge was issuedwith a new Warrant as No. 443 ER. It is not clear when the Lodge ceased working, but the Warrant waserased by United Grand Lodge in 1827.

Reddyhoff notes that the memoirs of Benjamin Miller, a member of the company who was also amember of Lodge No. 345, have survived. He describes his entrance into Masonry: “In April 1798, I enteredthe Freemasons’ Society, and in June was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason: in 1799 I wasmade Royal Arch Super-Excellent Mason. In 1804 I was initiated and dubbed a Knight of that Noble, Holy,Glorious, and Universal Order of Knight Templars, also the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Mark masonand Knight of Malta.” The memoirs do not make it clear in which Lodge he received all these degrees. Areturn of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar for December 1806 shows him as “Benjamin Miller,Soldier.” Reddyhoff notes that Miller was promoted to Bombardier on October 8, 1804, to Corporal onFebruary 1, 1809 and Sergeant on October 1, 1811. When Warrant No. 345 was issued in 1809 he is shownas “First Junior Warden.” Miller had apparently been in a detachment of Captain Framingham’s company



in Egypt in 1801 and returned to Gibraltar in 1802, remaining with company until his promotion to Sergeantwhen he was directed home to recruit men for the company.

The Lodge name “Gibraltar” was used by Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry, 1887,page 401 and should be used with care as a number of Lodges located on “The Rock” were referred to as“Gibraltar Lodge.” This appellation is more an indication of the location of the Lodge rather than a formalname. Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC, for example, was variously referred to as “Gibraltar Lodge” (1826-1844),“Rock Lodge” (1844-1863) and Calpe Lodge (from 1863 onwards, a name which has been officiallyrecognized by the Grand Lodge of Ireland).

The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 for Warrant No. 345 ER(A), page 204, readsas follows: “No. 5 Gibraltar. Fourth Battalion, Royal Artillery, Gibraltar (Malaga), Spain 1809. (G. L. Warrant)6 Nov. 1809 No. 345. 1814 No. 443 ER. At Canterbury, Kent 1810. At Sandwich, Kent 1812. At Sandgate,Kent, 1812. At King’s Head, St. Mary’s Street, Portsmouth, Hampshire 1812. Fourth Battalion, Royal Artillery,1814. “No. 5 Gib. Sailed for Portugal 1812. G.L. Reg. Erased in 1827.”

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, Second Edition, 1895. (2) History of Freemasonry,by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (3) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in theArmed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions ofthe Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (4). web site at <http://www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html> alongwith a twelve page summary entitled The First Two Hundred Years of the Craft in Gibraltar. (5) Freemasonryin the Royal Artillery, by Bro. James W. Reddyhoff, AQC, Volume 116, 2003.]


Although Crossle doesn’t speculate in his Records, it is probable that the first use of the number “68”34

for an Irish Warrant was in the period February 1736/7 to June 1737. Crossle lists No. 63 as being first issued onJanuary 12, 1736/7 to hold a Lodge in the XXth Foot; No. 64 was issued February 1, 1736/7 for an unspecifiedLodge; Nos. 65, 66, 67, 68 and 69 are blank; but No. 70 is listed as having been first issued on June 8, 1737 to holda Lodge at Gort, Co. Galway. The loss of the Register predating 1760 prevents any firm knowledge of when thesenumbers were first used and where the Lodges were located.



The first contact with the Grand Lodge of Ireland recommending this civilian Lodge at Gibraltar was36

contained in a letter from Lodge No. 68 IC dated May 2, 1826 in which the Lodge recommended their civilianmembers “. . . to the Grand Lodge of Ireland for an Inhabitants Warrant . . .”. The actual name on the new Warrantwas Gibraltar Lodge. The Establishment of Warrant Number 325 (I.C.) In Gibraltar, by W. Bro. Vincent James


REF: I131 Lodge No. 68 IC, in the 2nd Company, 7th Battalion, Royal Irish Artillery, various locations1813-1834

R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. PhilipCrossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that the first use of the number “68” for a Warrant by the GrandLodge of Ireland was issued in either March or June 1737, for an unspecified Lodge. The Warrant waserased on November 5, 1801, but Cochrane notes that the Warrant came into the hands of Alexander Setonwho attempted to reissue it improperly and the number was included in a Grand Lodge list of cancelledWarrants dated November 5, 1801. Although there is no information given, it would appear that Warrant No.68 was, in fact, issued by Seton, but that it was cancelled by the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1807 .34

A new Warrant No. 68 was issued on January 7, 1813, by the Grand Lodge of Ireland to hold a lodgein the 7th Battalion, Royal Irish Artillery. Both V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, 1973,and V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, in his paper Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, note that the Warrantwas issued to Freemasons in the Seventh Battalion, Royal Artillery. In actuality the Warrant still exists in thearchives of the Grand Lodge of Ireland and shows that it was issued to Robert Sharpe, Samuel McCrackenand John Hopper, for the purposes of holding a Lodge in “the Seventh Battalion of the Royal Artillery Capt.Wilson’s Camp.”

Cochrane notes that Grand Lodge records indicate that Lodge No. 68 IC was working in IslandBridge, Dublin, in 1816.

Seal of Lodge No. 68 IC in the 7th Battalion, RA

In the Calpe Lodge History (Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar) , it is recorded that in 1825/26,35

Lodge No. 68 IC, along with Lodge No. 42 IC (held in the 42nd (Black Watch) Regiment of Foot) and LodgeNo. 130 IC (held in the 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment) sponsored the petition for a Warrant forGibraltar Lodge (the first civilian and stationary Irish Lodge on Gibraltar, issued Warrant No. 325 IC, and36


Power, p. 32, as published in the Transactions 1996 - 1998 (Volume XXIV, 2000), The Lodge of Research, No. CC(I.C.), Ireland.


still working). The Calpe Lodge History notes that the particular Artillery Unit was the 2nd Company 7thBattalion of Royal Artillery, missing the correct title of Royal Irish Artillery.

The first WM of Lodge No. 325 IC (the first civilian Irish Lodge on Gibraltar whose Warrant wasissued on September 7, 1826) was W. Bro. Daniel Durham, who had been initiated into Lodge No. 309 ICin the 26th (The Cameronians) and had been released locally (i.e. at Gibraltar) from military service in about1822. The SW (Bro. Isaac Thompson); JW (Bro. Alexander Imbrie); Secretary (Bro. John Pratt) and oneCharter Member, Bro. Robert Moravia; were from Lodge No. 68 IC, held in the 2nd Company, 7th Battalionof Royal Irish Artillery and which was one of the sponsoring Lodges for No. 325. The SD (Bro. CharlesCauston) and one other Charter Member, Bro. John Wheatley, were members of Lodge No. 130 IC in the64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot. These members from the Royal Artillery had also been releasedfrom service on Gibraltar and their unit had left. In addition, the Treasurer (Bro. Francisco Semonetti); JD(Bro. Joseph Baggetto) and Tyler (Bro. Giacomo Celicia) and Charter Member W. Bro. Thomas Varnor; weremembers of Lodge No. 715 ER, in the Gibraltar Ordinance Department, which had surrendered its Warrantin 1826.

Warrant No. 68 IC was returned to Grand Lodge in 1834 (and filed).This Warrant is not included in the listing on page 401 of Robert Freke Gould’s History of

Freemasonry, 1887.Crossle also lists a third Warrant bearing the number “68”, issued in 1835 by the Grand Lodge of

Ireland to hold a Lodge at Youghall, Co. Cork, no date is shown when it was struck off the rolls of GrandLodge. Cochrane lists this issue on January 15, 1835 and notes that the Lodge is “Current” in 2001.

In April 2002 the Grand Lodge of Ireland was contacted to determine whether Warrant No. 68 forthe 7th Battalion, Royal Irish Artillery was held in the Archives. A copy has been graciously provided and atranscript appears on the following page.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland,1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. PhilipCrossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E.Parkinson, as printed in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957.(4) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (5) The Poor CommonSoldier, A Study of Irish Ambulatory Warrants, by Bro. John Heron Lepper, as printed in the Transactionsof Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1925. (6) History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7)The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth,Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1990, London.]



Transcript of Warrant No. 68 IC issued to the Seventh Battalion, RA

SEAL By the Right Worshipful and Right Honorable Richard,

SEAL Earl of Donoughmore, Grand Master of all the Lodges

SEAL of FREE MASONS in the Kingdom of IRELAND, the

SEAL Right Worshipful and Honorable A. H. Hutchinson,

SEAL Deputy Grand Master; Worshipful and Right Honorable

SEAL John, Lord Baron Hutchinson, K. B. and Somerset,

SEAL Earl of Belmore, Grand Wardens.

Donoughmore WHEREAS our Trusty and Well-beloved BROTHERS Robert Sharpe, Samuel

Grand Master McCracken & John Hopper have besought Us, that We would be pleased to erect aLODGE of FREEMASONS in the Seventh Battalion of the Royal Artillery Capt.Wilson’s Company of such persons who by their knowledge and skill in MASONRY,may contribute to the well-being and advancement thereof. WE, therefore, dulyweighing the premises, and having nothing more at heart than the prosperity andtrue advancement of MASONRY, and reposing special Trust and Confidence in ourtrusty and well-beloved Brothers, the said Robert Sharpe, Samuel McCracken &John Hopper of whose abilities and knowledge in Masonry we are satisfied: do bythese Presents of Our certain knowledge and mere motion, nominate, create,authorize and constitute the said Robert Sharpe, Samuel McCracken & John Hopperto be Master and Wardens of a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, to be held bythem and their Successors, lawfully admitted in said Lodge, for Ever. And, Wehereby give and grant unto the said Robert Sharpe, Samuel McCracken & JohnHopper and their Successors, full Power and lawful Authority from time to time, toproceed to election of a new Master and Wardens, to make such Laws, Rules and

No. 68 Orders as they from time to time shall think proper and convenient for the well-being

Revived and ordering of said Lodge; reserving to ourselves and our Successors, GrandMasters or Grand Wardens of IRELAND, the sole Right of deciding all differenceswhich shall be brought by appeal before Us, and our Successors, Grand Masters orGrand Wardens of IRELAND.

In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our Hands and Seal of Office,

This Seventh Day of January in the Year of our Lord

God 1813 and in the Year of Masonry 5813

ENTERED BY ME,

William Graham

GS

[Source: Grand Lodge of Ireland]

The copy measures about 12 inches square and has only a simple decorative border.


The Provincial Grand Lodge of Quebec issued Warrant No. 9 (local) to hold a Lodge in the 1st37

Battalion, Royal Artillery, when it was in the garrison at Quebec. The Battalion and its Lodge returned to Englandand applied to the Antients Grand Lodge which issued the first Warrant bearing the number “187" on April 28, 1774.The Warrant lapsed by 1777.


REF: E143 Gibraltar Lodge, No. 228 ER, in the 9th Battalion, Royal Artillery, at Gibraltar 1814-1822REF: E143 Gibraltar Lodge, No. 187 ER(A), in the 9th Battalion, Royal Artillery, at Gibraltar 1812-1814

A new Warrant No. 187 was issued (the Grand Lodge Register says “revived”) on May 25, 1812, by the37

Antients Grand Lodge, to hold a Lodge in the 9th Battalion of Royal Artillery, which was then serving in theGibraltar Garrison. James W. Reddyhoff notes that there are references to the Lodge meeting at Canterburyand Sandgate in 1812 and Hythe in 1813. Following the unification of the Antients and Moderns GrandLodges in 1813, new Warrants were issued in 1814, and the Lodge received No. 228 ER. Bro. RaySheppard, in his 1984 listing of Military Warrants notes that no payments were made to United Grand Lodgeafter 1814. It is unclear when the Lodge ceased working, but the Warrant was erased in 1822. Although Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry, 1887, shows only one Warrant, No. 187ER(A) as being issued, he notes the Lodge existing throughout the 1812-1822 period. He shows the Lodgeas “Gibraltar Lodge”, the name adopted here, although this may just have been to illustrate that the Lodgeworked in Gibraltar. Two Warrants are referred to in the Appendix in Bro. Frederick Smyth’s Prestonian Lecture for 1990entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms. A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, one having beenissued by the Antients in 1812 and one by the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1823. Irish records do not show anyIrish Warrant being issued to the 9th Battalion. The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 for Warrant No. 187B ER(A), page 140, reads asfollows: “9 Battalion, Royal Artillery, Gibraltar (Malaga), Spain 1812. (G. L. Warrant) 25 May 1812 No. 187B.th

Revived at Gibraltar. G. L. Reg. 1814 No. 228 ER. At Canterbury, Kent 1812. At Sandgate, Kent 1812. AtHythe, Kent 1813. No payments after 1814. Erased in 1822.” Reddyhoff also notes that any connection of a Lodge in the 9th Battalion with Gibraltar is totally incorrect.No company of the 9th Battalion had been in Gibraltar since the Battalion had been formed at Woolwich onJune 1, 1806. Only one company, that of Captain Alexander Munro, had been at both Canterbury andSandgate in 1812 and it was there after returning from the Walcheren expedition in 1809. In June 1813 thecompany had removed to Shorncliffe and then to Portsmouth in March 1814 where it embarked on transportsfor New Orleans. Reddyhoff notes that Sandgate, Shorncliffe and Hythe are contiguous and the move toAmerica in 1814 could explain why there were no further payments to Grand Lodge. As he says: “How GrandLodge arrived at the Gibraltar connection is a mystery.”

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, Second Edition, 1895. (2) History of Freemasonry,by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (3) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in theArmed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions ofthe Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (4) Freemasonry in the Royal Artillery, by Bro. James W. Reddyhoff, AQC,Volume 116, 2003.]




John Lane lists this on page 128 as “Lodge of Inhabitants” which received Warrant No. 285 ER(M)39

dated July 12, 1762. It was subsequently renumbered as 231 in 1770, 185 in 1780, 186 in 1781 and 159 in 1792.Lane says “No payments after 1800. Erased in 1813.”


REF: E159 Ordnance Lodge, No. 202 ER(A), in HM Ordnance at Gibraltar 1777-1813?

The History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER, Gibraltar notes “In 1777 another Ancients Lodge was38

warranted as the Ordnance Lodge No. 202, Admission to which was restricted to officers and artificers in HMOrdnance establishment. When the original Lodge of Inhabitants lapsed in 1807 , No. 202 took over the39

name of Inhabitants and still works with us as No. 153.”The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894, page 148, reads: “Inhabitants’ Lodge. Named

in 1804. In His Majesty’s Ordnance, in the Garrison of Gibraltar, (Malaga), Spain 1777. (G. L. Warrant) 18Nov. 1777 No. 202. 1814 No. 251. 1832 No. 178. 1863 No. 153. A Stationary, and not a Military Lodge. G.L. Reg. Meeting at: Crown and Anchor, Gibraltar, 1815. Glyn’s Buildings, Gibraltar, 1860. Three AnchorsCoffee House, Main Street, Gibraltar, 1863. 6 Engineers’ Lane, Gibraltar, 1866. Garrison Library, Gibraltar,1869. 19 Bell Lane, Gibraltar, 1874. 32 Engineers’ Lane, Gibraltar, 1876. Masonic Hall, Armstrong Buildings,Gibraltar, 1877. Had a Warrant of Confirmation, 10 July 1877, the original warrant having been lost , but ithas since been recovered. Centenary Warrant (Special Jewel) 1 Oct. 1862. Cancelled in 1877. CentenaryWarrant 18 Nov. 1877.”

In reporting the entry in the Grand Lodge Register, Lane is flagging that this was not an ambulatorymilitary Lodge and allowing for the interpretation that it was a stationary Lodge for military personnel of theOrdnance Department on the Rock, a not insubstantial establishment.

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (2) History ofFreemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (3) W. Bro. Ray Sheppard 1994 listing of military Lodges.(4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth’sPrestonian Lecture for 1990 as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge.]



(g) Ambulatory (travelling) lodges in infantry regiments based at Gibraltar(Lodges are listed in order of the Regiment - 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th)


The reference to Smith applies to William Smith, the compiler of the “Pocket Companion for Free-40

Masons” who published on an irregular basis. He is well known apparently for almost as much incorrect informationregarding the Fraternity as there is that is correct.

The first Scottish travelling Warrant was issued in 1747 (to The Duke of Norfolk’s Lodge in the 12th41

Regiment of Foot) and the first “English” Warrant was issued in 1755.

Early Warrants named as grantees only the first WM and two Wardens. Today, in Ontario, the Warrant42

usually names all the Charter members of the Lodge. As Cochrane notes “(The Names) would lead us to assumeone Scot and two Irish men, but it would be futile to speculate where any of them was made a Mason.”

According to Cochrane, Lord Nettirvill was the head of a “great Catholic house which has since become43

extinct”. The same update shows the spelling as “Netterfield” but as a copy of the original Warrant is included withthe Notes on Lodge No. 11 IC the spelling was clearly “Nettirvill”.

It is interesting to note that on the Warrant itself (a copy of which is held by the author) the spelling44

“Kingsland” appears in the printed text and the affixed signature on the left margin is spelled as “Kinsland”. LordKingsland was the head of a “great Catholic house which has since become extinct”.

Parkinson refers only to two other Military Warrants: No. 23 in Colonel Hamilton’s Regiment (27th Foot)45

which was issued sometime in 1733; and No. 35 in Major-General Price’s Regiment (28th (Bragg’s) Foot) whichwas issued between April and November 1734.


REF: I1 Lodge No. 11 IC, 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment of Foot 1808-1847REF: I1 Lodge No. 11 IC, 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment of Foot 1732-1801 (reactivated in 1808)

[now The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)]

V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that there is no record in theRegister of the Grand Lodge of Ireland of the use of the number “11” for a Warrant prior to 1732, but Smith ,40

in his Pocket Companion, lists Warrant No. 11 as having been issued to Brethren a Bray, Co. Wicklow, priorto 1735. This information is also reflected in the CD-ROM Update of Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, by R.W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, issued in June 2000 and Fall 2001.

A new Warrant No. 11 was issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland and signed on November 7, 1732(the first Travelling or Military Warrant ever issued by any Grand Lodge ) to “our Trusty and Well-beloved41

Brothers, Mr. James Murray, Mr. Patrick Howard and Mr. Patrick Reid ”, to be held in the “First Battalion42

Royal” (1st Regiment of Foot Guards, then serving in Ireland). The Warrant was signed by “the RightWorshipful, and Right Honourable Lord Viscount Nettirvill , Grand Master of all the Lodges of Freemasons43

in the Kingdom of Ireland, the Right Honourable the Lord Viscount Kingsland , Deputy Grand Master, the44

Worshipful James Brenan, M.D. and Robert Nugent, Esqrs; Grand Wardens”. V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson,in his paper Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, notes that “Smith’s List, in his “Pocket Companion” of1735 includes, as well as No. 11 in the Royal Scots, four other Military Warrants . . . .”, indicating that evenat this date the Lodge was known .45

R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. PhilipCrossle’s Irish Masonic Records, indicates that the Warrant was originally issued without a number: thenumber “11” being later shown in the Register. The copy of the Warrant shows clearly the “No. 11” in theupper left hand corner and, given the vagaries of communications in those days, it is likely that the Warrantwas printed as a “Blank” and the number written on it at the time it was signed, not afterwards, but this is notclear.

During its first 50 years of existence the Regiment, and Lodge No. 11, saw much active service. The1st Battalion (and the Lodge) were made prisoners of war at Alost in 1745, after an unsuccessful attempt to


Cochrane notes that the only evidence for these degrees are a few letters preserved in the Grand Lodge46

of Ireland which refer to their being worked in Lodge No. 11.

This is now St. John’s Lodge, No. 115 ER.47



The Installing Officers of Lodge No. 11 IC were: W. Bro. William Richards; Bro. Alex. Tullough; Bro.49

Alex. McGregor and Bro. Alex Rea, all of whom were noted as being Master Masons and Past Masters of Lodge No.11 IC.


relieve Ghent, and was carried off to France before being exchanged later in the same year. This gave theLodge members an opportunity to visit with French Freemasons who were guarding them. This situationwould be reversed in 1780 when the 1st Battalion was based in England and engaged in guarding Frenchprisoners of war. Cochrane’s Update notes indicate that it was this contact with European Freemasons whichbrought it into contact with the Rite of Strict Observance and the early degrees of the Knights Templar. Irishrecords indicate that by 1797, although the Lodge possessed only the Warrant No. 11, it seems to have46

had a Royal Arch Chapter numbered as “No. 5” as well as an Encampment of Knights Templar and Knightsof Malta. The Companions also appear to have worked the additional degrees of Harodim (or Heredom) andSovereign Prince Mason (or Rose Croix).

According to the History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925,a Certificate from Lodge No. 11, dated February 1, 1762, is the third oldest of known certificates issued tomembers of a Lodge and which refers to three degrees and which also uses the expression “. . . ye Sublimedegree of a master mason . . .” (page 234). Other early certificates listed include those dated September 6,1756 (Lodge House in Lodge Alley, Philadelphia, No. 2) and June 2, 1761 (Lodge No. 195 in the RoyalHighland Regiment—the 42nd Foot, now part of The Black Watch).

It is unclear whether Lodge No. 11 IC operated in Canada and America during the 1750’s and 1760’swhen the 1st and 2nd Battalions were operating there and it is not referred to in documents of the ProvincialGrand Lodge of Quebec (Moderns), Provincial Grand Lodge of Lower Canada (Antients) or the ProvincialGrand Lodge of Upper Canada (Antients).

Lodge No. 11 IC was in Gibraltar with the 1st Battalion and, when trouble between Antients’ andModerns’ Masons on Gibraltar became acute in 1772, were forced by circumstances to side with the Antients.On St. John’s Day, December 1772, the various Moderns’ Lodges wished to exclude Lodge No. 148 ER(A)47

from taking part in the customary procession, but Lodge No. 148 was supported by four Irish Lodges to48

attend the procession. The Irish Lodges wrote in May 1773 to the Grand Lodge of Ireland justifying theiraction, and, apparently, received a reply endorsing it.

The Regiment was assigned to Jamaica by 1790, and took the Lodge along with it. The brethren inthe Royal Train of Artillery, located at Port Royal, Jamaica, received help from Lodge No. 11 IC. Membersof the Royal Train of Artillery were initiated into Lodge No. 11 IC, which then supported their Petition for aWarrant. Warrant No. 262 was issued on August 28, 1790, by the Antients Grand Lodge to hold a Lodge inthe Royal Train of Artillery, in garrison at Port Royal, Jamaica. Lodge No. 11 IC, was given authority to opena Grand Lodge and install the Master and Wardens of the new Lodge, which was done on May 24, 1791,49

at Port Royal. [Lodge No. 262 ER(A) ceased working in 1810.]On March 7, 1793, six Lodges met in Jamaica to form a Grand Lodge for the purpose of forming

civilian Lodge No. 257 ER(A) and installing the Master and Wardens. The six Lodges were: Royal ArtilleryLodge, No. 262 ER(A); Lodge No. 11 IC; Lodge No. 299 IC, in the 10th Regiment of Foot; Lodges No. 637IC, and 661 IC, both of which were held in the 13th Regiment of Foot; and Lodge No. 3, PRJamaica(Scottish). Sometime after this even the Regiment was assigned to the Mediterranean as Grand Lodge


The Corsican campaign of 1793/4 is notable because every one of the seven Regiments involved was50

home to a Masonic Lodge, all of which worked under Irish Warrants: 1st Royals, No. 11 IC (1732-1847); 11th Regt.,No. 604 IC (1782-1815); 25th Regt., No. 92 IC (1749-1815); 30th Regt., No. 85 IC (1738-1793) and No. 535 IC(1776-1823); 50th Regt., No. 113 IC (1763-1815); 51st Regt., No. 690 IC (1788-1801) and No. 94 IC (1763-1815);and 69th Regt., No. 174 IC (1791-1821). This situation parallelled the successful (second) attack on Louisbourg (onCape Breton Island, off Nova Scotia) in June/July 1758 and that on Quebec in September 1759.

Cochrane says “In 1814 the 1st and 4th Battalions . . . were stationed at Quebec . . . .” but Regimental51

records indicate the 1st Battalion was there as early as 1808.

Colonel Robert Christopher Maunsell (or Mansell), K. H. as District Quarter Master General in Limerick.52

From 1793-8 Ireland had been disturbed with the growth of so-called “secret societies” and the53

“insurrection” was put down in 1798 within a few weeks of its breaking out. An Act of Parliament of July 12, 1799was passed “For the more effectual suppression of societies established for seditious and treasonable purposes,and for preventing treasonable and seditious practices.” Thus all societies whose members were required to take anoath not authorised by law, were suppressed. Societies “held under the Denomination of Lodges of Freemasons”were expressly exempted from the Act. By 1842 the agitation for Home Rule for Ireland led to further attempts atarmed rebellion and the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland called upon the military for the rigorous enforcement of the 1799Act without regard to the exemption previously applied. The Commander-in-Chief in Ireland, Lieutenant-General SirEdward Blakeney was ordered to take action and instructed his subordinates accordingly, including Colonel RobertChristopher Maunsell.


records indicate that the Lodge fought with the Regiment in Corsica in 1793 .50

While serving again in the Caribbean from 1803 to 1808, the 1st Battalion was decimated and themembership of the Lodge was reduced to one member. As new replacements for the Regiment wereassigned, those who were Masons were recruited by the Lodge and, in 1808, when there were 40 workingmembers, the Lodge was reactivated. The 1st Battalion, accompanied by its Lodge, was assigned to garrisonduty in Quebec City and was serving there from 1808 onwards when The Royal Thistle Lodge, No. 222 SC51

was Warranted by the Grand Lodge of Scotland to be held in the 4th Battalion, 1st Regiment of Foot Guards,which had also been assigned to Quebec City, in 1815. During the period that Lodge No. 11 IC met in NorthAmerica (i.e. until about 1817/20), it worked the Royal Arch, Knight Templar and Knight of Malta degreesunder the authority of its Lodge Warrant (see Certificates on pages 34 and 35). On February 27, 1836, theSupreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Ireland, granted Warrant No. 11 to nine Royal Arch Companions tohold a “Royal Arch Chapter to be attached to Lodge No. 11 in the 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Foot”.Copies of a Royal Arch Certificate dated January 1819 and a Knight Templar Certificate dated June 8, 1819are included on the following pages.

When the 1st Battalion was assigned to Gibraltar in 1839 both Lodge No. 11 and Chapter No. 11were unable to continue working and the Warrants was returned to a few surviving members of its DepotCompanies at Templemore, Ireland. The Lodge and the Chapter were built up again and remained with theDepot Companies and never again joined the 1st Battalion abroad. Irish Grand Lodge records note: “Warrantgiven up April 1847 by order of Col. Maunsell ” following passage in the British Parliament of the Unlawful52

Societies Act which prohibited so-called “secret societies”, including Freemasonry . By the time of its demise53

the Chapter had about 20 members in total. Although the Chapter Warrant was given up, it was not struckoff the rolls until May 19, 1858.

Cochrane notes that at the time of closure of the Lodge, 352 Brethren had been admitted into it.Although at first maintained almost exclusively by the NCO’s of the Regiment, by the close of the 18thCentury it had a fair proportion of officers. It was also, over time, not reserved exclusively for brethren withinthe Regiment and the membership lists include officers and other ranks of other regiments, as well ascivilians. As the Lodge was likely to move and leave behind the members who did not belong to the 1st Foot,the Certificate “system” was established to provide “bona fides” for them. These certificates were normallyissued by the Lodge itself, not the Grand Lodge, due to the problems of communications and a non-existent



postal service.Bro. John Bowers (PM, Lodge No. 571 IC), commenting on Bro. John Heron Lepper’s paper The

Poor Common Soldier, A Study of Irish Ambulatory Warrants, as printed in the Transactions of QuatuorCoronati Lodge, 1925 makes the following comment on Col. Maunsell’s actions. “I once talked to a man whoserved under Col. Maunsell; from him I learnt that John Maunsell forced the Lodge of “Holy St. John” No.11 IC, to give up their Warrant, because of pressure from General Blakeney. General Blakeney was at onetime Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Foot, but at which period, before 1847 or after, I cannot at thismoment say. Blakeney’s picture hangs in the Officer’s Mess of the 2nd Bn. at Colchester. He was a memberof the Friendly Brothers of St. Patrick, but I am unable to say if he was a Freemason”.

Crossle notes that the name of the Lodge was “Holy St. John” although he does not indicate whenthis name was adopted and it is not mentioned on the Warrant. He also notes that the Warrant was returnedto Grand Lodge in 1813, although this does not agree with other evidence. V. W. Bro. Crossle notes that theWarrant (or perhaps the number “11” only) was used for the issue of a Warrant to hold a Lodge at Bray, Co.Wicklow, although no date of (re)issue or surrender is mentioned.

Crossle notes that the number 11 was used for a new Warrant issued on March 13, 1863, to holda Lodge at Bray, Co. Wicklow. This Lodge was removed to 9 Castle Street, Dublin in 1988 and was stillworking as of 1995 and had thirty-three subscribing members and three honorary members. In Cochrane’sUpdate the Lodge is shown as “Current” as of 2000.

A copy of Warrant No. 11 IC issued to the 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Foot, is included on thefollowing page. As this copy of the Warrant was obtained from existing research material a photocopy wasnot requested from the Grand Lodge of Ireland although the original should be there, having beensurrendered to Grand Lodge.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland,1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s IrishMasonic Records, 1973. (3) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printedin The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957. (4) History of theGrand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (5) The Poor Common Soldier, A Studyof Irish Ambulatory Warrants, by Bro. John Heron Lepper, as printed in the Transactions of Quatuor CoronatiLodge, 1925. (6) History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1990, London. (8) Flags of Masonry in theline Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes onLodges in the 3rd Foot.]



Warrant No. 11 IC, in the “First Battalion Royal”, November 7, 1732

[Source: Grand Lodge of Ireland.]



Royal Arch Certificate issued by RAM Chapter held under authority of Warrant No. 11 I.C.

[Source: W. Bro. Ray Sheppard.]



Royal Arch Certificate issued by RAM Chapter held under authority of Warrant No. 11 I.C.



According to R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his article Irish Warrants in Scottish Regiments, in the54

Grand Lodge of Scotland Year Book, notes that “some of the volumes . . . are preserved in the library of the AlbanyFemale Academy”.

Harris notes that the Warrant was endorsed by John Stedman, Secretary; Anias Sutherland, Master;55

Charles Calder, SW; and Thomas Parker, JW.


REF: E7 Unity, Peace and Concord Lodge, No. 316 ER, in the 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment of FootGuards 1863-1949


REF: E7 Unity, Peace and Concord Lodge, No. VII, PRCoromandel/Madras, in the Second Battalion,1st Regiment of Foot Guards 1820-????


REF: E7 Unity, Peace and Concord Lodge, No. 574 ER(M), in the 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment ofFoot Guards 1808-1814

REF: E7 Unity, Peace and Concord Lodge, No. 574 ER(M), in the 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment ofFoot Guards 1798-1804

REF: E7 Unity, Peace and Concord Lodge, No. IX, PRCoromandel, in the Second Battalion, 1stRegiment of Foot Guards 1798-1820

REF: I2 Lodge, No. 74 IC, in the 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, various locations1759-1817

REF: I2 Lodge, No. 74 IC, in the 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, Albany 1760-1765(civilian Lodge)

REF: I2 Lodge, No. 74 IC, in the 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, Albany 1758-1759(military Lodge)

REF: I2 Lodge, No. 74 IC, in the 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, various locations1737-1758[now The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)]

Warrant No. 74 was issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland on October 26, 1737, to hold a Lodge inthe 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment of Foot Guards. This Warrant was signed by Marcus, Viscount (afterwardsEarl) Tyrone, Grand Master, and the first officers of the Lodge were James Nelson, Master; Thomas Brew,SW; and Thomas Swingler, JW. According to Reginald V. Harris, the records of Grand Lodge show nofurther registrations until 1783.

The 2nd Battalion, accompanied by its Lodge, fought in the siege at Louisbourg in 1758. At the siegethere were six other regiments with Lodges attached to them: 15th Foot with Lodge No. 245 IC (1754-1801);17th Foot with Lodge No. 136 IC (1748-1801); 28th Foot with Lodge No. 35 (1734-1801); 35th Foot withLodge No. 205 IC (1749-1790); 47th Foot with Lodge No. 192 IC (1748-1823); and the 48th Foot with LodgeNo. 218 IC (1750-1858).

In August 1758 the 2nd Battalion and its Lodge was moved to Albany, New York where it remainedfor one year. During this year the Lodge established a Masonic Library (the first known instance of an ArmyLodge forming a “Study Circle” ) and also initiated some local civilians. When the 2nd Battalion was54

assigned to the attack on Montreal in September 1760 (and was present at the capitulation of that city) anendorsed copy of the Lodge Warrant dated April 11, 1759 was left behind and which certified that Bros.55

Richard Cartwright, Henry Bostwick (or Bestwick) and William Ferguson, civilian members living in Albany,“. . . had been installed as Assistant Master and Wardens of our Lodge allowing them to set [sic] and actduring our absence, or until they, by our assistance can procure a separate Warrant for themselves from the


The appointment was made by the Grand Lodge of England - also called the Moderns.56

Morgan Lewis was the son of Francis Lewis, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.57

Morgan was Initiated in Union Lodge No. 1 (Colonial) in 1776. He was Colonel and Chief of Staff to General HoratioGates, Commander of the Army in Canada, and later appointed as Quarter-Master-General for the NorthernDepartment. He escorted George Washington on his inauguration as President of the United States and becameGovernor and State Senator of New York. He retired from the Army with the rank of Major-General. In 1830, 76year-old Morgan Lewis was elected Grand Master of Masons in New York. He died in 1844.


Grand Lodge in Ireland” [quote by Reginald V. Harris from History of Freemasonry in New York by Ossianlang, p. 41 and McClenachan, Vol 1, p. 153 and R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane’s CD-ROM Update (Fall 2003)of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, manuscript published by the Grand Lodge of Irelandin 1973]. The Lodge at Albany never did request a Warrant from Ireland and continued working as No. 74IC until February 21, 1765, when it was granted a Charter as “Union Lodge No. 1 (Colonial) by GeorgeHarison (who had been appointed the Provincial Grand Master of New York in 1753 ). The Charter was56

confirmed by Sir John Johnson on July 30, 1773. After a lengthy period of isolated existence following theRevolution, Union Lodge surrendered its colonial Warrant which has on it the statement “I was the lastMaster of this Lodge. C. C. Yates.” This civilian Lodge received a Warrant from the Grand Lodge of the Stateof New York, on January 6, 1807, as Mount Vernon Lodge, No. 3 PRNY, Albany after having (re)-electedC. C. Yates as its first Master on December 16, 1806. Mount Vernon Lodge, No. 3, continues to operateunder this name and number. One of the most distinguished members of Union Lodge, No. 1 was MorganLewis57

After leaving Albany the 2nd Battalion took part in the siege of Ticonderoga in July 1759 and formedpart of the garrison at Crown Point from August to November 1759. While the 2nd Battalion was at CrownPoint, Abraham Savage, who had been authorised in 1758 by Jeremy Gridley, the Provincial Grand Masterof North America, to “congregate all Free and Accepted Masons, in the Expedition against Canada into oneor more Lodges”, admitted into Masonry at Crown Point “twelve officers of the First Foot in the Lodge he hadestablished there, and of which he was then the Master”. Records of the day were either not written or writtenand later destroyed in the fighting and the uncertain lifestyle of the period. It does not appear at all irregularthat Savage would form a Lodge and initiate members of the 2nd Battalion even while their own Lodge, No.74 IC, was in existence.

The 2nd Battalion was one of the units involved in the attack and capture of Montreal in September1760 and remained there for almost two years. There is no evidence that Lodge No. 74 IC worked in the cityand certainly does not appear in any surviving records of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Quebec which hadbeen formed on November 28, 1759. In spite of the lack of evidence it is probable that the Lodge did, in fact,meet although given the wartime situation, it was not likely on a regular basis.

Cochrane notes that a Duplicate Warrant was issued to the Lodge in 1783 (Source: GL Letter Book,1875, p. 705) and that the Lodge was noted as meeting at Gibraltar as early as 1790 and that it was thesenior of eleven Military Lodges working there. He also says that the 2nd Battalion served in the 1794campaign which captured Corsica and that every one of the Regiments involved in the campaign held, inone battalion or another, had an Irish Lodge attached to it: 1/First with Lodge No. 11 IC (1732-1847); 2/Firstwith Lodge No. 74 IC (1737-1807); 11th Foot with Lodge No. 604 (1782-1815); 25th Foot with Lodge No. 92IC (1749-01815); 30th Foot with Lodge No. 535 IC (1776-1823); 50th Foot with Lodge No. 113 IC (1763-1815); 51st Foot with Lodge No. 94 IC (1763-1815) and Lodge No. 690 IC (1788-1801); and the 69th Footwith Lodge No. 174 IC (1791-1821). Between 1796 and 1802, the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Foot was on moreor less continuous service in Elba, Gibraltar, Portugal, Ireland, England, Holland, Spain, Malta, Asia Minorand Egypt and often not “at home” at any one time for longer than 5 months and on a foreign station for nolonger than 9 months—and it is not surprising that reports to Grand Lodge were infrequently (if ever) writtenand sent to Ireland.

Reginald V. Harris notes that “the original warrant is now in the Archives of the Grand Lodge of NovaScotia” after having been supposedly cancelled in 1801 by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, although it is not


This is another use of a suffix “A” added by Lane to the actual Warrant number to show that the same58

Warrant continued unabated for “two Lodges”.


clear if the copy in Nova Scotia is the actual original Warrant No. 74 IC. Cochrane’s Update notes that theentry, which was made in Volume I of the Irish Grand Lodge Register as “Cancelled by order of Grand Lodge,July 1801” was made in error and never corrected in that Volume. The Grand Secretary presented to GrandLodge a list of Lodges in arrears on August 7, 1817, which included “No. 74 - 2nd Battn. Royals” and thisseems to indicate that the Lodge and Warrant had not been really cancelled in 1801. If it had been cancelledit would hardly have been reported 16 years later as being in arrears!

Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry, 1887, indicates that the Warrant of No. 74 IC,was confirmed by Grand Lodge in 1767 (an incorrect date for both the military lodge or the civilian one) anda position not apparently reflected by Grand Lodge records. Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecturefor 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, notes that“In 1798 it (the 2nd Battalion’s Lodge) seems to have left its perfectly good Irish warrant somewhere inEurope and, arriving in Madras, sought an English one from the Provincial Grand Master of the Coast ofCoromandel”.

Cochrane notes that the members of Lodge No. 74 IC likely worked the “higher” degrees of RoyalArch, Knights Templar, Harodim (or Heredom) and Sovereign Prince Mason (or Rose Croix) under theauthority of the Lodge Warrant although this is not conclusively proven because of the lack of Lodge recordsand documents. Certainly the Lodge applied in 1833 to Grand Lodge for authority to work the Royal Archdegree and were required to apply for a separate Warrant which they did. A Warrant to form a Royal ArchChapter, dated August 6, 1834, and issued by the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of England, wasreceived and continued in active work until 1868 when it was forced to close due to the death of so manyof its members. The Warrant was not struck off the English rolls until 1892.

Crossle says that the date of 1737 may be problematic for the first issue of Warrant No. 74 as “. .. . the Pocket Companion shows only 37 Lodges as existing in 1735.” He also indicates that the Warrant mayhave been surrendered in “1801 or 1817 or 1838” and that in 1848 either the Warrant or the number “74” was(re)issued for a Lodge in Down. It is more likely that the number was reused if the original Warrant No. 74IC rests in the archives in Halifax as reported by Harris. Crossle also notes a reference to T. R. Henderson’sFreemasonry in the Royal Scots (no publisher or date of publication is quoted).

Cochrane’s Update notes at one point that “No. 74” is “in a list of erased lodges, 1801” and also thatit “Became No. IX, Coast of Coromandel: 574, E.C. 1 September 1808.”

John Lane, in his Masonic Records 1717-1894 notes that Lodge of Unity, Peace and Concord, No.9, Coast of Coromandel and No. 574A ER(M), whose Warrant was issued in 1798 from Madras when the58

Regiment was in Wallajahbad (Chingleput), was suspended for unmasonic conduct in 1804. He gives noindication of the actual reasons, nor the length of the suspension. His next entry is No. IX Coromandel in1808.

The Lodge claimed to have lost its Warrant in 1807 at Hilsea Barracks, Portsmouth owing to “thesudden order the Regiment got to quit England” (perhaps this is the copy which survives in Nova Scotia).Immediately boarding transports which left harbour on April 18, 1807, the Regiment arrived at Prince ofWales’s Island, Penang in September 1807; sailed in October and arrived at Madras in December and wassent onwards to Wallahjabad, which they reached on December 24, 1807. Cochrane notes that “No traceof the Warrant has since been discovered.” Thus the Lodge arrived in a strange country to which no Lodgeattached to the 1st Foot had served before, but this in no way held them back. In early 1808 the Lodgemembers met and applied to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Coromandel which recorded the request as beingmade by “Master Masons, privates in His Majesty’s Regiment of Royals at Wallahjabad”. Lt. Col. A. Stuart(who commanded the Battalion from 1802 to 1811) and Lt. Col. H. Conran (who would commend theBattalion from 1811 to 1812), both Master Masons, approved of the Petition. Part of the letter, dated March31, 1808 and signed by Captain G. Parsons says: “. . . there is a Warrant in the Battalion, but it wasunfortunately left in Europe owing to the sudden order the Regiment got to quit that quarter of the globe.”


Again, Lane notes the Warrant as “574B” although it was the same Warrant as had been issued almost59

ten years earlier.

Bro. Bell took the J. W.’s chair at once, was elected S. W. in December 1812, and became W. M. in60

1817.

Bro. Broadbent was WM in 1819 and JW in 1821.61

This would be Orange Lodge, No. 213 SC, held in the fourth 51st Regiment of Foot, raised in 1755/5662

as Napier’s Yorkshire Regiment and now part of The Light Infantry Regiment, The Light Division. The 51st had beenassigned to India and Ceylon in the period 1798-1807 when it was reassigned to the troops fighting in the Peninsulacampaign. Presumably Bro. William Fenton had transferred to the 1st when the 51st left India.


As a consequence the Provincial Grand Lodge of Coromandel issued Warrant No. IX (Local) for Unity, Peaceand Concord Lodge in 1808 and registered the Lodge with London, receiving Warrant No. 574 ER(M) - the59

Warrant being granted as a moveable or ambulatory one.Although precise and clear proof is lacking the Grand Lodge of Ireland recognizes No. IX

Coromandel as the successor Warrant to No. 74 IC, although United Grand Lodge does not accept thelinkage directly. As the two commanding officers in the period 1802-12 were members of Lodge No. 74 IC,and as they approved the request for a Warrant from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Coromandel, this wouldseem to be the best proof that No. 74 IC and No. IX Coromandel were issued to the same Lodge. Thus it isthat these Warrants are shown as being issued for the same Lodge.

Shortly after the issue of the Moderns Warrant, the Lodge was suspended for unspecified unmasonicconduct. In 1808 the original suspended Warrant No. 574 ER(M), was reinstated. [Note: it is possible thatWarrant No. IX (Coromandel) was suspended as early as 1804 because it was reissued in 1805 for Lodgeof Philanthropists in the 94th Regiment of Foot (The Connaught Rangers) and as already noted, recordkeeping amongst the Grand Lodges was oftentimes incorrect.]

In 1809 the 33rd Regiment of Foot, then at Hyderabad, was put on notice for posting back toEngland. A number of its officers and men agreed to remain behind and volunteered for other duties.Members of Lodge Unity and Friendship, No. VII, PRMadras and No. 90 ER(A) in the 33rd Foot, realizingthat the local Warrant would no longer be valid a authority once the Regiment and Lodge had left India, wroteto the Antients Grand Lodge on June 12, 1809, advising of their original loss of Warrant No. 90 ER(A) inEurope in 1793 [Note: the Lodge had already written on this matter on January 20, 1798 and had notreceived Grand Lodge’s reply, nor the Renewal Warrant], working under authority of local Warrant No. VIIwhile in India, again requested a Replacement Warrant for No. 90 ER(A). The 33rd Foot was not shippedout immediately and in December 1809 the Lodge members agreed that the Lodge Room would betransferred to Unity, Peace and Concord Lodge, No. IX, PRMadras in the 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment of FootGuards. Minutes of Lodge of Unity, Peace and Concord dated April 7, 1812 note: “Walked in procession fromBrother Brodie’s house to new Lodge rooms, accompanied by Band & Drums of the Corps. The WorshipfulMaster (Brother Hugh Brodie) read the Undermentioned PETITIONS from the Brethren who Volunteeredfrom the 33rd Regiment to our Corps. Bro. Benn. Bell (No. 7 Local), Bro. Benny Hulmes (No. 7 Local), Bro.60

Charles O’Haram (No. 7 Local), Bro. John Broadbent (No. 7 Local), Bro. William Copwell (No. 7 Local),61

Bro. Hugh Clarke (No. 7 Local) and Bro. William Fenton (No. 213 SC ).”62

With the Union of the Ancients’ and Moderns’ Grand Lodges, new Warrants were issued and LodgeUnity, Peace and Concord became No. 593 on December 27, 1813 (see Transcript of 1910) at which timeit was also working under No. VII Coromandel/Madras. During the subsequent renumbering of Lodges in1832 and 1863, it became No. 396 (when the Lodge was based, with the Battalion, in Athlone, Ireland).During its 23 years in India the Lodge applied for, and received Warrants to work the Royal Arch and KnightTemplar degrees. When leaving Madras, in 1831, these Warrants were surrendered to the Provincial GrandMaster of Madras. On the Battalion’s arrival in Glasgow in 1832, the Lodge immediately wrote to UnitedGrand Lodge requesting a Warrant and after some correspondence a Warrant of Confirmation of No. 396


W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his publication “My Hero”, Segt.-Major William Shepherd, September 1992,63

notes that William Shepherd was born at Woolwich on September 22, 1819 where his father, William (a member ofthe Royal Artillery), had returned after the end of fighting in the Peninsula in 1814. The son, William, joined theRoyal Horse Artillery on July 18, 1833, and was posted on March 1, 1835, as a gunner in the 2nd Battalion, RoyalArtillery. He was promoted to Bombardier on April 5, 1837. On April 27, 1838, Bombardier William Shepherd sailedto Canada with his Battalion. He spent over 14 years in Montreal and two years in Kingston, and was successivelypromoted to Corporal (October 5, 1842), Sergeant (April 1, 1846), Colour Sergeant (March 16, 1849), andStaff/Sergeant Major (September 22, 1855). He left for England on October 1, 1854 and provided training forartillery personnel during the expansion to fight the Crimean War. He was retired on September 21, 1858 after 21years’ service, in possession of four good conduct badges and a Long Service medal. Immediately after leaving theRoyal Artillery he was recruited as a 1st Class Pay-clerk in the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. He was promoted toPaymaster R. A. in May 1861 with a posting to Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey (then a naval base with adockyard, and a Royal Artillery garrison for defence). He was made Hon. Major on May 14, 1876 and went on halfpay on March 13, 1878. He died at Cardiff on January 31, 1895, aged 75 years. His masonic career began in Unity,Peace and Concord Lodge, No. 296 ER, in the 1st Regiment of Foot, at Montreal, where he was initiated on July 4,1839, passed on August 1, 1839 and raised on September 5, 1839. He was an affiliated member of Lodge No. 262ER, in The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (89th); a founder member of the Lodge of Social Friendship, No. 729 IC,in the 89th Foot and of Lodge of Integrity, No. 771 ER, in the 14th (The Yorkshire, West Riding) Regiment of Foot.On May 10, 1847 he received the 1834 renewal Warrant and Lodge regalia of the Lodge of Social and MilitaryVirtues, No. 227 IC, in the 46th Regiment which was without sufficient members to continue working. With theapproval of the Grand Lodge of Ireland he assumed the Mastership and established a permanent semi-militaryLodge which is still operating presently as Lodge of Antiquity, No. 1 GRQ, Montreal. After returning to Woolwich in1854 he affiliated with Union-Waterloo Lodge, No. 13 ER; and with his posting to Sheerness he joined Adam’sLodge, No. 184 ER (originally No. 207 ER(A) from 1778 and presently No. 158 ER). In 1865 W. Bro. WilliamSheppard became a member and second Master of De Shurland Lodge, No. 1089 ER, Sheerness. In addition to hislove of the Craft, W. Bro. Ray Shepherd notes that “it is known that he (W. Bro. William Shepherd) joined the RoyalArch, Mark, and I am sure the K. T. Degrees”.

George Morgan was born in Donaghmore, near Carrickmacross in County Monagan, Ireland, on64

December 3, 1812 and had also joined the Royal Artillery and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion. He was initiatedinto Lodge Unity, Peace and Concord, No. 396, ER, on April 4, 1839. George Morgan affiliated with Lodge No. 262,ER, in the 85th Regiment of Foot, on December 8, 1840, at the same time as William Shepherd.

William Watson was a Sergeant in the 89th Foot and had already become a member of Lodge No. 262,65

ER, in the Regiment, when it was working in Montreal.


ER, dated August 2, 1833, was issued to the Lodge.The 1st Regiment was subsequently assigned to the garrison at Montreal. Returns from Lodge Unity,

Peace and Concord, No. 396 ER, at Montreal indicate that on July 4, 1839, Bombadiers William Shepherd63

and Lewis Short, and Sergeant Bartholemew H. Shehan, were initiated into the Lodge. All three were passedon August 1, 1839 and raised on September 5, 1839. Shepherd would subsequently follow a long masoniccareer during which he would meet Brother George Morgan (both of them later affiliating with Lodge No.64

262 ER, in the 85th Regiment of Foot), and Brother William Watson (already a member of Lodge No. 26265

ER). These three masons would form the nucleus of the membership of The Social Friendship Lodge, No.729 ER, in the 89th Regiment. In 1846/47 some of the members of this Lodge, living in Montreal, signed asPetitioners to the Grand Lodge of Scotland for a Warrant for Elgin Lodge, No. 348 SC, Montreal. GeneralJohn Corson Smith, an honorary member of the Lodge, served with Federal Forces during the American CivilWar, in charge of a camp of Confederate prisoners. Gould lists Warrant No. 396 ER, in his listing entitled“Existing British Field Lodges, 1886”, showing that the Lodge was working at that time. With the renumberingof Lodges in 1863 by United Grand Lodge, Unity, Peace and Concord Lodge received a new Warrant as No.316 ER. [Note: Warrant No. 396 ER was reissued in 1863 to hold Royal Standard Lodge in the Royal Artilleryat Halifax.]

On November 4, 1910 the Lodge was authorized to adopt a Centennial Warrant. This interesting


The word “be” is missing in the original document from the expression “. . . . to be worn . . .”.66


authority, measuring about 18 inches by 14 inches cannot be effectively copied due to its age and condition,but it is legible, and is transcribed below.

Warrant to Lodge Unity, Peace and Concord (1910) authorizing the wearing of a Centennial Jewel

Arthur GM

SEAL To the Worshipful Master, Wardens, other Officers and Members

SEAL of Lodge Unity, Peace and Concord, No. 316, 2nd Battalion, 1st Royal

SEAL Scots Regiment, and all others whom it may concern.

Greeting Whereas it appears by the Records of the Grand Lodge that in the year 1808 a Lodge wasworking in connection with the 1st. Royal Regiment (now the 2nd Battalion, 1st Royal Scots Regiment) whichLodge was that numbered 574, and named Lodge of Unity, Peace and Concord on the Register of the GrandLodge of England

And Whereas in consequence of Union of the two Grand Lodges on the 27th day of December 1813 the saidLodge became No. 593 on the said Register - And Whereas in consequence of the general alterations in thenumbers of Lodge in the years 1832 and 1863 the said Lodge became and now stands on the Register as No.316 attached to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Royal Scots Regiment under

---------- the Title or Denomination of ----------

Lodge of Unity, Peace and ConcordAnd Whereas the Brethren composing the said Lodge are desirous now that it has completed the CENTENARYof its existence to be permitted to wear a Jewel commemorative of such event and have prayed our sanction forthat purpose

Now know Ye That we having taken the subject into our consideration have acceded to their request and in virtueof our prerogative Do hereby give and grant to all and each of the subscribing members of the said Lodge beingMaster Masons permission to wear in all our Masonic Meetings suspended to the left breast by a Sky BlueRibbon not exceeding one inch and a half in breadth a JEWEL or MEDAL of the pattern or device that we havealready approved as a CENTENARY JEWEL. But such Jewel is to worn only by those Brethren who are bona-66

fide subscribing Members of the said Lodge and for so long only as they shall pay their regular stipulatedSubscription to the funds thereof and be duly returned as such to the Grand Lodge of England.

Given at London the 4th Day of November A.L. 5910 A.D. 1910

By Command of the Most Worshipful Grand Master,

His Royal Highness The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, K.G., & ., & ., & ., & .c c c c

E. Letchworth


By 1919, when the Royal Scots returned to Scotland from Germany, there were only three membersof the Lodge serving with the 2nd Battalion. A Brother John Bowers, who had been a member of the Lodgeand had taken retirement, rallied together many of the members of the Lodge who had left the Regimentafter the War, and brought it up to a high standard. The Regiment returned to Ireland and then back toEngland in 1922, but which time the membership had again fallen and Bro. Bowers again assisted inresuscitating the Lodge. The Regiment was then assigned to a variety of foreign postings - Egypt, northernChina, Quetta and Lahore (in Pakistan). Although regular meetings had been held, difficulties mounted andthe last minutes of the Lodge are dated November 27, 1935, from Lahore. On removing to Hong Kong inJanuary 1938 the Warrant and Lodge regalia were left behind in the Masonic Hall in Lahore. In 1940 anothermember of the Lodge, Bro. A. N. Christie, a retired member of the Battalion and at that time a member ofthe Shanghai Police Force, made arrangements for the safekeeping of the Lodge property in Lahore and its



eventual return to the Regimental Depot in Scotland on the cessation of hostilities. Because the 2nd Battalionhad, by this time, been disbanded as a military unit, Bro. Christie was prevented from reactivating the Lodgeunder its original ambulatory Warrant and Warrant No. 316 ER, became one of the last two EnglishTravelling Warrants to be surrendered in 1949 (the other was that of the Lodge of Social Friendship, No. 497ER, issued to the Royal Irish Fusiliers).

A new Warrant was issued on September 7, 1949, authorizing the Lodge to meet as a stationaryLodge in London, bearing the same name and number. This Lodge was associated with the London Sectionof The Royal Scots’ Regimental Association, so that all Royal Scots, past and present, residing in, or in reachof, the London area, might benefit from the Lodge’s existence. Thus Lodge of Unity Peace and Concord, No.316 ER, London continues to flourish, perhaps its civilian highlight occurred in 1955 when the Lodge becamea Patron of the Royal Masonic Hospital.

An enquiry was made in 1998 to the Grand Lodge of Ireland requesting a copy of Warrant No. 74.Grand Lodge replied that “. . . No. 74 IC . . . appears in a list of erased Lodges produced by Grand Lodgein 1801, but the Lodge seems to have taken up Warrant No. 574, of the English Constitution, in 1808, alsoknown as No. IX Coast of Coromandel, a local number. This information is also from Crossle’s list of Lodges.According to a letter in the Grand Lodge letter book for 1875 answering a query about Lodge 74, a duplicatewarrant was issued in 1783, but there is no reference to where this information comes from. The earliestentries in the Grand Lodge Membership Registers for L. 74 date to 1783 but no mention is made of aduplicate warrant. It is possible that the lodge was revived at that time.”

A request to the United Grand Lodge of England to obtain a copy of the English Warrants, as wellas those of Coromandel, should the originals reside in the Archives has not received a reply to date. If copiescan be obtained they will be added to this history.

Crossle and Cochrane show that the number “74” was used by the Grand Lodge of Ireland threemore times: for a Warrant dated June 24, 1817, issued to hold a Lodge in Whitehouse, Newtownabbey, Co.Antrim (in exchange for its higher numbered Warrant “1013”) and which was cancelled in 1838; for a Warrantdated November 11, 1844, to hold a Lodge at Holywood, Co. Down which was sent in to Grand Lodge in1850, restored in 1855 and suspended in 1859; and then used for a fourth (and last) time for a Warrant,dated June 8, 1891, to hold Israel Lodge, Arthur Square, Belfast, which was returned to Grand Lodge inNovember 1988.

John Lane in his Masonic Records 1717-1894, provides two entries on page 256 (one below theother) for the Lodge as follows. First: “Lodge of Unity, Peace and Concord, No. 9, Coast of Coromandel.Madras (Chingleput), Madras, India. 1798. 1798 (G.L. Warrant) 574A. Suspended for unmasonic conduct,1804.” His entry reads: “Lodge of Unity, Peace and Concord. First Royal Regiment, Wallajahbad(Chingleput), Madras, India 1808. 1808 (G.L. Warrant) 574B. 1814 593. 1832 396. 1863 316. Warrant ofConfirmation, 1833. Called “Royal Scots Regiment”, from 1871. At. Fort St. George, Madras (Chingleput),Madras, 1809. At Hyderabad (Hyderabad, Deccan), Madras, 1810. At Trichinopoly (Trichinopoly), Madras,1812. At. Bangalore (Mysore Native State), Madras, 1814. At Secunderabad (Hyderabad, Deccan), Madras,1814. At Hyderabad (Hyderabad, Deccan), Madras, 1817. At Arcot (North Arcot), Madras, 1819. AtWallajahbad (Chingleput), Madras, 1819. Left Madras District about 1824. At Island of Malta, 1855. AtOotacamund (Coimbatore), Madras, 1893. At Wellington (Neilgherry Hills), Madras, 1893.”

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland,1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s IrishMasonic Records, 1973. (3) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printedin The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957. (4) History of theGrand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (5) The Poor Common Soldier, A Studyof Irish Ambulatory Warrants, by Bro. John Heron Lepper, as printed in the Transactions of Quatuor CoronatiLodge, 1925. (6) History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1990, London. (8) New York Freemasonry



A Bicentennial History 1781-1981, by Herbert Singer and Ossian Lang, The Grand Lodge F. & A. M. of theState of New York, 1981. (9) “My Hero”, Segt.-Major William Shepherd, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard,September 1992. (10) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, Second Edition, 1895. (11) Flags ofMasonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September2002, notes on Lodges in the 3rd Foot.]


Now St. John’s Lodge, No. 115 ER, Gibraltar and still working.67



Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar website <www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/history.htm>.69


REF: I4 Lodge, unknown number, PRMadras(Antients), in the 2nd (Queen’s Royal) Regiment of Foot1779-????

REF: I4 Lodge No. 244 IC, in the 2nd (Queen’s Royal) Regiment of Foot 1754-1825[now The Queen’s Regiment]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 244 on April 5, 1754, to hold a Lodge in the 2nd(Queen’s Own) Regiment of Foot. It is not clear where and when the Lodge worked during the period thatthe Regiment was in England, the Isle of Man, or the American colonies. Between 1757 and April 25, 1799,69 members were registered with the Grand Lodge of Ireland.

Lodge No. 244 IC was in Gibraltar with the Regiment and, when trouble between Antients’ andModerns’ Masons on Gibraltar became acute in 1772, were forced by circumstances to side with the Antients.On St. John’s Day, December 1772, the various Moderns’ Lodges wished to exclude Perth Lodge No. 148ER(A) in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Artillery , from taking part in the customary procession, but No. 148 was67

supported by four Irish Lodges to attend the procession. The Irish Lodges wrote in May 1773 to the Grand68

Lodge of Ireland justifying their action, and, apparently, received a reply endorsing it. R. W. Bro. KeithCochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish MasonicRecords, 1973, notes that Lodge 244 IC appears in the Grand Lodge Register and is marked “in Gibraltar”as of November 21, 1772.

Lodge No. 244 IC appears to have applied to the Antients’ Provincial Grand Lodge of Madras in1779, and there are indications that it was recognized by this body although no known Provincial Warrantappears to have been issued. This is an area which is most unclear both from Grand Lodge documents andalso the work of Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces. W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his 1984 listing ofLodges and Warrants notes that Lodge No. 244 IC may have held an unnumbered Warrant issued by the“Athol” Provincial Grand Committee of Madras on April 17, 1799. Given the usual action by military Lodgesto join local Provincial Grand Lodges (regardless whether they were ‘Antient’ or ‘Modern’) this unnumberedMadras (local) Warrant is listed as being held by Lodge No. 244 IC. John Lane, in his Masonic records 1717-1894 provides no assistance in the matter. His entry (p. 466) reads: “First Battalion, Second Regiment,Madras, Madras. 17 April 1779. Athol Prov. G. Committee.”

By 1789, the members of the Lodge once again got into trouble with local masonic authorities (inthe form of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalusia - also known as Gibraltar (Antients)), and the minutesof the Grand Lodge of Ireland note “Read a letter from Bro. John Ross Prov. G. M. of Andalusia stating theill conduct of sundry Brethren of No. 244 and the consequent Censure laid on them by the G. L. there held.Ordered the thanks of this Lodge to Bro. Ross for his care & attention to the Ancient Craft”. The History ofFreemasonry on Gibraltar notes that Bro. Ross was an Irish Mason who was “the first PG Master of69

Andalucia under the Ancient Warrant. During 1794 the Lodge was probably not working as the Regiment was serving as Marines with Lord

Howe’s fleet and were present when Howe won his famous victory over the French at Brest and which isreferred to in various histories as “The Glorious First of June”.

Grand Lodge records indicate that a duplicate Warrant was issued on July 6, 1809, to Edw.


Bro. Frederick Smyth that the loss occurred when the transport sank off the Dutch coast in 1809.70


Redmond, Thos. Lister and John Close, the “original being destroyed at sea by the enemy ”. Grand Lodge70

minutes of December 6, 1810, contain a listing of 32 Prisoners-of-War, held in France, including some fromLodge No. 244 (source: History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol I, 1925,p. 302).

Warrant No. 244 was returned to the Grand Lodge of Ireland on February 23, 1825, “the Regt. goingto India, the Lodge was broke up”. A total of 158 Brethren had been registered with Grand Lodge accordingto Cochrane’s notes. There is no indication when the Madras Warrant (if one had been issued) wassurrendered or erased.

Both Crossle and Cochrane note that the number “244” was also issued on a Warrant dated May 10,1832, to hold a Lodge in the 52nd (Oxfordshire Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot, being surrendered to GrandLodge on March 3, 1845. The number “244” was again used on a Warrant dated August 9, 1872, for HeadfortLodge in Kells, Co. Meath. This Lodge was removed to Oldcastle, Co. Meath on November 21, 1962 andto Trim, Co. Meath on November 17, 1965. It is shown as “Current”.

An enquiry to the Grand Lodge of Ireland as to the current disposition of Warrant No. 244 IC elicitedthe following reply (December 2, 1998): “According to Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, (Dublin 1973),the original warrant No. 244, issued to the 2nd Foot in 1754 was “destroyed at sea by the Enemy” and aduplicate warrant was issued on the 6th July 1809. The earliest surviving warrant with the number 244 is theone issued in 1832 to the 52nd Foot, which was sent in in 1845.” A copy of this issue is included in the noteson the 52nd Regiment of Foot.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland,1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s IrishMasonic Records, 1973. (3) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printedin The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957. (4) History of theGrand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (5) The Poor Common Soldier, A Studyof Irish Ambulatory Warrants, by Bro. John Heron Lepper, as printed in the Transactions of Quatuor CoronatiLodge, 1925. (6) History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1990, London. (8) Provincial Grand Lodgeof Gibraltar website <www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/history.htm>. (9) Flags of Masonry in the line Regimentsof the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 2ndFoot.]



REF: I5 Lodge No. 390 IC, in the 2nd (Queen’s Royal) Regiment of Foot 1762-1815[now The Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey)]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 390 on December 2, 1762 to seventeen brethrenin the 2nd (Queen’s Own) Regiment of Foot. Sergeant John Juell was listed in the Grand Lodge Register asMaster and Sergeants John Maxwell and Chris Daniell as Wardens. There are no reports or notes regardingthe Lodge in the records of Grand Lodge after 1762. A further five brethren - four Sergeants and oneCorporal - are listed in the Grand Lodge Register.

R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update of Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973 notesthat “It was quite common in the eighteenth century for an Army Lodge to be lost sight of soon after itsestablishment. Thus this Lodge . . . is not heard of after (1762).” He notes that in the second series Vol. 3of the Grand Lodge Register there is no entry for Warrant No. 390. The Warrant was cancelled on April 6,1815.

In a response to an enquiry regarding this Warrant, Grand Lodge replied on December 2, 1998 thatthe cancellation “. . . (suggests) that there had been no contact between Grand Lodge and (the Lodge) forsome time . . . .” No copy of Warrant No. 390 exists in Grand Lodge archives.

According to V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, the Grand Lodge of Ireland reissuedthe number “390” on a new Warrant dated October 27, 1905, to South Carolina Lodge in the West IndiaRegiment. This Regiment was disbanded in 1926 and Warrant No. 390 IC was surrendered to Grand Lodgein 1927, being subsequently reissued for South Carolina Lodge (civilian) in Jamaica which is listed as“Current” in 2001.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland,1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s IrishMasonic Records, 1973. (3) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printedin The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957. (4) History of theGrand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (5) The Poor Common Soldier, A Studyof Irish Ambulatory Warrants, by Bro. John Heron Lepper, as printed in the Transactions of Quatuor CoronatiLodge, 1925. (6) History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1990, London. (8) Flags of Masonry in theline Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes onLodges in the 2nd Foot.]



REF: E11 Lodge No. 12, PRGibraltar(A), in the 2nd Battalion, 4th (King’s Own) Regiment of Foot,Gibraltar 1811-????[now part of the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment]

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 4th Foot, September 2002, lists the issue of “LocalWarrant No. 12. 2 Battalion 4 Foot. Circa 1811. By the Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalusia (Gibraltar).nd th

Antient.” This Warrant does not appear in the work of John Lane, Philip Crossle, Keith Cochrane, R. E.Parkinson or Robert F. Gould. The Warrant may well have been issued to one of the Irish Lodges in the 4th Foot when the Regiment(and Lodge) was in the garrison at Gibraltar, but this is not clear and the listing has been kept separate. Ofthe six Lodges in the 4th Foot, two can be discounted as they would not have left Ireland: Lodge 986 in theGarrison Battalion (1810-15) and Lodge 988 IC in the Veteran Battalion (1808-1815). Three Lodges mayhave worked in Gibraltar: United Lodge No. 147 SC (1769-1809), Select Lodge No. 522 IC (1785-1823) andLodge No. 91 IC (1857-76) at differing times when the Regiment may have passed through but there is noconclusive evidence as to which one.

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, Second Edition, 1895. (2) Irish Masonic Records,by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973. (3) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane,CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (4) Some Noteson Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printed in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C.,Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957. (5) The Poor Common Soldier, A Study of Irish AmbulatoryWarrants, by Bro. John Heron Lepper, as printed in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1925. (6)History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprintedin the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1990, London. (8) Flags of Masonry in the line Regimentsof the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 4thFoot.]



home to a Masonic Lodge, all of which worked under Irish Warrants: 1st Royals, No. 11 IC (1732-1847); 11th Regt.,No. 604 IC (1782-1815); 25th Regt., No. 92 IC (1749-1815); 30th Regt., No. 85, IC (1738-1793) and No. 535 IC(1776-1823); 50th Regt., No. 113 IC (1763-1815); 51st Regt., No. 690 IC (1788-1801) and No. 94 IC (1763-1815);and 69th Regt., No. 174 IC (1791-1821).


REF: I22 Lodge No. 604 IC, in the 11th Regiment of Foot 1782-1815[now part of The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 604 on June 6, 1782, to the men of the 11th Regimentof Foot. R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s IrishMasonic Records, 1973, notes that three members of the Lodge were registered: “Thos. Webber, Jas.Ferguson and Edwd. Wishall”, probably as Master, SW and JW. By 1794 five other members were registeredwith Grand Lodge: “Michael Carrigan 19 Jan. 1786; Jas. Ganby 21 Nov. 1793; and Jno. White, Wm. Scottand Alex. Parkam 21 Feb. 1794.” W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 11th Foot, writes that the Lodge was at Gibraltaras early as 1787. In the History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER, Gibraltar, contained on the website of theGibraltar Provincial Grand Lodge, it is noted that “In 1792 there were no fewer than eleven military ortravelling Lodges in Gibraltar . . . six Irish (of which one was in the) 11th Regiment . . . .”. There is no furtherinformation regarding the length of time the Regiment and its Lodge worked on Gibraltar. Cochrane’s notesfrom Grand Lodge records show that Lodge No. 714 IC (in the 68th (Durham) Regiment was working inGibraltar in 1792, with five other Irish Lodges—Nos. 11 (1st (Royal) Foot); 168 (18th (Royal Irish) Foot); 227(46th Foot); 604 (11th (North Devonshire) Foot); and 690 (51st Foot). Grand Lodge records indicate that the Lodge fought with the Regiment in Corsica in 1793 , but there are71

no further returns to Grand Lodge records after 1794. One of the members of the Lodge, William Brown, wasrelieved by the Antients’ Grand Stewards Lodge in 1796, although no reason is cited in the records. TheWarrant was cancelled on July 15, 1815. V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1973,notes lists the issue of Warrant No. 604 to the 11th Foot with the notation that “Gould shows the RegimentalLodge in existence until 1794 only, but not cancelled until 1815”. He also lists a second use of the number“604” on an undated Warrant for a Lodge at Durban, South Africa. Cochrane notes that the date of issue wasJune 10, 1926 and that the Warrant was returned to the Grand Lodge of Ireland on August 21, 2000. Bro. Frederick Smyth’s The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces,includes Warrant No. 604 in his list on page 38. In a response to an enquiry regarding this Warrant, the Grand Lodge of Ireland replied on June 30, 1999that there is no copy of Warrant No. 604 in the Archives and that it is likely that the Warrant was destroyedat the time it was returned to Grand Lodge or that it had never been returned.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, limited publication in manuscript form bythe Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro.Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rdEdition, 1886. (4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro.Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge,1990, London. (5) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printed in TheLodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957, pp 119-141. (6) History of theGrand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (7) Flags of Masonry in the lineRegiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodgesin the 11th Foot.]



REF: E24 Lodge, No. 320 ER, in the 12th (East Suffolk) Regiment 1860-????REF: S3 Duke of Norfolk’s Lodge No. 58 SC, in the 12th (Duke of Norfolk's) Regiment of Foot 1747-

1806REF: S3 Possible Immemorial Right Lodge, no number, in the 12th Regiment of Foot 1685-1747

[now part of The Royal Anglian Regiment]

The Lodge for the 12th Regiment of Foot (Duke of Norfolk’s) could have been established as earlyas 1685 when the Regiment was formed. A reference to this date was reported to have been contained inits petition to the Grand Lodge of Scotland for a Warrant (although that Grand Lodge indicates that there isno evidence to support an existence prior to 1747). The Lodge was warranted as Duke of Norfolk’s Lodge,No. 58, in the 12th (Duke of Norfolk’s) Regiment of Foot by the Grand Lodge of Scotland on August 5, 1747and became the first active military warrant issued by that Grand Lodge (and the second travelling Warrantto be issued by any Grand Lodge). [Note: This issue is referred to as the first active Scottish military Lodgeas there had been two earlier Scottish Warrants, authorized in 1743 for the 55th and 44th Regiments, butthere is no indication that the Warrants were actually issued of that the Lodges ever worked.] A Grand Lodgelisting of Military Lodges indicates that the Lodge was known in England (1747), Holland (1748), Minorca(1749) England (1752), Minden (1759), Edinburgh (1762) and Gibraltar (1763).

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 12th Foot, indicates that the Lodge worked atGibraltar during the Great Siege of 1778-80 when the Regiment was based in the garrison.

The Lodge was erased from the Rolls of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1809.Bro. Frederick Smyth’s The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed

Forces, includes the Warrant in his list on page 38. Brother Captain William Thomas, in his Freemasonryin the British Army, published in the Grand Lodge of Scotland Year Book, 1997, includes this issue with thenotation that the name of the Lodge was “The Duke of Norfolk’s Mason Lodge” and that the commandingofficer of the Regiment at the time was Lieutenant-General Henry Skelton.

A Lodge (possibly the same one although this is unclear and the members would have been veryold) obtained a new Warrant, No. 320 ER, from United Grand Lodge in 1860. Bro. Frederick Smyth treatsthese two Lodges as separate entities while Scottish information implies that they were one and the samebut went for 54 years without a replacement Warrant for the original one after its cancellation. It is not clearwhen the Lodge ceased working nor when the Warrant was erased. This listing is problematic as John Lanedoes not carry it in his 1895 edition, nor does Gould and it is not included in Sheppard’s listing. It is possiblethat this is an incorrect entry for the following Calpe Lodge, No. 1126 ER which was formed in 1860.

[Sources: (1) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro.Frederick Smyth’s Prestonian Lecture for 1990 as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor CoronatiiLodge. (2) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (3) History ofFreemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (4) Military Lodges Chartered by the Grand Lodgeof Scotland, listing prepared by the Grand Lodge of Scotland and updated as of 1995. (5) Lodges Charteredby the Grand Lodge of Scotland, by W. Bro. George S. Draffen, published in limited copies in 1950 by theGrand Lodge of Scotland. (6) Freemasonry in the British Army, by W. Bro. Captain William Thomas,published in the Grand Lodge of Scotland Year Book, 1997. (7) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments ofthe British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 12thFoot.]



REF: E25 Mount Calpe Lodge, No. 824 ER, in the 12th (Duke of Norfolk’s) Regiment of Foot 1863-1890

REF: E25 Mount Calpe Lodge, No. 1126 ER, in the 12th (Duke of Norfolk’s) Regiment of Foot 1860-1863[now part of The Royal Anglian Regiment]

United Grand Lodge issued Warrant No. 1126 on June 25, 1860, to Mount Calpe Lodge in the 12th(Duke of Norfolk’s) Regiment of Foot. With the renumbering of Warrants in 1863 by United Grand Lodge,Mount Calpe Lodge received a new Warrant as No. 824 ER. Robert Freke Gould lists only Warrant No. 824ER, in his listing entitled “Existing British Field Lodges, 1886”, showing that the Lodge was “current” at thattime. Some records show the Lodge name as “Carpe” and not “Calpe” but the latter is the correct spellingas the Lodge was formed when the Regiment was based at Gibraltar and “Calpe” is the named given to the“Rock”.

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 12th Foot, indicates that the Lodge made noreturns to United Grand Lodge after 1863. United Grand Lodge records indicate that the Warrant was erasedin 1890.

It is not clear whether this Warrant is referred to by Bro. Frederick Smyth’s The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, in his list on page 38.

The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 (p. 320) reads: “Mount Calpe Lodge. 2ndBattalion, Twelfth Regiment of Foot 1860. (G.L. Warrant) 25 June 1860. Cons. 30 July 1860. No. 1126 ER.No. 824 ER, 1863. Constituted at Tilbury’s Royal Hotel, Aldershot, Hampshire, was subsequently designated2 Battalion Suffolk Regiment. Made no returns after 1863. Erased 5 August 1890.”nd

No further history of the Lodge is known.

[Sources: (1) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro.Frederick Smyth’s Prestonian Lecture for 1990 as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor CoronatiLodge. (2) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (3) History ofFreemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (4) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of theBritish Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 12th Foot.]


The Story of Lodge “Glittering Star” No. 322 (Irish) (1759-1966) and The Beginning of Knight Templary72

in Canada, by Reginald V. Harris, PSGM (Can.), Paper No. 86 in the Canadian Masonic Research Association,1986.

These were: in the 14th Regiment, Lodges No. 211 IC and No. 58 ER(A); in the 29th Regiment, Lodge73

Glittering Star, No. 322 IC; in the 59th Regiment, Lodge No. 243 IC; and in the 64th Regiment, Lodge No. 106 SC.


REF: I25 Lodge No. 211 IC, in Col. Herbert’s Regiment of Foot 1750-1815[now part of The Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 211 on August 2, 1750, to the men of Herbert’sRegiment (later the 14th Regiment of Foot). R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002)of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that according to The Grand LodgeRegister 6 brethren were registered on August 2, 1750 and a further 13 on November 12, 1761. Cochranealso notes that the Lodge was “Noted as working in Boston in October 1768”.

Following the assignment of the 14th Regiment to Halifax in June 1766, the two regimental lodges(211 IC and 58 ER(A)), fraternized with the three local lodges (Lodge No. 1 PRNS(A), held at Pontac’s;Lodge No. 2 PRNS(A), held at the Rowe Barge; and Lodge No. 3 PRNS(A)) as well as lodges in the 29thFoot (No. 311 IC) and 59th Foot (No. 243 IC and No. 5 PRNS(A), and possibly No. 500 IC whose date ofissue is unclear and which may have been working at this time). It is possible that the Royal Arch degree wasworked in Halifax as early as 1750 (by Lodge No. 192 IC, in the 47th (Lascelle’s) Foot) and there is areference by one Frederick Sterling, to his having received it in 1760. But Harris points out that “In the72

period 1765-68, there was much activity in the Royal Arch degree due principally to the presence here of themilitary lodges in the 14th, 29th, 59th and 64th Regiments . A considerable number of civilian brethren in73

Halifax received the degree in these military lodges, including John George Pyke, later Grand Master ofMasons.”. Harris (et al) also cite the recorded working of the Royal Arch and Knight Templar in Boston from1768 onwards as providing an irresistible inference that these two degrees would have been worked inHalifax from 1765-68 by the same lodges.

With the general disturbances in New England, the 14th Regiment was despatched to Boston. Itsarrival there brought the number of military lodges up to five (No. 106 SC in the 64th; No. 211 IC and No 58ER(A) in the 14th Foot; No. 322 IC in the 29th Foot; and No. 243 IC in the 59th Foot). The members of St.Andrew’s Lodge, No. 82 (SC), Boston, (a civilian lodge) desiring a Provincial Grand Lodge under theauthority of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, drew together representatives of No. 82 SC; Lodge No. 106 SC(64th Foot); Lodge No. 58, ER(A) (14th Foot); and Lodge No. 322 IC (29th Foot); and petitioned the GrandLodge of Scotland for the appointment of Dr. Joseph Warren as Provincial Grand Master and of Capt.Jeremiah French and Capt. Ponsonby Molesworth (the latter two being members of Lodge No. 322 IC), asGrand Wardens. The signers of the Petition on behalf of Lodge No. 322 IC, were James Brown, Master;Charles Chambers, SW; and Jas. Smith, JW. A commission was granted in May 1769, naming Dr. JosephWarren as Provincial Grand Master of Massachusetts (Scotland) and he was duly installed at a meeting ofthe Massachusetts Grand Lodge in Boston on December 27, 1769. Also attending the installation were theMaster and Wardens of Lodge No. 322 IC and No. 58 ER(A). At the meetings of the Provincial Grand Lodgeheld on January 12 and March 2, 1770, the Master and Wardens of Lodge No. 322 IC recorded theirattendance.

With regard to Knight Templary, Harris notes that “The most interesting and significant fact,however, in connection with the sojourn of (military) lodges in Boston is the record in the minutes of St.Andrew’s Royal Arch Lodge of August 28th, 1769, when it is recorded that William Davis, P.M. of Lodge No.58 ER(A) in the 14th Regiment received the four degrees of Excellent, Super-Excellent, Royal Arch and


It is interesting to note the variation with the working of the various degrees in Ontario today. The74

“Excellent” degree is embodied in the Most Excellent Master degree (the second) in the three degree progression tothe Royal Arch. The Super Excellent Master is part of the Royal and Select (i.e. Cryptic) Masters of Ontario. TheRoyal Arch degree comprises the Mark Master Mason, Most Excellent Master and Holy Royal Arch. The KnightTemplar consists of three Orders - Illustrious Order of the Red Cross, the Order of Malta, and The Order of theTemple.


Knight Templar, these being “the four steps of a Royal Arch Mason” . At this meeting there were present74

three brethren of Lodge No. 322 in the 29th, two others of Lodge No. 58 in the 14th Regiment, also threeothers, members of St. Andrew’s Lodge and Chapter, Boston, undoubtedly already in possession of thesedegrees. These minutes are the first record of the conferring of the Knight Templar degree in North America.Sir Charles A. Cameron, CB expresses the opinion that Lodge No. 222 “was by far the most likely sourceof these degrees (A.Q.C. XIII p. 156)”. [As an aside, the earliest written indications of the existence of KnightTemplarism as a Masonic degree is dated March 24, 1765. This is the date shown in “The Rules of the HighKnights Templars of Ireland” for Sir Edward Gilmore who is shown in the list of “Members Names of the EarlyGrand Encampment of Ireland”. This document was actually printed with the date of 1788. Source: TheHistory of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland. Vol. I, 1925.]

Cochrane notes that Warrant No. 211 IC was “Cancelled, July 6, 1815 for neglect of duty.”V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland in

1973, lists Warrant No. 211 to the 14th Foot with the notation that “Gould says Regimental Lodge inexistence until 1761, but the Warrant not cancelled until 1815”. He also lists the use of number “211” for twomore Warrants - October 31, 1850 for St. mark’s Middlesex Lodge” at Port Stanley, Canada West(surrendered 1858 on the Lodge joining the new Grand Lodge of Canada) and an undated Warrant for aLodge in Magherafelt, Co. Londonderry.

Bro. Frederick Smyth’s The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the ArmedForces, includes this Warrant in his list on page 39.

Cochrane also lists three further issues of Warrants bearing the number “211” by the Grand Lodgeof Ireland:

• on June 4, 1818, to hold a Lodge at Dromara, Co. Down, cancelled on November 6, 1845 “for non-payment of dues”;

• on October 31, 1850, to hold Middlesex Lodge at Port Stanley, Elgin County, Upper Canada (ninemiles south of the City of St. Thomas), returned June 21, 1858, when the Lodge joined the newGrand Lodge of Canada as St. Mark’s Lodge, No. 53 GRC (now No. 94 GRC); and

• on April 12, 1866, to hold a Lodge in Magherafelt, Co. Londonderry, which is shown as “Current”.

The Grand Lodge of Ireland was contacted in 1999 regarding the availability of a copy of WarrantNo. 211. Their reply dated August 13, 1999 showed that no copy of the Warrant was returned to GrandLodge and no copy exists in Grand Lodge archives.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, limited publication in manuscript form bythe Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro.Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rdEdition, 1886. (4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro.Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge,1990, London. (5) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V. W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printed in TheLodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957, pp 119-141. (6) History of the



Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (7) The Story of Lodge “Glittering Star”No. 322 (Irish) (1759-1966) and The Beginning of Knight Templary in Canada, by Reginald V. Harris, PSGM(Can.), Paper No. 86 in the Canadian Masonic Research Association, 1986. (8) Flags of Masonry in the lineRegiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodgesin the 14th Foot.]


The Story of Lodge "Glittering Star" No. 322 (Irish) (1759-1966) and The Beginning of Knight Templary75





REF: E28 Lodge No. 58 ER(A), in the 14th Regiment of Foot, Halifax 1759-1813[now part of The Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire]

The Antients Grand Lodge issued Warrant No. 58 on January 7, 1759, to hold a lodge in the 14thRegiment of Foot (this being the second Lodge in the Regiment) when the Regiment was stationed in thegarrison at Gibraltar. This was the first Lodge to be formed on Gibraltar under an authority from the Antients’Grand Lodge.

Following the assignment of the 14th Regiment to Halifax in June 1766, the two regimental lodges(211 IC and 58 ER(A)), fraternized with the three local lodges (Lodge No. 1 PRNS(A), held at Pontac’s;Lodge No. 2 PRNS(A), held at the Rowe Barge; and Lodge No. 3 PRNS(A)) as well as lodges in the 29thFoot (No. 311 IC) and 59th Foot (No. 243 IC and No. 5 PRNS(A), and possibly No. 500 IC whose date ofissue is unclear and which may have been working at this time). It is possible that the Royal Arch degree wasworked in Halifax as early as 1750 (by Lodge No. 192 IC in the 47th (Lascelle’s) Foot) and there is areference by one Frederick Sterling, to his having received it in 1760. But Harris points out that “In the75

period 1765-68, there was much activity in the Royal Arch degree due principally to the presence here of themilitary lodges in the 14th, 29th, 59th and 64th Regiments . A considerable number of civilian brethren in76

Halifax received the degree in these military lodges, including John George Pyke, later Grand Master ofMasons.”. Harris (et al) also cite the recorded working of the Royal Arch and Knight Templar in Boston from1768 onwards as providing an irresistible inference that these two degrees would have been worked inHalifax from 1765-68 by the same lodges.

With the general disturbances in New England, the 14th Regiment was despatched to Boston. Itsarrival there brought the number of military lodges up to five (No. 106 SC in the 64th; No. 211 IC and No 58ER(A) in the 14th Foot; No. 322 IC in the 29th Foot; and No. 243 IC in the 59th Foot). The members of St.Andrew’s Lodge, No. 82 SC, Boston, (a civilian lodge) desiring a Provincial Grand Lodge under the authorityof the Grand Lodge of Scotland, drew together representatives of No. 82 SC; Lodge No. 106 SC (64th Foot);Lodge No. 58 ER(A) (14th Foot); and Lodge No. 322 IC (29th Foot); and petitioned the Grand Lodge ofScotland for the appointment of Dr. Joseph Warren as Provincial Grand Master and of Capt. JeremiahFrench and Capt. Ponsonby Molesworth (the latter two being members of Lodge No. 322 IC), as GrandWardens. The signers of the Petition on behalf of Lodge No. 322 IC were James Brown, Master; CharlesChambers, SW; and Jas. Smith, JW. A commission was granted in May 1769, naming Dr. Joseph Warrenas Provincial Grand Master of Massachusetts (Scotland) and he was duly installed at a meeting of theMassachusetts Grand Lodge in Boston on December 27, 1769. Also attending the installation were theMaster and Wardens of Lodge No. 322 IC and No. 58 ER(A). At the meetings of the Provincial Grand Lodgeheld on January 12 and March 2, 1770, the Master and Wardens of Lodge No. 322 IC recorded theirattendance.

With regard to Knight Templary, Harris notes that “The most interesting and significant fact,however, in connection with the sojourn of (military) lodges in Boston is the record in the minutes of St.Andrew’s Royal Arch Lodge of August 28th, 1769, when it is recorded that William Davis, P.M. of Lodge No.58 ER(A) in the 14th Regiment received the four degrees of Excellent, Super-Excellent, Royal Arch and




Lane is distinguishing between two issues of Warrants bearing the same number “58" issued by the78

Antients. No. 58A had been issued on December 1, 1756 to hold at Gibraltar (Malaga) which, he says, “Lapsed verysoon afterwards.” Obviously this was reported to the Grand Lodge as a new Warrant with the reused number wasissued in 1759 to the 14th Foot.


Knight Templar, these being “the four steps of a Royal Arch Mason” . At this meeting there were present77

three brethren of Lodge No. 322 in the 29th, two others of Lodge No. 58 in the 14th Regiment, also threeothers, members of St. Andrew’s Lodge and Chapter, Boston, undoubtedly already in possession of thesedegrees. These minutes are the first record of the conferring of the Knight Templar degree in North America.Sir Charles A. Cameron, CB expresses the opinion that Lodge No. 222 “was by far the most likely sourceof these degrees (A.Q.C. XIII p. 156)”. [As an aside, the earliest written indications of the existence of KnightTemplar as a Masonic degree is dated March 24, 1765. This is the date shown in “The Rules of the HighKnights Templars of Ireland” for Sir Edward Gilmore who is shown in the list of “Members Names of the EarlyGrand Encampment of Ireland”. This document was actually printed with the date of 1788. Source: TheHistory of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland. Vol. I, 1925.]

Following the assignment of the 14th Regiment to Halifax in June 1766, the two regimental lodges(211 IC and 58 ER(A)), fraternized with the three local lodges (Lodge No. 1, PRNS(A), held at Pontac’s;Lodge No. 2 PRNS(A), held at the Rowe Barge; and Lodge No. 3, PRNS(A)) as well as lodges in the 29thFoot (Glittering Star, No. 311 IC) and 59th Foot (243 IC and No. 5 PRNS(A), and possibly No. 500 IC whosedate of issue is unclear and which may have been working at this time).

The history of the Lodge is unknown after the American Revolution. John Lane’s listing notes: “6March 1776, ‘Ordered a renewal of warrant of No. 58 to 14th Reg’t of Foot, whenever they should requireit, at present at St. Augustine’s (Florida)’. Warrant was renewed 20 March 1777. This number appears in theAhiman Rezons of 1804, 1807 and 1813 but the Lodge had ceased to exist.” The Warrant was cancelled in1813.


The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1896 (p. 78) reads: “Fourteenth Regiment of Foot1759. 17 Jan. 1759. (G.L. Warrant) No. 58B . Was at St. Augustine’s, Florida, U.S. of America, in 1776. 678

March 1776, ‘Ordered a renewal of Warrant of No. 58 to 14 Regiment of Foot, whenever they should requireth

it, at present at St. Augustine’s.’ G. L. Min. Warrant was renewed 20 March 1777. This number appears inthe Ahiman Rezons of 1804, 1807 and 1813, but the Lodge had ceased to exist.”

[Sources: (1) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro.Frederick Smyth’s Prestonian Lecture for 1990 as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor CoronatiLodge. (2) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (3) History ofFreemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (4) The Story of Lodge "Glittering Star" No. 322(Irish) (1759-1966) and The Beginning of Knight Templary in Canada, by Reginald V. Harris, PSGM (Can.),Paper No. 86 in the Canadian Masonic Research Association, 1986. (5) History of the Grand Lodge of Freeand Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (6) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army,by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 14th Foot.]



REF: I31 Lodge No. 168 IC, in The Royal Regiment of Ireland (restyled the 18th Regiment of Foot in1751) 1747-1801[part of The Royal Irish Regiment - disbanded 1922]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 168 on September 2, 1747, to the men of The RoyalRegiment of Ireland (which would be restyled as the 18th Regiment of Foot in 1751). R. W. Bro. KeithCochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973,notes that the Warrant was issued to “Colonel Folliott’s Regiment of Foot” although Military records showthat the designation was “The Royal Regiment of Ireland”. Cochrane also notes that the Grand LodgeRegister shows no names were registered when the Warrant was requested.

It is possible that Lodge No. 168 IC met and worked in Boston, Massachusetts and Halifax, NovaScotia, when the 18th Foot was based assigned to those cities (1775 and 1776) but this is not clear and theabsence of Lodge Minute Books or other source documents makes it impossible to say for certainty.

In the History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER, Gibraltar, contained on the website of the GibraltarProvincial Grand Lodge, it is noted that “In 1792 there were no fewer than eleven military or travellingLodges in Gibraltar, one Irish in the 18th Regiment . . . .”. There is no further information regarding the lengthof time the Regiment and its Lodge worked on Gibraltar. This reference is somewhat problematic as therewere two Irish Lodges in the 18th Foot at this time—the other being No. 351 (Warrant issued August 7, 1760,cancelled July 2, 1818) and it is not clear to which Lodge the reference was made. Cochrane notes fromGrand Lodge records that Lodge No. 714 IC (in the 68th (Durham) Regiment was working in Gibraltar in1792, with five other Irish Lodges—Nos. 11 (1st (Royal) Foot); 168 (18th (Royal Irish) Foot); 227 (46th Foot);604 (11th (North Devonshire) Foot); and 690 (51st Foot).

Warrant No. 168 IC was erased from the Rolls of the Grand Lodge of Ireland on November 5, 1801.Crossle notes that the number “168” was used for an Warrant (no date shown) for Ionic Lodge in

Ballymacarett, Co. Down. Cochrane notes that the first reissue of a Warrant with the number “168” was onJanuary 7, 1813, to form a Lodge in Derrygorey, Emyvale, Co. Monaghan, which was cancelled onSeptember 7, 1843. He notes that a further reissue with the number “168” was made on July 18, 1845, tohold a Lodge at Balleywatermoy, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, the Warrant being suspended and sent in on June30, 1856. Cochrane then lists the final issue of Warrant No. 168 on June 7, 1895, to form “Ionic Lodge” atBallymacarett, Belfast (the Crossle reference) and that the Lodge is listed as “Current”.


An enquiry was made in September 1999 to the Grand Lodge of Ireland to determine whether a copyof Warrant No. 168 was available in the Archives, and for a copy of it if it was there. The reply noted thatno copy or original was in their files.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Philip Crossle, P.G.S.D., published by the Grand Lodge ofIreland, 1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s IrishMasonic Records, 1973. (3) “The Poor Common Soldier,” A Study of the Irish Ambulatory Warrants, by JohnHeron Lepper, in his paper printed in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1925. (4) TheAmerican War of Independence and Freemasonry, by Bro. Alphonse Cerza, as printed in the Transactionsof Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (5) History of Freemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (6) Some Noteson Irish Military Warrants, by V. W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as reprinted in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C.,Ireland, Transactions for the Years 1949-1957, printed 1959, Dublin. (7) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitledas reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (8) History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER,Gibraltar, Lodge website <www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/history.htm>. (9) Flags of Masonry in the lineRegiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodgesin the 18th Foot.]


Although Cochrane’s notes say “18th Regiment” this is a typographical error and should read “17th79

Regiment”.


REF: E34 Royal Egypt Lodge, No. 18 PRJamaica(A), in the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot 1810-????

REF: I32 Lodge No. 351 IC, in the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot 1760-1818[part of The Royal Irish Regiment - disbanded 1922]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 351 on August 7, 1760, to the men of the 18th(Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot. R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro.Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that seven brethren were registered on August 7, 1760,including “Sergt. Wm. Watson, Master; Joseph Webber and John Milford, Wardens”. A further 46 brethrenwere registered up to June 23, 1784.

Cochrane notes that “About 1769 Royal Arch Lodge, No. 3, Philadelphia, was in closecommunication with this Lodge in the 18th Regiment , and the two bodies were in the habit of lending their79

Royal Arch furniture to one another. [Note: it is likely that Royal Arch Lodge, No. 3, was a local Lodge andit would have been normal for Lodges to share their equipment and furniture during the American Revolutionwhen it was likely impossible to obtain new or replacement furniture.]

W. Bro. Sheppard notes that on August 30, 1794, Brother Joseph Gough of Lodge No. 351 IC, joinedLodge No. 218 IC, held in the 48th Foot.

In the History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER, Gibraltar, contained on the website of the GibraltarProvincial Grand Lodge, it is noted that “In 1792 there were no fewer than eleven military or travellingLodges in Gibraltar, one Irish in the 18th Regiment . . . .”. There is no further information regarding the lengthof time the Regiment and its Lodge worked on Gibraltar. This reference is somewhat problematic as therewere two Irish Lodges in the 18th Foot at this time—the other being No. 168 (Warrant issued September 2,1747, erased November 5, 1801) and it is not clear to which Lodge this reference is made. On March 26,1793, the Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalusia (aka Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar) suspended LodgeNo. 351 for 12 months because it had not paid its rent and account to that Provincial Grand Lodge.

Warrant No. 351 IC was cancelled on July 2, 1818. Bro. Frederick Smyth’s The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed

Forces, includes this Warrant in his list on page 39.Crossle notes that the number “351” was used in 1825 for a Warrant for a Lodge in Monaghan.

Cochrane lists the date of issue as May 5, 1825 and notes that the Lodge is still “Current”.An enquiry was made in September 1999 to the Grand Lodge of Ireland to determine whether a copy

of Warrant No. 351 was available in the Archives, and for a copy of it if it was there. The reply noted thatno copy or original was in their files.

Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry, shows a local Warrant No. 18 being issued bythe Provincial Grand Lodge of Jamaica (Antients) to a Lodge in the 18th Foot (list of Lodges in the 18th Foot,p. 401). No further information about this Warrant is known. Although there were two Battalions in the 18thFoot and both served in the West Indies, this Warrant was likely a local issue to Lodge No. 351 as LodgeNo. 168 IC had expired and its Warrant had been cancelled by 1801. Another reinforcing fact is that, as aone Battalion Regiment, the 18th Foot had fought at Alexandria and Cairo in 1801, and the selection ofLodge name would have perpetuated the success of the Regiment there. Smyth does not include thisWarrant in his list on page 39.

The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894, (p. 484) reads: “Royal Egyptian Lodge. No.18, Provincial. Military Encampment, Upcamp (St. Andrew’s) Surrey. (Prov. Warrant) 1810. Prov. G. L.Jamaica.”



[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Philip Crossle, P.G.S.D., published by the Grand Lodge ofIreland, 1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s IrishMasonic Records, 1973. (3) “The Poor Common Soldier,” A Study of the Irish Ambulatory Warrants, by JohnHeron Lepper, in his paper printed in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1925. (4) TheAmerican War of Independence and Freemasonry, by Bro. Alphonse Cerza, as printed in the Transactionsof Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (5) History of Freemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (6) Some Noteson Irish Military Warrants, by V. W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as reprinted in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C.,Ireland, Transactions for the Years 1949-1957, printed 1959, Dublin. (7) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitledas reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (8) History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER,Gibraltar, Lodge website <www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/history.htm>. (9) Masonic Records 1717-1894, byJohn Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (10) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, byW. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 18th Foot.]



REF: E36 Lodge No. 3 PRGibraltar, in the 19th Regiment of Foot 1762/71?-1771?REF: I33 Lodge No. 156 IC, in The Green Howards (restyled as the 19th Regiment of Foot in 1751)

1747-1779/80[now The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales’s Own Yorkshire Regiment)]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 156 on either March 4 or May 7, 1747, to the menof The Green Howards (which was restyled as the 19th Regiment of Foot in 1751). While there is no recordof the Lodge in the Register of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the minutes of Lodge No. 19 IC, Youghal, showthat Lodge No. 156 IC in the 19th Regiment of Foot was quartered at Kinsale in November 1780.

When the Regiment was assigned to Gibraltar the Lodge accompanied it and obtained a localWarrant as No. 3, from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalusia at Gibraltar. At about the same time (W.Bro. Ray Sheppard says July 1779) the Lodge surrendered Warrant No. 156 IC to the Provincial GrandLodge of Munster who in turn transferred it to a new civilian Lodge at Kinsale, Co. Cork with effect from July1779. The issue of the Gibraltar Warrant would appear to have occurred in the period 1762 to 1771 whenthe 19th Foot was stationed in Gibraltar.

R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s IrishMasonic Records, 1973, notes that “Records indicate that the Royal Arch and Knight Templar Degrees wereworked as early as 1776. On 7 February 1778 the Lodge was assisted by Bro. Amyas Griffiths in the workingof the Royal Arch Degree and from that date there are regular references to both these degrees.”

Although it is not clear when No. 3 PRGibraltar was surrendered, it would likely have occurred about1771 or 1772 when the 19th Foot was returned to England until its assignment to the southern Americancolonies during the Revolution. The local number “3” was assigned to a Warrant in 1803, to hold a Lodgein the 100th (The Prince of Wales Royal Canadians) Regiment of Foot.

Bro. Frederick Smyth’s The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the ArmedForces, includes the date of the issue of No. 156 IC in his list on page 39 but does not include the localGibraltar Warrant. There is no entry for the Gibraltar Warrant in john Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894.

Crossle notes that the number “156” was used for three additional Irish Warrants while Cochranequalifies these with more accurate dates for issue or cancellation:

• in 1779 for a Lodge at Kinsale, Co. Cork (surrendered or struck off in 1834). Cochrane notes thisissue as dated March 15, 1779, made by the Provincial Deputy Grand Master of Munster (probablySeton), and that the name of the Lodge was “Select Aholiab Boyne”. He notes that the Lodgeappears to have moved to different towns as the Lodge seal was changed to show Kinsale andBandon. The Warrant was suspended on July 6, 1848.;

• in 1848 when it was exchanged for the higher numbered Warrant No. 528 which had been issuedon October 5, 1775 for a Lodge at Kinsale, Co. Cork (no date of surrender or cancellation shown).Cochrane does not indicate this issue as being made; and

• (no date shown) for Golden Pillar Lodge in Belfast (also with no date of surrender or cancellationshown). Cochrane lists June 7, 1894 as the date for this new Warrant bearing the number “156” forGolden Pillar Lodge, Beechpark Hall, Oldpark Road, Belfast, and lists the Warrant as “Current” in2002.

In response to an enquiry to the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1999 to obtain a copy of Warrant No. 156 thereply noted that no copy of the Warrant could be found in the archives.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Philip Crossle, P.G.S.D., published by the Grand Lodge ofIreland, 1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish



Masonic Records, 1973. (3) “The Poor Common Soldier,” A Study of the Irish Ambulatory Warrants, by JohnHeron Lepper, in his paper printed in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1925. (4) History ofFreemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (5) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V. W. Bro.R. E. Parkinson, as reprinted in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions for the Years 1949-1957, printed 1959, Dublin. (6) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the ArmedForces, Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled as reprinted in the Transactions ofQuatuor Coronati Lodge. (7) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (7)Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C.,September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 19th Foot.]


There has never been any documentary evidence brought to light to prove the Wolfe was a Mason,80

although there has always been a belief that he probably was one. He was Brigadier-General in the second siegeand capture of Louisbourg (1758) and commander of the forces which attacked and captured Quebec (1759). Wolfejoined the Army in 1741 and by 1749 he succeeded Hon. Edward Cornwallis as Lieutenant-Colonel of the XXthFoot. Although there is no record of his initiation, it has always been believed that he was initiated into Lodge No.63 IC (which had been established on January 12, 1737) during the tenure of Lord George Sackville as Master ofthe Lodge. In 1756 the XXth was augmented with a 2nd Battalion which became the 67th Foot in 1758 with Wolfeas Colonel.

Lord George Sackville was Colonel of the 20th Foot from 1746 to 1749, and he transferred in April 175781

to the 2nd Dragoon Guards as Colonel of the Regiment. He was Grand Master of Ireland in 1751.

Edward Cornwallis was born at 14 Leicester Square, London on March 5, 1711, the sixth son of82

Charles, fourth Baron Cornwallis and Lady Charlotte Butler (daughter of Richard Earl of Arran and grand-daughterof James Butler, first Duke of Ormond, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland during the reigns of Charles I and II). EdwardCornwallis was the uncle of Lord Cornwallis who surrendered to American forces at Yorktown. Edward Cornwalliswas gazetted an Ensign in the 47th Foot on May 4, 1731 and Lieutenant in 1734. In 1737 he was promoted toCaptain and transferred to the XXth Regiment of Foot where he was promoted to Major (1744) and Lieutenant-Colonel (1745) from which he resigned due to ill health in 1746. He was replaced by Major James Wolfe. In 1748,Cornwallis was named as Captain-General and the first Governor of Nova Scotia, arriving at Chebucto harbour inthe sloop Sphinx (some records show he arrived in HMS Beaufort) on June 21, 1749 (old style; July 2, 1749 newstyle) with 1,149 settlers and settler-families. Chebucto was selected as the site of Halifax (named after LordHalifax, Governor of the Board of Trade and Plantations and Secretary of State for the Home Colonies) and thecapital was transferred there from Annapolis Royal. In October 1753 Cornwallis was appointed as Lt.-Col. of the24th Foot and served with the Regiment on Minorca until the island was lost to Spanish forces and Cornwallis was“disgraced” by being promoted to Major-General on February 12, 1757; served in Ireland; promoted Lt.-General onOctober 27, 1760 and made Colonel of the 24th Foot. In 1762 he was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar, which he held until his death on January 14, 1776. Cornwallis is masonically important for havinghelped establish Lodge 63 IC, in the XXth Foot at Gibraltar in 1737; First Lodge at Halifax, No. 1, PRNS(A) in 1750of which he was named first Master in a Warrant from Henry Price dated December 24, 1740; and Lodge No. 426ER(M) in the Cornwallis Regiment (24th Foot) at Gibraltar in 1768. He was named as SW of Lodge No. 63 IC, inthe XXth Foot, in the renewal Warrant issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland on December 20, 1748. After returningto Gibraltar as Governor, he was the Founder Master of Lodge No. 426 ER(M), in the 24th Regiment. In addition tobeing an Irish Mason he was an active member of the Moderns.

An active member of the Moderns’ Grand Lodge and grantee of one of its Warrants.83


REF: I34 Minden Lodge, No. 63 IC, in the 1st Battalion, XXth Regiment of Foot, various locations1759?-1869

REF: I34 Lodge 63 IC, in the 1st Battalion, XXth Regiment of Foot, various locations 1737-1869[now part of The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers]

The Lodge for the XXth Regiment was warranted as No. 63 by the Grand Lodge of Ireland onJanuary 12, 1736/7, when the Regiment was in garrison duty at Gibraltar. The Founder Master is believedto have been the Hon. Edward Cornwallis and that Major James Wolfe was “made a Mason” in the Lodge80

(History of St. Andrew’s Lodge, Halifax, NS, by R. V. Harris, 1920, page 14). The Warrant became lost atsome point during the following decade as a Warrant of Confirmation was granted on December 20, 1748by the Grand Lodge of Ireland to: “1. Lord George Sackville , as Master; 2. Lt.-Col. Edward Cornwallis ,81 82

Senior Warden; and 3. Capt. Milburne , Junior Warden”. The Lodge adopted the name “Minden” sometime83

after the Battle of August 1, 1759, when the XXth Regiment, in brigade with the 25th and 51st Regiments,fought valiantly but was badly mauled. The Lodge accompanied the Regiment throughout all of its trials andtribulations and, during its frequent moves. It is not surprising (nor is it uncommon among Lodges of the



time) that returns to the Grand Lodge of Ireland either were not prepared or were lost in transit; by 1801 theGrand Lodge of Ireland considered the Lodge defunct as no returns for the preceding 40 years had beenreceived and included No. 63 IC in the list of erased Warrants for that year. R. W. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes the cancellationdue to “. . . . nothing having been heard of it (Lodge No. 63 IC) in Dublin since 1786.” In spite of this,information was clearly reaching the Lodge as the twenty-six resolutions issued by the Grand Secretary,William Dickey, and dated July 6, 1772, are appended to a copy of the Lodge By-Laws.

The XXth Regiment and Lodge No. 63 IC were posted to the Thirteen Colonies in 1775 and it ispossible that the Lodge worked there. On October 12, 1777 the British Forces at Saratoga were surrenderedto the Americans under the command of General Gates, and the XXth Foot was amongst the Regimentsmade prisoners of war until 1783 when they were released and returned to Britain. The loss of the MinuteBook in India (during the Mutiny) prevents any clear picture of the working of the Lodge during and after itscaptivity in America. Cochrane does note, however, that “A Lodge of Freemasons was worked by certainBrunswick brethren, with their Irish brethren under this Warrant, while interned as prisoners of war atCharlotteville, Virginia, during the year 1780.” He also cites CC Transactions Vol. 10 for “details of the doingsof the Lodge during this period of captivity”.

Interestingly enough some additional information on this matter has been provided by BrotherCaptain William Thomas, in his article Freemasonry in the British Army, published in the Grand Lodge ofScotland Year Book, 1997. Captain Thomas cites research by Carl Kaempe, of Brunswick: “Under theBrunswick and Hessian officers lodging in the barracks at Charlotteville, were some Freemasons. In thebarracks-encampment was an English Military Lodge, known as Irish Lodge No. 63 of the 20th EnglishRegiment of the Line. With this Lodge such officers as were Masons affiliated, and a number of other officerswere entered, passed and raised by it. Among the Brunswick officers was Ensign Johann Heinrich Carl vonBernewitz, one of the most prominent soldiers of the period, who was also initiated by the English Lodge No.63, and became later (1806-1809) W. Master of Lodge ‘Carl Zur Gekroeenten Saeule’ (Charles of theCrowned Pillar) in Brunswick.. In the Archives of this Lodge are kept manuscripts written by von Bernewitzfrom which it is learned that the officers erected a part lodge, a deputation lodge of the English Lodge, andworked by themselves. The manuscripts open with a ‘List of the Brethren Freemasons with the Germantroops in barracks at Charlotteville, Albemarle County, dated February 13th, 1780.’ In this list are given thenames of nine officers (eight Brunswick and one Hessian) who had been made Masons in Germany . . . anda further thirteen names of German officers . . . admitted and also passed and raised in part from Januaryto August, 1780, inclusive, by Lodge No. 63.

The XXth, accompanied by Lodge No. 63 IC was in Halifax from June 1789 to June 1792, when itwas assigned to Santo Domingo and Jamaica. There is no surviving documentation to show that the Lodgewas working but there is no reason not to believe so. Halifax had been a key military installation and thereis evidence that most regiments with Lodges during their time in Halifax, met and worked the variousdegrees. By 1796 the XXth arrived in Plymouth and mustered only 6 officers and 70 NCO’s, Drummers andPrivates. Such loss of manpower probably hit the Lodge very hard.

The Lodge did survive. Cochrane notes that “The oldest record of the Meeting of the Lodge, and atwhich it mustered 18 members, is dated at Victoriosa, Malta, 29 March 1802. They met ‘. . . for the purposeth

of installation . . . . Bro. Charles Whitton was . . . installed Worshipful Master’.” The movement of the XXthRegiment, however, and its severe loss of manpower through deaths in action, interfered with the workingof the Lodge until it returned to Ireland in late 1811. At that time the Lodge made contact with Grand Lodgewho granted a renewal of the Warrant “free of charge”on February 28, 1812. But even this was short-livedas the XXth sailed for Corunna on October 14, 1812 and did not return to Ireland until July 1814, when“regular” meetings of the Lodge were again started. In December 1818 the Regiment sailed for St. Helenato take over the guard duty of Napoleon Bonaparte. Cochrane notes that appended to the minutes of theLodge meeting of December 7, 1818 is the note “This was the last night the Body met [in Ireland] before itembarked for the island of St. Helena, in the beginning of 1819. [Signed] H. Hollinsworth.”

The Lodge appears to have become dormant between 1819 and 1824 and its next recorded meetingwas on August 19, 1824, at Cannanore, when it was resuscitated by four members. The situation was


Sheppard notes that “This Lodge worked the Royal Arch under its original Craft Warrant until October84

1838, when a separate Warrant was issued by the Supreme Grand R. A. Chapter of Ireland.”


explained by the WM, Bro. H. Hollinsworth to Grand Lodge, and by the end of 1824 membership stood at27 brethren. By March 1825 the Regiment and Lodge were at Poonah and Lodge meetings were restarted.Cochrane notes that “On the 24 October this year [1825], the Minden Lodge assisted in laying theth

foundation stone of a Temple to Masonry, at which Bro. Lieut. Gen. Sir Charles Colville, Commander inChief, assisted as Grand Master.” Indications are that the Lodge made a significant contribution to thisedifice, as well as to the Masonic Orphan Asylum in Dublin.

Further movement of the XXth Foot allowed the Lodge to meet sporadically in Tabreez and Colabah,Persia, and the major problem appears to have been the location of a suitable facility in which the reported60 members could meet and work degrees, including the Royal Arch (there is a surviving Royal Arch84

Medal, in the Grand Lodge Library, which was presented to Bro. Henry Clinton “for his unwearied zeal in thecause of the Craft.” On January 5, 1831 the Regiment arrived in Belgium and the Lodge met on January 19;membership would continue to be a problem when members were transferred away from the Regiment, agold square being presented to a Bro. Taylor on his departure for England.

Given the hectic pace of military life and the frequency of movements, it would not be surprising tosee some “corners being cut”. In 1828 the Lodge was fined one guinea by the Grand Lodge of Ireland forhaving admitted a member under age, following a complaint by United Grand Lodge. The Lodge protestedinnocence and was let off with a warning “to be more particular in the observance of the Constitutions infuture”.

The effect of military life is reflected by Cochrane’s notes on the Lodge - indicating that 159members were registered during its twenty years in India, but the loss of 402 members of the Regiment toother assignments, retirements or death, reduced the Lodge membership to 20 by the time the XXth returnedto England in May 1837. Only one member of the Lodge who had belonged to it before departure fromEngland in 1812 was still in the XXth Foot and a member of Lodge No. 63 IC, when it returned to England.

The Lodge worked the Royal Arch under its original Craft Warrant until October 1838, when aseparate Warrant was issued by the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Ireland.

Between 1838 and 1844 the Lodge was again dormant and records show only two meetings, oneof which was held on May 24, 1838 to present Bro. Assistant Surgeon with a gold Past Master’s medal.Cochrane indicates that the duties of rebuilding the Regiment and the lack of any suitable meeting placewere major impediments to Lodge meetings.

Lodge No. 63 IC resumed meetings in 1844 in St. George’s, Bermuda, under the Mastership of Bro.Captain South. One of the first activities of the Lodge was to update and print a new set of By-Laws and toacquire a Library for the Lodge. During this time a number of members of the Royal Sappers and Miners,based on the Island, were initiated into Minden Lodge. In 1936 a Keystone was found in Calcutta (now in theMuseum in the District Grand Lodge of Bengal) measuring 13¼” high, 11f” across top, 7” wide acrossbottom, and 3e” deep. On the obverse are the usual letters and concentric circles, and in the centre a VOSLon which are a square and compasses and the words “MARK CHART”. On the reverse is “MINDEN LODGE”,beneath it is the number 63, surmounted by a crown and wreath, underneath this is XX Regt. This “RossKeystone” was made in Bermuda in 1845 by a Bro. Ross of the Royal Sappers and Miners, who was amember of the Lodge. In addition to the Keystone, fifteen books of the Lodge are in the Museum in Bengal,including a Bible, published in Edinburgh in 1813, Oliver on Freemasonry, vol. ii, 1846, and thirteen volumesof the Freemason’s Quarterly Review, 1834-45, all of which remain from the Bermuda sojourn.

The Lodge was stationed at Kingston, Upper Canada, with the Regiment, from 1847 to 1853-54 andmeetings were reinstituted and regularized. On July 28, 1848, Minden Lodge celebrated its Centenary witha church service at St. George’s Church, Kingston and a dinner at “Mr. Bamford’s Hotel”. A special Medalwas struck to record the event. During this period a number of members of the Lodge paid fraternal visits


Information supplied by W. Bro. Alan Black, PJGD, PM St. George’s Lodge, No. 374 ER, Montreal, in85

December 2001.

Zetland Lodge commenced life under the name “The Canning Lodge”, No. 11 PRMWH, on December86

27, 1828, changing its name to “Zetland” in 1844. It went through a series of renumberings depending on theauthority under which it worked - No. 11, PRMWH; No. 731 ER; No. 5, PRMWH; No. 15 GRC; No. 21 GRC; No. 7GRQ; No. 12 GRQ and is, now, Zetland Lodge, No. 13 GRQ, Montreal.


to St. Paul’s Lodge, No. 374 ER, Montreal and recorded in the Tyler’s Register (or Porch Book) as follows :85

• May 14, 1850 - W. Bro. J. South and Bro. A. Turner;

• November 11, 1850 - W. Bro. South and Bros. Levy, Oliver, Sayers, Griggs, Matheson, Waring,Higgins and Robertson;

• December 18, 1850 - W. Bro. South and Bros. Levy, Robinson, Griggs, Shaddock, Harris, Kilburn,Waring, Oliver, Sayers, Maycock, A. J. Cuninghame, W. D. Radcliffe and Turner (the last fournamed are listed in the Register as only “XXth Regiment” and could have been members of eitherNo. 63 IC, or other Lodges);

• December 27, 1850 - W. Bro. Cunningham, W.M. (no initials and could have been the Bro. A. J.Cuninghame previously listed as a visitor), W. Bro. South, Bros. Oliver, Radcliffe (with the “e”),Crespigny, Turner, Bury, McNeill, Wetherall, Rogers, Ward, Kinnear, McDougall, Alexander,Maycock, Lindsay. W. Bro. Black advises that the Lodge records intimate that the 19th and 23rdRegiments had departed Montreal around this time which accords with the Regimental histories;

• February 11, 1851 - W. Bros. Cunningham and South, Bros. Bury, Radcliffe, Dawson, Maycock,Clarke, Levy, Matheson, Shaddock, Crawford, Ussher, Platt, Sterling, Robertson, Geraghty, Parkin,Waring and Bilham;

• March 11, 1851 - W. Bro. Oliver South;

• November 11, 1851 - W. Bro. South;

• December 27, 1851 - W. Bros. Oliver and South, Bros. W. P. Radcliffe, SW, and W. N. McNeill andD. Bilham;

• January 15, 1852 - W. Bro. F. Oliver and Bro. W. Fane Keane;

• February 10, 1852 - no visitors from Minden Lodge, No. 63 IC, but the Lodge Minutes note that “.. . communications were read from Minden Lodge No. 63 and Zetland Lodge No. 731 conveying86

the usual congratulations of the Brethren along with lists of the officers of those Lodges for thecurrent year . . . .”

• March 9, 1852 - Bros. Farmer and D. Bethune;

• December 14, 1852 - W. Bro. Oliver, Bros. Leet and Voss;

• December 27, 1852 - W. Bros. Oliver and South;

• February 8, 1853 - Bros. Bury and Leet;



• March 2, 1853 - Bros. Adams, Voss and Leet;

• March 8, 1853 - Bros. Adams, Voss and Leet;

• March 29, 1853 - W. Bro. South and Bro. Leet;

• April 5, 1853 - no visitors from Minden Lodge, No. 63 IC, but the Lodge Minutes note that “The WMread a communication from Bro. Oliver, PM, Minden Lodge, requesting the acceptance by the Lodgeof two Masonic songs with chorus, and a Masonic Anthem. VWPM Bethune moved, seconded byBro. Harris, that the thanks of the Lodge be conveyed by the Secy. to Bro. Oliver for his acceptablegift.”

• April 12, 1853 - no visitors from Minden Lodge, No. 63 IC, but the Lodge Minutes note that “The WMintimated that he had received from the WM of the Minden Lodge a communication intimating thata Lodge of MMMs would be held on the 16th inst., when any of the Brethren of St. Paul’s Lodgewould have an opportunity of taking that degree.”

• April 21, 1853 - no visitors from Minden Lodge, No. 63 IC, but the Lodge Minutes note that “The WMhad received a communication from the Secy. of the Minden Lodge informing him that the Lodgeof Most Excellent Masters attached to the Minden Lodge would assemble on Monday evening next,instead of Saturday.”

• March 14, 1854 - Bros. Keane, Adams and Voss;

• March 22, 1854 - Bros. Keane, Adams and Voss; and

• April 19, 1854 - no visitors from Minden Lodge, No. 63 IC, but the Lodge Minutes note that “. . . Bros.Voss and Clarke elected joining members of St. Paul’s Lodge.”

In addition to the foregoing members of Minden Lodge who visited St. Paul’s Lodge, the Registerof Visitors of St. Paul’s RA Chapter, No. 374 ER, Montreal, reflect the following visitors from the RA Chapterattached to Minden Lodge, No. 63 IC:

• May 15, 1851 - M. Ex. Companion Oliver and Companions Maycock, Sayers, Levy, Lee, Robins,Griggs and Waring;

• April 15, 1852 - M. Ex. Companion Bilham and Companions Grain and Keane; and

• February 11, 1853 - M. Ex. Companions Oliver, South and Bilham (all listed as PZ’s) andCompanions Keane, Bury, Levy, Shaddock, Kilburn and Powell.

Problems between Ancient Frontenac Chapter, No. 431 ER, and Minden Lodge arose in 1848 whenthe latter, following usual Irish Masonic practice, accepted civilians into its linked Chapter. AncientFrontenac’s letter of August 4, 1848 was replied to by Minden Chapter on August 8, 1848. The issue was putto the Grand Lodge of Ireland by Minden Lodge, but no action seems to have been taken. During this periodthe Lodge and Chapter, both, maintained a relationship with St. Paul’s Lodge, No. 374 ER, Montreal. TheXXth Regiment of Foot, accompanied by Minden Lodge, departed in 1853 for India and eventually the Lodgewas settled in Ireland and became civilian.

The two letters came to light in the archives of the Grand Lodge of Ireland and were sent by V. W.Bro. Philip Crossle, Librarian of the Grand Lodge, under cover of a letter dated July 11, 1934, to the GrandLodge A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario. They resided in the archives until they were copied



for the use of Ancient St. John’s Lodge in 1961.

Letter from Ancient Frontenac Royal Arch Chapter to Minden Lodge and Chapter

August 4, 1848

Dear Sir and Brother,

Grounded on a special report of the Board of General Purposes of this Chapter.

As the first principal thereof I deem it my duty to enter on behalf of said Chapter a “protest” against theconferring upon Brethren Civilians, residents of this City, any of the higher degrees of Masonry usually givenunder Chapter Warrants attached to the Minden; a Military Lodge in H.M. XX Regt. Foot stationed here.

In consider the conferring (of) those degrees upon Brethren Civilians, in a Military Chapter when there is aChapter (Civilian) working in this City, without first notifying such last named Chapter “at least” a great departurefrom Masonic courtesy.

I further consider that such conduct is a serious transgression of the strict masonic rules of the Constitution,and that until further informed by competent authority it will be my bounden duty not to acknowledge ascompanions and Brethren (Civilians) so exalted. I shall also take immediate steps to notify the Chapters inCanada of the conduct of the Chapter attached to the Minden Lodge in the matter. I shall also communicate thename of those brethren (Civilians) so having received the Degrees that proper action may be taken thereon.

Further I have felt it my duty to reprimand those companions of this Chapter who were present when the“Mark Degree” was conferred on certain Brethren (Civilians).

I beg to remain, Dear Sir and brother,

Fraternally yours,

(Signed) Thos. J. Angel

Ancient Frontenac Royal Arch Chapter Kingston C.W.

To Bro. F. Oliver

W.M. Minden Lodge

& 1st Principal of the Chapter

thereof attached.

[Source: Freemasonry at Kingston, Upper Canada, 1781-1850, by John E. Taylor, p. 20.]

Rebuttal from Minden Lodge/Chapter

Minden Chapter Room

8th August 1848

To Bro. T. J. Angel

Dear Sir and Brother,

Had your communication of the 4 instant been couched in terms more consonant with a Masonic spirit ofth

charity towards those whom you may have considered as erring Brethren, we should have been most willing to



have discussed the subject in dispute with you, and if convinced that we had acted contrary to the usages ofMasonry we would cheerfully have made any reparation in our power, but the style of your letter betrays sucha spirit of unkindness as bars all discussion, and more especially as we cannot recognize your right to censure.What we have done will be fully stated in our communication to the Grand Lodge; by its award we will stand orfall, and of the results whatever it may be we will not fail to acquaint you - in the meantime - for the reasonsalready set forth we decline all further correspondence of the subject.

I beg to remain, Dear Sir and brother,

Fraternally yours,

(Signed) F. Oliver

W.M. Lodge No. 63, 1st Principal of the

R.A.C. attached to Minden Lodge.

[Source: Freemasonry at Kingston, Upper Canada, 1781-1850, by John E. Taylor, p. 21.]

In 1853 the XXth and Minden Lodge were again transferred to India. During the period 1748-1851,193 members were registered with Grand Lodge but the Lodge was subsequently sadly decimated duringthe Indian Mutiny. Bro. Frederick Smyth notes that “. . . the Mutiny . . . in 1857 accounted for thedisappearance of the (Warrant) . . . .”.

A last registration was made in 1852 from India. Smyth notes on page 226 that the Warrantdisappeared in 1857, during the Indian Mutiny. Grand Lodge heard nothing of the Lodge until 1868 when itreported to Grand Lodge that the Lodge Warrant, jewels and regalia were lost in India, and Grand Lodgemarked the Lodge as “not working” in the Register for 1869. Although being reduced in numbers (at one timeto four members), the Lodge continued working and regained its strength, contributing to the expansion ofFreemasonry in India. Minden Lodge, No. 464 ER, Calcutta, formed in 1920, adopted the name “Minden”in honour of the Regiment and its original travelling Lodge.

The Lodge was eventually located in Ireland and became stationary. Cochrane does not close outthe notes on Minden Lodge, No. 63 IC, with any indication of the eventual fate of the Lodge or its members.He does note that a new Warrant No. 63 was issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland on June 8, 1891, forHarmony Lodge, Magazine Street, Londonderry, Co. Londonderry, and that the Lodge is “Current”.

A copy of Warrant No. 63 was requested from the Grand Lodge of Ireland in October 1999 and theresponse advised that “Warrant No. 63 in the 20th Foot was lost in India during the 1860’s.”

A history of the Lodge, or running commentary on some of its activities has been found and aphotocopy of some of the pages has been provided by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard. This commentary appearsto be in a journal or book form and the pages are numbered, pages 50 to 53 inclusive being available, andare reproduced below:

- page 50 -

. . . . which were delivered at its meeting on the Symbols of Masonry. A series of lectures on Man wasalso delivered in the Lodge by Bro. Asst. Surgeon Moffatt. Bro. Capt. Taylor was, on his departure forEngland, presented with a gold square. On 21 December 1836 the regiment encamped at Vingoria,st

previous to embarkation for England, and remained in camp a month. Hearing of this detentionEnsign A. G. Shaw, 22 Native Infantry, took a long and difficult journey to Vingoria and petitionednd

the brethren of the Lodge for advancement in Masonry, his request being at once complied with. During its stay in India the Lodge had enrolled 150 members under its banner, but of these only 20



set sail for England:- the cause of this was that many of the Regiment (not less than 402) hadvolunteered for services with other corps and many of the members of the Lodge belonged toregiments of the Native Army or held permanent appointments in India.

- page 51 -

The following are the details of the number of initiates: Of H. M. service:- 1 Lieutenant- Colonel, 10 Captains, 12 Lieutenants, 1 Surgeon, 3 Assistant Surgeons, 72 non-commissioned officers, 1Private. Of H. E. I. C. service:- 1 Judge, 12 others of the civil service, 2 Chaplains, 9 Lieutenants,2 Assistant Surgeons, 1 Ensign, 27 non-commissioned officers. Of those who had left England asmembers of the Lodge only one returned to his native land. Up to 9 October 1828 the “Superiorth

Degrees” had been conferred under the old warrant of the Lodge but on that date a charter wasobtained from the Grand Chapter of Ireland for the working of the Royal Arch Degree. Severalwidows and orphans of deceased brethren were entirely supported by the Lodge, and grants ofconsiderable sums were frequently made to the Masonic Orphan Asylum at Dublin.

In 1841 the Regiment, and the Lodge with it, were sent to Bermuda, and afterwards to variousplaces in Nova Scotia and Canada. Whilst at Kingston the Lodge

- page 52 -

celebrated its Centenary, and on 28 July 1848, a medal was struck for each member, bearing theth

names of the Master and Wardens, on one side, to whom the Warrant had been originally granted,and also the names of the members in 1848. On St. John’s Day the Minden Lodge, accompaniedby the brethren of two other military lodges, went to church in procession, and afterwards sat down,in full Masonic costume, to a banquet. A stirring speech was delivered by Capt. South, who was thatday installed as Master of the Lodge for the sixth time, in the course of which he said:- “I consider theCentenary of a Military Warrant, more particularly interesting than that of a civil one, which reposesquietly in the archives of a resident lodge. This precious relic has followed the fortunes of theRegiment through every clime. Thrice has it crossed the Atlantic to the shores of this importantcontinent. It has been the sanction under which men have been made Masons in Europe, Asia, Africaand America, and has laid bare to them a conception of the beauties and excellencies of our Order. It has been everywhere with the Regiment, sharing in all its dangers and having for one hundredyears braved the battle and the breeze, it stands there unscathed, except for the hands of time, aninteresting record of the Fidelity, Fidelity, Fidelity of Masons.”

The 20 Regiment returned to India after 1850, and was there throughout the troublous timesth

of the Mutiny, but the Lodge does not seem to have resumed work. In March 1865 the ProvincialGrand Secretary of Bengal issued a circular letter making announcements as to the Warrant andproperty of the “Minden” Lodge, which were said to have been taken down to Calcutta by a brotherwho shortly after became insane, and was sent to England. The missing articles were supposed tohave been left in Calcutta, but could not be traced. No returns were made to the Grand Lodge ofIreland after 1852, and enquiries failing to elicit any information . . . . [the notes end at this point]

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Philip Crossle, P.G.S.D., published by the Grand Lodge ofIreland, 1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish



Masonic Records, 1973. (3) “The Poor Common Soldier,” A Study of the Irish Ambulatory Warrants, by JohnHeron Lepper, in his paper printed in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1925. (4) History ofFreemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (5) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V. W. Bro.R. E. Parkinson, as reprinted in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions for the Years 1949-1957, printed 1959, Dublin. (6) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the ArmedForces, Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled as reprinted in the Transactions ofQuatuor Coronati Lodge. (7) History of St. Andrew’s Lodge, Halifax, NS, by R. V. Harris, 1920. (8)Freemasonry in the British Army, by Brother Captain William Thomas, published in the Grand Lodge ofScotland Year Book, 1997.(9) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. RaySheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the XXth Foot.]



REF: I42 Cameronians Lodge No. 26 IC, in the 26th (The Cameronians) Regiment of Foot 1823-1914/22

REF: I42 Lodge No. 309 IC, in the 26th (The Cameronians) Regiment of Foot 1758-1823

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 309 on December 7, 1758, to the men of the 26th(The Cameronians) Regiment of Foot. R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V.W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that the Grand Lodge Register shows threebrethren registered at the time the Warrant was issued - Colin Gillies, Rob. Rea and Tho. Dacan - and thatthere was “No indication as to Master or Wardens”. It is probable, though, that the first named was Master,the second was SW and the third was JW.

The 26th Foot was assigned to both Lower Canada and Upper Canada at various times. In 1788-90the Regiment was at Quebec, Chambly, Isle Aux Noix and Montreal; 1791-92 at Niagara; and 1796-1800at Quebec and Montreal. It is believed that Lodge 309 IC was working during these periods wheneversufficient members of the Lodge could be assembled. There is regrettably no reference to the Lodge in thesurviving minutes and documents of the Provincial Grand Lodges of either Lower Canada or Upper Canada.

A duplicate Warrant was issued in 1804 (Cochrane says “revived 1804”) at which time the GrandLodge register shows 46 brethren registered. Cochrane notes that seven brethren were registered on April27, 1805, the first three being Alex. Storror; Edw. Bills and Hu. Craig but with no indication of Master orWardens. Sixty-four brethren were registered up to September 14, 1806.

Lodge No. 309 IC worked on Gibraltar during the time that the Regiment was assigned to thegarrison 1811-1822. Grand Lodge minutes dated December 1, 1814, note: “Read a report from Lodge 309stating their having excluded Alexr. McMillan of said Lodge for desertion - Confirmed”. It is not clear whetherthis action occurred in Gibraltar, enroute or in England before departure.

Upon arrival at Gibraltar the Lodge apparently requested permission from the Provincial GrandLodge of Andalusia to work and as a consequence they were required to pay dues to the Provincial GrandLodge. This was reported to the Grand Lodge of Ireland who took umbrage at this situation - occurring asit did in the period after the Union of the Antients’ and Moderns’ Grand Lodges, when the United GrandLodge of England was pressuring many of the Irish military Lodges to change their allegiance to England.On June 9, 1815 the Grand Secretary wrote to Lodge 309 IC as follows:

“I observe by yours that 309 made a report to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalucia, and tookpermission to set the Lodge to work, and they have exacted dues from your Lodge. In the first instance309 had not the slightest reason or cause to report themselves, serving as they do under an independentauthority nor should 309 take directions from or pay any dues to any such Provincial Grand Lodge whichthe Grand Lodges of England and of Scotland would not have either demanded or received and whichour Grand Lodge have never demanded or received from any English when in Ireland. The necessaryfriendly and brotherly communication with the Provincial Grand Lodge we should be willing to pay withevery respect to the authority of its local laws and regulations but certainly not any farther. Your ownGrand Lodge does not take dues from military Lodges except when at home and it would be greathardship to submit to pay to an assumed authority what you are not bound to do to your legitimate one.I am sir and Bro. Your most obedient W. Graham. D. Grand Secretary.”


It is interesting that in one place in his notes, Cochrane shows Warrant No. 26 as being issued on87

December 6, 1810 to Lieutenant John Brooks, Captain William Wacher and Lieutenant Fraser Shearman of the26th Foot. The Lodge is then called “The Cameronian”.Later he cites the date as June 24, 1823 in exchange for No.309.

Bro. Laurence Dermott, one time Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Ireland and an accomplished88

Mason who supported the working of a large variety of Masonic degrees and orders, and who was Grand Secretaryof the Antients Grand Lodge of England, had been Installed as Master of the Lodge on June 24, 1746.




A copy of this letter to Lodge No. 309 IC was forwarded to the Grand Lodge of England by theProvincial Grand Lodge of Andalucia with the following letter dated June 14, 1815:

“I am directed by the R.W. Provincial Grand Master of Andalucia to forward you a copy of a letterreceived from the Grand Lodge of Ireland, (addressed to Lodge No. 309) held in the 26th Regiment ofFoot and that it is the opinion of the R.W. Provincial Grand Lodge assembled that the above letter iscouched in language highly unbecoming the O.B. of Freemasonry and tending very much to lead astraythe Craft, we have therefore to request you will inform us, as the Provincial Grand Lodge was establishedby your sanction, whether a Lodge, civil or military working under the Grand Lodge either of England,Ireland or Scotland, during its residence in this garrison is not to attend the duties of the R.W. ProvincialGrand Lodge and pay into its chests the same as all other Lodges under the sanction of this Province.I also wish to inform you that the other Lodges held under the same circumstances as No. 309, havenever withheld their contributions, and we are very much surprised to see so respectable a body as No.309 withhold theirs, as it must throw stigma on the Craft and render it difficult for the other Lodges of thegarrison to combine with such Brotherly love and affection as they would otherwise do if that Lodge werenot to withhold the above quarterly charitable contributions. I am etc. Thos. Clarkson. Secretary. P.G.L.Andalucia.”

Cochrane notes that Irish Grand Lodge records indicate that a further 182 brethren were registeredup to February 17, 1823 and that Warrant No. 309 IC was returned on June 24, 1823 , in exchange for87

Warrant No. 26, which was a reused number “26” by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the original Lodge bearingthis Warrant having apparently ceased to work . This exchange enabled the Lodge to carry a Warrant with88

the same number as that assigned to the Regiment, a practice often attempted by ambulatory Lodges, butrarely successful. Cochrane says Warrant No. 26 was issued to “Lieut. John Brooks; Capt. Wm. Wacher &Lieut. Fras. Shearman (of Lodge 738) in the 26th Foot . . . 6 December 1810.” W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in hisnotes on Lodges in the 26th Foot, indicates that this was Lodge for the Officers of the Regiment.

The first WM of Lodge No. 325 IC (the first civilian Irish Lodge on Gibraltar whose Warrant was89

issued on September 7, 1826) was W. Bro. Daniel Durham, who had been initiated into Lodge No. 309 ICin the 26th (The Cameronians) and had been released locally (i.e. at Gibraltar) from military service in about1822. The SW (Bro. Isaac Thompson); JW (Bro. Alexander Imbrie); Secretary (Bro. John Pratt) and oneCharter Member, Bro. Robert Moravia; were from Lodge No. 68 IC, held in the 2nd Company, 7th Battalionof Royal Irish Artillery and which was one of the sponsoring Lodges for No. 325. The SD (Bro. CharlesCauston) and one other Charter Member, Bro. John Wheatley, were members of Lodge No. 130 IC in the64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot. The members from the Royal Artillery had also been releasedfrom service on Gibraltar and their unit had left. In addition, the Treasurer (Bro. Francisco Semonetti); JD(Bro. Joseph Baggetto) and Tyler (Bro. Giacomo Celicia) and Charter Member W. Bro. Thomas Varnor; weremembers of Lodge No. 715 ER, in the Gibraltar Ordinance Department, which had surrendered its Warrantin 1826. A truly wide-ranging group of Military Masons!

Cochrane notes that Warrant No. 26 was returned to Grand Lodge on June 24, 1823 (when the


In the “early days” of military Lodges, such as at Louisbourg in June 1758 or Quebec in September90

1759, it was quite acceptable for one Lodge to issue a Dispensation Warrant to masons (in another Regiment ormilitary unit, or even civilians) to meet as a Lodge and to recommend the issue of a Warrant by the Grand Lodge ofthe sponsoring Lodge. By the 1830’s this action had become less acceptable to Grand Lodges and it is notsurprising that Lodge No. 26 would have waited for their earlier action to be approved by Grand Lodge beforeembarking on the sponsorship of another Lodge, particularly when these Lodges were not in formal military units.


notes that William Shepherd was born at Woolwich on September 22, 1819 where his father, William (a member ofthe Royal Artillery), had returned after the end of fighting in the Peninsula in 1814. The son, William, joined theRoyal Horse Artillery on July 18, 1833, and was posted on March 1, 1835, as a gunner in the 2nd Battalion, RoyalArtillery. He was promoted to Bombardier on April 5, 1837. On April 27, 1838, Bombardier William Shepherd sailedto Canada with his Battalion. He spent over 14 years in Montreal and two years in Kingston, and was successivelypromoted to Corporal (October 5, 1842), Sergeant (April 1, 1846), Colour Sergeant (March 16, 1849), and Staff-Sergeant Major (September 22, 1855). He left for England on October 1, 1854 and provided training for artillerypersonnel during the expansion to fight the Crimean War. He was retired on September 21, 1858 after 21 years’service, in possession of four good conduct badges and a Long Service medal. Immediately after leaving the RoyalArtillery he was recruited as a 1st Class Pay-clerk in the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. He was promoted toPaymaster R. A. in May 1861 with a posting to Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey (then a naval base with adockyard, and a Royal Artillery garrison for defence). He was made Hon. Major on May 14, 1876 and went on halfpay on March 13, 1878. He died at Cardiff on January 31, 1895, aged 75 years. His masonic career began in Unity,Peace and Concord Lodge, No. 296, ER, in the 1st Regiment of Foot, at Montreal, where he was initiated on July 4,1839, passed on August 1, 1839 and raised on September 5, 1839. He was an affiliated member of Lodge No. 262,ER, in The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (89th); a founder member of the Lodge of Social Friendship, No. 729,IC, in the 89th Foot and of Lodge of Integrity, No. 771, ER, in the 14th (The Yorkshire, West Riding) Regiment of


membership had fallen to two officers - Sheppard) and that it was “Reissued again to brethren in the 26thFoot . . . 24 June, 1823 in lieu of 309.” He states that the Warrant had been issued to Lieutenant JohnBrooks, Captain William Wacher and Lieutenant Fraser Shearman (all, apparently, members of Lodge 738IC, held in the 23rd (Royal Welch Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot and warranted on June 9, 1808 but closed andthe Warrant cancelled on July 5, 1821). Sheppard notes that at this time the Lodge adopted the name“Cameronians”.

Cochrane writes that during 1834 the 26th Regiment and Lodge No. 26 were based at Meerut.Masons at Delhi applied to the Lodge for an “Irish Constitution” but were refused because Lodge No. 26 hadalready granted a Dispensation to meet to another Lodge and had not yet received approval from the GrandLodge of Ireland for that act ; Cochrane gives no indication of the result of the request of the Delhi Masons.90

During the period December 19, 1836 to December 5, 1838, Cameronian Lodge exchanged Lodge visits withLodge Humility with Fortitude Lodge, while that Lodge’s Regiment was also stationed in India. By 1838 theRegiment and Lodge were at Calcutta and a “Masonic Ball was given by Lodge No. 26.” Cochrane also citesthat by 1844 the Regiment and Lodge were in the garrison at Edinburgh and the Lodge “being a visitingStranger Lodge, under the rule of a Sister Grand Lodge, was placed near the Grand Lodge of Scotland.”

Cochrane notes that the first entry for the Lodge in Volume 5 of the Grand Lodge Registers shows“No. 26, 26 Regiment of Foot. Registrations commence with a William Durgan registered 12 April, 1852th

and he together with six others registered on different dates up to 12 July, 1854 are bracketed together withthe following note: ‘Duplicate issued by order of Grand Lodge Feb. 1855.’ All these brethren were grantedcertificates on 19 October, 1854. A total of 72 brethren registered up to 19 September, 1859, every brotherhaving recorded the date on which his certificate was issued.” Cochrane also notes a total of 174 brethrenwere registered up to October 17, 1899 and that usually the dates of degrees and the issue of Certificatesis shown.

On July 27, 1854, Lodge No. 26 IC, in the 26th (The Cameronians) Regiment of Foot, convened anEmergency Meeting, to install the Master and Officers of Independent Lodge, No. 237 IC, Quebec, CanadaEast. The then current Master, W. Bro. Booth opened the Lodge and W. Bro. Sergeant William Shepherd91


Foot. On May 10, 1847 he received the 1834 renewal Warrant and Lodge regalia of the Lodge of Social and MilitaryVirtues, No. 227, IC, in the 46th Regiment which was without sufficient members to continue working. With theapproval of the Grand Lodge of Ireland he assumed the Mastership and established a permanent semi-militaryLodge which is still operating presently as Lodge of Antiquity, No. 1, GRQ, Montreal. After returning to Woolwich in1854 he affiliated with Union-Waterloo Lodge, No. 13, ER; and with his posting to Sheerness he joined Adam’sLodge, No. 184, ER (originally No. 207, ER(A) from 1778 and presently No. 158, ER). In 1865 W. Bro. WilliamSheppard became a member and second Master of De Shurland Lodge, No. 1089, ER, Sheerness. In addition tohis love of the Craft, W. Bro. Ray Shepherd notes that “it is known that he (W. Bro. William Shepherd) joined theRoyal Arch, Mark, and I am sure the K. T. Degrees”.

Lawrence (or Laurence) Dermott was born in Ireland circa 1720. He was the first Grand Secretary and92

later Deputy Grand Master of the Antients Grand Lodge, which he helped establish in London in 1751. In 1756Dermott published the Book of Constitutions of his Grand Lodge under the title of Ahiman Rezon, or a help to all


was then seated as Installing Master.Cochrane notes that by April 1879 attendances were at a low level and meetings were sparse and

rarely recorded in minutes. In fact he reports a break in the minutes between the last recorded on November5, 1888 and 1909, although the Lodge revised its By-Laws in 1898 and sent a copy from Lucknow to theGrand Lodge for approval. By letter dated September 8, 1989, the Grand Secretary approved the new By-Laws.

The Lodge met for the last time in 1914 although the Warrant was not returned to Grand Lodge untilMarch 1922.

Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry, lists “26th Ft., Cameronian (Lodge), 26, I., 1758”on page 405, in a listing entitled “Existing British Field Lodges, 1886”, which does not agree with GrandLodge records as No. 309 IC had been issued originally and No. 26 IC was the then current Warrant. Bro.Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study ofFreemasonry in the Armed Forces, notes that a third Irish Warrant was issued in 1810 but provides nodetails. Irish records reflect the issue of only Nos. 309 and 26.

Both Crossle and Cochrane note that the number “309" was used three times for Warrants by theGrand Lodge of Ireland after its original issue to the 26th Foot, including:

• Crossle lists an undated issue of 309 for a Lodge at Newtownwards, Co. Down (no date of beingstruck off the rolls is shown). Cochrane shows this issue as dated February 3, 1825 to hold Lodgein Ballyclare, Co. Antrim in exchange for their higher numbered Warrant “915”, and that “309” wasthen exchanged on October 6, 1825 for Warrant No. 177;

• Crossle lists an issue of 309 in 1835, for a Lodge at Newtownbreda, Co. Down (no date of beingstruck off the rolls is shown). Cochrane lists this issue as occurring on October 18, 1827 for theLodge at Newtownbreda, Belfast, being sent in to Grand Lodge on October 29, 1858; and

• Crossle lists an undated issue of 309 for Ureka Lodge at Tubbermore, Co. Londonderry. Cochraneshows this issue on December 4, 1902, for Ureka Lodge, Tubbermore, Magherafelt, Co.Londonderry, and that as of 2000 the Lodge was “Current”.

Crossle also notes that the reuse of the number “26” for the 26th Foot was the third (Cochrane sayssecond) in a series of six Warrants carrying this number which included. There are some major variationsin reporting on the various issues of “No. 26" by both these researchers:

• Crossle lists the original issue of Warrant No. 26 in 1746 to hold a Lodge in Dublin. No date ofcancellation is shown. Cochrane shows the issue as December 4, 1733 to hold a Lodge at Lestrand,Co. Sligo, and that Lawrence Dermott was Initiated and subsequently passed the Chair (i.e. was92


that are or would be Free and Accepted Masons, containing the quintessence of all that has been published on thesubject of Freemasonry. Several editions were published, the last, in 1813, being edited by the then Deputy GrandMaster of the Antients, Thomas Harper, under the title The Constitutions of Freemasonry, or Ahiman Rezon. He wasInitiated, Passed and Raised in Lodge No. 26 IC, at Lestrand, Co. Sligo (warranted December 4, 1733) although nodate is clear. Dermott was installed as Master of Lodge No. 26 on June 24, 1746, by Charles Byrne, Sen. whenLodge No. 26 IC was meeting at the home of Thomas Allen, in Dublin. Although the Lodge was originally domiciledin Co. Sligo, it was moved to Dublin and later to London, perhaps as Dermott moved. Accusations that Dermottcreated the Royal Arch degree by “dismembering” the then Third degree is disproved as the Royal Arch was workedin London as early as 1744 and Dermott received the degree in 1746. Dermott was challenged in 1757 to prove hisstanding in Freemasonry and apparently produced a manuscript certificate signed by “Edwd. Spratt, G. S.”, underthe seal of the Grand Lodge of Ireland. The Certificate reads “Bro. Charles Byrne, Master of No. 2 [EC], proved thatBro. Laur: Dermott, having faithfully served the Offices of Senr. and Junr. Deacon, Junr. and Senr. Wardens andSecretary, was by him regularly installed Master of the good Lodge No. 26 in the Kingdom of Ireland, upon the 24thday of June, 1746, and that all these Transactions were prior to Mr. Dermott’s coming to England.” [Sources: R. W.Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records,1973; Albert G. Mackey, Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry, Masonic History Company, New York, 1924.]


installed as Master of the Lodge) on June 24, 1746, although there “is no record of the Installationin Spratt”, this issue of No. 26 was erased by Grand Lodge on November 5, 1801;

• Crossle lists an issue of December 6, 1810, when “No. 26” was issued to hold a Lodge in London,England. No date of cancellation is shown. Cochrane does not show this listing although he notesthat the Lodge “originally domiciled in Co. Sligo, migrated to Dublin, and later to London;

• Cochrane lists No. 26 issued December 6, 1810 in exchange for No. 309, in the 26th Foot.Surrendered to Grand Lodge in 1922;

• Crossle lists “No. 26” issued to hold a Lodge at Cork in 1831. Warrant surrendered in 1835 when theLodge amalgamated with Lodge No. 1. Cochrane does not list this issue;

• Crossle lists “No. 26” issued to hold a Lodge at Ennis, Co. Clare in 1882. No date of cancellation isshown. Cochrane does not list this issue; and

• 1923. “No. 26” issued for St. Jude’s Lodge, Rosetta, Co. Down. Cochrane lists this issue as March3, 1923, and that as of 2000, the Lodge is “Current”

In 1999, the Grand Lodge of Ireland was requested to determine the status of Warrants No. 309 and26, as issued to the 26th Foot, with a view to obtaining copies should the originals still be in the archives.No copy of 309 is available. Grand Lodge was able to locate Warrant No. 26 and have provided a copy withthe comment that “(it) is in bad condition and (has not) reproduced well”. Although the photocopy of theWarrant indicates that it is in a very deteriorated condition, it follows a similar format to that used for thereissue of Warrant No. 33 in the 21st Foot:

• the overall size is about 12” wide and 17” long;

• although there is much damage across the top it is possible to distinguish the title “GRAND LODGEOF IRELAND” arched over a cloud, a woman and two children. The all-seeing eye which is normallyshining or focussed on the woman and children is not apparent due to the missing fragments acrossthe top;

• across the bottom from left to right are a pilgrim with a cross and cup; and altar with a pillow on



which are a Volume of the Sacred Law, surmounted by a square and compasses arranged in theposition of the Master Mason degree; and, partly obliterated in the right corner is a ruin with a femalepersonage supporting a large anchor; and

• although only the left and bottom border is visible it is of an intertwined clover pattern with an IrishHarp in the right hand corner.

This format is the standard type used by the Grand Lodge of Ireland at this time in its history.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland,1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s IrishMasonic Records, 1973. (3) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printedin The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957. (4) History of the GrandLodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (5) The Poor Common Soldier, A Study of IrishAmbulatory Warrants, by Bro. John Heron Lepper, as printed in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge,1925. (6) Outlines of the History of Freemasonry in the Province of Quebec, by John H. Graham, 1892. (7)Early Canadian Freemasonry 1759-1869, by Pemberton Smith, P.M., O.R., 1939. (8) History ofFreemasonry, R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (9) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonryin the Armed Forces, by Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for as reprinted in the Transactionsof Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (10) John Ross Robertson, The History of Freemasonry in Canada, 1899. (11)Historical overview of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar at www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory, whichis accompanied by a twelve page summary entitled The First Two Hundred Years of the Craft in Gibraltar.(12) “My Hero”, Segt.-Major William Shepherd, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, September 1992. (13) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth’s PrestonianLecture for 1990 as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (14) Flags of Masonry inthe line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 IC, September 2002, notes onLodges in the 26th Foot.]



Transcript of Warrant No. 26 IC issued to the 26th Regiment of Foot

Grand LODGE OF IRELAND

Leinster G.M. No.

26

By the Most Worshipful His Grace Augustus Fred , Duke of Leinster GRAND MASTERk

The Right Worshipful John --------------- (undecipherable) DEPUTY GRAND MASTER

The Right Worshipful R Honble John Lord Hutchinson Senior Grand Wardent

The Right Worshipful Most Noble Howe, Marquis of Sligo Junior Grand Warden

And other the Right Worshipful Officers & Members of the GRAND LODGE of IRELAND in Open Grand LodgeAssembled

WHEREAS our trusty and Well beloved Brethren John (undecipherable), --- (undecipherable) and ---(undecipherable) have Besought us that we would be pleased to Erect a Lodge of Free Masons in His Majesty’s--------- (undecipherable) of such persons who by their knowledge in Masonry may contribute to the trueadvancement thereof. We therefore having nothing more at heart than the Prosperity of Masonry and reposingspecial confidence in our said trusty and well beloved Brethren Do by these Presents constitute and appointthem the said John (undecipherable), --- (undecipherable) and --- (undecipherable) to be Master and Wardensof a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons to be holden in His Majesty’s Twenty-Sixth Regiment of Foot aforesaidby them and their Successors lawfully Admitted in said Lodge forever And We do hereby grant unto them andtheir Successors full Power and Authority to proceed from time to time to the Election of a new Master andWardens in said Lodge Provided always that they said John (undecipherable), --- (undecipherable) and ---(undecipherable) and their Successors Do and Shall at all times hereafter pay implicit observance to and actand conduct the affairs of same in strict conformity to the now existing Laws of Masonry and to such other Lawsand Regulations for the Government of the Craft as shall at any time hereafter be issued by the Right WorshipfulGrand Lodge of Ireland or in default thereof then and in such case reserving unto the said Right WorshipfulGrand Lodge the full power and Authority of annulling and cancelling these Presents or otherwise proceedingin the premises as to them shall seem meet -

IN WITNESS whereof We have hereunto set our Hands and Seal of Office at Dublin the Metropolis ofIreland this twentyfourth day of June

in the Year of our Lord God 1823 three Entered by me

and of Masonry 5823 three

(Signature undecipherable)

The condition of the photocopy of the Warrant from Grand Lodge leaves various parts of the Warrantunclear. Whether this is because of the condition of the original Warrant or the photocopier is unknown.


Sheppard notes that Sir Ralph Abercromby had been initiated into Canongate Kilwinning Lodge (SC) in93

1753.

Sheppard notes that Sir John Moore was a Freemason, who had been initiated into St. John’s Lodge, 94

Halifax, when he was serving as a Captain in the 82nd Regiment. Although Sheppard does not make clear preciselywhich Lodge this is, it was probably No. 1 AYM, Halifax, which had been warranted prior to 1780 by the Moderns’Provincial Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia, and then became St. John’s Lodge, No. 211 ER(A) in Halifax (1780-1814),becoming No. 265 ER, with a new Warrant issued following unification of the Antients and Moderns and which isstill working as St. John’s Lodge, No. 2 GRNS, Halifax.

Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, shows that No. 260 IC was originally issued in the period95

February 23-August 2, 1755, probably to a civilian lodge; there is no record in the Irish Register. Warrant No. 260IC was erased from the records about 1801, and appears to have come into the possession of Alexander Setonaround 1807. This information is also reflected in R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane’s CD-ROM Update (June 2000) ofCrossle’s Records.


REF: I49 Lodge No. 260 IC, in the 2nd Battalion, 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot1809-1815



REF: E44 Lodge No. 6 PRAndalusia(A), in the 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot 1796-1807?[now part of the Gloucestershire Regiment]

The Antients’ Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalusia, authorized the working of Lodge No. 6, PRAndalusia,probably in 1796, to be held in the 28th Regiment of Foot. This Warrant was issued under the authority ofProvincial Grand Warrant, No. 220 ER(A), which had been issued on January 25, 1786 for the ProvincialGrand Lodge of Andalusia. Lodge No. 6 PRAndalusia was never registered on the books of the Grand Lodgeof England (Antients) and no English Warrant was ever issued. [Source: C. Martin McGibbon, ASCA, GrandSecretary, The Grand Lodge of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.] W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes onLodges in the 28th Foot, indicates that this was an “N.C.O.’s Lodge”. The date of issue of Warrant No. 6 hasbeen deduced by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard as “around 1804” in his May 1994 publication Masonic Lodges heldin the 28th Regt. Gloucestershire Old Braggs. There is no date of issue shown in John Lane’s MasonicRecords 1717-1894 (the issue is referred to briefly on page 465 but with no clear date of issue). Warrant No.8, PRAndalusia was issued to the 90th Regiment on December 14, 1796, and No. 4, PRAndalusia wasissued to the 108th between May 17, 1794 and mid 1796 (when the 108th was re-raised and then disbanded).Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry, 1887, shows “Nos. 6 and 9 Gibraltar, 1804” as a singleentry when they were, apparently, two separate Warrants for two separate Lodges. The entry in John Lane’sMasonic Records 1717-1894, p. 465, reads: “No. 6 Provincial. In the 28 Regiment of Foot. Provincial Grandth

Lodge of Gibraltar (Ancients), No. 220, Warranted 25 January, 1786. [See page 156].” The entry on page156 refers to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar. R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update(Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes with respect to the “innerhistory” of the Lodge that it took No. 6 of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalucia in 1786.

Following its time at Gibraltar the 28th Regiment was assigned to the forces gathering under Lt.General Sir Ralph Abercromby , landed at Aboukir Bay on March 8, 1801 under the command of Sir John93

Moore , and drove French forces from the landing ground. On returning to the battles in Europe, the Lodge94

applied to the Grand Lodge of Ireland, for a Warrant. The request was apparently received by AlexanderSeton, still the Grand Secretary, and he issued a new Warrant No. 260 IC in October 1807 ; Cochrane lists95


W. Bro. Ray Sheppard lists the Warrant as being issued to the 2nd Battalion.96

If this name is true, it would appear to be a local appellation which is not reflected in official records of97

the Grand Lodge of Ireland. It presumably refers to the Regiment’s headgear which has the Regimental numbershown on the front and back to celebrate its action against French cavalry attacking it from the front and rearsimultaneously at the siege against Alexandria (March 21, 1801) and the Regiment divided itself into two halvesplaced back to back to fight off the attack from both sides.

Cochrane notes under No. Lodge 260 IC, that the eight founder members of the Lodge were civilians98

who had been initiated into Lodge No. 218 IC, held in the 48th Foot.


the date as April 6, 1809 while Sheppard lists it as October 1807. Bro. Richard Reynolds, an HonoraryMember of the Lodge, Past Master of Lodge No. 510 IC in the 1st Battalion, 28th Regiment of Foot,Quartermaster of the 1st Battalion, was the Installing Master for the new Lodge. In the returns to GrandLodge the principal officers are shown as WM, Sergeant William Pass, SW, Sergeant Anty. Donney and JW,Sergeant Murdock McLeod (these Sergeants are noted in military records as having been in the 1st Battalionand transferred to the 2nd Battalion when it was formed ). By this time the Lodge must have realized that96

their Seton Warrant had a questionable value in Ireland and with the Regiment’s return they requested thatthe Warrant be regularized. [Note: Gould does not refer to this issuance of a “Munster Warrant”.]

Cochrane notes that the Minutes of the Grand Lodge of Ireland for September 1, 1808 show theissue of a “Duplicate Warrant No. 985" for the men in the 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot.However, the members of the Lodge wrote Grand Lodge probably requesting that as the error was not theirs,that their original, and lower numbered Warrant, No. 260 IC be returned to them in lieu of No. 985. GrandLodge agreed, withheld Warrant No. 985 in Dublin and (re)issued Warrant No. 260 to the 2nd Battalion, 28thFoot, on April 6, 1809. Cochrane’s notes regarding Warrant No. 260 show that the same three brethren:Sergeant William Pass, Sergeant Anty. Donney and Sergeant Murdock McLeod were registered with GrandLodge but with no indication as to Master or Wardens. It is probable that Pass was the WM, Donney was SWand McLeod was JW.

The history of the Lodge is not known in great detail. The 2nd Battalion fought throughout thePeninsula and French campaigns but are no indications whether Lodge 260 IC worked during this time. Onreturning to England the 2nd Battalion was placed in garrison at Brixham, pending disbandment. A Certificatedated February 9, 1814, signed by Sergeant John Ferguson, was issued to Bro. Thomas Griffith (as notedin other cases of “Certificates” this was likely a “Certificate of Standing” issued when the member left theLodge). Returns to Grand Lodge dated August 10, 1814, list a further thirty-three names of members. GrandLodge records note: “Warrant sold in Plymouth & Cancelled by order Grand Lodge 1st July 1815”. Cochraneshows July 6, 1815 as the date of cancellation. In Cochrane’s later notes on Australia Social Lodge, No. 260IC, he comments that Lodge No. 260 IC in the 28th Foot was known as “Lodge Fore and Aft” .97

Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces includes the local Warrant in his list on page 40 but shows anincorrect year of issue of 1786.

Warrant No. 260 IC continued to have a varied existence after 1815. Crossle’s Irish MasonicRecords, 1973, shows the reissue of No. 260 IC, on January 6, 1820, although Grand Lodge Minutes for July4, 1822, refer to its issue for a Lodge in Sydney, NSW, Australia . The Warrant was withdrawn on March98

16, 1843 and restored on May 7, 1846. The Warrant was removed from the Printed Report in 1885, and theSydney lodge received Warrant No. 0, from the new Grand Lodge of New South Wales. On September 3,1888, the Lodge received a new Warrant as No. 1, GRNSW. Cochrane gives the listing of No. 260 IC for“Australian Social Lodge”, January 6, 1820. Crossle notes that Warrant No. 260 IC was again issued, onOctober 7, 1898, to Redhall Lodge, Ballycarry, Co. Antrim, Ireland. Cochrane notes the Lodge as “Current”.

An enquiry was made to the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1999 to obtain copies of Warrants No. 260and 985 issued to the 28th Foot. The reply indicated that no originals or copies of either Warrant could befound in the archives.



[Sources: (1) Masonic Lodges held in the 28th Regt. Gloucestershire - Old Braggs, by W. Bro. RaySheppard, private publication, May 1994. (2) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition,London, 1895. (3) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V. W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printed in TheLodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957. (4) Irish Masonic Records,by V. W. Philip Crossle, P.G.S.D., published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973. (5) R. W. Bro. KeithCochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (6)History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7) “The Poor Common Soldier,” A Studyof the Irish Ambulatory Warrants, by John Heron Lepper, in his paper printed in the Transactions of theQuatuor Coronati Lodge, 1925. (8) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the ArmedForces, Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled as reprinted in the Transactions ofQuatuor Coronati Lodge. (9) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. RaySheppard, P.M. 322 IC, September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 28th Foot.]



REF: E45 Lodge No. 9 PRAndalusia(A), in the 28th Regiment of Foot at Gibraltar 1804-????[now part of the Gloucestershire Regiment]

In 1804 the Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalusia (Antients), authorized the working of Lodge No.9, Provincial (Antients) in the 28th Regiment of Foot, under the authority of its own Warrant, No. 220 ER(A),which had been issued on January 25, 1786. The Lodge was never registered on the books of the GrandLodge of England (Antients) and no English Warrant was ever issued. The final disposition of the Warrantis unknown.

Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry shows “Nos. 6 and 9 Gibraltar, 1804” as a singleentry when they were, apparently, two separate Warrants for two separate Lodges. The entry in John Lane’sMasonic Records 1717-1894, page 465, is extremely brief and reads: “No. 9, Provincial. In the 28 Regimentth

of Foot. Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar (Ancients), No. 220, Warranted 25 January, 1786. [See page156].” The second reference (p. 156) is the equally brief entry for the Warrant of the Provincial GrandLodge.”

Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, doesnot include this Warrant in his listing on page 40.

[Sources: (1) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro.Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge,1990, London. (2) History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (3) Masonic Records1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (3) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of theBritish Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 IC, September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 28th Foot.]


The Story of Lodge “Glittering Star” No. 322 (Irish) (1759-1966) and The Beginning of Knight Templary99




History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925, notes on page 189101

that Captain Jeremiah French later became Lieutenant-Colonel of the 29th Foot. His brother-in-law, Major HoltWaring of the 4th Regiment of Horse (later the 3rd Dragoon Guards and now part of The Royal Scots DragoonGuards (Caribiniers and Greys)) was an active Mason and Grand Lodge officer, having served as Junior GrandWarden (1761), Senior Grand Warden (1762), Grand Treasurer (1762-1790) and Deputy Grand Master (1765 and1766) of the Grand Lodge of Ireland. It also stated quite categorically that captain French was one of the membersof Lodge 322 IC who attended the August 18, 1769 meeting in Boston.


REF: I50 Lodge Glittering Star, No. 322 IC, in the 29th (The Worcestershire Regiment) Regiment ofFoot, various locations 1870-present

REF: I50 Lodge No. 322 IC, in the 29th Regiment of Foot, Halifax 1759-????[now part of The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot)]

Warrant No. 322 was issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland on May 3, 1759 to hold a Lodge in the29th Regiment of Foot, which was then quartered at Kilkenny, Ireland. The Warrant was issued to GeorgeMacartney as Master, and Alexander Wilson and Joseph Alcock as Wardens and six other founding brethren.On February 10, 1761, four new members joined the Lodge; a further 17 by the end of 1761, thirteen in 1762and two in 1763. Grand Lodge records indicate a total membership of 118 brethren by March 10, 1800.

The Lodge was working in Halifax between 1765 and 1768 when the 29th Foot was based there.Following the assignment of the 14th Regiment to Halifax in June 1766, the two regimental lodges (211 ICand 58 ER(A)), fraternized with the three local lodges (Lodge No. 1 PRNS(A), held at Pontac’s; Lodge No.2 PRNS(A), held at the Rowe Barge; and Lodge No. 3 PRNS(A)) as well as lodges in the 29th Foot (No. 322IC) and 59th Foot (No. 243 IC and No. 5 PRNS(A), and possibly No. 500 IC whose date of issue is unclearand which may have been working at this time). It is possible that the Royal Arch degree was worked inHalifax as early as 1750 (by Lodge No. 192 IC in the 47th (Lascelle’s) Foot) and there is a reference by oneFrederick Sterling, to his having received it in 1760. But Harris points out that “In the period 1765-68, there99

was much activity in the Royal Arch degree due principally to the presence here of the military lodges in the14th, 29th, 59th and 64th Regiments . A considerable number of civilian brethren in Halifax received the100

degree in these military lodges, including John George Pyke, later Grand Master of Masons.”. Harris (et al)also cite the recorded working of the Royal Arch and Knight Templar in Boston from 1768 onwards asproviding an irresistible inference that these two degrees would have been worked in Halifax from 1765-68by the same lodges. Philip Crossle has, in fact, stated that the brethren of Lodge Glittering Star wereresponsible for the introduction of “Templar Masonry” in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in Boston, in 1765.

With the general disturbances in New England, the 29th Regiment was despatched to Boston in1768. Its arrival there brought the number of military lodges up to five (No. 106 in the 64th; No. 211 IC andNo 58 ER(A) in the 14th Foot; No. 322 IC in the 29th Foot; and No. 243 IC in the 59th Foot). The membersof St. Andrew’s Lodge, No. 82 (SC), Boston, (a civilian lodge) desiring a Provincial Grand Lodge under theauthority of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, drew together representatives of No. 82 SC; Lodge No. 106 SC(64th Foot); Lodge No. 58 ER(A) (14th Foot); and Lodge No. 322 IC (29th Foot); and petitioned the GrandLodge of Scotland for the appointment of Dr. Joseph Warren as Provincial Grand Master and of Capt.Jeremiah French and Capt. Ponsonby Molesworth (the latter two being officers of the 29th Foot and101

members of Lodge No. 322, IC), as Senior and Junior Grand Wardens respectively. The signers of thePetition on behalf of Lodge No. 322 IC were James Brown, Master; Charles Chambers, SW; and Jas. Smith,


Dr. Joseph Warren was killed at Bunker Hill in 1775.102




JW. A commission was granted in May 1769, naming Dr. Joseph Warren as Provincial Grand Master of102

Massachusetts (Scotland) with jurisdiction over Antient Masons in Boston, New England and within 100miles. He was duly installed at a meeting of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge in Boston on December 30,1768, at Masons Hall, Green Dragon Tavern, Boston (see Grand Lodge of Ireland, Vol. 2, p. 327; 1 Mass.P. 226). Also attending the installation were the Master and Wardens of Lodge No. 322 IC and Lodge No.58 ER(A). At the meetings of the Provincial Grand Lodge held on January 12 and March 2, 1770, the Masterand Wardens of Lodge No. 322 IC recorded their attendance. [Note: On April 26, 1959, the BicentenaryInstallation Ceremony of Lodge Glittering Star, a solid silver 24” gauge was presented to the Lodge by theGrand Lodge of Massachusetts.]

With regard to Knight Templary, Harris notes that “The most interesting and significant fact,however, in connection with the sojourn of (military) lodges in Boston is the record in the minutes of St.Andrew’s Royal Arch Lodge of August 28th, 1769, when it is recorded that William Davis, P.M. of Lodge No.58 in the 14th Regiment received the four degrees of Excellent, Super-Excellent, Royal Arch and KnightTemplar, these being “the four steps of a Royal Arch Mason” . At this meeting there were present three103

brethren of Lodge No. 322 in the 29th, two others of Lodge No. 58 in the 14th Regiment, also three others,members of St. Andrew’s Lodge and Chapter, Boston, undoubtedly already in possession of these degrees.These minutes are the first record of the conferring of the Knight Templar degree in North America. SirCharles A. Cameron, C.B. expresses the opinion that Lodge No. 222 “was by far the most likely source ofthese degrees (A.Q.C. XIII p. 156)”.

The Lodge must have generally had little time to meet and R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that between1763 and 1774 no new members were registered with Grand Lodge, and that on March 8, 1774, the next“batch” of 14 were Initiated. Initiations were not sustained at it was not until April 14, 1792, that the next“batch” of 12 members were initiated. Was the Lodge working in Quebec and Lower Canada during thisperiod? It is unclear but possible as the 29th Regiment was in the garrison at Montreal in 1785 and atNiagara in 1786-87. There is no reference to Lodge No. 222 IC in the documents and minutes of theProvincial Grand Lodges of Lower Canada or Upper Canada. What is significant, however, regardless of theactual working of the Lodge is that Colonel Christopher Carleton of the 29th Foot was elected as ProvincialGrand Master of the Moderns Provincial Grand Lodge of Quebec in 1786. Regrettably he died later the sameyear.

But the Royal Arch was worked up to at least 1802, according to Cochrane’s notes, “under theauthority of a Charter of the Lodge of St. Andrew’s SC.”

The 29th Regiment was absent from North America from 1787 until 1802 having been in the garrisonon Guernsey. From 1802-7 the Regiment returned to Halifax, and Lodge No. 322, IC regularly worked thecraft degrees as well as the Royal Arch degree. Minutes for 1805 and 1806 reveal several interesting items:(1) the Tyler was not a full-time Officer but was filled each meeting night by a regular member of the Lodge;(2) after working a degree, a Brother would give a lecture on the degree itself, which was referred to ashaving the degree “passed” by the brother delivering the lecture; (3) the Lodge was “Inspected” by theProvincial Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia who gave its approval to the Lodge, its business and its records; and(4) Jewels for the Past Master, Tyler and Steward were approved and purchased for the first time in 1806.In one piece of surviving correspondence, Sgt. George Buckley of the Lodge wrote to the Antients GrandSecretary, noting that he had been raised in Lodge No. 322 IC in Halifax, in 1806, “in the Antient


The letter reads as follows: “Rochdale, March 29th, 1810. Worshipful Brother, I hope you will the104

goodness to excuse the liberty I have taken in addressing your Worship on the occasion, but being raised to thesublime degree of Master Mason in 1806, at Halifax, Nova Scotia, British North America by Worshipful Brother JohnRobertson, Master of No. 322 in the Antient Establishment, held in the 29th Regiment of Foot, immediately on ourreturn to England I was ordered on the Recruiting Service, and have never obtained my Certificate, should youdeem this application worthy of Notice, I should be much obliged to you for Remitting my Certificate to me at thisplace, as the Regt. Has been and is yet abroad, in Portugal and Spain and I have no opportunity of applying to it forobtaining the same. I remain your obedient, Humble Servant & Brother. George Buckley Sergeant 29th Regiment. N.B. Private Edward Golding, is belonging the said Lodge, and is situated in the same manner as I am, never havinghis certificate, is at this time with me and has been ever since we came from a foreign station, would be muchobliged for the Remittance of his at the same time, and inform us by Letter or otherwise of the amount of the Fees,and shall be remitted by return post. Records of Lodge Glittering Star indicate that the WM referred to was JohnRobertson, Sergeant Major, 29th Regiment, WM 1805; SW June and December 1805. He died of wounds after thebattle of Albuhera, 16th May 1811. The writer of the letter (to the wrong Grand Lodge) was George Buckley, born atAshton under Lyme. He served 16 years 322 days, held the rank of Sergeant for 11 years 320 days before beingdischarged at York Depot in 1814, he was wounded on the right thigh, in Holland on 27th August, 1799. Whendischarged he was about 36 years old and 6’½” tall, dark hair, hazel eyes, pale complexion, and by way of a trade,a Weaver. He was raised, as stated in the letter on June 2, 1805. Private Edward Golding was born in Liverpool andenlisted at the age of 24 years for unlimited service on December 31, 1793. He was raised to Sergeant in theRegiment, a rank he held for over five years, before being discharged, “Old and Worn OUT”. Total service, 22years, 354 days. [Source: 1996 historical handout of Lodge Glittering Star]

Warrant No. 201 was issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland on April 3, 1846 to hold a Lodge at105

Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. The Lodge is still working in 2000 although in 1946 it had been moved to Limerick, Co.Limerick.


Establishment” but that as he had been returned to England and assigned to recruiting duties he had notreceived his certificate . During this time Bro. Stott was Master of the Lodge, having replaced Bro.104

Robinson. The minutes for 1807 refer to the “rejection” (i.e. suspension for the evening) of Bro. Sgt. Walton.The last meeting at Halifax is shown as June 8, 1807.

Lodge Glittering Star may have worked on Gibraltar during the assignment of the Regiment to thegarrison there in 1808, engaged on “secret service”, although Cochrane reports that there are no records ofmeetings of the Lodge from the last meeting in Halifax until June 23, 1812. Three meetings were held in1813 in Windsor. By 1822 the Regiment was in Dublin and Lodge 322 IC was recorded as meeting in theRichmond Barracks. A meeting on May 7, 1828, held at Port Louis, Mauritius, and written in the Minute Book,is the last one until 1855 when the then WM presented the Lodge with a replacement Volume of the SacredLaw, the previous one having fallen apart and been “buried in the River Ganges in 1853.” This eventoccurred when the 29th Foot was at Dinapore, India enroute to Burma.

By 1831 a total membership of 190 is reflected in Grand Lodge records. The Lodge was dormantfrom 1831 until 1859. [Note: (1) Grand Lodge records indicate that no returns were received after 1835,although a duplicate Warrant was issued on November 13, 1854; (2) Robert Freke Gould in his History ofFreemasonry, notes that the Warrant was returned in 1820 and renewed in 1854. Crossle notes that the dateof the re-issued Warrant was November 13, 1854

Cochrane notes that the Renewal Warrant of November 13, 1854, was issued to “Bro. ColonelGeorge Congreve of Lodge No. 596 (E.C.); Bro. Captain Hugh G. Colville, Lodge No. 609 (E.C.) and Bro.Captain Augustus A. Dick of the Scottish Constitution.” Elsewhere Cochrane shows Captain Dick asbelonging to No. 1 SC. He also notes that seven other brethren were registered but identifies only Bro. HenryEvans Quinn of Lodge No. 201 . Cochrane explains that it is probable that the Lodge Chest containing the105

Warrant and other Lodge paraphernalia was discovered by Captain H. G. Colville of the Regiment atDinapore. Colville apparently wrote to the District Provincial Grand Master of the N. W. Provinces, India(under the English Constitution), and sought his advice for (re)establishing Lodge No. 322 IC. The originalletter is no longer in existence, but a Petition was forwarded to the Grand Lodge of Ireland containing the


Warrant No. 18 (or XVIII) was dated May 4, 1809 and was issued to hold “Nelson Lodge” in Newry,106

Co. Down. It is still current on the register of the Grand Lodge of Ireland.

It is not clear when Frederick (Fred) Middleton joined the army. In early 1858 he was a Captain in the107

29th Foot and took part in the relief of Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny. It was here that he first met and foughtbeside Gunner Thomas Bland Strange of the Royal Artillery. Strange would eventually become the senior ArtilleryOfficer in the Canadian Army and Middleton would become the General Commanding Canadian Militia. During theNorthwest Rebellion, both would again collaborate on the activities of the military forces sent west to quell LouisRiel and restore “law and order”.


DPGM’s positive reply, along with a letter containing the permission of the 29th’s Commanding Officer, Lt.-Col. G. Congreve, and a full report on the circumstances surrounding the Chest and contents and itsdiscovery. Thus it was that two English Masons and one Scottish Mason resurrected an Irish Lodge.

By late 1853 the 29th Foot was at Thayetmyo, Burma, about 275 miles north-west of Rangoon onthe Irrawaddy River. Cochrane’s summary indicates that Lodge meetings during this period were held inofficers’ houses in Rangoon but from November 1853 onwards the Lodge met in the local Library atThayetuke even though the Warrant had not been received. He later states that the establishment meetingfor the Lodge was held on April 4, 1855, in the house of Bro. Ross, Brigade Major at Thayetmyo. In 1856Lodge No. 322 supported the establishment of a new Lodge (probably civilian although the minutes do notmake this clear) and on April 25, 1856, Lodge No. 322 installed and invested the WM (Captain Cooper) andofficers of the new “Lodge Astrea”, No. 972 ER. The meeting of November 5, 1856 was supposed to be thelast to be held in the Far East as the 29th Foot was to be replaced by the 53rd Foot; the 29th being assignedto Fort William (via Rangoon and Calcutta). The move did not occur and meetings continued at Thayetukefor another nine months, there was, however, a delay in the Installation of the new WM, Bro. Middleton untilJanuary 13, 1858. The Minutes for February 4, 1857, record that the SW, Bro. Middleton, presented a daggerfor the Inner Guard and a regulation sword for the Tyler. Cochrane notes that although 35 members joinedthe Lodge in 1855 and 1856, twelve had resigned from the Lodge within two years - it is likely that theseresignations were from Lodge members who resigned (or were retired) from the 29th Foot at the time it wasordered to Fort William.

There appears to have been a three-year hiatus for the Lodge. In 1859 the Lodge was again“revived”, this time under the name “Glittering Star”. Crossle notes that “11 September, 1878, . . . for theth

first time, they (the minutes) are headed ‘Glittering Star Lodge 322’.”Difficulties in resuscitating the Lodge continued. Cochrane records that: “In the year 1864 the 29th

Foot was quartered at Newry and on the 6th October, our Lodge [No. 18 IC ] was visited by Bros. Wm.106

(possibly William) Scott and Fredk. (possibly Frederick) Middleton, who “expressed their intention ofresuscitating” the Regimental Lodge No. 322, when “it was resolved that any assistance that they mayrequire will be afforded by No. XVIII.” The meeting of Lodge No. 322 IC on October 19, 1864, is interestingfor several reasons: (1) only five Brethren attended; (2) of the five, one was from Lodge No. 369 ER, onefrom No. 215 IC, and three from No. 124 SC (that is, none were from Lodge No. 322); (3) with the permissionof the Commanding Officer and help from Lodge No. 18 IC, they met “for the election of officers or any otherbusiness.” A further meeting on November 2, 1864 saw the election of officers for the ensuing six months,of which only one, Bro. Captain Keebone (elected as SD), was a member of Lodge No. 322 IC. Accordingto Cochrane, Bro. Keebone was not in attendance at the Installation Meeting held on December 27, 1864.On the 5th January, 1865, “a letter was read from Bro. Grace, 29th Regiment, Secretary to Military Lodge,No. 322, in which the members of that Lodge expressed their thanks to Lodge XVIII for their kindness inassisting to re-open that Lodge and particularly to Past Master Bro. J. F. Erskine, for his readiness inaffording assistance at all times.” Bro. Middleton, here referred to, afterwards became Major-General SirFrederick D. Middleton KCMG, C.B.”107

By September 1865 the Lodge was meeting in Malta where the 29th Foot had been posted. The lastmeeting on Malta was held on March 9, 1867. On July 2, 1867, the 29th Foot and its Lodge embarked onboard HMS Tamer for conveyance to Canada.



The Regiment and Lodge Glittering Star served in Canada from 1867 at Montreal, Kingston,Hamilton and London, later in Toronto and finally in Halifax, from which it embarked in October 1868 forJamaica. Cochrane mentions only three meetings at this time in Canada: at Hamilton (May 5, 1868 whena Third Degree and Installation took place) and at Point Levis, opposite the Quebec Citadel (September 8,1869 for election of officers and October 16, 1869 where degrees were worked and Installation took place).

The 29th departed Quebec on October 28, 1869 on HMS Tamer for Jamaica but were forced totransfer to HMS Orontes at Halifax to complete the journey. The first meeting in Jamaica was held atNewcastle on May 7, 1870, when the Lodge membership is recorded as 18. A Letter from Grand Lodge datedSeptember 17, 1870 was received with the first ever Past Master’s Certificate received by the Lodge, for W.Bro. Bray. On November 29, 1870 the 29th sailed for Barbados and Glittering Star held its next meeting onDecember 27, 1870 on that Island, when Officers were elected. Installation occurred on January 11, 1871when the total membership was recorded as 21 with 14 members abroad “on detached duty”. The lastmeeting on Barbados was held on July 6, 1871, after which the 29th returned to Ireland. The next series ofmeetings of the Lodge (August 1871 until June 1874) were held at Templemore; June 1874 to June 1875in Dublin, Ireland. On November 17, 1875, the Lodge met at St. Peter’s, Jersey; and two meetings in 1876in the Chatham area. The construction of new regimental barracks at Norton (near Worcester) promised toprovide some stability for both the Regiment and the Lodge. The opportunity to be more relaxed in theirmeetings, without having to be constantly on the move, enabled the Secretary of the Lodge to begin usingthe Lodge name “Glittering Star Lodge 322” from September 11, 1878, onwards.

Early in 1879 the 29th Foot moved to Dover where four Lodge meetings were held; thence toPortsmouth where officers and men embarked on board HMS Serapis for India. The next Lodge meeting,on April 7, 1880, was at Mhow. Meetings here indicate that candidates were often given three degrees at onemeeting and that there was examination of the preceding degree before the next would be conferred. Thefirst point was that working all degrees at once was not uncommon, particularly for military Lodges whichwere subject to movement; and the second point, of testing the candidate, was a common routine for Englishand Scottish Lodges rather than Irish ones, and it is likely that Glittering Star was working a hybrid ofdegrees. For the next nine years the Lodge worked in a variety of locations in India and attendance atmeetings appears to have been about twenty members. The meeting of June 21, 1890 saw the balloting formembership of Sergeant Carleton of the 29th Foot; W. Bro. Carleton died in 1950 and is remembered in the“Carleton Jewel” which is worn by the presiding Master.

In the summer of 1899 the 29th Foot was assigned to Guernsey but then reassigned to South Africawith the outbreak of the Boer War. This period saw the Regiment raise two additional regular serviceBattalions—the 3rd and 4th—and the distribution of officers and senior NCO’s played havoc with Lodgemembership. At this time the Lodge had 14 members belonging to the 1st Battalion, seven of whom weretransferred to the new 3rd Battalion, thus placing the majority of Lodge members there. A decision wassubsequently made to “house” the Lodge in the new 3rd Battalion, and approved by Grand Lodge. Meetingsbegan at Aldershot on February 9, 1900 and lasted until June 22, 1900. The next meetings began in October1891 and lasted until September 10, 1904, at Tipperary, Ireland. It was in Tipperary on January 24, 1903,when W. Bro. The Rev. Canon Denis Hanon of the Provincial Grand Lodge of the South-eastern Area wasInstalled as Master of the Lodge. At the meeting of February 12, 1904, the Lodge recorded its appreciationto W. Bro. Lieutenant-Colonel Hilton, a 25-year member, who was forced to sever his connection with LodgeGlittering Star on his retirement.

By November 18, 1904, the Lodge was again meeting at Dublin and over the next three years thenumber of members joining the Lodge from the 1st Battalion led to its transferral back to the 1st. Theminutes of March 9, 1907, refer to instructions to the brethren on the working of the First Degree accordingto the “Irish Ritual”, a first indication that the working of the Lodge was at variance with whatever constituted“Irish Working” at that time. In October 10, 1910, the 1st Battalion (with the Lodge) was moved to Newport,Isle of Wight, remaining there until the spring of 1913, when it was moved to Alexandria, Egypt. By the springof 1914 the Regiment was in Cairo and the Lodge met there.

From June 8, 1914 until June 12, 1920 there is another gap in the Minute Book indicating thatGlittering Star was unable to meet due to the dispersal of the Regiment in smaller units during World War


W. Bro. Major-General Sir George McKenzie Franks was subsequently Provincial Grand Master of108

Wicklow and Wexford.

Cochrane describes the Shanghai setting as a very cosmopolitan one from a Masonic perspective with109

Lodges of six Grand Jurisdictions meeting and working in the city, although he only specifies England, Ireland andScotland. It is likely that at least two, if not three, American Grand Jurisdictions were also represented.


I. The Lodge’s first post-war meeting was held on June 12, 1920, at Freemasons’ Hall, Nazirabad, India.Cochrane indicates that this was an interesting as all the active-service members of the Lodge had beenkilled during the war and the only ones alive were those who were too old for active service. The Installationof officers included only one Irish Mason (who did not belong to No. 322) and others of the EnglishConstitution. Six members affiliated from Lodge No. 594 SC, and one each from Lodges 118 ER, 415 ERand 107 IC. Throughout the 1920’s the Master of the Lodge was W. Bro. Charles Inwood and he encouragedprevious members of the Lodge who had dropped out for many reasons, to affiliate with the Lodge, and theywere subsequently placed on a list of “Absent Members”. W. Bro. Inwood was followed by W. Bro. LieutenantH. U. Richards, W. Bro. Inwood serving as Secretary, Treasurer and even Master of the Lodge until hisretirement from the Army in 1929 (in 1927 W. Bro. Inwood was appointed Past Senior Grand Deacon of theGrand Lodge of Ireland). In 1923 the 29th Foot relieved the Seaforth Highlanders at Meerut, as the BritishInfantry Unit of the 3rd Indian Cavalry Brigade, in the United Provinces District. The District was thencommanded by W. Bro. Major-General Sir George McKenzie Franks who subsequently became an108

Honorary Member of Lodge Glittering Star. The departure of the Master from Meerut, the only other IrishMason in the Lodge, saw the Chair devolve to W. Bro. Inwood. By late 1926 the 29th Foot moved toAllahabad. In October 1929 the Regiment was at Shanghai and left in January 1931 for Crownhill, Devon109

and their final settling in assignment at Crownhill Barracks, Plymouth after eighteen years abroad.The early 1930’s proved a difficult time for Lodge Glittering Star and the first meeting in England did

not occur until August 8, 1931 and the third meeting was held on February 13, 1932. Installation in February1933 saw a very small turnout of available members and the next meeting was not held until January 27,1934. In early 1935 the 29th Foot moved to Aldershot and at the meeting of March 9, 1935, 28 memberswere in attendance. Ten meetings were held in 1936. The meeting of December 12, 1936 was delayed asthe Regiment was on duty in London in connection with the Proclamation Ceremonies for HM King GeorgeVI, following the Abdication of King Edward VIII. The installation meeting of March 31, 1937 was held atFarnborough, attended by 26 members, and nine more meetings were held that year.

The Master for 1938 was installed at Farnborough on February 12, 1938. On June 3, 1938, LodgeGlittering Star, No. 322 IC held the first and only Masonic lodge meeting in the Tower of London. The 1stBattalion of The Worcestershire Regiment (29th Foot) was then in garrison in the Tower. At that time FieldMarshal Sir Claud Jacob, G.C.B., was Constable of the Tower and Colonel of the Regiment. He was alsoa Past Senior Grand Warden of the United Grand Lodge of England, and an Honorary Member of LodgeGlittering Star. Bro. Rt. Hon. the Earl of Donoughmore, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, openedthe Lodge, and was supported by the presence of Bro. Rt. Hon. Lord Saltoun, Past Grand Master Mason ofScotland, and Bro. General Sir Francis Davies, Deputy Grand Master of England and concurrently ProvincialGrand Master of Worcestershire. The business of the meeting included the installation of absent officersfrom the February 12 meeting, and the initiation of Colour Sergeant Joseph White of the 1st Battalion. Thenext meeting, July 9, 1938 was the last to be held by the Lodge for 10 years as the 1st Battalion was onassignment and many of its rank and file were transferred to other units, or used in small detachments. Postwar assignments in the Middle East and Europe also prohibited a Lodge meeting as insufficient masonscould be assembled to meet.

A meeting in 1948 in Berlin, by five Sergeants who were members of the Lodge, led to an action planto resuscitate Lodge Glittering Star again, before Grand Lodge called in the Warrant. A search revealed thatthe Warrant and regalia, which had been in the keeping of W. Bro. Inwood until his death in 1943, had beendeposited in the Regimental Museum. It was planned to hold a Lodge meeting on July 3, 1948, the day of


German Constitution.110


the Regimental Reunion, and in the event a small informal meeting of 12 members of the Lodge was held(a further 16 members had written in support of reactivating the Lodge but were unable to attend themeeting). A formal meeting followed at which Bro. Captain C. E. Shrimpton, the only member of the Lodgestill on the Active List of the 29th was elected as Master. In late 1948 the 1st Battalion The WorcesterRegiment was assigned abroad and would not return to England for thirteen years. As a consequence theLodge remained at Norton Barracks and met throughout the thirteen year absence of the 29th.

In 1959 Glittering Star celebrated its bicentenary at an installation meeting held at Norton Barracks,attended by the DGM of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the AGM of the Grand Lodge of England, and a PGMMof Scotland. Attendees included 75 members of the Lodge, and members of Irish Military Lodges in the4th/7th Dragoon Guards (St. Patrick’s Lodge, No. 295 IC), The King’s Dragoon Guards (Waterloo Lodge, No.571 IC), the 8th Royal Irish Hussars (Leswaree Lodge, No. 646 IC), and the 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards(Charity Lodge, No. 570 IC). Membership was noted as being “over one hundred and was undoubtedly in avery flourishing condition” (Cochrane).

By 1961 it was realized by both the Lodge members and also Grand Lodge that the Lodge Warrantcalled for the Lodge to “be in the 29th Regiment of Foot” and action was taken to attract more servingofficers, Warrant Officers and Sergeants. Members were called to meet with officers of the Grand Lodgeof Ireland where the requirement to keep the Lodge ambulatory, as per the 1904 Concordance, wasemphasized. Unless it was ambulatory it was likely that the United Grand Lodge would call for the Lodge tocease working in its Jurisdiction as a stationary Lodge. Thus, a “journey party” from the Lodge at NortonBarracks travelled to Minden, Germany, each person taking and being responsible for a portion of the Lodgeparaphernalia. The first meeting of the Lodge in the 1st Battalion was held and in the absence of a PastMaster (Irish) of the Lodge, W. Bro. Warrant Officer J. J. S. Joyce, Master of British Service Lodge‘Britannia’, No. 843 GC , occupied the East. From April 1963 until August 1964 Glittering Star was with the110

Regiment at Minden, Western Germany, but began meetings in England with the return of the Regiment toLee Medford Barracks, Lydd, Kent in early 1965. By the end of 1965 the Regiment and Lodge were assignedto Gibraltar. The difficulties of continuing to work in an active military unit - fifteen members were in TheWorcestershire Regiment and fourteen were serving in other units - saw total membership reduced to ahandful.

The frequent movements of the Regiment—Gibraltar, England, Berlin, Northern Ireland—and theconstant transfer of officers and NCO’s into and out of the Regiment, for the next twenty years played havocwith regular meetings. In many cases members of the Lodge moved so frequently that the Secretary’saddress list was never really accurate. When abroad, the English members were unable to attend Lodge.Dues went unpaid, and in many cases were not even called for by the Lodge, and Dues and fees owed toGrand Lodge went unpaid. This led to another round of effort to re-establish the Lodge in the Midlands, ratherthan having it travel with the 1st Battalion of The Worcester Regiment and an arrangement was worked outwith United Grand Lodge and the Provincial Grand Lodges of Staffordshire, Warwickshire andWorcestershire, who “kindly allowed the Lodge to use its Travelling Warrant within those Provinces whilstthe Regiment was in Germany without sufficient Lodge members to hold a meeting.

This Lodge is still working at the present time and is only one of two “Travelling Military Lodges” stillin existence (the other is St. Patrick’s Lodge, No. 295 IC in the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards). In keepingwith the authority of its Warrant, Lodge Glittering Star meets in various locations in England during themasonic year.

An enquiry was made to the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1999 to obtain a copy of Warrant No. 322.The reply indicated that no copy of the Warrant could be found in the archives. A request is being made toLodge Glittering Star to determine whether they have a copy of the (existing) Duplicate Warrant No. 322.

[Sources: (1) Outlines of the History of Freemasonry in the Province of Quebec, by John H. Graham, 1892.



(2) Early Canadian Freemasonry 1759-1869, by Pemberton Smith, P.M., O.R., 1939. (3) History ofFreemasonry, R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonryin the Armed Forces, by Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for as reprinted in the Transactionsof Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (5) John Ross Robertson, The History of Freemasonry in Canada, 1899. (6) 1996historical handout of Lodge Glittering Star; Lodge Summons for May 23, 1996. (7) History of the GrandLodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (8) The Story of Lodge “Glittering Star” No. 322(Irish) (1759-1966) and The Beginning of Knight Templary in Canada, by Reginald V. Harris, PSGM (Can.),Paper No. 86 in the Canadian Masonic Research Association, 1986. (9) Flags of Masonry in the lineRegiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 IC, September 2002, notes on Lodgesin the 29th Foot.]


Whence Come We? Freemasonry in Ontario 1764-1980, Edited by The Special Committee on the111

History; Wallace McLeod, Chairman, published by the Grand Lodge A. F. & A. M. of Canada in the Province ofOntario, 1980, notes on page 7 that “(5) The Grand Lodge of Ireland warranted no civilian lodges in the coloniesbefore the Revolution, but was, as we have seen, the largest issuer of “travelling” warrants to regimental lodges.The earliest military lodge to work in North America was No. 85 I.C., in Frampton’s (30th) Regiment of Foot; it wasstationed in the garrison at Louisbourg, Cape Breton Island, in 1746.” It should be recalled that this is true for IrishLodges but there were earlier military Lodges, per se, and researchers such as R. V. Harris note that there isreason to believe that a Lodge in the 40th Foot was working at Port Royal as early as 1721, although this date, too,may be too early and 1738 a more appropriate one (see notes on Lodges in the 40th Foot.

R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update of Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes112

that the Minute Book is 6½ x 8 inches, and contains 144 pages. It was presented to the Grand Lodge of Iowa in1898 by Bro. F. L. Crosby, of 79 Bodegones, Lima, Peru, who adds the initials “P.G.M.” to his signature. In acovering letter address to Bro. Theodore S. Parvin, the founder of the Iowa Masonic Library, Bro. Crosby says hewished to add this mite to “that great Masonic Library that is an honour to you and the Craft.” The Minute Book, hecontinues, “was the property of an Englishman, an enthusiastic Mason, who was for many years Grand Secretary ofthe Supreme Council of the A&A Scotch Rite, whose Library was purchased by me after his death.


REF: E46 St. Johns Lodge No. XIII PRCoromandel, in the 30th Regiment of Foot 1822-1832REF: I51 Lodge No. 30 IC, in the 30th Regiment of Foot 1805-1823REF: I51 Lodge No. 85 IC, in the 30th Regiment of Foot, (Louisbourg, Halifax and other locations)

1738-1805[now part of The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment]

The earliest recorded Military Lodge to work anywhere in North America was No. 85 IC inColonel Harward’s Regiment of Foot (later the 30th (Frampton’s) Regiment of Foot), which waswarranted on May 30, 1738 by the Grand Lodge of Ireland . No entries are found on the Grand Lodge111

Register as no names were provided in accordance with the Irish by-law governing Ambulatory Lodges.There are no records of the Lodge in the records of the Grand Lodge of Ireland until 1787. Bro. FrederickSmyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonryin the Armed Forces includes this Warrant in his list on page 40 but shows a date of 1735 vice 1738.

Although a detachment of 300 men of the Regiment was stationed in the garrison at Louisbourg in1746 (supplementing the 28th, 29th and 45th Regiments of Foot) it is not clear if the Lodge accompaniedit at that time as the Lodge usually remained with the main body of the Regiment. Under the terms of theTreaty of Aix La Chapelle of 1748, Louisbourg was returned to the French; the 300 man detachment beingincorporated into the 29th Foot.

Little is known about the early working of this Lodge although its Minute Book for the period 1757-1764 was held in the Iowa Masonic Library (source: Iowa Bulletin, August 1805) . An interesting background112

of Lodge No. 85 IC appears in The History of Freemasonry in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, by Leslie R.Harborne and Robin L. W. White, 1990. The authors note on page 3 that “The first recorded minute statesthat the Lodge met on 23 November 1757 at the Royal Oak in Reading ‘in order to revive No. 85 Lodge ofrd

Free and Accepted Masons when the annex’d brethren were chosen officers of said Lodge - Henry NortonJevers, M (name appears in Reading and Canterbury minutes); John Wright, SW (name appears in Readingand Canterbury minutes); Peter Margarett, JW (name appears only in Reading minutes); Thomas Bothwell,SD (name appears in Reading and Canterbury minutes); Alex McBride, JD (name appears in Reading andCanterbury minutes).’”. The Lodge worked in Reading until April 3, 1758, after which it moved to the Dolphinin Canterbury. In December 1759 the Lodge met at Hilsea Barracks, Portsmouth; in 1760 it was at Exeter,Plymouth Dock and Gibraltar, where it settled. During the period the Lodge was at Reading the followingmembers joined (i.e. affiliated) or were initiated: Frank Hogan (name appears in Reading and Canterburyminutes); George Poole (name appears in Reading and Canterbury minutes); Austin Kinglock (name appears


Warrant No. 73 ER(A) was issued on January 17, 1759 to hold a Lodge at Reading. The actual113

meeting place is not known. The Lodge expired sometime between 1759 and December 20, 1771 when the Warrantwas reissued to Freemasons in Reading. This (second) Lodge lapsed in 1775. The Warrant was reissued in 1808 tohold a Lodge at Framlingham, Suffolk.

See also History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925, page 125.114

These five Antients Lodges were held in Liverpool under sanction from the Grand Lodge of England.115

No. 25 ER(A) still meets in Liverpool as St. George’s Lodge, No.32 ER; No. 53 ER(A) still meets as Humber Lodge,No. 57 ER, Hull; and No. 276 ER(A) still meets as Ancient Union Lodge, No. 203 ER, Liverpool. The other twoLodges lapsed.

The Antients’ Grand Lodge.116


home to a Masonic Lodge, all of which worked under Irish Warrants: 1st Royals, No. 11 IC (1732-1847); 11th Regt.,No. 604 IC (1782-1815); 25th Regt., No. 92 IC (1749-1815); 30th Regt., No. 85 IC (1738-1793) and No. 535 IC(1776-1823); 50th Regt., No. 113 IC (1763-1815); 51st Regt., No. 690 IC (1788-1801) and No. 94 IC (1763-1815);and 69th Regt., No. 174 IC (1791-1821).

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 30 Foot, notes that Warrant No. 85 wasth118

returned to Grand Lodge in 1793 in exchange for No. 30. Cochrane’s notes regarding the exchange throughAlexander Seton are based on Grand Lodge records and registers and appears the more likely date.


in Reading and Canterbury minutes and he was a known member of Lodge No. 73 ER(A) at Reading );113

Josiah Chandler (name appears in Reading and Canterbury minutes and he was a known member of LodgeNo. 73 ER(A) at Reading); Thomas Alford (name appears in Reading and Canterbury minutes and he wasa known member of Lodge No. 73 ER(A) at Reading); Charles Lambdon (name appears in Reading andCanterbury minutes); Thomas Early (name appears in Reading minutes only); Charles Abbot, Gentleman(name appears in Reading and Canterbury minutes); William Marshall (name appears in Reading andCanterbury minutes); John Miller (name appears in Reading and Canterbury minutes); William Pace (nameappears in Reading and Canterbury minutes and he was a known member of Lodge No. 73 ER(A) atReading); Alexander Colwell (name appears in Reading and Canterbury minutes); ------ Scott (name appearsin Reading and Canterbury minutes); ------ Skinner (name appears in Reading and Canterbury minutes); ------Taylor (name appears in Reading and Canterbury minutes); and ------ Knockhold (name appears in Readingand Canterbury minutes).

Grand Lodge records indicate that a document was issued by Lodge No. 85 IC on Dominica, on May1, 1787, to Bro. Erasmus Browne, certifying that in addition to being a Master Mason, he had attained theRoyal Arch and other (unspecified) degrees .114

The members of Lodge No. 85 IC took in members to the Lodge who were not members of theRegiment (or, indeed, of any regiment in the British army). On July 4,1793 the minutes of the Grand Lodgeof Ireland note: “Read a Lett . from No. 20, 25, 53, 132 and 176 - held in Liverpool & under the Sanctionr 115

of the G. L. of England , stateing that No. 85 under this G.L. & held in s . town had done & continue to116 d

make Masons for small & paltry considerations - Ordered that the said Lodges do call No. 85 before them& enquire more fully into the said Charges & report thereon”. Grand Lodge minutes for August 1, 1793 report“Read a Lett . from sundry Lodges in Liverpool containing the Wart. No. 85 . . . . Ordered that the thanksr

of this R. W. Lodge be conveyed to the said Lodges for their exertions and attention to the Masonic Order.”It is not clear what final disposition was made for Warrant No. 85. Grand Lodge records indicate that

the Lodge fought with the Regiment in Corsica in 1793 , that it was present when Bastia was captured on117

May 22, 1794, and that on November 7, 1805 , Alexander Seton accepted Warrant No. 85 in exchange for118

a new Warrant as No. 30. Cochrane notes that “John F. Kinfsley [sic. Kingsley], William Stewart and David


Warrant No. 620 IC was issued to The First Volunteer Lodge in The Royal Independent Dublin119

Volunteers on September 4, 1783. This Lodge became civilian and is current as of 2000.

Lodge No. 376 (a civilian Lodge) held its Warrant dated February 1, 1810, and met in the village of120

Killyleagh, Co. Down. The Warrant was cancelled by Grand Lodge on November 6, 1845, for non-payment of dues.


Glaso, may have been Master and Wardens. John Gowan, Wm. ? and another registered 7 November, 1806are the only other names recorded.”

Cochrane notes Transactions of the Grand Lodge of Ireland on Thursday, June 5, 1806, when aCommittee of Grand Lodge was established to hear charges against the G.T. (presumably the Grand Tyler).Bro. Kingsley, W.M. of Lodge No. 30 IC, was next examined and claimed partiality by the Chair on the nightof the appointment of the Committee. This section is concluded by Cochrane with the entry “Grand Lodgeof Ireland; 27th Dec. 1806, to 27th Dec. 1807. (Revolt) Alex. Seton Esq., D.G.S. in a/c with G.L.” - areference to the “Dissenting Grand Secretary, Alexander Seton, and the formation of the “Schismatic” GrandLodge of East Ulster.

The Grand Lodge of Ireland met on August 6, 1807, and read a letter from (Brother) John Leechregarding Seton’s “revival” of Warrant No. 30 to the Lodge in the 30th Foot while on “Dublin duty”. Therevival appears to have been done by Seton and Bros. John Leech and John Boardman, and that theWarrant “was installed by Brother Jaffrey, assisted by the same Bros. John Leech and John Boardman”. Therecords show that this action was “opposed strenuously by the Master of No. 30.” However the action of theissue of No. 30 to the 30th Foot was allowed to stand by Grand Lodge and meetings carried on, althoughthere are few references to any minutes noted by Cochrane.

According to R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. PhilipCrossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, the Minute Book of Lodge 792 IC, Killyleagh, Co. Down (WarrantedJune 9, 1808) reveals that Lodge 30 supported the formation of this new Lodge and that some of the Chartermembers of No. 792 came from No. 30 (regrettably it is not clear who these were). Various masonic regaliaand equipments were provided to Lodge 792 IC by the members of 30 IC, including jewels (value £6-4-5),two brass seals (value £5-5-0), and a Lodge Chair (possibly for the WM to use). The Minute Book for Lodge792 IC records the expenses for 1809, including “Paid to Mr. Rowan for a Warrant £7-14-5.” As Cochranenotes, “This was Archibald Hamilton Rowan of the Castle, Killyleagh, a Major in the Independent DublinVolunteers in 1789 and Initiated in Lodge No. 620 belonging to that Corps . The Knight Templar seal of this119

Lodge (presumably he means No. 620) was used by Lodge No. 30 by simply changing the number. The sealof this Lodge had a LEFT Arm instead of a Right one.”

Close ties with Lodge No. 114 IC, Killyleagh, Co. Down (Warranted November 6, 1817) were alsomaintained, according to Crossle, who notes that the Minutes of Lodge 114 IC show the following membersof Lodge 30 IC were given degrees: “March 7, 1826, Bro. Alex. Morrow was raised to a Chair Master,Excellent, Super-Excellent (Royal Arch) Mason - Same night John McBriar and Hamilton Gilmore raised tothe same.” On June 6, 1826, “Robert McBair, John Kelly and John Gilmore were raised to the Degree of aChair Master, Excellent, Super-Excellent Royal Arch Mason. Also Baptist Trimble of Lodge No. 376 IC ,120

was raised to the same, and received the same degrees.” And, on July 22, 1840, the names of twenty-sixmembers of Lodge No. 114 IC were shown as having transferred to Lodge No. 30 IC.

Irish Grand Lodge records indicate that Warrant No. 30 was cancelled on July 3,1823. However, IrishGrand Lodge minutes for March 2, 1826 record the donation of £ 40.3.11 “from Lodge No.13 of the ProvincialGrand Lodge of the Coast of Coromandel, for distressed Masons in Ireland”. No.XIII (13) was apparently thelocal number of Lodge No. 30 IC as it appeared on the Roll of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Coromandelwith the name “St. David’s”. W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 73rd Foot takes thefollowing from the records of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Madras dated September 23, 1818. A letter wasread at this meeting from the Lodge of St. Andrews’ Union No. X dated Colombo August 19, 1816, forforwarding a “Petition” from Brothers: Samuel Heming; John Salmon; Hugh Roam, Privates of the 73rdRegiment of Foot. These brethren were praying for a Warrant of Constitution for establishment of a regular



Lodge in the Regiment under the distinctive denomination of “St. John’s Lodge”. The Acting Provincial GrandMaster having expressed some reluctance to grant a Warrant to the Petitioners in consequence of thembeing beyond the limits of his superintendence although he had done so on a former occasion with thesanction of the Prov. G. M. of the Island of Ceylon. However, whilst the 73rd were still in Ceylon, workingwith the 30th Regiment of Foot both Regiments took a “Local Warrant No. 13 on August 16, 1822, from theProvincial Grand Lodge of Coromandel (Ceylon). This Lodge later became Stationary in Ceylon as “St.John’s Lodge” was registered with Grand Lodge in London and was numbered 628 in 1832 and No. 434 in1863. This Lodge is still working in Madras today as “St. John’s Lodge”. There is no entry in John Lane’sMasonic Records 1717-1894 for a local (Coast of Coromandel) issue of a Warrant as “No. 13.”

Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, includes this Warrant in his list on page 40 with a local date ofissue of 1813. John Lane lists the Lodge as carrying the name “St. David’s” in Warrant No. XIII issued onDecember 27, 1813. Lane is generally accepted as an accurate source but until an actual copy of theWarrant is secured this will not be demonstrable.

Both the number “30” and “85” used for Warrants issued to this Lodge have been reused by theGrand Lodge of Ireland for other Warrants. V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, publishedby the Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973, notes that this use of either the Warrant or the number “30” was thesecond of two, and for “85” was the first of three:

• although Crossle doesn’t say so, it is probable that the original issue of “No. 30” was during the1730’s and the loss of the original Grand Lodge Register means that the information on the Lodgeis lost forever. Cochrane, however, lists the issue as dated either February 5 or March 27, 1734, tohold a Lodge in Dublin. He says that the Lodge is “Noted as working in “The Two Friends” inChequer Lane, Dublin, in 1735” and “Erased, 5 November 1801.”;

• the next (and recorded) issue of Warrant No. 30 is the Seton issue dated November 7, 1805, inexchange for “No. 85” in the 30th Foot which was struck off the Roll in 1823; and

• 1840, “No. 30” issued to True Blues Lodge at Killeleaghe, Co. Down, in exchange for its earlier issueof “No. 114”. Cochrane lists the date of issue as July 7, 1840 in lieu of 114 and shows the Lodge as“Current” in 2001.

“No. 85” was issued at least twice, according to Crossle:

• the original issue on May 3, 1738 to hold a Lodge in the 30th Foot and which was exchanged for “No.30” in 1805; and

• 1807, “No. 85” issued to hold a Lodge at Shercock, Co. Cavan; Cochrane lists this issue as May 22,1807. Crossle notes that the Lodge was removed to Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan; and

• Cochrane lists an issue of a new Warrant No. 85 to brethren in Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan onAugust 13, 1869, and lists the Lodge as “Current” in 2001.

An enquiry was made to the Grand Lodge of Ireland in December 1999 to obtain a copy of bothWarrant No. 85 and No. 30 issued for the 30th Foot. A copy of Warrant No. 85 was graciously provided andis transcribed on the following page, but there is no Warrant No. 30 in the Grand Lodge files. As noted, thereis difficulty in deciphering parts of No. 85. Grand Lodge reports that as noted on the copy the actual Warrantwas reissued for a civilian Lodge in Shercock, Co. Cavan on April 2, 1807. Normally the number of theoriginal surrendered Warrant was reused and a new Warrant issued, with the original (or earlier Warrantsbearing the same number) being held in Grand Lodge: such was not the case with No. 85 and the actualWarrant was reissued.



[Sources: (1) The History of Freemasonry in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, by Leslie R. Harborne andRobin L. W. White, 1990. (2) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (3)Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V. W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printed in The Lodge of Research,No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957. (4) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Philip Crossle,P.G.S.D., published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973. (5) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update(Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (6) History of Freemasonry, by RobertFreke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7) “The Poor Common Soldier,” A Study of the Irish Ambulatory Warrants,by John Heron Lepper, in his paper printed in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1925. (8) TheMaster-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth in hisPrestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (9) Historyof the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (10) Flags of Masonry in the lineRegiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 IC, September 2002, notes on Lodgesin the 30th Foot. (11) Whence Came We? Freemasonry in Ontario 1764 - 1980, published 1980, by MasonicHoldings, Hamilton.]



Transcript of Warrant No. 85 IC issued in 1738 to the 30th Foot

By the Right Worshipful and Right Honourable Lord Vi----- of

Cornelius TYRONE ----------- Grand Master of all the Lodges of Free-

Xxxxxxx G.M. Masons in the Kingdom of IRELAND, the Rt. Worshipful

Xxxxxxx D.G.M. Cornelius Callaghan Esq. : : : : : : : : Deputy Grand Master,

Kean O’Hara the Worshipful John Pritchard and Kean O’Hara

Grand Wardens

S E A L WHEREAS our Trusty and Well-beloved Brothers ---------------

S E A L -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

S E A L have besought Us, that We would be pleased to erect a Lodge of Free-

S E A L Masons, in the H - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Col. Hardwards Corps

S E A L of such Persons ,who by their Knowledge and Skill in Masonry, may

S E A L contribute to the Well-Being and Advancement thereof. We therefore

S E A L duly weighing the Premisses, and having nothing more at Heart, than the

Prosperity and true Advancement of Masonry, and reposing

SHERCOCK special Trust and Confidence in our Trusty and Well-beloved Brothers

85 the said Francis Hogan, Alex Pearson and Paul Shortlin - - - - - - - -r

Received & Exchanged of whose Abilities and Knowledge in Masonry, We are satisfied; Do,

BEN MONTGOMERY by these PRESENTS, of Our certain Knowledge, and meer Motion,

THOMAS CARROLL Nominate, Create, Authorize and Constitute the said Francis Hogan

and PAT MURRAY Master, Alex Pearson and Paul Shortlin Wardens to be Master andR r

2 April 1807 Wardens of a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, to be held by them andd

their Successors lawfully admitted in the said Lodge forever, AND we dohereby Give and Grant unto the said Francis Hogan, Alex Pearson andr

Paul Shortlin and their Successors, full Power and lawful Authority fromTime to Time to proceed to Election of a new Master and Wardens, to makesuch Laws, Rules and Orders as they from Time to Time shall think Properand Convenient for the Well-Being and Ordering of the said Lodge;reserving to Our Selves and Our Successors, Grand Masters or GrandWardens of IRELAND, the sole Right of deciding all Differences which shallbe brought by Appeal before Us and Our Successors, Grand Masters orGrand Wardens of IRELAND. IN WITNESS whereof, We have hereunto setOur Hands and Seal of Office this Thirtyeth Day of May in the Year of ourLord God, 1738 and in the Year of Masonry, 5738.

Intratur per John xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Source: Grand Lodge of Ireland]



home to a Masonic Lodge, all of which worked under Irish Warrants: 1st Royals, No. 11 IC (1732-1847); 11th Regt.,No. 604 IC (1782-1815); 25th Regt., No. 92 IC (1749-1815); 30th Regt., No. 85 IC (1738-1793) and No. 535 IC(1776-1823); 50th Regt., No. 113 IC (1763-1815); 51st Regt., No. 690 IC (1788-1801) and No. 94 IC (1763-1815);and 69th Regt., No. 174 I.C. (1791-1821).


REF: I52 Lodge No. 535 IC, in the 30th Regiment of Foot, various locations 1776-1823[now part of The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment]

On October 3, 1776, the Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 535 to Bros. James Ellis,Master; and James Hastie and Alex McGill, Wardens, to hold a Lodge in the 30th Regiment of Foot. Tenother names were added to the roll between this date and July 25, 1780. W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his noteson Lodges in the 30 Foot, gives December 3, 1776 as the date of issue.th

From 1761 until 1776 the 30th Foot served in the Garrison at Gibraltar but the lack of reporting toGrand Lodge and the loss of the Minute Book makes it unclear whether the Lodge was working during thistime. As Freemasonry was active in the garrison it is very likely that the Lodge met with the other Irish andAntients Lodges which would be found there.

By 1781 the Regiment was in the Americas and there are clear indications that the Lodge wasworking there. Bro. Jeremiah Wright, Master of No. 535 IC sat on a Committee in 1782 to examine theworking of St. Andrew’s Lodge, No.1, South Carolina, and testified on April 26, 1782, to the Provincial GrandLodge of Pennsylvania that the members of St. Andrew’s were entitled to work as Antient Masons (Source:Sachse, Old Lodges in Pennsylvania, vol ii, p.178.). Demits are recorded as being granted by No. 535 IC toBro. Isaac Reed, Long Island, NY, showing that on July 20, 1783, he was made a Royal Arch and Super-Excellent Mason, and on August 25, 1783, dubbed a Knight of the Red Cross (Source: The Freemason,1871).

The history of the Lodge after 1783 is not clear although Grand Lodge records indicate that theLodge fought with the Regiment in Corsica in 1793121

On the Irish Register it is recorded that the original Warrant was lost and a duplicate granted in May1805 to Bros. J. F. Kingsley, William Stewart and David Glass (roll numbers 14, 15 and 16 of the Lodge).V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that the date of reissue was May 1808while Sheppard cites May 1, 1808.

There has been some question as to the date on which the Warrant was cancelled and some recordsindicate that it was cancelled in June 1807. Bro. Norman Rogers, in his Lancashire Military Lodges, asprinted in Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, June 12, 1963, indicates that No. 535 IC wascancelled on July 3, 1823, as the Lodge had not communicated with the Grand Lodge of Ireland sinceobtaining the duplicate Warrant. This date of 1823 is also used by Crossle, R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, inhis CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973 and by W. Bro.Ray Sheppard.

Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces includes the Warrant in his list.

An enquiry was made to the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1999 to obtain a copy of Warrant No. 535issued to the 30th Foot. The reply indicated that no copy of the Warrant could be found in the archives.

Crossle has also noted that the number “535” was used for a Warrant to hold a Lodge atMountpottinger, Co. Down. No date of issue is shown, nor a date when the Warrant was struck from the rolls.Cochrane lists this issue as June 24, 1922 for “Albertbridge Lodge”, Mountpottinger, Belfast, and shows theLodge as “Current” in 2002.

[Sources: (1) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V. W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printed in The Lodge



of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957. (2) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W.Philip Crossle, P.G.S.D., published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973. (3) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (4) History ofFreemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (5) “The Poor Common Soldier,” A Study of theIrish Ambulatory Warrants, by John Heron Lepper, in his paper printed in the Transactions of the QuatuorCoronati Lodge, 1925. (6) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces,Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled as reprinted in the Transactions of QuatuorCoronati Lodge. (7) Lancashire Military Lodges, by Bro. Norman Rogers, as printed in Transactions of theQuatuor Coronati Lodge, June 12, 1963. (8) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons ofIreland, Vol. I, 1925. (9) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. RaySheppard, P.M. 322 IC, September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 30th Foot.]



REF: E48 Lodge, No. 5 PGLGibraltar(A), in the 31st Regiment of Foot and/or Royal Artillery, Gibraltar1802-????[now part of The Queen’s Regiment]

Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry, refers to the issue of Warrant No. 5 to a Lodgein the 31st Regiment of Foot, in 1802, by the Antients Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar. The Warrant wasnever registered on the books of Grand Lodge and no further Warrant was issued. It is unclear whether thisWarrant was actually issued for a new Lodge in the 31st Foot, or to one of the earlier Warranted Lodges, toa combined 31st Foot/Royal Artillery Lodge, or to a Lodge in the Royal Artillery. There are indications thatLodge No. 5 was a joint one, sponsored by members of the 31st Foot and the Royal Artillery. It is not clearwhen the Lodge ceased working, or at least surrendered the local Warrant. [Note: Warrant No. 5 PRGibraltarwas reissued in 1811 to a Lodge in the Royal Artillery.]

There is no clear entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 for this Lodge although there isreference on page 465 to “No. 5, Provincial, in the Royal Artillery. Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibralter(Ancients), No. 220, Warranted 25 January, 1786. [See page 156].” The reference to “page 156" refers tothe issue of the Warrant for the Provincial Grand Lodge only.

Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, doesnot include this Warrant in his list on page 40 and W. Bro. Ray Sheppard does not include the Lodge either.

[Sources: (1) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M.322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 31st Foot. (2) History of Freemasonry, R. F. Gould, 3rdEdition, 1886. (3) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895.(4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, by Bro. Frederick Smyth in hisPrestonian Lecture for as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge.]



REF: E49 Meridian Lodge, No. 743 ER, in the 31st Regiment of Foot 1863-????REF: E49 Meridian Lodge, No. 1045 ER, in the 31st Regiment of Foot 1858-1863

[now part of The Queen’s Regiment]

With the arrival of the 31st Regiment of Foot at Gibraltar in 1857, came several enthusiasticFreemasons in the Regiment. Lieutenant Robert Freke Gould became a strong force behind the resuscitationof Inhabitants Lodge No. 153 ER (see p 25) and the formation of Meridian Lodge in the Regiment.

United Grand Lodge of England issued Warrant No. 1045 on May 17, 1858 to hold Meridian Lodgein the 31st Regiment of Foot. W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 31st Foot, writes thatMeridian Lodge had, amongst its Charter Members, Robert Freke Gould, a well respected Masonicresearcher and writer.

In the renumbering of warrants in 1863 the Lodge became No. 743. Sheppard also notes that in 1876the Lodge was again reported at Gibraltar and, in 1884, at Aldershot. Lane’s notes indicate that as of 1894the Lodge was held in the 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment (the eventual designation of the original 31stFoot).

The date of surrender and/or cancellation of Warrant No. 743 is unknown.The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894, p. 313, reads: “1894 No. 743. Meridian

Lodge. Thirty-first Regiment of Foot, at Gibraltar (Malaga) Spain. 1858. (G.L. Warrant) 17 May 1858 No.1045. 1863 No. 743. At Gibraltar (Malaga) Spain 1876. At Aldershot, Hampshire, 1884. Now designated the1st Battalion East Surrey Regiment.” The lack of reference to any erasure of the Warrant indicates that thisoccurred after 1895 and the release of Lane’s publication. Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge,notes the year of issue as 1858 and does not include any reference to the renumbering of 1863. RobertFreke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry, includes the Lodge in a listing entitled “Existing British FieldLodges, 1886” but with the Warrant as No. 743 ER, and the year of issue as 1858, the year being incorrectfor the Warrant, but correct for the year of establishment of the Lodge. Neither writer had specified therenumbering of the original warrant No. 1045 to No. 743 in 1863.

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (2) Flags of Masonryin the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, noteson Lodges in the 31st Foot. (2) History of Freemasonry, R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (3) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, by Bro. Frederick Smyth in hisPrestonian Lecture for as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge.]



REF: I53 Lodge No. 61 IC, in the 32nd Regiment of Foot 1736/7-1801[now part of The Light Infantry Regiment]

Although there is no entry in the Grand Lodge Register (due to the loss of the earliest Registerspredating 1769) Warrant No. 61 was issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland either on November 1736 orFebruary 1737 to the men of the 32nd Regiment of Foot. The Warrant was erased at Gibralter in 1792 andby Grand Lodge on November 5, 1801.

V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, 1973, and R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, inhis CD-ROM Update (June 2000) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, agree on thesedates. Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry notes the date of issue as “cir. 1747” and Bro.Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study ofFreemasonry in the Armed Forces includes this Warrant in his list on page 40 with the year of issue shownas 1736. V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, in his paper Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, notes that theWarrant was erased at Gibraltar in 1802.

Beyond these dates there is no known information regarding the Lodge’s activities there during its56 year existence. Cochrane notes “NOTHING in Vols. 1 to 5 G.L. Registers”.

An enquiry was made to the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1999 to obtain a copy of Warrant No. 61. Thereply indicated that no copy of the Warrant could be found in the archives.

Crossle also notes that the number “61” was used for an undated Warrant issued to hold a Lodgeat Ballymacarett, Co. Down, no date of being struck off the rolls is listed. Cochrane lists two later Warrantsbearing the number “61” issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland: on March 1, 1810 to hold a Lodge atStewartstown, Co. Tyrone, which was sent in to Grand Lodge on July 7, 1850; and on March 5, 1891, to holdLeslie J. Thompson Lodge at Ballymacarett, Belfast, being shown in 2001 as “Current”.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, limited publication in manuscript form bythe Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 andFall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) History of Freemasonry, by RobertFreke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the ArmedForces, Bro. Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of QuatuorCoronati Lodge, 1990, London. (5) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, asprinted in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957, pp 119-141.(6) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (7) Flags of Masonryin the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, noteson Lodges in the 32nd Foot.]



REF: S9 White’s Lodge, No. 73 SC, in the 32nd Regiment of Foot 1754-1809[now part of The Light Infantry Regiment]

Following receipt of a Petition, the Grand Lodge of Scotland issued Warrant No. 73 on November25, 1754 to White’s Lodge, in the 32nd Regiment of Foot.

In the History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER, Gibraltar, contained on the website of the GibraltarProvincial Grand Lodge, it is noted that “In 1792 there were no fewer than eleven military or travellingLodges in Gibraltar, one Scottish in 32nd Regiment . . . .”. There is no further information regarding thelength of time the Regiment and its Lodge worked on Gibraltar.

The Lodge was erased from the Rolls of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1809. [Source: C. MartinMcGibbon, ASCA, Grand Secretary, The Grand Lodge of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.]

Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge,includes this Warrant in his list on page 40.

Brother Captain William Thomas, in his Freemasonry in the British Army, published in the GrandLodge of Scotland Year Book, 1997, includes this issue of Warrant No. 73 although he shows no name ofthe Lodge, but that it was held in “White’s Regiment”.

[Sources: (1) History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (2) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1990, London. (3) Flags of Masonry in theline Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes onLodges in the 32nd Foot. (4) Freemasonry in the British Army, by Bro. Captain William Thomas, GrandLodge of Scotland Year Book, 1997. (5) Lodges Chartered by the Grand Lodge of Scotland, by W. Bro.George S. Draffen, published in limited copies in 1950 by the Grand Lodge of Scotland. (6) Flags of Masonryin the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, noteson Lodges in the 32nd Foot.]


Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar website <www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/history.htm>.122

This was probably Ordnance Lodge, No. 202 ER(A), in HM Ordnance at Gibraltar (1777-1807) which123

became the present-day Inhabitants Lodge, No. 153 ER.


REF: I54 Officers’ Lodge No. 617 IC, in the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot 1783-1815[now part of The Light Infantry Regiment]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 617 on May 1, 1783 to the 32nd (Cornwall)Regiment of Foot. V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, 1973 notes that the Warrant wasfor a Lodge for the Officers of the 32nd Foot. R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June2000) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that three members were registeredon May 1, 1783 and listed in Volume 2 of the Grand Lodge Register: Lieutenant-Colonel Edmund Strackar;Captain Edward Edwards and Lieutenant Thomas Ormsby and that there was no indication of Master orWardens. While this may true in terms of the contents of the Grand Lodge Register, Stracker was WM,Edwards was SW and Ormsby was JW. A further eleven brethren were registered on November 21, 1785.Cochrane also notes that this was the first “Officers Lodge” for which there is any known record. The name“Officers’ Lodge” used above is indicative of the purpose of the Lodge only - there is no indication that theLodge ever used a particular name.

Cochrane writes that by 1786 the Antients at Gibraltar “gradually got the upper hand” and receiveda Warrant establishing the Antient Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalucia (Gibraltar). The History ofFreemasonry on Gibraltar notes that a Minute of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, “dated July 4, 1793, records122

that Lodge 617, an officer’s Lodge held in 32nd. Foot, wrote complaining of their suspension by the GrandLodge of Andalucia and they were ordered “while in Gibraltar to conform to its laws and regulations”.” TheRegiment had left Gibraltar in 1792 and Cochrane cites Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry,reporting that the records of the Company of Artificers, Provincial Warrant , mention three military Lodges123

as having recently left the Garrison as well as “. . . . a Warrant (Irish) held by the officers of the 32nd Foot,but for neglect erased.” It is interesting that while Cochrane has noted “Erased at Gibraltar, 1792" againstthe notes on Lodge No. 61 IC, it is this Lodge, No. 617, which is noted as “erased for neglect”.

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 32nd Foot, says that the “Lodge was said tohave had a Local Warrant at Gibraltar, before 1792.

In his May 1994 publication Masonic Lodges held in the 28th Regt. Gloucestershire Old Braggs,Sheppard notes that at Waterloo the 28th and 32nd Regiments, supplemented by 100 men of the RoyalTyrone Regiment of Fusiliers (Militia), formed part of the Fifth Division, under the command of General SirThomas Picton. He also notes that each of the three Regiments held masonic lodges - No. 260 IC, in the 2ndBattalion, 28th Foot; an Officers Lodge, No. 617 IC, in the 32nd and Lodge No. 846 IC in the Tyrone Militia.

Regardless of when the Lodge actually went into darkness - sometime after 1785 and before 1792 -Warrant No. 617 IC, was not erased by the Grand Lodge of Ireland until July 6, 1815.

Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces includes this Warrant in his list on page 40.

Crossle also notes that the number “617” was later issued to hold a Lodge at Gwelo, Rhodesia, nodate of issue or of being struck off the roll is shown. Cochrane reports the date of issue of March 1, 1928 tohold Selukwe-Gwelo Lodge in Selukwe, Rhodesia, and that, as of 2000, it was listed as “Current” in 2001.

An enquiry was made to the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1999 to obtain a copy of Warrant No. 617 forthe Officers Lodge in the 32nd Foot. The reply indicated that no copy of the Warrant could be found in thearchives.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, limited publication in manuscript form by



the Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 andFall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) History of Freemasonry, by RobertFreke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the ArmedForces, Bro. Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of QuatuorCoronati Lodge, 1990, London. (5) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, asprinted in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957, pp 119-141.(6) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (7) Flags of Masonryin the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, noteson Lodges in the 32nd Foot.]


An excellent 72 page summary of the full history of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar is maintained124

on the Lodge web site at <http://www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html>. It is accompanied by a twelvepage summary entitled The First Two Hundred Years of the Craft in Gibraltar.

The History of Calpe Lodge shows a date of November 21, 1742.125

The 39th Foot was the first British Army Regiment (as opposed to regiments of the HEIC) to serve in126

India.


REF: I63 Gibraltar Lodge No. 128 IC, in the 39th Regiment of Foot, various locations 1741-post1886[now part of The Devonshire and Dorsetshire Regiment]

There is some confusion in the records regarding the issue of Irish Warrant No. 128. In some thereare indications that the Grand Lodge of Ireland originally issued Warrant No. 128 sometime before 1728 forSt. John of Jerusalem Lodge in the Gibraltar Garrison. But, in fact, the premier Grand Lodge had issuedWarrant No. 51 in 1728 for the Lodge which was a stationary one established for military personnel servingat Gibraltar (in fact the Lodge was the first to be established on Gibraltar and the second to be warranted bythe premier Grand Lodge outside of the British Isles).

In the Calpe Lodge History (Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar) , it is recorded that Irish124

Freemasonry first came to Gibraltar when Masons in the 39th Foot in the Gibraltar garrison applied to theGrand Lodge of Ireland for a Warrant. The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 128 on eitherNovember 21, 1741 or November 3, 1742 (Crossle) to hold a Lodge in the 39th Regiment of Foot. R. W.125

Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s IrishMasonic Records, 1973, notes the date of issue as November 21, 1742. This was the second Lodgeestablished on Gibraltar (after St. John of Jerusalem Lodge, No. 51 ER, in 1727/8). It is not clear when theLodge adopted the name Gibraltar, but it appeared in various Grand Lodge minutes, although not on theWarrant.

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 39th Foot, writes that the “39 Regiment ofth

Foot was the first Regiment to go to India in 1756, acted as Marines under Adm. Watson for Madras.” Thusby 1757 the Regiment was stationed in India and Lodge No. 128 IC made the first Mason in India the same126

year. During the next several years Lodge No. 128 IC erected many Lodges in that country (Robert FrekeGould, in his History of Freemasonry, page 397, says, “. . . in Hindostan”). Gould also notes on page 397 that“There is a stone let into the wall in Fort-William, Calcutta, commemorative of the early history of this Lodge.All its working tools and jewels fell into the hands of the enemy during the Peninsular War, but weresubsequently returned to the regiment”.

Cochrane notes that the original Warrant No. 128 appears to have lapsed before 1758 and that anew one, No. 290, was issued in 1758. It would appear from the remaining information available regardingNo. 128, that it continued to operate and that No. 290 worked at the same period of time. For this reason thetwo Lodges are reported separately.

As Gibraltar Lodge, No. 128, it was working at Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal, in September andOctober 1791. It would seem that the Lodge did not normally register members until it was “home” in Irelandand up to November 22, 1792, 28 brethren were registered.

The Lodge regalia and furniture were carried throughout many of the assignments and battles inwhich the Regiment took part, consequently duplicate Warrants were issued by Grand Lodge in 1785, June7, 1810 and April 1, 1819. This last Duplicate Warrant was issued to: John Chance (Lodge No. 325 IC atMallow Co. Cork, 1803-1826), Thos. Davis (Lodge No. 895 IC in the 71st Foot, 1801-1835), Simon Haughton(Lodge No. 218 in the 48th Foot, 1750-1858), Jas. Allwood (Lodge No. 858 IC at Tullamore, Co. Offaly,1798-1825), John Lynch (Lodge No. 323 ER, in the Royal Marines at Calcutta, 1769?-1843?), and John Reay


The Cathedral of Intramuros was destroyed during World War II.127


(Lodge No. 111 ER, a civilian Lodge).In 1814-15 the 39th Regiment was placed in the garrisons in Quebec and Chambly for use in the

expedition against American forces assembled at Plattsburg, returning to Europe in 1815 and joining the“army of occupation” until 1818 when it returned to Ireland. It is possible that Gibraltar Lodge worked inLower Canada although there is no clear proof of this and the Lodge can be seen to have met sporadicallyat various times during its existence.

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 39th Foot, writes that a Duplicate Warrant wasagain issued on August 1, 1819. Grand Lodge records note the Lodge as working in the Richmond Barracksin Dublin in 1821.

Between 1819 and 1859 a total of 160 brethren were registered with Grand Lodge, and betweenNovember 1, 1860 and April 16, 1872, a further 16, according to Cochrane.

Grand Lodge records show the Lodge met in Newry during 1850 and 1851 when the 39th Foot wasin garrison there. On January 6, 1851 the Lodge was reported to have held a Masonic Ball in the old SavingsBank at Newry during which they entertained Brethren from Lodges in Dundalk and Newry, the Ball beinggiven in costume. On May 1, 1851, Major Nixon of the Lodge is recorded as having presented jewels to theMaster, Bro. Captain Munroe and Past Master, Bro. Captain Herbert “for their long, tried, and faithfulservices, as Master of that Lodge (No. 128) for upwards of fifteen years”. One member, John Noble, wasregistered on October 13, 1851 and is shown in the Grand Lodge records as “killed in the Crimea - widowrelieved”. In 1762 the British captured Manila from Spain and the 39th formed part of the garrison there,Lodge No. 128 meeting in the Cathedral of Intramuros until 1764, when the Archbishop of Manila soughtauthority from Spain to raze the cathedral because of “this desecration”, which was not given . During this127

time Matthew Horne served in the British forces in Manila and attended the Lodge meetings. He laterreturned to Madras and, in 1786, was appointed as the second Antients Provincial Grand Master of Madras.

No returns were made to Grand Lodge after 1874, and the Warrant was returned to Grand Lodgeon July 17, 1886 - the Warrant carrying the following notation on the bottom “Recd. 17-7-86”.

Gould includes the Warrant in his listing of “Existing British Field Lodges, 1886” as follows: “39th Ft.,Gibraltar, 128, I., 1742”, indicating that it was still working in 1886, the year in which Grand Lodge recordsindicate the Warrant was returned. Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled TheMaster-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces notes this Warrant with an issueyear of 1742.

Cochrane notes that a Warrant bearing the number “128” was again issued by the Grand Lodge ofIreland on March 3, 1893, to Anchor Lodge, Arthur Square, Belfast, the Lodge being listed as “Current” in2001.

An enquiry was directed to the Grand Lodge of Ireland early in 2000 regarding the location ofWarrant No. 128 and to obtain a photocopy. Grand Lodge graciously responded in a letter dated March 3,2000, enclosing a copy of the Duplicate Warrant of April 1, 1819.

The Warrant itself appears to measure about 11½ inches wide and 17¾ inches long. There is a one-half inch border on the four edges consisting of intertwined clovers and, in the upper two corners, there areIrish harps. The words “The Grand Lodge of Ireland” are in a arched form across the top of the Warrant witha picture underneath of an all-seeing eye shining down on a woman holding three children. There are threeseparate images across the bottom - on the left is a pilgrim kneeling on his right knee, holding a cross andchalice or cup in his right hand facing towards the centre of the bottom where there is the top of an altar uponwhich there is a pillow with a Volume of the Sacred Law surmounted by a square and compasses. In thebottom right hand corner is a “ruin” with an “angelic figure” supporting an anchor. A transcript of the Warrantis provided on the next page.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, limited publication in manuscript form by



the Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 andFall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) History of Freemasonry, by RobertFreke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the ArmedForces, Bro. Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of QuatuorCoronati Lodge, 1990, London. (5) “The Poor Common Soldier”, A Study of Irish Ambulatory Warrants, byBro. John Heron Lepper, as printed in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1925, (6) Some Noteson Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printed in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C.,Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957, pp 119-141. (7) History of the Grand Lodge of Free andAccepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (8) Outlines of the History of Freemasonry in the Province ofQuebec, by John H. Graham, 1892. (9) Early Canadian Freemasonry 1759-1869, by Pemberton Smith, P.M.,O.R., 1939. (10) Website of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar at www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325. (11) Flagsof Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September2002, notes on Lodges in the 39th Foot.]



Transcript of the Duplicate Warrant No. 128 IC issued to hold a Lodge in the 39th Foot

SEAL

GRAND LODGE OF IRELAND

No.

LEINSTER G.M. 128

By the Most Worshipful His Grace Augustus Fred Duke of Leinster GRAND MASTERk

The Right Worshipful John Fowler Esq. DEPUTY GRAND MASTER

The Right Worshipful Rt. Honble. John Lord Hutchinson SENIOR GRAND WARDEN

The Right Worshipful Most Noble Howe Marquis of Sligo JUNIOR GRAND WARDEN


Whereas our trusty and Well beloved Brethren John Chance, Thomas Davisand Simon Haughton have Besought us that we would be pleased to Erect a Lodge of Free Masons in HisMajesty’s Thirty ninth Regiment of Infantry of such persons who by their knowledge in Masonry may contributeto the true advancement thereof. We therefore having nothing more at heart than the Prosperity of Masonry andreposing special confidence in our said trusty and well beloved Brethren Do by these Presents constitute andappoint them the said John Chance, Thomas Davis and Simon Haughton to be Master and Wardens of a Lodgeof Free and Accepted Masons to be holden in His Majesty’s Thirty ninth Regiment of Infantry aforesaid by themand their Successors lawfully Admitted in said Lodge forever. And We do hereby grant unto them and theirSuccessors full Power and Authority to proceed from time to time to the Election of a new Master and Wardensin said Lodge Provided always that they said John Chance, Thomas Davis and Simon Haughton and theirSuccessors Do and Shall at all times hereafter pay implicit observance to and act and conduct the affairs ofsame in strict conformity to the now existing Laws of Masonry and to such other Laws and Regulations for theGovernment of the Craft as shall at any time hereafter be issued by the Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of Irelandor in default thereof then and in such case reserving unto the said Right Worshipful Grand Lodge the full powerand Authority of annulling and cancelling these Presents or otherwise proceeding in the premises as to themshall seem meet -

In Witness whereof We have hereunto set our Hands and Seal of Office at Dublin the Metropolis ofIreland this First day of April

in the Year of our Lord God 1819 nineteen Entered by me

and of Masonry 5819 ------- Graham GSec

Recd 17-7-86





From page 156 of “The Poor Common Soldier”, A Study of Irish Ambulatory Warrants by Bro. John129

Heron Lepper, W. M., Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, E.R., as printed in the Transactions of the QuatuorCoronati Lodge, 1925.

This would appear to make Lodge No. 290 the second permanent (civilian) Lodge on the Isle of Man.130

The earliest Irish civilian Lodge appears to have been No. 458, issued on December 3, 1767, to hold a Lodge atDouglas, and which probably expired prior to 1813.


REF: I64 Lodge No. 290 IC, in the 39th Regiment of Foot 1758-1785/1804?[now part of The Devonshire and Dorsetshire Regiment]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 290 on January 5, 1758, to the men of the 39thRegiment of Foot. R. W. Bro. Keith Crossle, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro.Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that the three members registered with Grand Lodgewere: Philip Williams, Master; and Wm. Hamilton and James McGuiner, Wardens.

Lodge No. 290 IC was in Gibraltar with the Regiment and, when trouble between Antients’ andModerns’ Masons on Gibraltar became acute in 1772, was forced by circumstances to side with the Antients.On St. John’s Day, December 1772, the various Moderns’ Lodges wished to exclude Lodge No. 148 ER(A)from taking part in the customary procession, but Lodge No. 148 was supported by four Irish Lodges to128

attend the procession. The Irish Lodges wrote in May 1773 to the Grand Lodge of Ireland justifying theiraction, and, apparently, received a reply endorsing it. It is interesting that in Cochrane’s notes on the Lodgehe says: “From the Minutes of the Junior Grand Lodge of England (Antients) we find:- “December 15th, 1773.Heard a letter from No. 148 (Royal Artillery) at Gibraltar, setting forth that a set of people who had theirauthority from the ‘Modern’ Grand Lodge, thought proper to dispute the legality of said warrant No. 148. Thatin the said garrison there were also held Lodges 11, 244, 290, 359, 420 and 466 (1st, 2nd, 39th, 76th, 56thand 58th Foot), on the Registry of Ireland, and No. 58 (12th Regiment) on the Registry of Scotland”.” Thisquotation is useful not only in outlining the problems the Antients and Moderns continued to have, but is alsoan interesting summary of the non-Moderns Lodges assembled at Gibraltar.

When the 39th Foot was assigned to the Americas, Lodge No. 290 IC accompanied it and continuedto work. Minutes of Lodge No. 1, Philadelphia, dated May 11, 1779, note “Bros. Jasper William Lewis ofLodge No. 290 Register of Ireland & Bro. John Hincklrey of New England have represented their Wants &distress in a petition to the Masters of the different Lodges when a Collection was made for their relief in thisLodge amounting to £ 42:16:9.” [Note: as the Regiment was at this time in the West Indies, it is possible129

that Bro. Lewis was a British prisoner of war, held in Philadelphia.] Sometime between 1785 and 1804 Lodge No. 290 IC was settled in Castletown, Isle of Man.

Although this removal was without the formal approval of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, it appears to havebeen accepted . Cochrane notes that the Grand Lodge Register is written up as “No. 290, Held in130

Castletown, Isle of Man” and it lists members of the Lodge numbered 48 to 53 inclusive with the dateFebruary 3, 1786, and members numbered 54 to 56 inclusive with the date March 3, 1787. This last entryis followed by the note “Cancelled by order, Grand Lodge, 7th October, 1813.” Cochrane notes that there isalways the possibility that while the 39th Foot was not stationed on the Isle of Man a small detachment werethere and that they had taken the Warrant and Lodge Chest, although there is no proof of this. This shortexistence of Lodge No. 290 IC on the Isle of Man, in either a civilian or military character, is referred to inthe History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, 1925.

Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, AShort Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces includes Warrant No 290, for the 39th Foot, in his list on



page 40.

Both Crossle and Cochrane note that the number “290” was used four more times for Warrants:

• in 1785 to hold a Lodge in Castletown, Isle of Man (struck off the rolls in 1802) and referred toabove;

• in 1825, to hold a Lodge at Kells, Co. Antrim (no date shown for being struck off the rolls). Cochranelists the issue as June 24, 1821, to hold a Lodge at Kells, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, being cancelledon September 7, 1843;

• unlisted by Crossle, but shown by Cochrane, is the issue, on May 6, 1841, of Warrant No. 290 bythe Grand Lodge of Ireland, for St. John’s Lodge, London, Canada West. The Lodge had beenformed in 1841 when the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West was dormant. Although theWarrant was issued in 1841, Dispensation was not granted until January 11, 1842, by Bro. ThomasDillon in Toronto, in his capacity as District Grand Master for Ireland in Canada West;

• undated Warrant No 290 for St. Leonard’s Lodge, Sydney, New South Wales (no date shown forbeing struck off the rolls). Cochrane notes the date of issue as July 18, 1867, which makes this theearliest record of a Masonic Lodge in the northern suburbs of Sydney. The Lodge appears to havebeen “in abeyance” in 1876, and was removed from the printed report in 1886; and

• undated Warrant No. 290, to hold a Lodge at Ballymacarett, Co. Down (no date shown for beingstruck off the rolls). Cochrane shows this as being issued on June 7, 1900 for Deramore Lodge,Rosetta, Belfast, removed to Ballymacarret, Belfast in 1918 and shown as “Current” in 2000.

An enquiry was directed to the Grand Lodge of Ireland early in 2000 regarding the location ofWarrant No. 290, and to obtain a photocopy if the Warrant was available. Grand Lodge responded in a letterdated March 3, 2000, indicating that there was no copy or original in the Archives, and that it had probablynever been returned to Grand Lodge.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, limited publication in manuscript form bythe Grand Lodge of Ireland, 1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 andFall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) History of Freemasonry, by RobertFreke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the ArmedForces, Bro. Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of QuatuorCoronati Lodge, 1990, London. (5) “The Poor Common Soldier”, A Study of Irish Ambulatory Warrants, byBro. John Heron Lepper, as printed in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1925, (6) Some Noteson Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printed in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C.,Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957, pp 119-141. (7) History of the Grand Lodge of Free andAccepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (10) website of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar atwww.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325. (11) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro.Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 39th Foot.]


Cochrane’s actual note reads: “. . . but whether the writer who relates it was a member of the Irish131

Lodge “Hibernia” (No. 42) or the Scottish Lodge “St. Andrew” (No. 310), both of which existed in the Regiment . . . .”Warrant No. 239 is the correct number for St. Andrew’s Lodge.


REF: I68 Hibernia Lodge No. 42 IC, in the 42nd (The Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot 1809-1840REF: I68 Hibernia Lodge, No. 42 PGLMunster, in the 42nd (The Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot

????-1809[The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)]

R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. PhilipCrossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that although there is no record in the Register of the GrandLodge of Ireland for the original issue of the first Warrant bearing the number “42”, one did take place as itwas erased on November 5, 1801.

The second issue of a Warrant bearing the number “42”, was made by Alexander Seton, ProvincialGrand Secretary of Munster, when he was issuing Warrants on his own authority, and did so to the men ofthe 42nd (The Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot. No date of issue is known. This was very likely the actualoriginal issue of No. 42 as Seton had the habit of obtaining old unused Warrants and reissuing them whilekeeping the money charged for the Warrant to the new Lodge. The Lodge, however, obviously recognizingthe questionable authority under which Seton issued Warrants, also applied to the Grand Lodge of Irelandfor recognition and (officially) received Warrant No. 42 dated April 6, 1809, for Hibernia Lodge in theRegiment, free of expense (this was likely because the Lodge was able to prove that they had already paidSeton). Three members were registered with Grand Lodge on April 6, 1809: Donald Dunnett; Domk.(probably Dominick) Madden and David Davie, but there was no registration of Master or Wardens.

Seal of Hibernia Lodge, No. 42 IC

[Source: Calpe Lodge History.]

The Regiment served in the Peninsular campaigns although there is no information available fromGrand Lodge Records regarding the working of the Lodge in this period of warfare. Cochrane cites aninteresting occurrence regarding Masonic support during the crossing of the Adour River. It is taken fromJames Auton “late Quarter-Master Sergeant, 42nd or Royal Highlanders” in his Retrospect of a Military Life(1841), but, as Cochrane notes, it is unknown whether Q-M Sergeant Auton was a member of Lodge No. 42IC or 310 IC , both being held in the 42nd Foot:131

"I was General Park's orderly this night and had a good roof over my head, and the dry floor of a cart-shed, with plenty of dry straw for a bed; but my poor wife was absent, for the first since we left home. She wasdetained along with several other women, on the right bank of the Adour, until the bridge was repaired. Whilethis was doing, one of the women belonging to the regiment begged her to take care of a little ass colt, with acouple of bundles, until she should get back to St. Severe to make some purchases; she complied and beforethe other returned the bridge was repaired. Our regiment has passed and she followed, driving the colt beforeher; but before she got to the further end, the stubborn animal stood still and would not move a foot. Another





regiment was advancing, the passage was impeded, and what to do she knew not. She was in the act ofremoving the woman's bundles from the beast's back, and struggling to get out of the way, determined to leavethe animal when a grenadier of the advancing regiment, casting his eye on a finely polished horn with theMasonic arms cut in it, and slung over her shoulder, stepped aside, saying ‘Poor creature, I shall not see youleft struggling here for the sake of what is slung by your side’; at the same time handing his musket to one ofhis comrades, he lifted the colt in his arms and carried it to the end of the bridge. My poor wife thanked him witha tear in her eye the only acknowledgment she could make for his kindness; but she has often thought of it since,and congratulated herself on having the good fortune to have the horn, empty as it was, with its talismanichieroglyphic slung by her side on that occasion; and thus to raise up a friend when she was so much in need

of one."

The Regiment returned to Ireland eventually and Cochrane notes that Lodge No. 42 met in theRichmond Barracks, Dublin, in 1820.


Lodge No. 68 IC, along with Lodge No. 42 IC (held in the 42nd (Black Watch) Regiment of Foot) and LodgeNo. 130 IC (held in the 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment) sponsored the Petition for a Warrant forGibraltar Lodge (the first civilian and stationary Irish Lodge on Gibraltar, issued Warrant No. 325 IC, and stillworking but now known as Calpe Lodge). The Masters and officers of Lodges 42 IC and 130 IC Consecratedthe new Lodge and Installed the WM and officers on January 23, 1827, at the Freemason’s Tavern inGibraltar.

Hibernia Lodge had registered 269 members up to August 1840. Cochrane notes that “Bro. Wm.Martin of this Lodge (No. 42 IC) is recorded as a Visitor to Lodge No. 205, Newry, on 6 January, 1836”. Henotes that Thomas Dixon was initiated into Lodge No. 42 on August 5, 1840 and became No. 263 on theRegister; the entry shows “Asst. Tyler to G.L. - Died Dec. 1862”. As the Lodge had closed by 1862, this entrywas likely made by the Grand Secretary’s office.

Cochrane notes that both the Scottish and Irish Lodges of the 42nd Foot worked well together “Thepossibility, moreover, of two Lodges working simultaneously in an infantry battalion of the usual strength isevidenced by the proceedings at the centenary of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1836, when the membersof “Hibernia” No. 42 IC and “St. Andrew” in the 42nd Foot (or Black Watch) attracted admiration alike for theirmartial appearance and Masonic behaviour.”

Grand Lodge minutes of August 6, 1840 note that the Warrant was “sent in in obedience to theorders of Sir Edward Blakeney, Commander in Chief”. [Note: this action was taken in view of thegovernment’s move against masons in the military.] The Warrant was subsequently cancelled.

Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry lists the Warrant issued by the Grand Lodge ofIreland to the 42nd Foot, but not the issue by the Provincial Grand Master of Munster, which is mirrored byBro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Studyof Freemasonry in the Armed Forces. V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notesthe issue and includes a notation “Issued to replace S. No. 42”.

Crossle also lists two further Warrants which were issued with the number “42”:

• in 1891 to Shekelton Lodge, Shekelton, struck off the rolls in 1906. Cochrane shows this listing asissued on March 5, 1891 and the Warrant surrendered on December 6, 1906. He notes that thename of the Lodge was chosen to honour Rt. Wor. Br. Shekelton QC, Deputy Grand Master of theGrand Lodge of Ireland from 1870 to 1897; and

• undated Warrant No. 42 issued to hold a Lodge at Maghera, Co. Londonderry. Cochrane lists this



issue as being made on March 12, 1907 and lists the Lodge as “Current”.

An enquiry was directed to the Grand Lodge of Ireland early in 2000 regarding the location ofWarrant No. 42, and to obtain a photocopy if the Warrant was available. Grand Lodge responded in a letterdated March 3, 2000, indicating that there was no original in the Archives, and that it had probably neverbeen returned to Grand Lodge.

[Sources: (1) History of Freemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (2) Irish Masonic Records, by V.W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published 1973 by the Grand Lodge of Ireland in manuscript form. (3) R. W. Bro.Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s IrishMasonic Records, 1973. (4) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printedin The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957. (5) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, by Bro. Frederick Smyth in his PrestonianLecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (6) History of the GrandLodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol I, by John Heron Lepper and Philip Crossle, publishedby the Lodge of Research, No. CC, IC, Dublin, 1925. (7) The First Two Hundred Years of the Craft inGibraltar, held on the Calpe Lodge website: http://www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html. (8) Flagsof Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September2002, notes on Lodges in the 42nd Foot.]



REF: S11 St. Andrew Lodge, No. 239 SC, in the 42nd Regiment of Foot 1826-1848REF: S11 St. Andrew Lodge, No. 243 SC, in the 42nd Regiment of Foot 1822-1826REF: S11 St. Andrew Lodge, No. 232 SC, in the 42nd Regiment of Foot 1816-1822REF: S11 St. Andrew Lodge, No. 315 SC, in the 42nd Regiment of Foot ????-1816REF: S11 St. Andrew Lodge, No. 310 SC, in the 42nd Regiment of Foot 1811-????

[The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)]

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 42nd Foot, writes that Warrant No. 310 SC wasissued on February 4, 1811, to hold a Lodge in the 1st Battalion, 42nd Foot. The Lodge name adopted wasSt. Andrew. The Warrant was renumbered as No. 315 SC (no date), No. 232 SC (1816), No. 243 SC (1822)and 239 SC (1826). He notes that the Lodge was dormant by 1848.

Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry lists the Warrant on page 402, and commentsin a footnote that “Eighty-nine members were enrolled within nine months of its constitution; and fifty entrantswere admitted in the four months immediately following the Battle of Waterloo” (June 18, 1815). GrandLodge records indicate that the Lodge was “certainly active in 1836”.

It is possible that the Lodge worked in Gibraltar from 1826 to 1832 when the Regiment was in thegarrison. Regrettably they do not appear to have played any part in the formation or Consecration ofGibraltar Lodge, No. 325 IC (now Calpe Lodge), in 1826 and 1827.

R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. PhilipCrossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that both the Scottish and Irish Lodges of the 42nd Foot workedwell together “The possibility, moreover, of two Lodges working simultaneously in an infantry battalion of theusual strength is evidenced by the proceedings at the centenary of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1836,when the members of “Hibernia” No. 42 IC and “St. Andrew” in the 42nd Foot (or Black Watch) attractedadmiration alike for their martial appearance and Masonic behaviour.” (An interesting observation as St.Andrew had ceased working before this event occurred.)

The Warrant was erased from the Rolls of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1848. [Source: C. MartinMcGibbon, ASCA, Grand Secretary, The Grand Lodge of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.]

Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, AShort Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor CoronatiiLodge, includes this Warrant in his list on page 40. Brother Captain William Thomas, in his Freemasonryin the British Army, published in the Grand Lodge of Scotland Year Book, 1997, shows the Warrant as “No.315”.

[Sources: (1) History of Freemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane inhis CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973.(3) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, by Bro. FrederickSmyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge.(4) Freemasonry in the British Army, by Brother Captain William Thomas published in the Grand Lodge ofScotland Year Book, 1997.(5) The First Two Hundred Years of the Craft in Gibraltar, held on the Calpe Lodgewebsite: http://www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html. (6) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments ofthe British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 42ndFoot.]


M. W. Bro. Reginald V. Harris (PGM, Nova Scotia), W. Bro. A. J. B. Milborne (Grand Historian, Grand133

Lodge of Quebec) and W. Bro. Col. James R. Case (Grand Historian, Grand Lodge of Connecticut), Freemasonryat the Two Sieges of Louisbourg: 1745 and 1758, Canadian Masonic Research Association, Vol. 2, paper 46, May13, 1958, printed in 1986, p. 32.

Harris is referring to the Lodge in the 43rd Foot (working Under Dispensation from Lodge No. 136 IC in134

the 17th Foot) and The Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC, in the 46th Foot.

Throughout this summary history, the expression Lodge History refers to the History of the Lodge of135

Antiquity, by W. Bro. Harry M. Nevison, Lodge Historian, printed 1963, printer unknown.


Lodge of Antiquity, No. 1 GRQ, Montreal 1877-presentLodge of Antiquity, No. 0 GRQ, Montreal 1874-1877Lodge of Antiquity, senior and unnumbered, GRC, Montreal 1859-1874Lodge of Antiquity, No. 0 GRC, Montreal 1857-1859Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 0 GRC, Montreal 1855-1857Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC, Montreal 1847-1855

REF: E64 Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 634 ER, in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry1832-1847?

REF: E64 Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 5 PRMadras, in the Duke of Cornwall’s LightInfantry 1821-????

REF: E64 Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 7 PRMadras, in the Duke of Cornwall’s LightInfantry 1817-1821

REF: I72 Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC, in the 46th Regiment of Foot 1752-1846/47[now part of The Light Infantry Regiment]

[Eastern District 1855-1857. Montreal District 1857-1874.]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 227 on March 4, 1752, to hold the Lodge of Socialand Military Virtues in the 46th Regiment of Foot, when the Regiment was serving in Ireland. The Warrantwas signed by Lord Kingsborough, Grand Master. R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (Fall2002) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, does not indicate the existence of anynames of Lodge members registered at the time the Warrant was issued, likely due to the loss of the earliestRegisters predating 1760.

The Lodge accompanied the Regiment in many of its actions in British North America and theCaribbean. In History of St. Andrew’s Lodge, Halifax, N.S., R. V. Harris notes that during 1756 the 46thRegiment was stationed at Halifax and that records indicate that ‘“Lodge 227 was very active, doing goodand effective work, while associated with the brethren throughout the province,” a statement which couldhave reference only to the Masons at Annapolis Royal and Halifax. Harris uses this as proof that both FirstLodge and Second Lodge at Halifax were working at this time although they subsequently disappeared fromthe rolls. Harris at al note that “It was undoubtedly through the influence and instigation of these Lodges133 134

that Warrants for a Provincial Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia and two subordinate Lodges were sought andobtained from the Grand Lodge of the “Ancients” all dated December 27, 1757.” According to the LodgeHistory (p 6) the 46th Foot fought at Fort Ticonderoga against the French under the command of the135


As a Moderns’ Lodge it would have the number of its Warrant changed five times during its existence136

as that Grand Lodge lost Lodges and strove to contract the Roll of Lodges “so as to avoid blank space”: the Lodgebeing renumbered as No. 195 (1755), No. 156 (1770), No. 124 (1780), No. 125 (1781) and No. 112 (1792). Inaddition it held Warrant No. 5 of the provincial Grand Lodge of Quebec (also a Moderns’ organization). The Lodgehad expired by 1813.

This imposing title gave him responsibility for only four widely spaced Scottish Constitution Lodges -137

St. Andrews No. 81, Boston; Lodge No. 82, Blandford, Virginia; the Lodge at Fredericksburg, Virginia; and RoyalArch Solomon Lodge No. 2, New York.

A number of entries written on blank pages in the bible show that it belonged to the family of138

Bartholomew West of Bedford, Massachusetts. The entries refer to births, marriages and deaths of family membersfrom 1709 to 1767. This Bible is still in possession of the descendants of the 46 Foot. It reposes in a walnut caseth

with glass lid and a silver inscription which reads “On this Sacred Volume Washington received a degree ofMasonry. It was twice taken by the enemy, and both times returned to the Regiment with all the honours of war.”


Marquis de Montcalm and Chevalier de Levis and suffered the loss of 400 officers and men, including theircommanding officer, Lt.-Col. Beaver. The Regiment was then moved westwards and participated in thecapture of Fort Niagara with the 8th (King’s) Regiment of Foot. For a few months the members of the Lodgeof Social and Military Virtues held Masonic communication (possibly joint meetings although the lack ofdocuments neither confirms nor denies this) with Lodge No. 255 ER(M) held in the 8th Foot .136

The Regiment was used in the attack and capture of Montreal in 1760 (the attacking British-Colonialforce numbered over 10,000 regulars and 6-7,000 Colonial troops) and M. W. Bro. David C. Bradley (PGM,Ontario) notes that “In 1760 it (Lodge No. 227 IC) held its first meeting in Montreal Quebec, shortly after theFrench garrison capitulated to English troops.” There is no reference to Lodge 227 IC in Graham (Outlines),Smith or Milborne. This might not be surprising if the Regiment was in Montreal for a short time and theLodge had not had time to meet. On the other hand it may just be a reflection of the difficulty ofcommunications for non essential (i.e. non-military) correspondence. What reinforces the probability that theLodge met during this time was that its commanding officer, Lt.-Col. John Young, was an active Mason. Hehad been Deputy Grand Master of Scotland (1736-62) and in 1757 had been appointed as Provincial GrandMaster over all Scottish Lodges in America and the West Indies .137

The Regiment and its Lodge were in Barbados in 1761 and Havana in 1762.When the 46th Regiment served in the American Colonies (1764-1768 and 1776-1778), the Lodge

operated in New York City. Prior to the American Revolution the Lodge was visited by George Washington.Cochrane’s notes from Grand Lodge archives note that the Lodge held regular meetings while the Regimentwas in winter quarters at Amboy in 1776/7, possibly basing this on the records of the Grand Lodge ofPennsylvania which indicated that Lodges in any regiment, British or Patriot, held meetings where “Royalistsand Federalists were wont to meet on the square.” In 1778, when the 46th Regiment was involved in theMassachusetts expedition, a tradition arose that the “Leather Bullock Chest with brass mountings” containingthe belongings of the Lodge was captured by American troops; but that General George Washington directedits return to the Regiment under a flag of Truce, and with a guard of honour. In the 1778 destruction of NewBedford the Lodge obtained a Bible which had belonged to a New England family and contained some ofthe early history of the family . M. W. Bro. D. C. Bradley (PGM, Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the138

Province of Ontario) notes that the “Lodge became “possessed of the “famous old Bible” which was usedwhen George Washington was initiated into Freemasonry on November 4, 1752, in Fredericksburg LodgeNo. 4 A.F.& A.M., Virginia. This tradition seems to have very considerable documentary evidence to supportit.” The Bible was offered to be returned at some later date but remained with the Regiment. The Bible washeld in the Regiment’s Lodge, Dominica Lodge, No. 174 IC, until that Lodge was closed and the Warrantsurrendered in 1921. Cochrane’s notes indicate that the Bible was held in the Regimental mess-room of the


This Lodge would later remove to Alexandria and operate under a Warrant from the Provincial Grand139

Lodge of Pennsylvania and of which Washington would become WM in March 1784 when it was reconstituted asNo. 22 under authority from the new Grand Lodge of Virginia.

To add to confusion regarding the “Lodge” Bible, is the Lodge’s cherished possession of a very old140

“Breeches” Bible which was presented to it in 1861 when Bro. Captain Childs had returned to Ireland taking withhim the original Lodge Bible. According to the Lodge History (p 48), the “Breeches Bible” is so-called because inGenesis, Chapter 3, verse 7, the word “Breeches” is printed instead of “Aprons” as in later editions. This Bible wasprinted in London in 1599 and presented by a Mrs. England, wife of Lieutenant Poole England of the 47th Regiment(to which was attached Lodge No. 192 on the Irish Register) to Rev. Bro. John Doty, Chaplain to His Majesty’sRoyal New York Regiment, August 28th, 1799, and is endorsed “John Doty” . . . . Rev. Doty retired from theRegiment in 1791 and settled in Sorel, Lower Canada, becoming Rector of the District and prominent in the Craft.In this latter capacity he obtained a Warrant for St. Georges Lodge, No. 16 PRLC(A) and was named as WM in itsWarrant dated December 25, 1809. This Lodge lapsed in 1822 and Rev. Doty retained the Bible, later held by hiswidow, and presented to the Lodge in 1861. It is this Bible which was “retired in 1856.


Newry Barracks. Was this the Bible on which Washington was obligated when he was initiated into the Lodgeat Fredericksburg, Virginia , on November 4, 1753? Or is this the Bible on which George Washington took139

his oath of office as the first President of the United States? There is sufficient evidence in Dublin (in GrandLodge archives) to show that it is unlikely that the Bible is either of these. It is much more likely that GeorgeWashington visited the Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC, and may have been required to takean obligation on the Lodge’s Bible that he was a regular Freemason before being admitted as a visitor, or,George Washington may have taken his Mark Master Mason degree in the Lodge and been obligated on theBible. The loss of any minutes of meetings during this period makes it impossible to know, but certainly theRegimental Lodge has maintained that “On this Sacred Volume Washington received a degree ofMasonry.”140

From 1778 until 1782, the 46th was based in the Caribbean. For the next several years the Regimentshuttled between England, Ireland, Gibraltar and the Caribbean. The Lodge is known to have been workingin Drogheda in January and February 1790. Cochrane notes that the minutes of Lodge No. 411 IC,Drogheda, for January 3, 1790, refer to the convening of a Lodge of Emergency to form a Committee “. .. to assist the Masters, Wardens & Brethren of Lodges No. 227, 237 & 635 to inspect into the conduct of No.450, when the Master & Wardens with Bros. Barlow & Graham were appointed accordingly. James Davis,Master; Saml. Martin & Thos. Cullen, Wardens; Marcel Barlow; R. Graham; Robt. Collins, Secy.”

In the History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER, Gibraltar, contained on the website of the GibraltarProvincial Grand Lodge, it is noted that “In 1792 there were no fewer than eleven military or travellingLodges in Gibraltar, one Irish in the 46th Regiment . . . .” Although Lodge minutes are lacking it is likely thatLodge No. 227 IC may have held meetings while in Gibraltar.

A Renewal Warrant was issued on August 17, 1801 by the Grand Lodge of Ireland. Cochrane notesthat Volume 1 of the Grand Lodge Registers records 6 brethren registered August 17, 1801 (three namesbeing cited by Cochrane: Pat. Corbett; John Brownlie and Dav. Fortone), and a total of 46 names arerecorded, but with no date of registration of the last 11 members, the last recorded date being April 23, 1803.

From 1792 to 1805 the Regiment served in both England and the West Indies accompanied by itsLodge. In 1805, while defending Dominica, the chest of the Lodge was captured by French troops, andtradition has it that the Chest was returned in 1808 on the instructions of Napoleon. [Note: This is again alegend, and may, in fact, be true, although there are no references to this in the records of the Grand Lodgeof Ireland.] The Renewal Warrant of 1801, however, was lost in the action and reported to Grand Lodge (thereport appears in Grand Lodge minutes), and was replaced in July 1805, the Duplicate Warrant beinggranted to Stephen Donnelle, John Bromlie and David Drummond as Master and Wardens.

In 1813-17 the 46th Regiment served in Sydney, Australia. The earliest record of Masonic work inAustralia was in 1816 when Lodge No. 227 IC in the 46th Foot held meetings at Sydney. One of their earlypublic activities noted by Cochrane was to lay the foundation stone of Bro. Captain John Piper’s house at


Only three of the names are included in Cochrane’s notes on Lodge 227 IC: Captain Edward141

Sanderson as “Right Worshipful Master”; Captain Thomas Miller as Senior Warden; Major John McKenzie as JuniorWarden (all of the 46th Foot).

According to Cochrane’s notes, Thomas Boulton was a Charter Member of the new Lodge No. 260 IC,142

and became Banner Bearer. He resigned from Lodge No. 218 and his Clearance Certificate, believed to be theoldest Masonic document in Australia, is preserved. He was made a Mark Master Mason in Lodge 260 onDecember 11, 1820 and a Royal Ark Mariner on July 15, 1822. He resigned from Lodge No. 260 IC on March 7,1825 and joined Leinster Marine Lodge, No. 266 IC. A full transcript of the minutes recording the event is containedin History of the Lodge of Antiquity (1963) pp 11-13.

W. Bro. Clayton went to become a pillar in Masonic society in New South Wales.143

Sanderson arrived in the Colony in 1815 and soon became a “lightening rod” for difficult relations144

between the Regiment, its officers and the Governor over the Governor’s policy of emancipation for the criminalswho had changed for the better and could be seen as a positive group in the growth of New South Wales. There isan excellent 14 page review of the 1814-1817 period in New South Wales, the rift between Governor and 46th Foot,and the lasting effects on people in Cochrane’s notes on Lodge No. 227.


Eliza Point, Sydney, on November 2, 1816, with 31 brethren participating in the activity under the directionof the Master, W. Bro. Edward Sanderson . However the Lodge did not believe that civilians should be141

allowed to join it and it did not initially support the formation of new (civilian) lodges. This position was takenbecause so many individuals had arrived in the colony under sentence of transportation (that is, they wereconvicted of crimes in England and transported to the “penal colony” of New South Wales) and the membersof the Lodge considered themselves superior to this class of people, even though there were other settlersand merchants who were not criminals or their descendants. In spite of this attitude, several civilians wereInitiated into Lodge No. 227, including Thomas Boulton who later affiliated with Lodge No. 218 IC in the 48thRegiment, and which took on the task by supporting the Petition of Australian members (led by ThomasBoulton ) to the Grand Lodge of Ireland which concluded in the successful establishment of Australia Social142

(Mother) Lodge, No. 260 IC, which was the first (stationary) Lodge on that Continent (and which is nowMother Lodge of Australia, No. 1, GRNSW). As a follow-up note, it is interesting to read that Australia SocialLodge supported the established of the first Irish (stationary) civilian lodge in New Zealand in 1848. Twoother civilians who were initiated into Lodge No. 227, probably late in 1815 or early in 1816, included JudgeJeffrey Hart Bent and the Surveyor-General, John Joseph Molesworth Oxley. In another case appearing inIrish records is that of W. Bro. Samuel Clayton, a Past Master of Lodge No. 6, Dublin. He was a printer byprofession who, for some “minor” transgression was sent to Australia. He arrived with a letter of introductionfrom the Grand Lodge which indicated that the situation was “minor” and that W. Bro. Clayton should be143

received by Lodge No. 227. Although the Lodge gave him limited employment printing certificates and By-Laws, they would not receive him or permit him to attend their meetings. [Note: the foregoing is at variancewith the 1963 Lodge History, but is based on significant research and analysis by Irish and AustralianMasons, and is the current (2003-04) feeling on the role played, or not played, by the Lodge of Social andMilitary Virtues.]

During its four year period in Australia, Lodge No. 227 IC used its Craft Warrant as authority forMount Olive Royal Arch Chapter, a Knight Templar Encampment and a further body which conferred thedegree of Red Cross Knight, all of which were “attached” to the Lodge. The Master and First Principal officeswere filled by Captain Edward Sanderson of the Regiment. The Lodge Secretary was Lieutenant D. Leith144

Cox and Scribe of the Chapter was Captain Thomas Miller. The Regiment’s commanding officer, Lieutenant-


George James Molle the son of John Mow (as the surname is recorded in the Parish Register) was145

borne in Maine, in the Scottish parish of Chirnside, Berwickshire. He joined the Scots Brigade (later the 94th Foot)in June 1793 as an Ensign, serving in Gibraltar, Cape of Good Hope, India, Egypt and Spain, and was regularlypromoted, attaining the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in September 1808. After a period at Gibraltar he wastransferred to the 46th Foot in 1813, when the Regiment was transferred to New South Wales. He arrived at Sydneyon February 7, 1814 on board the Wyndham, accompanied by his officers and headquarters staff. As the seniorserving military officer in the Colony, he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor to the Governor, Major-GeneralLachlan Macquarie, with whom he had served in India, and in June 1814, he was gazetted as brevet Colonel. It ispossible that Colonel Molle was initiated into Lodge of Philanthropists, No. 591 ER(M)/IX Coromandel, whichexisted from 1801 to 1813, but it is not proven.


Colonel George James Molle was a Mason, initiated into another Lodge from one of his earlier postings145

although no precise details are known, and was the Prior of the Knights Templar Encampment. The Irishnotes indicate that the actual designation and placement of some of the degrees remains problematic. TheRed Cross degree had previously been known as the Super-Excellent Mason degree and was worked in an“encampment” of Royal Arch Masons. The designation of a brother as “R. C. Knight” could refer to the RedCross degree, or equally to the “Rose Croix” which was also being worked and which is believed to havebeen originally a Templar degree.

From 1817 until 1832 the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry served in Madras. A total of 83 brethrenwere registered with Grand Lodge up to April 6, 1818, when 22 brethren (including Lieutenant-Colonel Geo.Moots) were registered. On December 27, 1817, the Provincial Grand Lodge of Madras issued Warrant No.7, PRMadras to the Lodge of Social and Military Virtues. A new local Warrant, No. 5 PRMadras, was issuedin 1821. Prior to its return to England, the Lodge applied to the new United Grand Lodge for a Warrant andreceived No. 634 ER — but not until 1836. [Note: Warrant No. 634 ER had originally been issued 1814 forUnion York Lodge in the 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Militia. It had been returned to United Grand Lodge in1829.] John Lane notes that No. 7 (Madras) became No. 5 in 1821 and that the Lodge was extinct beforethe Warrant from United Grand Lodge arrived and was erased from the Roll on June 4, 1862. During its timein India Cochrane notes that the Lodge lost most of its members from cholera during a march fromCannanore to Hyderabad in 1827, and the Lodge appears to have become dormant. In spite of this “apparentdormancy” the Lodge did continue its existence and remained on the Roll of Grand Lodge.

Cochrane notes that Quarter-Master Hugh McDonald of the 46th Foot had been initiated into theLodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC, although the date is not known, and by 1817 was listed asa Past Master of the Lodge. He left the Colony for Madras with the Regiment in 1817 and returned to Sydneyin 1819 to gather his wife and four children for the return to India. He suffered an undisclosed illness and diedin Sydney on September 9, 1819 at the age of 36 years. He was the first to be buried at Old SandhillsCemetery, Devonshire Street, Sydney. A military procession was held which was reported in the SydneyGazette of September 11, 1819, which noted the presence of many Masons (military and civilian) in theprocession.

In 1833 the Regiment returned to England. Captain William Lacy of the 46th Foot, who had beeninitiated in 1829 into St. John’s Lodge, Secunderabad and was a member of the Officer’s Mess Committee,accidentally discovered the Masonic chest containing the Bible, Warrant, some books, jewels and a silvertrowel and brought them back to England with the Regiment in 1833. The explanation of the discovery in1831 of the Lodge Chest by Captain Lacy as described in the Lodge History indicates that the Lodge wasdormant for some time and members of the Regiment had forgotten that it existed. In 1834 the Regimentwas in Weedon Barracks and twelve Masons of the Regiment returned the almost unreadable Warrant toGrand Lodge with a request for its renewal. Grand Lodge agreed to the request provided three names ofliving members of the Lodge could be provided. Unfortunately only one was known and his name, with twoothers who were Masons but not belonging to the Lodge were provided and accepted by Grand Lodge giventhe disastrous circumstances of the Regiment and Lodge members in India. A (third) Renewal Warrant wasissued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland on August 7, 1834 to William Lacy (who had just been promoted to Lt.Colonel); John Godwin and Robt. Joseph Edmunds. They were installed as the first officers of the revived


It is interesting that there is no reference to 46th Foot in Montreal in this period mentioned in British146

Regulars in Montreal: An Imperial Garrison 1832-1858.

Sergeant Robert Cloy was a Past Master of the Lodge.147

Captain William Child was probably the Master in 1846. He had joined the Regiment in India in 1822148

as an Ensign.

Captain William Lacy was initiated into St. John’s Lodge, No. 17 PRMadras, India, in 1829. In 1846149

Colonel Lacy was placed on half pay due to his age and probably would be left behind in Montreal when theRegiment left for Ireland.

Lt. James Hill-Albory was initiated into Royal Standard Lodge, No. 564 ER, Halifax.150

Sergeant James Lumsden was also initiated into Royal Standard Lodge, No. 564 ER, Halifax.151

Captain George Pleydell Mansell was initiated into Unity, Peace and Concord Lodge, No. 396 ER, in152

the 1st (The Royal) Regiment and later affiliated with the Lodge of Social Friendship, No. 729 IC, in the 89th Foot.


Lodge in the Lodge at Canterbury, where the 46th had been stationed.R. V. Harris in his paper The Irish Civilian Lodges of Canada, 1820-1888 (February 20, 1959, Volume

2 Paper 48 of the Canadian Masonic Research Association, published 1986 by The Heritage Lodge , No. 730GRC) notes that “In 1840 the Lodge was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but the Lodge was still inactive, and severalof its members joined Royal Standard Lodge (Eng. Const.), notably Major F. A. Thesiger, later BaronChelmsford of Zulu War fame, and Captain Childs.”

The Regiment returned briefly to Montreal in 1844 and Kingston in late 1846; during which time146

the Lodge remained dormant due to changes of personnel in the Regiment. During this two year period,however, there were contacts with other Montreal Lodges, notably St. Paul’s No. 354 ER (now No. 10 GRQ).W. Bro. Alan Black of St. Paul’s has been able to review the Lodge Minutes which show a close relationshipbetween St. Paul’s and Lodge of Social Friendship, No. 729 ER in the 89th Regiment of Foot (establishedin 1844), and the Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry(46th Foot) during the mid 1840’s when the latter two military Lodges were in Montreal. On May 14, 1844“A Warrant was then presented to the Lodge (St. Paul’s) by W. Bro. Aaron on behalf of Social FriendshipLodge No. 729, of the 89th . . . requesting that the Lodge instal the officers in accordance with the saidWarrant, and the WM was pleased to name Thursday evening next the 16th instant at 7 o’clock for thatpurpose...” and on May 16, 1844 “Installation of W. Bro, Watson as WM of... No. 729.” On November 19,1846 “A Lt. R. E. Hornby, of Social Friendship Lodge, elected a joining member” and on January 12, 1847“Bro. W. Shepherd, of Social Friendship Lodge, a visitor”. On April 11, 1848 the Minutes indicate that theLodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC, “has been regularly constituted in this city by authority ofa Warrant from the Grand Lodge of Ireland.” This same minute notes “Death of Bro. Hornby reported.”

Visitation between members of the Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC and St. Paul’s,No. 374 ER, are regularly reflected in the minutes of the latter — December 27, 1848; December 27, 1849;December 27, 1850; March 9, 1852 (W. Bro. Shepherd recorded as a visitor) and St. Paul’s agrees to rentthe Lodge rooms to No. 227 for 7 pounds and 10 shillings per annum; March and April meetings 1854;December 27 1854 and 1855.

W. Bro. R. W. Sheppard, in his publication “My Hero”, Segt.-Major William Shepherd, notes that by1846 there were but three surviving members of the Lodge of Social and Military Virtues — Sergeant RobertCloy , Captain William Child and Colonel William Lacy — and the Regiment was under orders to147 148 149

prepare to return to Ireland. An attempt to revive the Lodge with new blood was made and Lt. James Hill-Albory and Sergeant James Lumsden of the 46th Foot; Captain George Pleydell Mansell , Quarter-150 151 152


Quarter-Master Sergeant W. L. Murphy was initiated in Lodge St. John’s, No. 491 ER.153

Sergeant G. Wells was also initiated in Lodge St. John’s, No. 491 ER.154


notes that William Shepherd was born at Woolwich on September 22, 1819 where his father, William (a member ofthe Royal Artillery), had returned after the end of fighting in the Peninsula in 1814. The son, William, joined theRoyal Horse Artillery on July 18, 1833, and was posted on March 1, 1835, as a gunner in the 2nd Battalion, RoyalArtillery. He was promoted to Bombardier on April 5, 1837. On April 27, 1838, Bombardier William Shepherd sailedto Canada with his Battalion. He spent over 14 years in Montreal and two years in Kingston, and was successivelypromoted to Corporal (October 5, 1842), Sergeant (April 1, 1846), Colour Sergeant (March 16, 1849), andStaff/Sergeant Major (September 22, 1855). He left for England on October 1, 1854 and provided training forartillery personnel during the expansion to fight the Crimean War. He was retired on September 21, 1858 after 21years’ service, in possession of four good conduct badges and a Long Service medal. Immediately after leaving theRoyal Artillery he was recruited as a 1st Class Pay-clerk in the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. He was promoted toPaymaster R. A. in May 1861 with a posting to Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey (then a naval base with adockyard, and a Royal Artillery garrison for defence). He was made Hon. Major on May 14, 1876 and went on halfpay on March 13, 1878. He died at Cardiff on January 31, 1895, aged 75 years. His masonic career began in Unity,Peace and Concord Lodge, No. 296 ER, in the 1st Regiment of Foot, at Montreal, where he was initiated on July 4,1839, passed on August 1, 1839 and raised on September 5, 1839. He was an affiliated member of Lodge No. 262ER, in The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (89th); a founder member of the Lodge of Social Friendship, No. 729 IC,in the 89th Foot and of Lodge of Integrity, No. 771 ER, in the 14th (The Yorkshire, West Riding) Regiment of Foot.On May 10, 1847 he received the 1834 renewal Warrant and Lodge regalia of the Lodge of Social and MilitaryVirtues, No. 227 IC, in the 46th Regiment which was without sufficient members to continue working. With theapproval of the Grand Lodge of Ireland he assumed the Mastership and established a permanent semi-militaryLodge which is still operating presently as Lodge of Antiquity, No. 1 GRQ, Montreal. After returning to Woolwich in1854 he affiliated with Union-Waterloo Lodge, No. 13 ER; and with his posting to Sheerness he joined Adam’sLodge, No. 184 ER (originally No. 207, ER(A) from 1778 and presently No. 158 ER). In 1865 W. Bro. WilliamSheppard became a member and second Master of De Shurland Lodge, No. 1089 ER, Sheerness. In addition to hislove of the Craft, W. Bro. Ray Shepherd notes that “it is known that he (W. Bro. William Shepherd) joined the RoyalArch, Mark, and I am sure the K. T. Degrees”.


Master Sergeant W. L. Murphy and Sergeant G. Wells were brought into the Lodge of Social and Military153 154

Virtues in November 1846.On May 10, 1847, Captain Lacy as the sole representative of the Lodge, with concurrence of the

Grand Lodge of Ireland, delivered the 1834 renewal Warrant and remaining Lodge property (except the Biblewhich remained in the care of the Regiment, Square and Compasses) to Sergeant William Shepherd in155

Montreal for the purpose of having him assume the Mastership and establish a permanent semi-militaryLodge there. W. Bro. Sheppard had been initiated into Unity, Peace and Concord Lodge, No. 296 ER, in the1st Foot, in Montreal, on July 4, 1839, was passed on August 1, 1839 and raised on September 2, 1839. Hewas an affiliated member of Lodge No. 262 ER, in The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (85th) and a foundingmember of Lodge of Integrity, No. 771 ER, in the 14th (The Yorkshire, West Riding) Regiment. SergeantShepherd acknowledged his assumption of this responsibility for the Lodge.

W. Bro. William Shepherd’s letter of November 4, 1846

The undersigned, a committee appointed to carry into effect the establishment of a Military MasonsLodge at Montreal in Canada, do hereby acknowledge to have received from Bro. Wm. Child, Captain in HerMajesty’s 46th Regiment, the undermentioned Lodge jewels, etc., which we pledge ourselves and successorsto return the same to the Brethren of Said Regiment (this being the condition on which we have received them)at any period when the said brethren shall demand the same for the purpose of assembling as a Lodge, our soleobject in desiring possession of them and the warrant to which they belong being to keep in operation a charter



which so many interesting circumstances have rendered invaluable in the estimation of Freemasons. Viz.

Jewels with Collars, Masters, Past Masters, Secretary, Treasurer and Tyler; Senior Warden and JuniorWarden; Tin. Three Mallets. Four Pillars or Columns. Four Seals of sorts. One Plumb Rule. One Collar. OneSash. Six Aprons. One Black Silk Bag. One Silver Trowel.

(Signed)

WILLIAM SHEPHERD, Sgt Major

Dated, Montreal, Canada, November 4th, 1846

[Source: History of Lodge of Antiquity, p 20.]

To obtain approval of the Grand Lodge of Ireland for this action, the few remaining members of theLodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227, wrote the following letter:

Montreal, Canada

26 November 1846th

Sir & Brother,

The Brethren of H. M. 46 Regiment of Foot holding the Warrant No. 227, dated atth

Dublin the second day of August A.L. 5834, and constituting the “Lodge of Social and Military Virtues”,having for a length of time past, from a variety of circumstances have been prevented from assemblingas a Lodge, have now, at the request of the undersigned Master Masons consented to the transfer tous of the said Warrant provided the Most Worshipful The Grand Lodge of Ireland be pleased tosanction the same.

We, therefore, having at heart, the advancement and prosperity of the Craft, andbeing desirous of forming ourselves into a Lodge for the purpose aforesaid, do respectfully request thatthe M. W. The Grand Lodge of Ireland will be pleased to grant us the requisite authority to assembleas a Lodge in the City of Montreal, in the Province of Canada, under the said Warrant, and we herebypledge ourselves to act strictly in accordance with the Constitutions and dictates of that august body.

We beg to acquaint you that we have nominated Brother William Shepherd to beMaster, William Robinson to be S. Warden and Robert Balfour to be J. Warden, and that we haveappointed the First Thursday in each month for our regular meeting.

And as our names have been registered in the books of the Grand Lodge of England,we take the liberty of referring you thereto, should such a proceeding be considered necessary.

If not inconsistent with or contrary to the Constitutions, and it be in the possessionof the Grand Lodge, we would beg to be entrusted with the Warrant, in lieu of which the present wasgranted bearing date about the Year of our Lord, 1752, many circumstances having occurred to renderit a document of no ordinary interest, and moreover to be allowed to work, if possible under the same,instead of that now in force.

If a statement of the requisite Fees to be required by the Grand Lodge be forwardedwith the authority herein requested, it will be promptly responded to.

The circumstances of there being (so far as we are aware) no Lodge in Montreal,Canada, holding from the Grand Lodge of ireland, and our having no means of reference to its Bookof Constitutions will, we trust, be deemed a sufficient apology for any informality or deficiency in thisapplication and should our request be complied with we beg you will have the kindness either toforward to us by mail a copy of the Constitutions, or acquaint us with any material points of differencehaving reference to what may be required of us for the information of the Grand Lodge, which may existbetween those of the Grand Lodges of England to which we have a copy and those of Ireland.

A reply to this, at your earliest convenience will be gratefully received by, Sir andBrother, your obedient servants.

W. Shepherd, late WM 729, registry of England

William Robinson, late of Do Do

R. Balfour Do Do


Philip St. Hill was a West Indian in the employ of the colonial government at Montreal. He later156

removed to Toronto where he was a charter member of St. John’s Lodge, No. 55 PRCW (now No. 75 GRC), at itsinstitution on November 25, 1856.

W. Bro. John Dean had been Secretary of the (First) Grand Masonic Convention at Kingston in 1818157

and had served as Provincial Grand Secretary of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Upper Canada (R. W. Bro. SimonMcGillivray) from 1822 to 1845.


Philip St. Hill Do Do156

F. Fairbraes Do Do

Robert Colquhoun Do Do

A. Courtenay late of 396 Do

Wm. Stevenson Do Do

D. Newman late of Lodge 83 of Ireland

We, the undersigned Masters and Past Masters of Lodges in this City, recommend

a compliance with the foregoing application —

Montreal, Canada T. Douglas Harington

26 November 1846 W.M. St. John’s Lodgeth

W. Wright, P.M. No. 643, England

of Lodges 216, 643 & 729

D. Norrice

John Dean, PM P.M. No. 643157

643 England England

Be pleased to address under cover to Mr. Philip St. Hill, Government Office,

Montreal.

PS In order that no doubt may arise as to any unwillingness on the part of the Brethren of the 46th

Regiment, to part with the Warrant, I issue an extract of a letter from one of their members— viz:

“I send you the Warrant 227 in charge of the Steward of the Highlander Steam Boat toLachine, which he assures me will be delivered into your hands safe.”

“Captain Child’s good wishes accompany the Warrant for its success.”

“You will on receiving the Warrant communicate with me, as I, as well as the Captain, shallbe glad to hear of its safe arrival.”

“May the blessing of God attend you in your exertions to promote the welfare of the Craft, andmankind generally is the prayer of yours fraternally.”

Signed:

Robert Cloy,

Sergeant 46th

Certified as true extracts. 227

W. Shepherd Application from Montreal

Wm. Robinson For transfer of Warr.

The Grand Secretary to the Rec’d Decr. 1846

M. W. the Grand Lodge of Ireland Wrote July 27, 1847



that it is irregular &

they must apply for new Wt.

[Source: R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, copy of original in Grand Lodge of Ireland archives.]

During February 1847, the Grand Secretary wrote to the Lodge expressing the inability to complywith the request and the Petitioners replied on March 28, 1847, with another (i.e. second) Petition to transferthe Warrant to the civilian Lodge.

Freemasons Hall, Dublin, February 26 , 1847th

Dear Sir and Brother

I duly received your favor of 26 November last, respecting Masonic “warrant No. 227", and in replyth

beg to state that the members of the Lodge had no right to transfer the warrant to any other parties without leavefirst obtained from the Grand Lodge. You certainly have acted very properly in making the application as youhave done, and which I have no doubt would meet every attention under other circumstances, but the warrant227, having been granted to the 46th regiment nearly 100 years ago as a military warrant to be attached to theregiment only, if the members could not continue working it, they should have returned it to us which would haveprevented any increase of dues or arrears accumulated against it, and we would have kept the number unissuedas long as they wished, to give them the opportunity of redeeming it if they should hereafter desire it.

With respect to the original warrant, it was returned to us many years ago, so defaced and worn outthat it was quite illegible, and the one you have was issued in lieu of it. The old one was, of course, immediatelycancelled. I have observed that Sgt. Robert Cloy, who sent you that warrant is not a registered member of 227,and, therefore, had no authority to act as he has done. Captain Child is. If you are desirous of taking out awarrant from the Grand Lodge of Ireland you will please forward a memorial, similar in substance to that alreadysent, and at the same time sending the old warrant, and you can have the same number if you wish it, indeedit is the earliest number now at our disposal, so many new warrants have been applied for, and issued withinthe last two or three years, that all the senior numbers are taken up that were vacant.

I enclose a copy of our laws for your information by which you will perceive that every application fora new warrant should have the recommendation of the neighbouring Lodges, but as there are none under theIrish Constitution in the vicinity of Montreal, it would be advisable to get as many signatures of registered IrishMasons as possible. Bro. D..... of 83 and Jer. O’Connell of 185 are both registered with us. Also therecommendation of the Masters of the English Lodges, as were attached to your former application.

I am, dear Sir and Bro.,

Yours faithfully,

(Signed) Per JOHN FOWLER, D.G.S.

GEO. RANKIN

Wm. Shepherd, Esq

Montreal

[Source: History of Lodge of Antiquity, p 20.]

Montreal, Canada

26 March 1847th

Sir & Brother

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Br. Rankin’s obliging communication of the 26 Februaryth

last, with enclosures, and beg leave to request you, in reference thereto,

1stly That Brs. Major Campbell and Captain Child (the only remaining members of the Lodge, we believe) havenot relinquished their right to the Warrant, but only consented to its transfer to us, in the event of the GrandLodge sanctioning such proceeding: from this you will perceive that the Warrant has not been transferred, but



only entrusted, to us -

2ndly That Br. Robt. Clog acted only as the medium of communication between the above-mentioned Brethrenand us. The 46 Regiment being at a distance of 200 miles from Montreal, and we beg to explain that our onlyth

object, in forwarding an extract from his letter, was to shew to the Grand Lodge that there existed no objectionto the transfer of the Warrant. Bro. Clog therefore, we respectfully suggest, is not to be blamed in this matter.

3rdly That it was not with a view to effect a saving of expense, that we applied for a transfer of the Warrant, No.227, in preference to a new one, but rather, to possess one, the original of which is of so ancient a date, andwhich so many circumstances have contributed to render (together with the Jewels, which the brethren of the46 Regiment had generously entrusted to our care) of great value in Masonic estimation.th

We therefore beg leave, most urgently to request that our application of 20 November last may beth

granted—viz to transfer to us and the Brethren named in the annexed paragraph (registered Master Masonsunder the Irish Constitution) of the Warrant No. 227, and in the event of the request being acceded to, we willbecome responsible to the Grand Lodge for the amount of dues &c owing by the late Lodge, and will, withpleasure, forward herewith the customary fees &c consequent on the transfer of the Charter, registries &c, onaccount of which, if sent to us, with your reply, will meet with prompt attention.

We would, in conclusion, respectfully request a speedy reply to this communication, as much longerdelay may reduce our numbers, and render more difficult the formation of a Lodge.

We are

Sir & Brother

Yours fraternally

W. Shepherd ) For the

Will. Robinson ) Brethren

P. St. Hill )

We the undersigned Master Masons registered in the Books of the Grand Lodge of Ireland,desire to inscribe in the foregoing application, and in that of the 26 November 1846 (a copy of whichth

we have perused) it being our purpose to become members of the Lodge No. 227, if permitted by theGrand Lodge of Ireland to be constituted.

Jeremiah C. Connally, No. 182, Curran

John Dalton, No. 295

Shamas Donaldson, No. 754

Robert Smythe, No. 588

Campbell Stewart, No. 588

T. W. Rays, No. 588

D. Gillan, No. 229

John Fowler, Esq,

D. G. Secretary


On the reverse of the letter is the following notation by the Grand Secretary: “227. For Board of Gen.Pur. about transfer of Wart. Rec’d April 16/47. Gr. Lodge Order. issue a new Warrant same No. on old onbeing returned. Wrote 10 May 1847.”

But delays, either in actioning by the Grand Secretary, or in mailing, led the (new) Lodge to againwrite to Grand Lodge on June 12, 1847. This letter is signed by seventeen members — William Shepherd(late 729 ER), William Robinson (late 729 ER), Robert Balfour (late 729 ER), George J. Stanley (late 643ER), A. Courtenay (late 396 ER), Philip S. Hill (late 396 ER), William Stevenson (late 396 ER), JeremiahO’Connell (late 185 IR), Robert Colquhoun (late 396 ER), C. Newman (late 83 IR), John Dalton (late 295 IR),James Courtenay (late 551 IR), J. Wray (late 588 IR), D. Gillan (late 229 IR), Patrick Hayes (late 817 IR),Andrew McHenry (late 47 IR) and W. G. Malcolm (late 729 ER)—listed here to show the growth in potential


This refers to a new Warrant for the Lodge bearing the old number “227".158


Lodge membership by affiliates from other Lodges. This third Petition carries the following notation of theGrand Secretary “227 Memorial for new Warrant for Montreal Recd June 29, 1847. Sent Warrant July 2/47158

addressed to M. W. Shepherd under cover to Philip S. Hill, Gov. Officer, Montreal.” Mail certainly seemeddestined to be a problem—while it took only three weeks for the June 29 Petition to reach the GrandSecretary’s desk and result in a decision, on October 13, W. Bro. Shepherd was again writing Dublinrequesting a decision and the Warrant, indicating that it had certainly not reached Montreal. A furtherfollowup dated December 8 indicated that the Post Office reported it had not received the packet containingthe new Warrant. Receipt of the new Warrant “so long in our Post Office unknown to me” would not beacknowledged by W. Bro. Shepherd until March 14, 1848. Part of the reason for the overall delay isexplained on page 20 of the Lodge History — that to save postage, Sergeant Shepherd had asked that theWarrant be returned via the “Gov. Officer, Montreal” and there was 5/2½d for “postage due” and, of course,nothing was being released without the postage due being paid.

While these exchanges were occurring, the Headquarters staff and part of the 46th Foot left Kingstonin September 1847 and were soon followed by the rest of the Regiment, heading for England and home.Their route via various ships would see them pass through Montreal, Quebec and Halifax (where theywintered from October 1847 to May 1848), and would arrive at Portsmouth in June 1848. With this departurethe linkage between the Regiment and the Lodge would be sundered forever.

It is interesting to read that although the “old” Lodge No. 227 was 13 years in arrears of dues, GrandLodge charged only £7.00 for the new Warrant. R. V. Harris noted in his work on Irish Lodges in Canada thatthe “Warrant had actually been dissolved when in Halifax in 1845” (presumably meaning that Grand Lodgehad erased the Warrant and removed it from the list of active Warrants and Lodges) but Grand Lodgeobviously overlooked this matter as the physical Warrant was still in the hands of the last members of theLodge. The new Lodge No. 227 IC was formally instituted on March 23, 1848 and the first officers of the(new) Lodge No. 227 IC were installed and invested: W. Bro. William Shepherd, WM; Bro. William Robinson,SW; Bro. G. Malcolm, JW; Bro. Dalton, Treasurer; Bro. G. Stanley, Secretary; Bro. St. Hill, SD; Bro.Stevenson, JD; Bro. Morcalty, IG and Bro. Colquhoun, Tyler (Lodge History, p 28). The records of St. Paul’sLodge, No. 778 ER, Montreal, for August 11, 1848, note that a communication from the Provincial GrandSecretary advised of the action of the Irish Grand Lodge and the installation and investiture of officers onDecember 7, 1848.

The By-Laws of the new Lodge were drafted, approved and printed in 1848, bearing date April 6,1848. Meetings were to be held on the first Thursday of every month, at 8 pm in the evening from May 1 toOctober 31 and at 7 pm from November 1 to April 30. Dues of two shillings and sixpence were levied at eachmeeting for those within three miles of the Lodge and reduced by half for those who resided further away;visitors were charged 2/6d per meeting only if they partook of refreshments after the meeting. The initiationfee of £3-15-0 was paid on entry for all degrees and registration with Dublin and the affiliation fee of twelveshillings and sixpence was paid unless the member were a military person in which case the fee was 6/3d“in consideration of having frequently to pay a joining fee.” Fines for drunkenness were fixed.

The first initiation was worked in 1848 (no date is given in the Lodge History) and the brother (JamesDoyle) was passed on January 4, 1849 and raised on February 1, 1849.

On August 8, 1852, the Montreal Masonic Hall which was shared by several Lodges, including theLodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC, burned to the ground and much of the materiel in thebuilding was lost. The Lodge Secretary’s report to Grand Lodge (dated August 23, 1852 and signed by W.Bro. William Robinson, Lodge Secretary) noted that “when the Masonic Hall was in flames, a young initiatedBrother, Robert A. Malcolm (son of our P.M.) rushed into the burning building at the peril of his life andrescued from destruction our Lodge Chest and Jewels but the Warrant being in a neat frame and togetherwith other Warrants was hung around the walls of the room which at this time was found impracticable andtwo attempts were unsuccessful from smoke that filled the building almost to suffocation.” The letter goeson to request the issue of another Duplicate Warrant. Notwithstanding the payment of fees for a new Warrant


This Lodge, in the 26th (The Cameronian) Regiment was established under Warrant No. 309 IC, dated159

December 7, 1758. This Warrant was returned to the Grand Lodge of Ireland on June 24, 1823, in exchange for No.26 IC. The Lodge met for the last time in 1914, although the Warrant was not surrendered to Grand Lodge until1922.


and several letters, a formal complaint for the “inaction” of R. W. Bro. Fowler, Grand Secretary, was finallymade on March 7, 1853 although the Duplicate Warrant finally arrived at the end of that month.

On July 27, 1854, Lodge No. 26 IC in the 26th (The Cameronians) Regiment of Foot , convened159

an Emergency Meeting, to install the Master and Officers of Independent Lodge, No. 237 IC. W. Bro. WilliamShepherd was seated as Installing Master. His masonic career continued and W. Bro. R. Sheppard notesthat before he left Canada “it is known that he joined the Royal Arch, Mark, and I am sure the K. T. Degrees.”From July 2, 1847 to April 1835, sixty-four members of the Lodge were registered with Grand Lodge.

On October 10, 1855, representatives of the Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC, metwith representatives of other Lodges in Hamilton, Canada West, and by the end of the day “an independent‘Grand Lodge of Canada’ was proclaimed . . .” and M. W. Bro. William Mercer Wilson was elected as GrandMaster, R. W. Bro. A. Bernard (a PM of St. George’s Lodge, Montreal and proxy delegate for Lodge No. 227)as Deputy Grand Master and R. W. Thomas Bird Harris as Grand Secretary. On his return to Montreal, R.W. Bro. Bernard reported on the Hamilton meeting. The brethren of Lodge No. 227 “passed a resolution ofthanks and admitted him as an honorary member . . . (and) further approved and confirm(ed) the conductof (the) proxy delegate . . . and will affiliate with the said Lodges . . . that this (i.e. No. 227) Lodge recognizethe ‘Grand Lodge of Canada’ as the supreme and only legitimate authority in Canada . . . (and) that thisLodge hereby surrenders its warrant to the ‘Grand Lodge of Ireland’ and will hereafter exist under thejurisdiction of the Canadian Grand Lodge.” The Irish Warrant was returned to Dublin on December 3, 1858,the Lodge History noting only that the delay was “unexplained.” The reason for the delay was clearly that theGrand Secretary, R. W. Bro. Thomas B. Harris would not send surrendered Irish warrants to Dublin until theyhad all been collected and assembled in Hamilton.

At its first meeting after becoming a “Canadian Lodge”, the Lodge of Social and Military Virtuesreceived representatives from St. Paul’s, Zetland and St. George’s Lodges, all of which had joined the newGrand Lodge. But all was not smooth. With No. 227's action at becoming No. 1 of Canada, the close andwarm relations between St. Paul’s, No. 374 ER, and No. 227 IC changed drastically. This situation isreflected in two letters which were read out in open Lodge in St. Paul’s — the first being from the WM toLodge 227 IC, and the second being a communication from the Provincial Grand Master of Montreal andWilliam Henry.

The WM of St. Paul’s wrote as follows: “28th December, 1855. On the return last evening of theDeputation of Brethren sent by St. Paul’s Lodge to convey to the Sister Lodges in this City, the expressionof good feelings which existed towards them on the part of St. Paul’s, a report was made by one of theBrethren from which it appeared that I had been labouring under a misapprehension in supposing that theLodge of Social and Military Virtues, before determining to place themselves under the jurisdiction of theproposed Grand Lodge of Canada—had received authority from the Grand Lodge of Ireland so to do, andfurther were still working under the warrant granted to them by that Grand Lodge, as was stated by Bro.Stanley of the Lodge of Social & Military Virtues to Bro. Bethune of St. Paul’s. I regret extremely that I wasnot aware of the real facts, as communicated to you by the Deputation—viz., that you had placed yourselvesunder the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada without authority from the Grand Lodge of Ireland andhad surrendered your warrant—as it would have saved me the pain of making this communication bypreventing the sending of a deputation to the Lodge of Social & Military Virtues, or the receiving the Brethrenof that Lodge, who visited St. Paul’s, in any other character that as Brethren of the order and our welcomeguests. So long as the Lodge of Social & Military Virtues remains in its present position, it is impossible forSt. Paul’s to recognize it as a Lodge, although I hope I need scarcely say that we shall retain towards theindividual members of it the same good feeling that has always hitherto existed.”

R. W. Bro. Badgley’s circular to all the Lodges in the Provincial Jurisdiction regarding the illegal



creation of the new Grand Lodge of Canada, reads as follows:

February 2, 1856

Until the Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge, for the District of Montreal and William Henry, shallhave been held, and which the P. G. Secretary has been directed to summon for about the 1st March, for theinvestigation of divers subjects of Masonic complaint in the aforesaid Jurisdiction, the Provincial Grand Masterhas deemed it proper to minute a few observations for communication to, and the guidance of, the Lodges inhis District, whose Masters have appeared before him lately, in obedience to his summons, for that purpose,and whose minutes have been transmitted for his examination and observation.

Without adverting to the opinions expressed in the minutes for the establishment of an IndependentGrand Lodge of Canada, the PGM will content himself, at present, with the expression of his conviction, thatparticipation in the meeting at Hamilton, of individual Masons, acting as a self constituted body, for masonicpurposes, is in direct contravention of the constitution and principles of Masonry; that its proceedings are atvariance with the Laws and Regulations of the Craft; and that any assumption or act of authority, derived fromthat source, by individual Masons, or by any so called Lodge, is irregular and illegal.

Any Lodge, warranted or not, or any ten or dozen Masons, connected , or not, with a Lodge, as Masons,have equal power of self-constitution into an independent society, at once setting at nought the principle ofderived authority, and the Regulations of the Craft which forbid the assembly of Masons for Masonic purposes,without Warrant, and, at the same time, expressly declare that it is incompetent for any man, or body of men,to make innovations in the body of Masonry.

The PGM further observes, that a warrant, from proper authority, can along constitute a legalassemblage of Masons. The term Lodge, originally and properly, the place where Masons meet, is applied, incommon language, to the persons who meet together, as Masons, to work the Warrant under certain By-Lawsand the general Regulations of the Craft, but the individual members exist as Masons, actively belonging to theCraft, only in the warrant, and a withdrawal, or separation, from that authority leaves them incapable of Masonicaction. The withdrawal of a member of a Lodge is an abandonment of the warrant, with all its incidents andappurtenances, and of all connection with, or right of property in them, which subsist in the remaining, or lastremaining, member; otherwise, however distant the withdrawal, the retiring member might claim to participatein the administration and property of a Lodge. The property, jewels and furniture of a Lodge are the property ofits active associated members - the withdrawal of any leaves the warrant, minute book, muniments and propertyin possession of them, or of him, remaining in connection with the authority under which alone they mayassemble and act as Masons.

A unanimous agreement by all the members to dissolve the Lodge, or the withdrawal of all, absolutelyrenders the warrant inoperative, and necessitates the return of the warrant, minutes, etc., etc., to the authoritycompetent to receive them - the Grand Lodge or its delegated authority. But, without this unanimity, the warrantis operative in even one surviving member, because the authority in the warrant is not derived from themembers, but given to each and all, and of a right to which, subsisting in one, severally, as fully it subsisted,jointly, in all, he cannot be deprived by the decisions or opinions of other members. Majorities do not controlminorities in this matter, and their resolutions have effect upon themselves only as individual members, butcannot interfere with minorities, however, small.

A reference to the Book of Constitutions, peculiarly influencing Masters of Lodges, shows this generalrule, under the head, ‘Private Lodges’. Page 70, Edition of 1847, para. 32: - ‘As every Warranted Lodge is aconstituent part of the Grand Lodge (that is, the Grand Lodge of England) in which assembly all the power ofthe Fraternity resides, it is clear, that no other authority can destroy the power granted by a warrant. If, therefore,the majority of any Lodge, should determine to quit the Society, or that Lodge, the constitution, or power ofassembly, remains with the rest of the members who adhere to their allegiance. If all the members of a Lodgewithdraw themselves, their warrant ceases and becomes extinct; and all authority, thereby granted or enjoyed,


The six were: The Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 1 GRC, Montreal; St. George’s Lodge, No.160

13 GRC, Montreal; Zetland Lodge, No. 15 GRC, Montreal; Hoyle Lodge, Lacolle (13 members); St. Andrew’s Lodgeof St. Andrews and Jacques Cartier Lodge (“which never flourished at all”) (1857 Proceedings, p 135-6).


reverts to the Grand Master.’

The PGM need scarcely observe that the establishing of another Lodge, under different authority, witha declaration of ceasing to belong to the Lodge constituted, and acting under warrant is, to all intents, an evidentwithdrawal, unless the member renews his connection, and separates himself from the New Society.

The PGM further observes, that a suspension to hold Lodge Meetings under the warrant is noabandonment of the instrument, or dissolution of the Lodge - the remaining members, at the first convenientopportunity, resume their meetings in conformity with their By-Laws and the Regulations of the Craft in the samemanner as if the Regular assemblies had been suspended by events beyond the control of the Lodge.

The PGM is unwilling to extend these observations at this time; his desire is to remove misconceptionby the members of the Lodges, of the extent of their privileges as Masons, and of the controlling power ofmajorities in Lodges. He will rejoice if a consideration of the foregoing should have the effect he desires toaccomplish, of preventing unconstitutional actions by Masons in his District, and will simply add, in conclusion,his readiness to restore and place in the circle of Masonic connection all who, from misconception, or want ofsufficient knowledge of the principles of the Institution, may erred and gone from its landmarks.

(sgd.) W. Badgley; PGM


The foregoing attitude was not shared by the Grand Lodge of Ireland which had communicated witheach of its subordinate Lodges and reported that it had immediately recognized the new Grand Lodge ofCanada.

By virtue of its action in affiliating with the new Grand Lodge of Canada, at the First AnnualCommunication (July 10 and 11, 1856, Hamilton), “The committee appointed to determine the respectivenumbers of the Lodges under this jurisdiction, adopting the principle determined upon by the Grand Lodge. . .” recommended the Lodge of Social and Military Virtues to be granted Warrant “No. 1" in view of itsseniority on the roll of the new Grand Lodge. At the 2nd Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge ofCanada (July 8-10, 1857, Montreal), the Lodge was, surprisingly, not represented until 8 pm in the evening,when the Committee on Credentials recommended that Bro. C. VanFelson, of the Lodge be admitted. At thattime the report of the DDGM of the Montreal District, R. W. Bro. P. D. Brown was received. In his report theDDGM reported that there were six Lodges in the District which had lost two venerable WMs in the year:160

W. Bro. Colonel Robert Hoyle, of Hoyle Lodge, Lacolle and V. W. Bro. William M. Brown, of The Lodge ofSocial and Military Virtues. At this Communication Grand Lodge agreed to change the name of the Lodgeto “Lodge of Antiquity”, to allow the members to wear gold instead of silver jewels and to give the Lodgeprecedence over all other Lodges in the jurisdiction. The resolution for this change of name is recorded inthe Proceedings:

Resolution: It was moved by R. W. Bro. Stephens, seconded by R. W. Bro. Simpson, and unanimouslyadopted,

That the “Lodge of Social and Military Virtues” shall henceforth be called, the

“LODGE OF ANTIQUITY”



Wear gold instead of silver jewels, and take precedence of all numbered lodges.

The Lodge History (p 39) indicates that this name change was made to correspond with that madeby the “original No. 1" which had met at the Goose and Gridiron in St. Paul’s churchyard and which hadchanged its name to “Lodge of Antiquity.” A motion in December 1934 to change the name back to “theLodge of Social and Military Virtues” was defeated.

In June 1858 a letter was sent to the Grand Lodge of Ireland from the Grand Lodge of Canada whichsays in part “The following is a list of affiliated Lodges from your jurisdiction Nos. 211, 222, 209, 227, 231,232, 236, 286, 323, 358, also Wellington Lodge 359 Stratford, and 232 St. Thomas Lodge (13 lodges), manyof the foregoing report they have already sent back their Warrants but should either have neglected to doso I shall be most happy in affording you any further information on the subject. Thos. B. Harris.” In a letterdated April 1, 1857, the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Ireland wrote to confirm the age of theoriginal Warrant No. 227 (March 4, 1752—which fell into abeyance but was revived about 1801, Duplicateissued when original lost at Dominica in 1805, new Duplicate issued August 1834, new civilian Warrant in1847, and Duplicate civilian in 1853) and that the extant Warrant of 1853 had been surrendered in 1858. At the 3rd Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Canada (July 14, 1858, Toronto), The Lodge ofAntiquity, unnumbered in accordance with its seniority, was represented by W. Bro. Edwin Morris, PM andBro. Philip Henry, SW. The Report of the DDGM of Montreal District, R. W. Bro. John Helder Isaacson,indicated only five Lodges were working (Jacques Cartier Lodge is noted as being “to all intents and purposesdefunct and it was recommended that Grand Lodge call in the Warrant). At this Communication the AncientGrand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Canada amalgamated into the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Freeand Accepted Masons of Canada.

At the 4th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Canada (July 13, 1859, Kingston), TheLodge of Antiquity was represented by V. W. Bro. P. Henry, SW and R. W. Bro. E. Morris, PM. In his report,the DDGM of Montreal District, R. W. Bro. E. Morris, reported The Lodge of Antiquity to be in a flourishingcondition and the five Lodges of the District had been supplemented by the application for affiliation receivedfrom Dorchester Lodge of St. John’s. In the List of Subordinate Lodges, R. W. Bro. E. Morris is listed as WM.At the 5th Annual Communication (July 11, 1860, Ottawa), the Lodge was represented by R. W. Bro. E.Morris, WM; Bro. Marshall Scholes, SW and Bro. F. C. Dettmers, JW. In his report, the DDGM of MontrealDistrict, R. W. Bro. E. Morris, reported the Lodge in good working order.

The Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867 with four provinces—Ontario, Quebec, NewBrunswick and Nova Scotia—and members of the Lodge noted that Freemasons were in the process offorming two new Grand Lodges in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. This change to Dominion status “createdthe desire in the hearts of many Masons in the province of Quebec, to work for their own independence,Masonically speaking, by forming a ‘Grand Lodge of Quebec’.” Such desires in no way conflicted with theLodge of Antiquity’s duty towards its Grand Lodge and on July 27, 1869, the Grand Master of the GrandLodge of Canada, M. W. Bro. Lt.-Col. Alexander Allan Stevenson, convened a special meeting of the Lodgeof Antiquity (of which he was an honorary member) for the purposes of receiving R. W. Bro. Sir JohnAlexander Macdonald, GCB, Prime Minister of Canada, in his capacity as representing the Grand Lodge ofEngland near to the Grand Lodge of Canada.

An informal meeting of Freemasons in Montreal on August 12, 1869, discussed the situation facingthe craft in the province and it was agreed to convene a meeting of the representatives of Lodgesrepresenting the several jurisdictions working in Quebec, on September 24, 1869. This second meetingresulted in agreement to meet on October 20 in the “British Masonic Chambers” in Montreal to proceed “.. . if so decided, to the formation of a Grand Lodge for the Province of Quebec . . . .” Representatives oftwenty-one Lodges met and formed the Grand Lodge of Quebec. The Lodge of Antiquity, remaining loyalto the Grand Lodge of Canada, did not attend. It was not alone and difficulties would ensue until the totalwithdrawal of the Grand Lodge of Canada from the province in 1874: some Lodges like Antiquity, retainedtheir “Canadian identity” until the last moment, while others split into two separate Lodges (one Canadianand one Quebec) and some of these split Lodges never did amalgamate.

For the Lodge of Antiquity, a good example of the challenges came at its meeting of December 5,


“No names, no pack drill” is applied in the Lodge History in describing how the Warrant went missing.161

Several Lodges shared the same facilities and those which had joined the new Grand Lodge of Quebec in 1869removed their equipment and met elsewhere. During the removal, more than just the equipment of the departingLodges was taken — and the new Canadian Warrant No. 0 had been removed. The perpetrators are unnamed, butthe Warrant arrived back in the hands of the Lodge in time to be endorsed by M. W. Bro. John Hamilton Graham.Other items of Lodge furniture and regalia were returned including an oil painting of one of the WMs, a sword andgoblets, all of which were “given back” in 1886.


1872. The DDGM of the District of Montreal and William Henry of the Grand Lodge of Quebec, R. W. Bro.Richard Bull, visited the Lodge and posed two questions: (1) Is it the opinion of your Lodge desirable, andfor the interests of Masonry that an independent Grand Lodge for Quebec should exist? and (2) If yes: thenin the event of the so-called Grand Lodge of Quebec expressing their willingness to accept and enroll ourLodges, as at present, constituted in the said Province, would your Lodge consent to, and be satisfied withsuch an arrangement? The response of the Lodge was a motion, duly seconded and approved, that “. . . themembers of this Lodge of Antiquity appreciate the privilege extended to them . . . of discussing a subject .. . (formerly) regarded as Masonic treason, but nevertheless they . . . decline (to) enter upon the discussionof any question, which either directly or indirectly would involve the disruption of such an honorable, dignifiedand respected body as the Most Worshipful The Grand Lodge of Canada, of Free and Accepted Masons,under whose authority this Lodge exists and intends to exist.” This discussion was reported to M. W. Bro.Wilson who replied on January 8, 1873, thanking the Lodge for its “steady and unswerving allegiance.”

By March 1874, the then Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada, M. W. Bro. William BenjaminSimpson reported that the difficulties had been settled “between the Lodge of Canada” and his edictremoving suspensions and resuming friendly intercourse were read. In preparation of an EmergentCommunication of the Grand Lodge of Canada on July 23, 1874, the Lodge of Antiquity voted to instruct itsdelegate “to represent to Grand Lodge that this Lodge desires to maintain its allegiance to the Grand Lodgeof Canada, and to retain its present position.” At the Convocation the representative made every effort toput the case that there was no unanimity on the Quebec question as long as one Lodge, Antiquity, wishedto remain loyal to the Grand Lodge of Canada. He then proposed an amendment to the resolution of theBoard of General Purposes “That any Lodge in Quebec should be permitted to retain its allegiance to theGrand Lodge of Canada.” The amendment was defeated on being put to a vote. Subsequently the GrandLodge of Canada completed its agreement with the Grand Lodge of Quebec concerning the former’s totalwithdrawal from the Province of Quebec. The Lodge of Antiquity named a committee to treat with the GrandLodge of Quebec and on August 6, 1874, R. W. Bro. Thomas Milton, DDGM, Grand Lodge of Quebec andR. W. Bro. Alexander Murray, PM, Victoria Lodge, No. 17 GRQ, as representatives of the Grand Lodge ofQuebec were received by the Lodge of Antiquity. They announced “on behalf of the Grand Lodge of Quebec,that it was the desire of the Grand Lodge of Quebec to receive this Lodge with all due consideration as toher position in the Craft, and the wishes of the members.” The Warrant as No. 0, which had gone missing ,161

was received back by the Lodge in September 1874, “just in time for it to be endorsed by the Grand Masterof the Grand Lodge of Quebec, on September 23, 1874, at the Fifth Communication of that Grand Body “.. . when our Lodge (of Antiquity) together with seventeen other Lodges previously connected with the ‘GrandLodge of Canada’, affiliated with the Grand Lodge of Quebec.”

The Lodge of Antiquity did not receive a new number until September 26, 1877, when the GrandLodge of Quebec numbered it as No. 1, giving the Lodge the senior position on the roll.

The minutes of the October 1881 meeting of the Lodge of Antiquity refer to a proposedamalgamation with Victoria Lodge, No. 26 GRQ, Montreal. After two years of negotiation the amalgamationwas effected on December 20, 1883. Although the Warrant of No. 26 was returned to Grand Lodge, Victoria’sbible was in use on the Lodge altar until 1956, when it was “retired.” Victoria’s regalia was passed on for theuse of Victoria Lodge, No. 73 GRQ, Lachine, in 1890 (the Lodge now meets in Pierrefonds). In 1956 theLodge of Antiquity supported the formation of Meridian Lodge (now Meridian Royal Alexandra since 1999),No. 125 GRQ, Pierrefonds and provided the charter WM (W. Bro. Gordon A. Lynn).

As a Lodge with a long and proud military heritage, the Lodge of Antiquity has provided support for


The 1902 date was chosen to avoid a conflict with the 150th anniversary celebrations.162


its members who served the colours. In 1885 the dues of brethren serving in the military forces called outto counter the rebellion in the Northwest Territories were remitted. On the outbreak of war in 1914, the firstcasualty for the Lodge was the immediate loss of the then secretary, Bro. H. Salmon, a member of thepermanent forces who was immediately called to duty. By motion of the Lodge it was agreed that dues ofserving brethren would be remitted and that the Lodge would immediately comply with the request from theGrand Master to refrain from banquets and unnecessary activities until the end of the war. In 1917 the Lodgeentertained the officers and men of HMS Donegal who were members of the craft. By the end of the war atotal of 68 members had served in His Majesty’s forces and were presented with “Lodge War Medals” in1923. Three members of the Lodge—Bros. David Clark Grieve, James Kay and L. B. Rogers—were killedin action in France in 1917. Between the two world wars (October 18, 1933) the Lodge was pleased toreceive and entertain Bro. General Sir Arthur Currie, GCMG, KCB, LLB, who had commanded the right wingof Canadian troops employed in the taking of Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917. Peace having disappeared inSeptember 1939, the Lodge of Antiquity again moved to remit the dues of serving brethren. The Lodge alsosupported the Quebec Mason’s War Relief Fund which was created to provide funds to the United GrandLodge of England for the relief of women and children who had lost their homes during the war. The Lodgealso provided support to Canadian servicemen by providing cigarettes and food packages, as well asChristmas parcels for Lodge members serving overseas. The Lodge participated in a Victory ThanksgivingService on October 9, 1945, to celebrate the victory of all Allied forces and presented the collected offeringto the Royal Canadian Legion. A total of 19 members of the Lodge of Antiquity had served in His Majesty’sForces and all had returned safely; they were presented with a specially struck Lodge War Medal in 1946.

The Lodge of Antiquity has always been blessed with a large and growing membership and whileno one would look for benefits from any war, the year 1919 was remarkable for the Lodge and resulted in48 first degrees, 25 second and 19 third degrees being worked in nine regular and fifteen emergentmeetings. A similar level of activity was reported for 1920. The roll at the close of 1923 showed 338members. The Lodge instituted a “father and son” evening in 1938 as both a social activity and potentialmembership event. The effect of World War II was also to given an impetus to brethren to join the Lodgebefore proceeding overseas and 1943, for example, saw 12 first, 13 second and 12 third degrees worked innine regular and eight emergent meetings.

Antiquity Lodge holds an Annual Military Night each March 17th in honour of its Irish origins, andmembers appear in the uniform of the corps to which they were attached. It has not always been held on thisdate and in 1866 it was held in July and in September in 1902 .162

In December 1888 the Grand Master authorized the members of the Lodge to wear a jewel incommemoration of its Centennial. The jewel is described as “bearing the coat of arms of the 46th Regimentand the motto of the Lodge: ‘Libens Solvit Merito Votum’—which translates as ‘(The Lodge) has willingly andhonourably performed its solemn obligations,’ or ‘He pays his vows, willingly and justly’.” In 1910 the thenexisting Lodge in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry (46th Foot)—Dominica Lodge, No. 174 IC (warrantedMarch 6, 1896, Warrant surrendered 1921)—wrote to the Lodge of Antiquity from Bermuda. The contact wasto renew fraternal relations through their common ancestral home. The Lodge History reports that most ofthe members of Dominica Lodge were killed during the retreat from Mons in 1914.

The Lodge of Antiquity celebrated its 150th Anniversary on March 4, 1902 and its 170th Anniversaryin March 1922. On March 15, 1952, the Lodge celebrated its bicentenary. As a special event the Lodgedonated $2500.00 to the Shriner’s Hospital in Montreal. Congratulations were received from Antiquity Lodge,No. 1 GRNSW, Australia and Antiquity Lodge, No. 146 ER, Bolton, Lancashire. A special Bicentennial Jewelhad been designed and struck and was distributed to members of the Lodge.

The Lodge of Antiquity has always been active in Montreal. On October 6, 1894, the membersattended the laying of the corner stone of the new Masonic Temple on the north side of Dorchester Street(a building which, in 1963, was occupied by an insurance company). The Lodge became one of the tenantMasonic there until 1930 when it removed to the present Memorial Temple, along with a number of other



Lodges and units of concordant bodies.While the Lodge has always had a charity fund for members, a benevolence fund was started in

January 1905. The first reference in the Lodge History to a Ladies Night is March 1906. In 1914 the Lodgepurchased two grave lots in Mount Royal Cemetery to be used for indigent brethren should the need arise.One lot was used that same year and the second was unused as late as 1963.

On April 10, 1947, the Lodge of Antiquity was represented at the Centennial Celebration of KingSolomon’s Lodge, No. 22 GRC, Toronto. The event was attended by representatives from the remaining IrishLodges which had existed at the time of the formation of the Grand Lodge of Canada on October 10, 1855,in Hamilton. The Lodges attending included: King Hiram, No. 226 IC (now No. 37 GRC) Ingersoll; St. John’sNo. 209 IC (now No. 20 GRC), London; St. John’s, No. 159 IC (now No. 21A GRC), Vankleek Hill; St. John’s,No. 286 IC (now No. 35 GRC) Cayuga; St. John’s, No. 231 IC (now No. 40 GRC), Hamilton; St. Thomas, No.222 IC (now No. 40 GRC), St. Thomas; Brant, No. 323 IC (now No. 45 GRC), Brantford; Vaughan, No. 236IC (now No. 54 GRC), Maple and Harmony, No. 358 IC (now No. 57 GRC), Binbrook.

The Lodge has encountered major difficulties since the 1960's. By far the most devastating from aMasonic perspective was the election of the separatist government in the Province of Quebec in 1976. Sincethat time major companies have moved out of the province, taking many of their staff with them — andnumbers of the staff were members of Masonic Lodges, including Antiquity No. 1. In one year the Lodge lostthree Treasurers and the move of Canadian Vickers saw the loss of five junior Past Masters. This latter eventremoved Masters who might have brought other new members into the Lodge. While it appeared somewhatcommonplace a century or more ago for a WM to hold office for several terms, one WM has held the officefor seven years (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992 and 1993) and one for five years (1980, 1981, 1982,2002 and 2003) and six Masters have held two-year terms in the last twenty years. But the Lodge exists andhas been slowly increasing its ranks!

Although only one initiated member of the Lodge of Antiquity has served as head of a Masonic body,three affiliated members have served in that office. On April 3, 1856, the Lodge of Antiquity initiated Mr.John Valentine Ellis who would later become the head of the four major York Rite bodies in the Maritimes.Affiliated members who held the senior office in Masonic bodies include: M. W. Bro. Thomas DouglasHarington, M. Ex. Comp. John Charles Franck and M. W. Bro. John Patience, Grand Master of the GrandLodge of Quebec. In addition, other members of the Lodge of Antiquity have served Grand Lodge in variousoffices, including:• DDGM - R. W. Bros. E. Morris (1858-59, 1859-60), John Beamish Saul ( ), Lt.-Col. Frank T. Brown

(1909-10), Colonel James Cooper (1922-23), Beresford Wilde (1949-50), Gordon A. Lynn (yearunknown) and William N. Sim (year unknown);

• Grand Junior Warden - R. W. Bros. W. G. Fellows (year unknown) and A. H. Badilotti (yearunknown);

• Grand Registrar - R. W. Bros. Alexander Chisholm (year unknown)), Colonel James Cooper (1911-12) and Arthur H. Purves (year unknown);

• Grand Organist - V. W. Bro. Fred C. Lydon (year unknown);• Assistant Grand Secretary - V. W. Bro. R. A. Malcolm (1856-57);• Grand Pursuivant - V. W. Bro. William T. Giles (year unknown);• Grand Stewards - V. W. Bros. C. Edwin Morris (1856-57), Edward J. Kalil (year unknown) and, André

Francoeur (year unknown),

The Lodge of Antiquity, No. 1 GRC, meets in the Masonic Memorial Temple, 2295 St. Mark Street(corner of St. Mark and Sherbrooke), Montreal.

V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, 1973, shows the original issue of a warrantbearing the number “227" as being issued on March 4, 1752, and the Duplicate issue by the Grand Lodgeof Ireland in July 1805. He shows the termination date of the Irish Warrant as 1847. It is interesting that heshows the number “227” used on a Warrant issued to the 2nd Horse on January 5, 1757 and a Duplicateissued on August 17, 1801 when the number was “not in use” for the 46th Foot. He shows two Renewals to



the 46th Foot in July 1805 and on August 7, 1834. He also notes the issue on July 2, 1847, for the Lodge ofSocial and Military Values, Montreal, a civilian Lodge which joined the new Grand Lodge of Canada (Ontario)in 1855 and surrendered the Warrant to the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1858. He also lists the use of thenumber “227” for an undated Warrant for Geraldine Lodge at Dublin, no date of being struck off the rolls isshown. With regard to this last issue, Cochrane shows a date of issue of September 11, 1871 for GeraldineLodge, Dublin, the Warrant having been returned to Grand Lodge in 1984 when the Lodge amalgamated withNo. 171 to become the new Geraldine Lodge, No. 171.

John Lane, in his Masonic Records 1717-1894 includes an entry for the Lodge on page 272 asfollows: “Lodge of Social and Military Values. In 46 Regiment. No. 7 Local, No. 5 Local in 1821. Madrasth

(Chingleput), Madras, India 1817. Not in list until 1836. (G. L. Warrant) 27 Dec. 1817 Prov. Warrant. No. 634ER. Went to Ceylon (date uncertain), and was extinct before the Warrant from G.L. of England arrived in1836. Erased 4 June 1862.”

Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, AShort Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, shows separately the issue of the Irish Warrant of 1752(No. 227) and the Local Warrant (No. 7 Madras) of 1817 and English Warrant (No. 634 ER) of 1832. He doesnot refer to the Local issue of No. 5 (Madras) in 1821.

An enquiry was directed to the Grand Lodge of Ireland in April 2000, requesting a copy of WarrantNo. 227 IC issued for the 46th Foot, if the original was still in the Archives. The Grand Lodge graciouslyprovided a copy of the renewal Warrant of August 2, 1834 which is transcribed at the end of this summaryhistory. The renewal Warrant itself appears very similar to those already described, measuring about 11½inches wide and 16 inches long. There is a one-half inch border on the four edges consisting of intertwinedshamrocks and, in the upper two corners, there are Irish harps. The words “The Grand Lodge of Ireland isin a arched form across the top of the Warrant with a picture underneath of an all-seeing eye shining downon a woman holding three children. There are three separate images across the bottom — on the left is apilgrim kneeling on his right knee, holding a cross and chalice or cup in his right hand facing towards thecentre of the bottom where there is the top of an altar upon which there is a pillow with a Volume of theSacred Law surmounted by a square and compasses. In the bottom right hand corner is a “ruin” with an“angelic figure” supporting an anchor.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by Philip Crossle, P.G.S.D., Dublin, 1973. Manuscript only, held in theGrand Lodge of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (Fall 2002) ofCrossle’s Irish Masonic Records, available in CD-ROM version only from R. W. Bro. Cochrane, Belfast. (3)History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. 1, by John Heron Lepper and PhilipCrossle, published by the Lodge of Research, No. CC IC, Dublin, 1923. (4) History of Freemasonry inCanada, Volumes 1 and 2, by John Ross Robertson, The Hunter, Rose Co. Ltd., Toronto, 1899. (5) WhenceCome We? Freemasonry in Ontario 1764 - 1980, published 1980, by Masonic Holdings, Hamilton. (6) TheIrish Civilian Lodges of Canada 1820-1888, by M. W. Bro. Reginald V. Harris (PGM NS), February 20, 1959,Canadian Masonic Research Association, Volume 2 Paper 48, as published by The Heritage Lodge, No. 730GRC, 1986. (7) Freemasonry at the Two Sieges of Louisbourg: 1745 and 1758, by M. W. Bro. Reginald V.Harris (PGM, Nova Scotia), W. Bro. A. J. B. Milborne (Grand Historian, Grand Lodge of Quebec) and W.Bro. Col. James R. Case (Grand Historian, Grand Lodge of Connecticut), Canadian Masonic ResearchAssociation, Vol. 2, paper 46, May 13, 1958, printed in 1986, p. 32. (8) The Provincial Grand Lodge ofQuebec 1759-1792 Parts I and II, by Bro. A. J. B. Milborne, in his articles as printed in the Transactions ofthe Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1956. (9) History of Freemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (10)Outlines of the History of Freemasonry in the Province of Quebec, by John H. Graham, 1892. (11) EarlyCanadian Freemasonry, by Pemberton Smith, P.M., O.R., 1939. (12) Masonic records 1717-1894, by JohnLane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (13) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson,as printed in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957, pp 119-141.(14) The Master-Mason-at-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, by Bro. FrederickSmyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge.



(15) History of the Lodge of Antiquity, by W. Bro. Harry M. Nevison, Lodge Historian, printed 1963, printerunknown. (16) British Regulars in Montreal: An Imperial Garrison 1832-1854, by Elinor Kyte Sr., McGill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal, 1981, ISBN 0-7735-0372-2. (17) Flags of Masonry in the line Regimentsof the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 46thFoot. (18) Notes, advice and copy of Antiquity No. 1 Summons dated March 5, 2004, courtesy of M. W. Bro.John Patience, PGM]


Lieutenant William Lacy was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1834.163


Worshipful Masters of Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC/634 ER in the 46th Foot(names marked “+” are taken from History of the Lodge of Antiquity pp 120-122

other names up to 1858 from documents residing in the archives of the Grand Lodge of Ireland)

1752 - 1805 names unknown

1805 W. Bro. Stephen Donnell (as named on Duplicate Warrant) 1806 unknown1807 unknown 1808 unknown1809 unknown 1810 unknown1811 unknown 1812 unknown1813 unknown 1814 unknown1815 W. Bro. J. McDonald+ 1816 W. Bro. Capt. Edward Sanderson1817 W. Bro. Capt. Edward Sanderson 1818 unknown1819 unknown 1820 unknown1821 unknown 1822 unknown1823 unknown 1824 unknown1825 unknown 1826 unknown1827 unknown 1828 unknown1829 unknown 1830 unknown1831 unknown 1832 unknown1833 unknown 1834 W. Bro. Lt. William Lacy163

1835 W. Bro. Lt. William Lacy 1836 unknown1837 unknown 1838 unknown1839 unknown 1840 unknown1841 unknown 1842 unknown1843 unknown 1844 unknown1845 unknown 1846 W. Bro. Captain William Childs1847 unknown 1848 W. Bro. William Shepherd1849 R. W. Bro. Thomas Douglas Harington 1850 W. Bro. William Robinson1851 W. Bro. William Shepherd+ 1852 W. Bro. William Shepherd+1853 W. Bro. William George Malcolm+ 1854 W. Bro. William George Malcolm+1855 W. Bro. W. M. Brown 1856 R. W. Bro. C. Edwin Morris+, DDGM

Worshipful Masters of Lodge of the Lodge of Antiquity, No. 1 GRC/0 GRC and 1 GRQ, Montreal(all names are taken from History of the Lodge of Antiquity pp 120-122)

1857 C. Edwin Morris 1858 R. A. Malcolm1859 C. Edwin Morris 1860 C. Edwin Morris1861 R. M. Scholes 1862 C. Edwin Morris1863 F. Dettmers 1864 F. Dettmers1865 Alexandre Brunet 1866 John Charles Franck1867 John Charles Franck 1868 M. Gutman1869 M. Gutman 1870 Bro. J. Urquhart1871 J. Urquhart 1872 Alexander Chisholm1873 Alexander Chisholm 1874 L. Cohen1875 Alexander Chisholm 1876 Alexander Chisholm


He was a Lieutenant-Colonel of the 3rd Battalion, Victoria Rifles.164

Early in his term of office, W. Bro. Callaghan was transferred to Toronto by his employer. He returned165

to Montreal to preside at every meeting of the Lodge during the year.


1877 H. J. Boswell 1878 C. M. Putney1879 Edmond Powis 1880 Andrew Schmidt1881 Alexander Chisholm 1882 Alexander Chisholm1883 Alexander Chisholm 1884 Alexander Chisholm1885 Alexander Chisholm 1886 C. S. Aspinal1887 C. S. Aspinal 1888 John Ion1889 W. N. King 1890 W. N. King1891 James Mitchell 1892 A. F. LeMessurier1893 A. F. LeMessurier 1894 Bro. F. Upton1895 F. Upton 1896 John Beamish Saul1897 John Beamish Saul 1898 J. S. Thompson1899 W. G. Fellows 1900 Henry Hurst1901 Henry Hurst 1902 C. A. Corrigan1903 W. R. Chennell 1904 R. C. Binning1905 G. A. Southee 1906 Lt.-Col. Frank T. Brown164

1907 Alexander B. J. Moore 1908 William R. Eakin1909 Harry Wilson Jr. 1910 Hugh W. Glassford1911 Col. James Cooper 1912 William Eaves1913 William J. Lendrum 1914 Henry Hurst1915 William E. Sharpe 1916 Fred C. Lydon1917 J. E. Coulin 1918 E. Curtin1919 William C. McAllister 1920 Frank T. Girdwood1921 T. Edgar Dey 1922 James R. Innes1923 James Callaghan 1924 H. Bemister165

1925 William Fraser 1926 Victor Loftus1927 John Donaghy 1928 Bro. Alexander J. Bowles1929 Frank Gates 1930 Bro. Harry J. Marshall1931 Harry Hamer 1932 Fred E. Cunningham1933 F. A. Hamlet 1934 A. C. Dickson1935 G. W. G. Turner 1936 Gordon Donald Robertson1937 T. H. Broadhurst 1938 William J. Stephenson1939 E. L. Curtin 1940 Leslie S. Moore1941 Sydney B. Fraser 1942 Beresford Wilde1943 Richard V. Clark 1944 George H. Hoyle1945 Alexander R. Campbell 1946 J. D. Price1947 George H. W. LeBrun 1948 John H. Maude1949 Ken M. Cunningham 1950 W. Bro. Ronald W. Newey1951 Edmund A. Nix 1952 W. Bro. James Forbes1953 Arthur H. Purves 1954 Gordon A. Lynn1955 James M. Hoult 1956 Harry M. Nevison1957 Norman C. Procter 1958 Lorne W. Prior1959 Andrew F. H. Cowan 1960 Harold C. Wilson1961 Frederick Kingdon 1962 John A. McLay1963 Ronald W. Price 1964 Lorne E. Souva1965 William S. Chadwick 1966 Bruce W. Roberts



1967 L. L. Ware 1968 William T. Giles1969 Howard Eakin 1970 Robert F. Williams1971 John Nevin Patience 1972 Lorne N. Morrison1973 Thomas A. Kelly 1974 Alfred A. Quinn1975 David Fergie 1976 Leslie McMullan1977 William N. Sim 1978 John S. Douglas1979 Edward J. Kalil 1980 John Nevin Patience1981 John Nevin Patience 1982 John Nevin Patience1983 William A. R. McKee 1984 William A. R. McKee1985 Norman H. Normand 1986 Norman H. Normand1987 Norman H. Normand 1988 Norman H. Normand1989 Norman H. Normand 1990 André Francoeur1991 A. H. Badilotti 1992 Norman H. Normand1993 Norman H. Normand 1994 Alistair McRae1995 Alistair McRae 1996 John Rizopoulos1997 Claude Larocque 1998 Marc C. David1999 Marc C. David 2000 Stan Garratt2001 Stan Garratt 2002 John Nevin Patience2003 John Nevin Patience 2004



John Valentine Ellis

Grand Master (1872-74 and 1884-86) of the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick

Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of New Brunswick

Grand Master of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters (Cryptic Rite) of the Maritime Provinces

Supreme Grand Master (1899-1900 and 1900-01) of the Sovereign Great Priory of Canada

Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council 33° of the A. & A. S. R.for the Dominion of Canada

(1835-1913)

John Valentine Ellis was born in Halifax of Irish parentage on February 14, 1835, son of Michael Ellisand Margaret Walsh. After an education in the public schools he moved to Montreal for a short time. Hemoved to Saint John, NB in 1857 and entered the newspaper business. He was working for the Saint JohnGlobe by 1862 and remained with it for the next 52 years as printer, reporter, editor and proprietor.

He was prominent in every progressive movement in the community, identifying himself with severalcharitable and benevolent organizations. He was Postmaster of Saint John; School Trustee; a Director ofthe New Brunswick Horticultural Society; Director of the Saint John relief and Aid Society; President of theKeystone Fire Insurance Company; President of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals andPresident of the Natural History Society of New Brunswick.

He served in the Provincial Legislature from 1882 to 1890, then represented the City of Saint Johnin the Dominion Parliament from 1890 to 1900, when he was called to the Senate. He was described as aconscientious public man and ever fearless in expressing his opinions and views.

He figured in a contempt of court case in connection with, and as a result of, the Queen’s (NB)election case (HC) 1887, for which he underwent imprisonment and was sentenced to pay a fine, which waspaid by public subscription. In spite of this he remained in good standing with his peers and in his communityand received an LLD (Hon) from the University of New Brunswick in 1897 and was “presented” to KingEdward VII in 1907.

He married Mary Caroline Babbitt (daughter of Samuel Babbitt, a practical printer of Fredericton,NB) in 1864. Mrs. Ellis was active in social programs in her own right and President of the local Council ofWomen and Council of the Victorian Order of Nurses.

John Valentine Ellis died on July 10, 1913, in his 78th year.

Masonic Career

In Symbolic Masonry, the Hon. John Valentine Ellis was initiated in the Lodge of Social and MilitaryVirtues, No. 227 IC (now Lodge of Antiquity, No. 1 GRQ), Montreal on April 3, 1856. He was passed on May1 and raised on June 5, 1856. He demitted on August 4, 1859, after moving to Saint John, where he affiliated



with Carleton Union Lodge in Carleton (now the west side of St. John). He took an active part in the erectionof the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick in 1867. In 1868 he was appointed Grand Director of Ceremonies aswell as to the Board of General Purposes. At the Annual Communication of September 1870 he was electedas Deputy Grand Master, and re-elected in 1871. In 1872 was elected as Grand Master of the Grand Lodgeof New Brunswick, an office he would hold for a total of six years, from 1872 to 1874 and from 1884 to 1886.

York Rite

In Capitular Masonry his Chapter is unknown but he was elected as Grand High Priest of the GrandChapter of Royal Arch Masons of New Brunswick. In Cryptic Rite Masonry he was Most Illustrious GrandMaster of the Cryptic Rite of the Maritime Provinces. In Knights Templary He was a member of theEncampment of St. John, No. 3A, in Saint John. He was Provincial Grand Prior for New Brunswick Districtand he was elected Supreme Grand Master of the Sovereign Great Priory of Canada for the years 1899-1900and 1900-1901.

Scottish Rite

He was Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council 33° of the A. & A. S. R. for theDominion of Canada.

He was Provincial Grand Master of the Royal Order of Scotland for the Maritime Provinces.

[Sources: (1) Canadian Men and Women of Their Time, by H. J. Morgan, 1912 Edition. (2) AnnualProceedings of the Sovereign Great Priory of Canada. (3) Symbolic Masonry information courtesy of W. Bro.Stuart J. MacDonald, Secretary, Albion Lodge, No. 1 NBR, Saint John.]



Thomas Douglas Harington

Grand Master (1860-1-2-3-4) of the Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Canada

Grand First Principal (1859-60, 1860-61, 1863-4, 1864-65, 1866-67, 1867-68, 1868-69, 1869-70, 1870-71) of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Canada

Grand Master (1871-72) of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters (Cryptic Rite) for Ontario

Sovereign Grand Commander (1874-1882) of the Supreme Council of the Ancient and AcceptedScottish Rite for the Dominion of Canada

(1808-1882)

Thomas Douglas Harington was born at Windsor, England, on June 7th, 1808.His early life was spent in the service of the Royal Navy, and the Honorable East India Company’s

navy. In July 1832, he came to Canada, landing at Quebec, and, after a short residence there in expectationof getting a ship, was persuaded to move inland and see the “great west country”. On November 1, 1832,he accepted the office of Extra Clerk to the Provincial Secretary of Lower Canada and he rose to the rankof Chief Clerk. In May, 1858, he was promoted to Deputy Receiver-General for the united provinces of Upperand Lower Canada and, in 1868, was reappointed to the same office under the Dominion of Canada, anoffice he held until his retirement in 1878.

Through the period of rebellion in Upper Canada (1837-38) he served with “The Queen’s Rangers”and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel (unattached) of Militia.

After a short illness Thomas Douglas Harington died at his home in Prescott, Ontario, on January13, 1882. His remains were laid to rest in the “Blue Church Burying Ground” in Augusta, near the town ofPrescott. His grave remained unmarked until 1942. In 1904, a suggestion was made by the late John RossRobertson, (in which the Grand Lodge of Canada concurred) that a monument should be placed to mark thelast resting place of this distinguished Mason but was not actioned. The proposal was again considered atthe Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge held at Toronto in July 1939, and the authority was againrenewed and that the fraternity of Belleville, Ontario, and District have erected a suitable memorial, whichwas unveiled and dedicated on Sunday, June 14, 1942.

Masonic Career

In Symbolic Masonry Mr. Thomas Douglas Harington was initiated into Freemasonry on December13, 1843, in Duke of Leinster Lodge, No. 283 IC, Kingston. He affiliated with St. John’s Lodge, No. 758 ER,Kingston, on March 28, 1844. In July 1844 he was in Montreal and affiliated with St. George’s Lodge, No.642 ER and No. 10 PRMWH, becoming Worshipful Master in 1845 and continuing in this office for fouryears. He also affiliated with the Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227 IC, Montreal, in May 1848,and was elected Worshipful Master for 1849. He withdrew from the Lodge in the same year on taking up anassignment in Quebec and where he affiliated with St. John’s Lodge, No. 214 ER, on December 10, 1851.



The same evening he was elected Worshipful Master and was re-elected for a period of four years. OnDecember 27, 1854, he was elected to Honorary membership. His was appointed as Deputy ProvincialGrand Master of the District Grand Lodge of Montreal and William Henry in 1849, followed by appointmentsas Provincial Grand Master of the District Grand Lodge of Quebec and Three Rivers in 1852; ProvincialGrand Master in the Provincial Grand Lodge of Lower Canada in 1853; Provincial Grand Master of CanadaEast by the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1853; and he was then accorded the rank of Past Grand Master ofthe Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada West in 1856. His duties in the Civil Service necessitated a change ofresidence to Toronto, where he affiliated with St. Andrew’s Lodge, No. 16 PRCW (now No. 16 GRC) on June10, 1856. In 1857 he resigned as Provincial Grand Master of the District Grand Lodge of Quebec and ThreeRivers, and as Provincial Grand Master of Canada East (Scotland) in 1858. In June 1859, he became acharter member of Harington Lodge, No. 49, Quebec. In 1859 he was also elected Deputy Grand Master ofthe Grand Lodge of Canada, wherein he was elevated to the rank of Grand Master in 1860, which office heheld for five years. When the Grand Lodge of Canada had been established in 1855, Bro. Harington wasinitially opposed to its formation but he assisted materially in bringing about a peaceful solution of the thenexisting difficulties, by the union, in Toronto, of The Ancient Grand Lodge (formerly The Provincial GrandLodge of Canada West) with the Grand Lodge of Canada in 1858. Subsequently he became Grand Masterof the Grand Lodge of Canada for the years 1860-1-2-3-4.

York Rite

In Capitular Masonry he became a charter member of St. John’s Chapter, No. 214 SGCE (attachedto St. John’s Lodge, No. 214 ER), in Quebec. In 1852, he was appointed Provincial Grand Superintendentof Royal Arch Masons for the City and District of Quebec and Dependencies. With his move to Toronto heresigned as Provincial Grand Superintendent of Quebec. On September 21, 1880, the Grand Chapter ofQuebec was pleased to elect him an Honorary Member, following the precedent of the Grand Lodge ofQuebec, which he had helped to set up in 1876. In Ontario he took an active part in the formation of theGrand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Canada, and was elected Grand First Principal in 1859, which officehe held to the close of 1871, except for the years 1861 and 1862.

In Cryptic Rite Masonry, Bro. Harington received the degrees soon after the Rite’s introduction toCanada, at St. John, NB, under a charter from the Grand Council of Maine, USA, dated May 18th, 1867.Three Councils of the Rite had been established in St. John as a nucleus for the formation of a GrandCouncil in that Province and on August 15, 1867, representatives of these Councils met in Convention andthe Grand Council was regularly formed. Considerable progress was made, many companions wereadmitted, and other Councils organized in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario. Some time between the AnnualConventions, in St. John, of 1869 and 1870, Illustrious Companion Harington was appointed Inspector-General of the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec. When the Grand Council for Ontario was formed on August8th, 1871, Ill. Comp. Harington presided over the deliberations of the Convention as Inspector-General forOntario and Quebec. In consideration of services rendered to Cryptic Masonry in assisting to organize theGrand Council, the honorary rank of past Thrice Illustrious Master was conferred upon him by the newlyformed Grand Council on August 8th, 1871. As a sequel to this event, he surrendered to the Convention theauthority which he held as Inspector-General, accepting in place of it the office of Most Puissant GrandMaster of the Cryptic Rite for Ontario, August 8th, 1871 which office he held for one year.

In Knights Templary, Companion Harington received his Orders in Hugh de Payens Encampment(now Hugh de Payens Premier Preceptory, No. 1), Kingston, on April 10, 1854. Sir Kt. Harington wasimmediately appointed as Almoner. He became Eminent Commander of an Encampment established inQuebec City, on July 28th, 1855, under the name of “William de la More, the Martyr”. (This Encampmenthad but a fitful existence from its inception and, after a period of about twenty years, its warrant wassurrendered and returned to England.) Shortly after becoming Eminent Commander of the QuebecEncampment, Em. Kt. Harington was transferred to Toronto where he affiliated with Geoffrey de St. AldemarEncampment and was elected Eminent Commander in 1858. In 1855 he was appointed Very EminentProvincial Grand Captain in command of the Column of Quebec. In 1856, he was promoted to Right Eminent



Provincial Grand Prior of the Provincial Grand Conclave of Canada and, in 1859, elected as DeputyProvincial Grand Commander. He retained this office until 1871, except for the years 1861 and 1862, when,through ill-health, he was forced to relinquish the office.

In Constantinian Masonry Bro. Harington was appointed as Inspector-General for the Provinces of Ontarioand Quebec.

Scottish Rite

At a meeting of the Grand Lodge of Canada, then in session at London, Ontario, on July 10, 1868,W. J. B. Macleod Moore brought together a group of interested Masons and formally instituted Chapters ofRose Croix to be located in the Cities of Hamilton and London, as well as a Consistory of the 32nd degreein Hamilton. Among those who received these degrees was Thomas Douglas Harington who, at the inauguralmeeting of the Consistory was elected their first Commander in Chief. On July 14, 1868 Bro. Harington wascreated an Inspector-General, 33°, along with John W. Murton, 32° and Thompson Wilson, 18° of London.On December 10, 1868, he was appointed as the Representative of the Rite in Canada. The SupremeCouncil for the Dominion of Canada was formed in Ottawa on October 16, 1874, with Ill. Bro. Harington asthe Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander of the Council “Ad Vitam”.

He was the first to receive the degrees of the Royal Order of Scotland, when it was introduced intoOntario in 1874.

[Sources: (1) Thomas Douglas Harington, 33°, Citizen and Freemason, by R. W. Bro. Lewis F. Riggs,November 21, 1950, presentation to the Canadian Masonic Research Association, as printed in theProceedings, Volume 1 Paper 3, Published by Heritage Lodge, No. 730 GRC, 1986; (2) Outlines of theHistory of Freemasonry in the Province of Quebec, by John H. Graham, M.A., LL.D., (PGM and PGZ,Quebec), John Lovell & Son, Montreal, 1892. (3) A History of the Grand Lodge A. F. & A. M. of Canada inthe Province of Ontario 1855 - 1955, by Walter S. Herrington and Roy S. Foley, Published by the authorityof Grand Lodge, McCallum Press Ltd., Toronto, 1955 (page 69).]



John Charles Franck

Grand First Principal (1861-62 and 1862-63)of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Canada

(1819-????)

John Charles Franck was born in Germany in 1819. There is no information known about when hecame to Canada. In 1852 he moved from Kingston to Belleville, Ontario with his wife and family. He had avariety of careers during his years in Belleville, including: President of the Belleville Gas Company whilestudying law; Notary Public in the office of Ross and Bell, Solicitors form the Grand Trunk Railway; and co-partner in the firm of Franck, Starling and Co., Wholesale Merchants. In 1864 he was in financial troublesand moved to Montreal as agent for two insurance companies, then later as an importer of groceries andwines.

Masonic Career

In Symbolic Masonry John Charles Franck was a member of Moira Lodge, No. 11 GRC, Bellevilleand served as WM in 1855 and 1864. He served as DDGM of Prince Edward District for 1859-60. When hemoved to Montreal in 1864-65, he affiliated with The Lodge of Antiquity. He served as WM of the Lodge for1866 and 1867 and demitted sometime afterwards. He was granted a demit from Moira Lodge for non-payment of dues in 1869, while living in Boston.

York Rite

In Capitular Masonry he was the charter First Principal of The Moira Chapter, No. 7, Belleville at itsInstitution in 1856 under a Warrant from the Grand Chapter of England (No. 496 ER and No. 6 (local)). Heserved as Grand First Principal for the 1861-62 and 1862-63 terms.

In Knights Templary he was the first Presiding Preceptor of King Baldwin Preceptory, No. 6,Belleville and served for 1867, 1868, 1869, 1870 and 1873. .

[Source: (1) History of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Canada 1857-1932, published underauthority of the Grand Chapter, 75th Anniversary issue, 1932. (2) History of the Lodge of Antiquity, by W.Bro. Harry M. Nevison, Lodge Historian, printed 1963, printer unknown. (3) Moira Lodge, A.F. & A.M. No.11 GRC, Bicentennial 1801-2001, by V. W. Bro. Paul Foster, published by Templar Books, Belleville,Ontario, © 2000, ISBN 0-9683567-9-6.]



John Nevin Patience

Grand Master (1985-86 and 1986-87) of the Grand Lodge of Quebec A.F. & A.M.

Grand First Principal (1982-83) of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Quebec

John Patience was born in Belfast in 1918 and was educated at The Royal Belfast AcademicalInstitution and the Belfast College of technology, graduating in Electrical Engineering in 1949. His workinglife was spent in naval ship design both in the United Kingdom and Canada, having emigrated in 1953 to takeup a position with Vickers of Montreal. He is a Chartered Engineer (UK), a Fellow of the British Institute ofMarine Engineers and a Member of the US Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.

Masonic Career

In Symbolic Masonry, Mr. John Patience was initiated into B. W. D. Montgomery Lodge, No. 434 IC,in Belfast, Ireland on December 21, 1940. He affiliated with the Lodge of Antiquity, No. 1 GRC, Montreal,in 1961 and served as WM for 1971. He was elected as DDGM of District 1 (1974-75) and served as DeputyGrand Master for 1984, on the death of the incumbent Deputy Grand Master. He was elected as GrandMaster of the Grand Lodge of Quebec for the 1985-86 and 1986-87 terms.

York Rite

In Capitular Masonry he is a member of Carnarvon Chapter, No. 5 GRQ, and served as FirstPrincipal in 1972. In the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Quebec, he served as Grand ScribeNehemiah (1977-78) and was also Grand Representative of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Ireland. Hewas elected as Grand First Principal of Quebec for 1982-83.

Scottish Rite

He joined the Valley of Montreal in 1967 and served as Thrice Puissant Master of Hochelaga Lodgeof Perfection in 1975. In 1980 he was made an Honorary Inspector-General of the Rite, receiving his 33° inWinnipeg.

[Sources: (1) The Freemason, Volume 102, No. 1, June 1982.]



Duplicate Warrant No. 227 IC issued to hold a Lodge in the 46th Foot

SEAL


LEINSTER G.M.

No. 277

By the Most Worshipful His Grace Augustus Frederick Duke of Leinster GRAND MASTER

The Right Worshipful William White Esq . DEPUTY GRAND MASTERre

The Right Worshipful The Most Noble Howe Marquis of Sligo SENIOR GRAND WARDEN

The Right Worshipful Sir Coghill Coghill Bar . JUNIOR GRAND WARDENt


Whereas our trusty and Well beloved Brethren Lieut . William Lacy, Lieut . Johnt t

Godwin & Lieut . Robert Joseph Edmonds have Besought us that we would be pleased to Erect a Lodge of Free Masonst

in His Majesty’s 46 Regiment of Foot to be called “The Lodge of Social and Military Virtues” of such persons who byth

their knowledge in Masonry may contribute to the true advancement thereof. We therefore having nothing more at heartthan the Prosperity of Masonry and reposing special confidence in our said trusty and well beloved Brethren Do by thesePresents constitute and appoint them the said William Lacy, John Godwin and Robert Joseph Edmonds to be Masterand Wardens of a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons to be holden in His Majesty’s 46th Regiment of Foot aforesaidby them and their Successors lawfully Admitted in said Lodge forever. And We do hereby grant unto them and theirSuccessors full Power and Authority to proceed from time to time to the Election of a new Master and Wardens in saidLodge Provided always that they said William Lacy, John Godwin and Robert Joseph Edmonds and their SuccessorsDo and Shall at all times hereafter pay implicit observance to and act and conduct the affairs of same in strictconformity to the now existing Laws of Masonry and to such other Laws and Regulations for the Government of theCraft as shall at any time hereafter be issued by the Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ireland or in default thereof thenand in such case reserving unto the said Right Worshipful Grand Lodge the full power and Authority of annulling andcancelling these Presents or otherwise proceeding in the premises as to them shall seem meet -

In Witness whereof We have hereunto set our Hands and Seal of Office at Dublin the Metropolis of Ireland thisSecond day of August in the Year of our Lord God 1834 Entered by me

and of Masonry 5834 C Fowler

On the reverse side of Warrant No. 227 IC are two notations as follows:

Memorandum August 16, 1834 ----

Weedon Barracks Northamptonshire

At the request of the within named three Brethren and the consent of the other members of the Military LodgeNo. 227 I have this evening installed Brother William Lacy as Worshipful Master of the said Lodge.

Robert Crawford (sp?) WM No. 49 (English)

& PM of the Burlington & Bank of England Lodge.

Attested by us

William Lacy WM )

John Godwin SW )

RJEdmonds JW )

The Lodge of Social and Military Virtues No. 227 on the Registry of Ireland held in the 46 Regiment of Foot wasth

established on the fourth of March one thousand seven hundred and fifty two AL 5752

William Lacy W. Master




The History is available on website <www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html>167


REF: I73 Dominica Lodge No. 174 IC, in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry 1896-1921[now part of The Light Infantry Regiment]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland originally issued Warrant No. 174, on December 2, 1747, to hold BoyneLodge in Limerick, Co. Limerick. It is not clear when this Lodge ceased working but Grand Lodge recordsindicate that the Warrant was removed to the 2nd Battalion, 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot onAugust 29, 1791. Grand Lodge records indicate that the Lodge fought with the Regiment in Corsica in1793 . The Warrant was cancelled on July 5, 1821. Both the original issue for Limerick and the 69th Foot166

are included in the listing for number “174”in V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973.An enquiry was directed to the Grand Lodge of Ireland in April 2000, originally requesting a copy of

Warrant No. 174 as issued to the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in 1896, but also enquiring about thestatus of the Warrant issued to the 69th Foot. Grand Lodge replied that there was no trace of the Warrantissued to the 69th Foot, but did provide a copy of Warrant No. 174 issued in 1896 to hold a Lodge in theDuke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.

R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. PhilipCrossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that a new Warrant No. 174 was issued on October 4, 1821to a Lodge at Stewartstown, Co. Tyrone, in exchange for their earlier Warrant No. 396. The Warrant wasreturned to Grand Lodge on January 24, 1856.

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued a new Warrant No. 174 on March 6, 1896 to hold DominicaLodge in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. While the military records show clearly that the 32nd Footand 46th Foot were amalgamated and designated as the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in 1881, theWarrant was technically incorrectly written for a Lodge in the “Second Battalion of the Thirty SecondRegiment of Infantry”. Charles John Eary, Thomas James and Edwin James Rowe are named in the Warrantas Master and Wardens of the Lodge. The Lodge was Constituted on April 1, 1896, at the Masonic Hall,Downshire Road, Newry, Co. Down, by V. W. Bro. Thos. A. McCammond, P.D.G.M.-elect, the Regiment thenbeing in garrison at Newry. The founders and officers of Dominica Lodge were: Quartermaster LieutenantC. J. Eary (of Lodge 77 IC), Master; Sergeant T. James (of Lodge 2440 ER), SW; Sergeant E. J. Rowe (ofLodge 1006 ER), JW; Colour Sergeant J. McCreedy, SD; Sergeant J. Blight, JD; Sergeant T. Flavell,Treasurer; Colour Sergeant F. W. Deacon, Secretary; Sergeant E. T. Williams, IG; Musician J. Turvey,Organist; and Bros. Bandmaster J. Campbell; Band Sergeant T. Smith; Sergeant W. Mayo; Sergeant-MajorR. Cairley; Quarter-Master Sergeant G. Humphrey; Colour Sergeant H. Smith; and Sergeant A. Sheers.

It is not clear what the early history of Dominica Lodge was, but it appears to have gone intodarkness for several years. The History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 IC, Gibraltar notes that in May 1907,167

when the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry Regiment was in the garrison at Gibraltar the WM and officersof Calpe Lodge assisted in the revival of Dominica Lodge, No. 174 IC. Brethren of Calpe Lodge assumedtemporary offices in Dominica Lodge and it was revived successfully. In November 1909 Dominica Lodgesent a Box of Gavels to Calpe Lodge (from Prospect, Bermuda, where the Regiment had been assigned)in thanks for the assistance in reviving the Lodge. The History also notes that “The Regiment with its Lodgemoved away from Gibraltar in September of the year and continued successfully until difficulties which arosein the post 1914 - 1918 War reorganization caused it to surrender the Warrant in 1921.” The Warrant wassurrendered to Grand Lodge in December 1921. Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990



entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, as reprinted in theTransactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, includes this Warrant in his list on page 41.

Crossle includes this issue for Dominica Lodge in the 46th Foot in his Records. He also includes alisting for a Warrant, a new No. 174, issued on March 1, 1945, to hold a Lodge at Newry, Co. Down. No datefor being struck off the rolls is shown. Cochrane shows this listing, issued March 1, 1945, for The ServicesLodge, Newry, Co. Down, and that it is still current in 2001.

As already noted above, in response to an enquiry about the status of the Warrant, the Grand Lodgeof Ireland has graciously provided a copy of the original which rests in Grand Lodge archives. The Warrantitself appears very similar to those already described, measuring about 11½ inches wide and 16 inches long.There is a one-half inch border on the four edges consisting of intertwined clovers and, in the upper twocorners, there are Irish harps. The words “The Grand Lodge of Ireland is in a arched form across the top ofthe Warrant with a picture underneath of an all-seeing eye shining down on a woman holding three children.It this copy (unlike so many of the older Warrants) the Seal of the Grand Lodge of Ireland can be clearlyseen. There are three separate images across the bottom - on the left is a pilgrim kneeling on his right knee,holding a cross and chalice or cup in his right hand facing towards the centre of the bottom where there isthe top of an altar upon which there is a pillow with a Volume of the Sacred Law surmounted by a square andcompasses. In the bottom right hand corner is a “ruin” with an “angelic figure” supporting an anchor.

There are no notations on the reverse of the Warrant.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published 1973 by the Grand Lodge ofIreland in manuscript form. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001)of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, byV.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printed in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For theYears 1949-1957. (4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, byBro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of the QuatuorCoronati Lodge. (5) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol I, by JohnHeron Lepper and Philip Crossle, published by the Lodge of Research, No. CC, IC, Dublin, 1925. (6) Historyof Freemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7) The First Two Hundred Years of the Craft in Gibraltar,held on the Calpe Lodge website: http://www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html. (8) Flags of Masonryin the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, noteson Lodges in the 46th Foot.]



Warrant No. 174 IC issued to hold a Lodge in the (incorrectly designated) 2nd Battalion, 32nd Foot

ABERCORN G. M.


SEAL No.

174

By the Most Worshipful James Duke of Abercorn GRAND MASTER

The Right Worshipful Robert William Shekleton DEPUTY GRAND MASTER

The Right Worshipful Marquess of Hertford SENIOR GRAND WARDEN

The Right Worshipful Viscount Templetown JUNIOR GRAND WARDEN


Whereas our trusty and Well beloved Brethren Charles John Eary, Thomas Jamesand Edwin James Rowe have Besought us that we would be pleased to Erect a Lodge of Free Masons in the SecondBattalion of the Thirty Second Regiment of Infantry of such persons who by their knowledge in Masonry may contributeto the true advancement thereof. We therefore having nothing more at heart than the Prosperity of Masonry andreposing special confidence in our said trusty and well beloved Brethren Do by these Presents constitute and appointthem the said Charles John Eary, Thomas James and Edwin James Rowe to be Master and Wardens of a Lodge ofFree and Accepted Masons to be holden in the Second Battalion of 32nd Regiment aforesaid by them and theirSuccessors lawfully Admitted in said Lodge forever. And We do hereby grant unto them and their Successors full Powerand Authority to proceed from time to time to the Election of a new Master and Wardens in said Lodge Provided alwaysthat the said Charles J. Eary, Thomas James and Edwin J. Rowe and their Successors Do and Shall at all timeshereafter pay implicit observance to and act and conduct the affairs of same in strict conformity to the now existingLaws of Masonry and to such other Laws and Regulations for the Government of the Craft as shall at any time hereafterbe issued by the Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ireland or in default thereof then and in such case reserving untothe said Right Worshipful Grand Lodge the full power and Authority of annulling and cancelling these Presents orotherwise proceeding in the premises as to them shall seem meet -

In Witness whereof We have hereunto set our Hands and Seal of Office at Dublin the Metropolis of Ireland thisSixth day of March in the Year of our Lord God 1896 Entered by me

and of Masonry 5896 --------- George



The suffixes “A” and “B” were adopted by John Lane as a means of keeping separate the notes on168

what appear to be two separate issues of a Warrant with the same number.

The entry in Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 on page 106 reads: “Fiftieth regiment of Foot. 1763.169

(G. L. Warrant) 21 April 1763. No. 112A ER(A). Was at Gibraltar (Malaga), Spain, in 1800, according to theCalendar of that year. Lapsed about 1786, but appears in Ahiman Rezon of 1804 and 1807.” While Lane hasoccasional errors in his work, the proliferation of erroneous information in the Ahiman Rezons make theminteresting and usable only with additional corroborating evidence.




REF: I81 Lodge No. 113 IC, in the 50th Regiment of Foot 1763-1815REF: E68 Lodge No. 112A ER(A), in the 50th Regiment of Foot 1763-1786

[now part of The Queen’s Regiment]

It is interesting that a goodly portion of the history of this Antients Lodge is maintained in note formby R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. PhilipCrossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, under the notes on Warrant No. 128 IC, held in the 39th Foot.

On April 21, 1763, the Antients Grand Lodge issued Warrant No. 112A ER(A) to the officers and168

men of the 50th Regiment of Foot. By the time that Warrant No. 112 ER(A) had been issued, the 50th Foothad arrived in Ireland, and having applied to the Grand Lodge of Ireland, Warrant No. 113 IC was (re)issuedon April 21, 1763, to the officers and men of the 50th Regiment of Foot. Although the correspondence is notavailable, it is likely that the Lodge had requested an Irish number equal to its Antients number. Regrettablyfor this Lodge, Lodge No. 112 IC was flourishing at Lisburn, Co. Antrim. Warrant No. 113 IC had originallybeen issued for a civilian lodge in Scariff, Co. Clare which had ceased working some time before 1763 andthe number was “available”. [Both Crossle and Cochrane indicate that the original issue of Warrant No. 113IC was probably in either October 1739 or March 1740, to hold a Lodge in Scarriff, Co. Clare. This basedon the dating of other Warrants numbered lower and higher and reflects the loss of the Grand Lodge Registerpredating 1760 as well as the report of Bro. John Calder, SW of Lodge No. 181 IC, and would later becomeDeputy Grand Secretary, during a visit he was making around Munster in 1748/9. Calder’s report dated July19, 1749 noted “No. 113: - Scariff. No Lodge subsisting.”]

Cochrane notes that twenty-five brethren were registered in Volume 1 of the Grand Lodge Registersincluding John McKay, Master; and Henry Camton and John Davis, Wardens; and Bros. Robt. Dunn; JohnAshburner; Wm. Hughes; John Jamison; Wm. Jacob; Thomas Hanley and Wm. Clark. A last registration ofLodge members was made on October 7, 1770.

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued a duplicate Warrant on April 1, 1762 (Cochrane lists April 1,1763), although the reasons for this action are not known.

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard notes that Lodge No. 112 ER(A) formed Lodge No. 216 ER(A) in the 1stRegiment of the East Devon Militia in 1781. It is next reported as working in Gibraltar between August 1784and 1794 although some records (including those of John Lane) indicate it had Lapsed about 1786 . Irish169

Grand Lodge records indicate that Lodge No. 113 IC fought with the Regiment in Corsica in 1793 . As170

Lodge No. 112A E(A) it was reported as working in Portugal during 1798 where it was working with LodgesNo. 94 ER(A) (held in the 51st Foot) and No. 176 IC (held in the 12th Light Dragoons) and that it had formeda new Lodge in Lisbon. Lodge No. 112a ER(A) then appears in the Ahiman Rezon of 1804 and also 1807 -although caution is required as this publication had many errors in it, not the least of which was reported as“active” many Lodges which had ceased working.


Again, on page 106 of Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894, is the second entry for the 50th Foot: “2nd171

Battalion Fiftieth Regiment of Foot, Ashford, Kent 1808. (G. L. Warrant) 24 June 1808. No. 112B ER(A). In theFiftieth Regiment 1913. No. 137 ER 1814. Erased in 1830.”

Depending on the source document the name of the town is spelled as “Scariff”, “Scarriff” and “Scareff”172

and these have been used here with no attempt to prefer any one spelling over the others.


So much for a Lodge whose Warrant was reportedly cancelled in 1786 by the Antients Grand Lodge.On June 24, 1808 the Antients (perhaps regretting the earlier cancellation of No. 112a in 1786, if, in fact, ithappened) issued Warrant No. 112b to hold a lodge in the 2nd Battalion, 50th Foot. Sheppard reports thatthe Lodge worked in Kent during 1808, basing this on the second entry in Lane . Following the unification171

of the Antients and Moderns, the Lodge was renumbered as No. 137 ER. No further information is availableabout the Lodge and the Warrant was erased by United Grand Lodge in 1832. Because it is not clear thatLodges No. 112a and 112b were the same a separate entry is included for No. 112b.

Warrant No. 113 IC was cancelled on July 6, 1815 as Grand Lodge had not heard from the Lodgefor many years.

V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, lists both the first use of number “113” forthe Lodge at Scareff and also for the 50th Foot, although he does not make a reference to the issue of a172

duplicate Warrant (and the date cited, of “1762” must surely be later as the actual Warrant is only dated1763). Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A ShortStudy of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, includes both these Warrants (112 ER(A) and 113 IC) in his listbut does not indicate that they were for the same Lodge.

Crossle also notes that the number “113” was used for two further Warrants:

C in December 1817, to Lodge No. 180 at Killeleagh, Co. Down, in exchange for its higher numberedWarrant, 180 (issued December 7, 1743) although no date of being struck from the rolls is listed.Cochrane lists the issue as November 6, 1817 and shows the Lodge as “Current” in 2001; and

C and in 1829 it was used for a Warrant to hold a Lodge at Downpatrick, Co. Down, no date of beingstruck from the rolls is listed (Crossle) although Cochrane does not show such a listing.

An enquiry was directed to the Grand Lodge of Ireland in March 2000 regarding the location ofWarrant No. 113 issued to the 50th Foot, and requesting a photocopy of it. Grand Lodge responded in a letterdated April 14, 2000, indicating that there was no copy or original in the Archives, meaning that it hadprobably never been returned to Grand Lodge.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published 1973 by the Grand Lodge ofIreland in manuscript form. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001)of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Studyof Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, by Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, asreprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge.(4) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane,2nd Edition, London, 1895. (5) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol I,by John Heron Lepper and Philip Crossle, published by the Lodge of Research, No. CC, IC, Dublin, 1925.(6) History of Freemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7) Flags of Masonry in the line Regimentsof the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 50thFoot.]





REF: I83 Lodge No. 94 IC, in the 51st (Napier’s Yorkshire) Regiment of Foot 1763-1815REF: E70 Orange Lodge No. 94 ER(A), in the 51st (Napier’s Yorkshire) Regiment of Foot 1761-1805

[now part of The Light Infantry Regiment]

The Antients Grand Lodge issued Warrant No. 94 on October 21, 1761 to the men of the 51st(Napier’s Yorkshire) Regiment of Foot. Robert Freke Gould’s History of Freemasonry shows the name of theLodge as “Orange”, although W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his 1984 listing of Military Warrants says that thisname was not assumed until 1802 when it appears on a Certificate issued in Colombo. R. W. Bro. KeithCochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish MasonicRecords, 1973, notes that Irish records show the name “Orange” as being in vogue from the time the Lodgewas Warranted by the Antients.

The Lodge, working in Ireland by 1763 while the Regiment was stationed there, applied to the GrandLodge of Ireland who issued Warrant No. 94 on December 1, 1763: the Grand Lodge entry reading “Granted21st October 1761, in London, and Enter’d in our Books the 1st Decr. 1763.” V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, inhis Irish Masonic Records, 1973, and R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, note that the number “94” had beenoriginally issued on either October 5 or December 1, in 1738 to hold a lodge at Newcastle, Co. Limerick.On July 19, 1749, Deputy Grand Secretary, Edward Spratt, reported to the Grand Lodge of Ireland that therewas “No Lodge (No. 94) subsisting at Newcastle” as of that date and the Warrant was subsequently struckoff the rolls.

Volume 1 of the Register of the Grand Lodge of Ireland records that Warrant No. 94 IC was issuedto: Benj. Garnett, WM; Jer. Hatcliffe and Andr. Hastings, Wardens; and seventeen other brethren, all ofwhom were registered on December 5, 1763. The Register shows twelve other brethren registered up toJanuary 1775. Sheppard notes that the Lodge was placed on the Roll of the Grand Lodge of Ireland as ofDecember 1, 1763.

In the History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER, Gibraltar, contained on the website of the GibraltarProvincial Grand Lodge, it is noted that “In 1792 there were no fewer than eleven military or travellingLodges in Gibraltar, one Irish in 51st Regiment . . . .”. There is no further information regarding the lengthof time the Regiment and its Lodge worked on Gibraltar. Even this information is questionable as theRegiment had a second working Lodge at this time, Lodge, No. 690 IC. Records of the Grand Lodge ofIreland indicate that Lodge No. 94 IC fought with the Regiment in Corsica in 1793 . 173

Cochrane cites a curious entry regarding this Lodge: “The annals of the Grand Lodge of Scotlandsupply the following illustration. A Charter (No. 274) for the “Orange Lodge” was granted to the officers ofthe 51st Regiment in 1801; there being at the same time two other Lodges in the corps of the same name,under Irish and “Antient” warrants, each of which, it is somewhat singular to relate, bearing the number 94.”This is a curious entry as Orange Lodges were an Irish phenomenon and usually took the name under aWarrant from the Grand Lodge of Ireland. Yet, Warrant 274 had been issued on December 15, 1756 to holda Lodge in Galway, Co. Galway and the Warrant was not cancelled until July 5, 1821. While it is alwayspossible that this Lodge had ceased working many years earlier and the Warrant could have been improperlyused for another Lodge (as was the case during the “Seton Years”), there is nothing in Cochrane’s notesregarding Warrant 274 to indicate such an event.

Warrant No. 94 ER(A) appears in the Ahiman Rezon of 1804. It was cancelled in 1805, accordingto Gould’s listing.


The use of “94A” by Lane is to keep this warrant number separate from “94B” which was issued on174

December 18, 1805, for the Masons’ Arms Lodge, Union Street, Sunderland, Durham which had become No. 80 ERin the English renumbering of 1863 and was still working at the time of publication of his listing in 1895.


The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 appears on page 97 as follows: “Named“Orange Lodge” in a Certificate of 1802 from Colombo. Fifty-first Regiment. 1761. (G. L. Warrant) 21 Oct.1761. No. 94A . Last entry in register 1781. Appears on the List in Ahiman Rezon 1804.” 174

According to both Crossle and Cochrane, Warrant No. 94 IC was cancelled on July 1, 1815, Grand Lodgenot having heard from the Lodge for many years.

Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, AShort Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces includes the Antients warrant in his list, but omits thereference to the Irish warrant issued in 1763.

Crossle also lists the number “94” as being used again for an undated Warrant issued to hold Starof West Down Lodge at Dromore, Co. Down, no date of being struck off the rolls is shown. Cochrane notesthat a new Warrant No. 94 was issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland on December 4, 1817, to a Lodge inKilwaughter, Larne, Co. Antrim in exchange for their higher numbered Warrant (No. 976) and that No. 94was sent in to Grand Lodge on December 21, 1855. Cochrane then lists an issue on March 4, 1892 of No.94 to hold Star of West Down Lodge at Dromore, Co. Down, and lists the Lodge as “Current” in 2001.

A copy of Warrant No. 94 IC issued to the 51st Foot was requested from the Grand Lodge of Irelandif the original should be found in the Archives. The reply indicated that there was no trace of the Warrant andthat it had probably not been returned.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published 1973 by the Grand Lodge ofIreland in manuscript form. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001)of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane,2nd Edition, London, 1895. (4) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, asprinted in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957. (5) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, by Bro. Frederick Smyth in hisPrestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (6) History ofthe Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol I, by John Heron Lepper and Philip Crossle,published by the Lodge of Research, No. CC, IC, Dublin, 1925. (7) History of Freemasonry, by R. F. Gould,3rd Edition, 1886. (8) The First Two Hundred Years of the Craft in Gibraltar and History of Calpe Lodge, No.325 ER, Gibraltar held on the Calpe Lodge website: http://www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html. (9)Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C.,September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 51st Foot.]


The eleven Military Lodges at Gibraltar in 1792 included: No. 11 IC, 1st Royals; No. 168 IC (18th175

Foot); No. 227 IC (46th Foot); No. 604 IC (11th Foot); No. 690 IC (51st Foot); No. 714 IC (68th Foot); and No. 73SC (32nd Foot).




REF: I84 Lodge No. 690 IC, in the 51st (2nd Yorkshire, West Riding) Regiment of Foot 1788-1858[now part of The Light Infantry Regiment]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 690 on September 4, 1788, to the men of the 51st(2nd Yorkshire, West Riding) Regiment of Foot. R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that Volume 3 of theGrand Lodge Register records three brethren registered as of September 4, 1788: Jas. Hanna; Chas.Ferguson and Wm. Kirby; although there is no registration of the Master or Wardens. A further 20 brethrenwere registered up to either March 2 or May 18, 1790 (both dates appear in Cochrane’s notes at differenttimes), and two more names on May 18, 1790.

In the History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER, Gibraltar, contained on the website of the GibraltarProvincial Grand Lodge, it is noted that “In 1792 there were no fewer than eleven military or travellingLodges in Gibraltar, one Irish in 51st Regiment . . . .”. There is no further information regarding the length175

of time the Regiment and its Lodge worked on Gibraltar. Even this information is questionable as the 51stFoot had a second working Lodge at this time, Orange Lodge, No. 94 ER(A)/94 IC. Cochrane notes fromGrand Lodge records that Lodge No. 714 IC (in the 68th (Durham) Regiment was working in Gibraltar in1792, with five other Irish Lodges - Nos. 11 (1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot); 168 (18th (Royal Irish) Regimentof Foot); 227 (46th Regiment of Foot); 604 (11th (North Devonshire)Regiment of Foot); and 690 (51stRegiment of Foot).

Grand Lodge records indicate that Lodge No. 690 fought with the Regiment in Corsica in 1793 so176

it can safely be assumed that the Regiment held over in Gibraltar for a number of months enroute to Corsica.Volume 4 of the Second Series Grand Lodge Register indicates that the Lodge was transferred to

Port Royal, Martinique with the 51st Foot in 1796. Cochrane notes that “This number (i.e. Warrant No. 690)was transferred from the 51st to the 15th to be held in Fort Royal, on the Island of Martinique which transferwas confirmed by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, April 2, 1801. Vi. Transactions.” This may have been one ofthose situations where members of the 51st and who were also Masons, transferred to the 15th Foot as earlyas 1796, and “took” the Lodge with them on their posting to Martinique. Cochrane notes that “The Registrarcommences again at No. 1:- Jn. Clark; Edwd. Stapleton and Robt. Bastan being the first three. In all thirteenbrethren were registered “as of 1796”. Nos. 15 and 16 (Wm. Leonard and Tho. Sandes) being registered 2April 1801. A further 17 brethren registered up to 30 December, 1803.” This would seem to indicate that thetransfer occurred as early as 1796 and that while Warrant No. 690 was in the 15th Foot, a total of 30members were registered with Grand Lodge. In reviewing the information available on the 15th Foot it wouldappear that the Regiment proceeded to the Caribbean in 1790 and returned to England in 1796: and the 15thhad, at this time, one Irish Lodge (No. 245 1754-1801). The other surprising point is that Cochrane’s notesalso imply that the Lodge was, at this time on Martinique, a civilian Lodge. It is possible that when the 15thFoot was preparing to return to England from Martinique in 1796, it may have “paid off” the older membersof the Regiment who stayed behind on the island: perhaps these older members were the Masons who had(in whole or in part) formed the Lodge and they therefore retained the Warrant and paraphernalia with them.

Charity was an important aspect of Lodge activities, regardless whether in the 51st or 15th Foot, andregardless where situated. Grand Lodge records (Volume 6. p. 458) lists a contribution of £10-18-9 on March



31, 1802 from Lodge No. 690 for the School for Female Orphan Children.Volume 4 of the Second Series Register shows that the Warrant was removed to Trinidad sometime

before 1807. This event could have occurred as early as 1804 as Cochrane’s notes include: “In the archivesof Grand Lodge, an apron, presented by Bro. A. J. Brown, one time Secretary of Unity Masonic Lodge No.238, Dublin. The apron had belonged to his wife’s grandfather, one John Marston. This is a lambskin apron19½ inches deep and 17 inches broad, on which are printed in colours - the All-Seeing Eye, the Square andCompasses between two pillars, and beneath them the Emblems of Mortality. On the back is inscribed: ‘Bro.John Marston, XXXVII Regt., Trinidad, 12 Octr., 1804, No. 690'. This was an Irish warranted Lodge whichth

worked at Martinique, British West Indies, from 1801, and then at Trinidad from 1811 to 1836. Ref. 72. P.171.”

Lodge No. 690 in the 15th Foot was in Ireland in 1808. Cochrane notes that at a monthly meetingof the Grand Lodge “held at the Taylor’s Hall, in the city of Dublin, on Thursday, the 5th day of May, 1808.The R. W. and Hon. Abraham Hely Hutchinson, D.G.M. in the Chair . . . Bro. John Culbert (acting asSecretary) ... (read) addresses from the following Lodges ... (Lodge) No. 690 ... held at Garvagh.”

The Regiment and Lodge No. 690 then returned to Trinidad. Sixteen brethren were registered withGrand Lodge for this Lodge on January 12, 1811, and the numbering for these members again recommenceswith “No. 1”. A total of 47 brethren were registered up to July 20, 1812. As the Warrant had become defaced,a duplicate was issued in March 1813 for the Lodge which was then still in Trinidad. At this time threemembers were registered to receive the new Warrant: And. Sawer; Edu. C. Whart and Joseph Driggs, butwith no indication as to Master or Wardens. A further 49 brethren were registered up to November 1, 1824.There is some confusion in the Register as Cochrane notes that another duplicate Warrant was issued onAugust 4, 1836 “to sole surviving member for Port of Spain, Trinidad”. But he also shows that the Registerindicates the Warrant was “revived” on August 4, 1836 to Edw. Cullimore Wharf, George Bland and SamuelSamuel, who had been registered on August 6, 1836, but with no indication as to Master or Wardens. A totalof 13 brethren were registered on August 6, 1836. There were no further returns to Grand Lodge the Warrantwas cancelled on December 2, 1858.

Robert Freke Gould shows the termination date as 1796 in the listing in History of Freemasonry. Bro.Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study ofFreemasonry in the Armed Forces includes this warrant in his list.

V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, 1973, shows that the number “690” was usedfour more times for Warrants: on April 2, 1801, to hold a Lodge at Martinique, no date shown of being struckoff the rolls; on March 14, 1813, to hold a Lodge at Trinidad, no date shown of being struck off the rolls; in1825, to hold another Lodge in Trinidad, no date shown of being struck off the rolls; and undated to hold aLodge in Durban, South Africa, no date shown of being struck off the rolls. The first three of these havealready been noted above. Of the last for Durban, Cochrane lists a date of issue of December 27, 1944, forNorthway Lodge, Durban, South Africa, and shows the Lodge as “Current” in 2001.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published 1973 by the Grand Lodge ofIreland in manuscript form. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001)of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, byV.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printed in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For theYears 1949-1957. (4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, byBro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of the QuatuorCoronati Lodge. (5) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol I, by JohnHeron Lepper and Philip Crossle, published by the Lodge of Research, No. CC, IC, Dublin, 1925. (6) Historyof Freemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7) The First Two Hundred Years of the Craft in Gibraltarand History of Calpe Lodge, No. 325 ER, Gibraltar held on the Calpe Lodge website:http://www.gibnynex.gi/inst/calpe325/fullhistory.html. (8) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the BritishArmy, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 51 Foot.]st


“Transferred” is the word used in Cochrane’s notes. No copy of the Warrant is known to exist and it is177

unclear whether the actual original Warrant was used and endorsed over to the 56th Foot or whether a new Warrantwas actually issued. There are examples of cases where the actual Warrant was reused with an appropriateendorsement on the face or reverse so the issue arises here.


REF: I88 Lodge No. 420 IC, in the 56th (Pompadours) Regiment of Foot 1765-1817[now part of The Royal Anglian Regiment]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland originally issued Warrant No. 420 on August 2, 1764 to hold a Lodgeat Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. It is not known when the Lodge ceased working, but the Warrant was returnedto Grand Lodge. Neither V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, 1973, nor R. W. Bro. KeithCochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish MasonicRecords, 1973, show a date of closure.

On December 5, 1765, the Grand Lodge of Ireland transferred Warrant No. 420 to hold a Lodge177

in the 56th (Pompadours) Regiment of Foot. Cochrane notes that Volume 1 of the Grand Lodge Registersrefers to the transfer of the Warrant from Clonmel to the 56th Foot on December 5, 1765 and the registrationof seven brethren on that date, including Frans. McCanty, Master; and Geo. Charlton and Wm. Glover,Wardens. He also notes that the Register shows a further five brethren registered up to March 5, 1769,including two Lieutenants of the 56th Foot.

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 56th Foot, writes that “During the siege ofGibraltar on the 15 April 1781, the Surgeon of the 56 Regiment, Thomas Chisholm, was wounded in theth th

head, had one foot taken off and the other broken, and put in a casemate, at King’s Bastion. He joined theregiment back on 8 February 1762. He was a member of the above Lodge (No. 420 IC). He died on 7th th

December 1788."The Lodge worked in Gibraltar in 1772/3 and Cochrane cites the records of the Antients’ Grand

Lodge for December 15, 1773: “Heard a letter from No. 148 (Royal Artillery) at Gibraltar, setting forth thata set of people who had their authority from the ‘Modern’ Grand Lodge, thought proper to dispute the legalityof said Warrant No. 148. That in the said garrison there were also held Lodges 11, 244, 290, 359, 420 and466 (1st, 2nd, 39th, 76th, 56th and 58th Foot) on the Registry of Ireland and No. 58 (12th Regiment) on theRegistry of Scotland. Ref. ML. P. 128).” Sheppard adds the following “The above Lodge supported the caseof the Royal Artillery Lodge as properly formed and Warranted and was allowed by the Governor to take partin the festival of St. John’s with the other Lodges in the Garrison.” These are the sole surviving commentsreferring to the life and activities of the Lodge.

Warrant No. 420 IC was cancelled on August 7, 1817.Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry lists the Warrant and comments in a footnote that

Warrant No. 420 IC was allocated to “59th Foot in Downe’s list, 1804” although this is not borne out by therecords of the Grand Lodge of Ireland. Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled TheMaster-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces includes the Warrant in his list.

Crossle also lists three further uses of the number “420” for Lodges, although Cochrane lists four:

• Cochrane lists the issue of a Dispensation on December 16, 163 and by Warrant No. 420 onFebruary 18, 1864, to Lodge Onehunga in Onehunga, New Zealand. At this time in history,Onehunga was one of a chain of forts protecting Aukland and was the Depot for the 18th (RoyalIrish) Regiment of Foot. Although this Lodge went into darkness and returned Warrant No. 402 toGrand Lodge in December 1877, the Irish Collars and Jewels are still in use by the Master andWardens of Lodge Manukau, No. 24 GRNZ, along with a silver trowel (also similarly inscribed) anda small model of a black coffin bearing the figures “420” and the seal of Lodge Onehunga;

• in 1914 for Pioneers’ Masonic Lodge at Belfast, no date shown for being struck off the rolls.



Cochrane does not list this issue.

• on June 3, 1915, to hold a Lodge in the 6th Battalion, of the 99th Foot (Royal Irish Rifles), althoughother sources note this as being for the “16th Service Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles (Pioneers)”,no date shown for being struck off the rolls. Although Crossle provides no information on Lodgeworkings in his Records, he says that Grand Lodge minutes indicate that in 1916 the Lodgeassembled for labour and the conferring of degrees, while under fire, the only such known recordedinstance. Cochrane lists this issue of a Warrant No. 420 to Pioneers Lodge in the 16th (ServiceBattalion of the Royal Irish Rifles (Fusiliers) on June 3, 1915 and confirms, with details, the meetingof July 8, 1915, at Ploogstreet (or Ploeg-street), Belgium (within 3000 yards of the German front line)called to work unspecified degrees, lasting from 3 to 10 pm, being called off for dinner from 6 to 7:30pm. Cochrane notes that the Lodge was transferred to Freemason’s Square, Arthur Square, Belfast,and that it is listed as “Current”;

• Crossle shows Warrant No. 420 issued March 3, 1921, to hold a Lodge in Belfast, no date shownfor being struck off the rolls. It is possible that the military Warrant was converted to a civilian Lodge,or a stationary Lodge for military personnel. Cochrane does not show this as a separate issue butmerely a transfer of the Lodge mentioned above as being in the 16th (Service) Battalion of the RoyalIrish Rifles (Fusiliers). Cochrane lists this as “Current” in 2001.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published 1973 by the Grand Lodge ofIreland in manuscript form. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001)of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, byV.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printed in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For theYears 1949-1957. (4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, byBro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of the QuatuorCoronati Lodge. (5) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol I, by JohnHeron Lepper and Philip Crossle, published by the Lodge of Research, No. CC, IC, Dublin, 1925. (6) Historyof Freemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the BritishArmy, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 56th Foot.]





REF: I96 Lodge No. 130 IC, in the 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot 1817-1858[now part of The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales’s)]

R. W. Bro. Keith Crossle, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. PhilipCrossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973, notes that the number “130” was used four times for Warrants issuedby the Grand Lodge of Ireland. The first Warrant No. 130 was issued on November 3, 1742, to hold a Lodgein Newmarket, Co. Cork. Grand Lodge records note that the Lodge worked in Mallow before July 1749; hadceased working by July 19, 1749; was working in Cork about 1775 and as late as 1803. The Warrant wascancelled on October 7, 1813 for non payment of Grand Lodge dues and fees.

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued a new Warrant No. 130 on December 4, 1817, to the men of the64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot. Cochrane notes that Volume 2 of the Grand Lodge Registerrecords the registration on December 4, 1817, of John Nuttal; James Smyth and John Mornan. A further 11brethren were registered on December 31, 1818. By August 11, 1929, a total of 71 brethren were registered.

Cochrane notes that “in the Archives of Grand Lodge, a draft of a Knight Templar Certificate issued5 April, 1817, by this Lodge”. He also notes the existence in the archives a photograph of a silver Masonicjewel inscribed “Alexr. Ranken, Hibernia Lodge No. 130”. Cochrane notes that Alexander Rankin (note thevariation Ranken and Rankin) had been registered with Grand Lodge on August 11, 1829.


Lodge No. 68 IC, along with Lodge No. 42 IC (held in the 42nd (Black Watch) Regiment of Foot) and LodgeNo. 130 IC (held in the 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment) sponsored the Petition for a Warrant forGibraltar Lodge (the first civilian and stationary Irish Lodge on Gibraltar, issued Warrant No. 325 IC, and stillworking). The Calpe Lodge History notes that the particular Artillery Unit was the 2nd Company 7th Battalionof Royal Artillery, missing the correct title of Royal Irish Artillery.

The first WM of Lodge No. 325 IC (the first civilian Irish Lodge on Gibraltar whose Warrant wasissued on September 7, 1826) was W. Bro. Daniel Durham, who had been initiated into Lodge No. 309 ICin the 26th (The Cameronians) and had been released locally (i.e. at Gibraltar) from military service in about1822. The SW (Bro. Isaac Thompson); JW (Bro. Alexander Imbrie); Secretary (Bro. John Pratt) and oneCharter Member, Bro. Robert Moravia; were from Lodge No. 68 IC, held in the 2nd Company, 7th Battalionof Royal Irish Artillery and which was one of the sponsoring Lodges for No. 325. The SD (Bro. CharlesCauston) and one other Charter Member, Bro. John Wheatley, were members of Lodge No. 130 IC in the64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot. The members from the Royal Artillery had also been releasedfrom service on Gibraltar and their unit had left. In addition, the Treasurer (Bro. Francisco Semonetti); JD(Bro. Joseph Baggetto) and Tyler (Bro. Giacomo Celicia) and Charter Member W. Bro. Thomas Varnor; weremembers of Lodge No. 715 ER, in the Gibraltar Ordinance Department, which had surrendered its Warrantin 1826.

Grand Lodge minutes for March 3, 1831 note “Read the application of Lodge 130 in the 64th Regt.



to be remitted Grand Lodge dues during the continuance of Liet.-Col. Hill Dickson’s prohibition of MasonicMeetings in the Regiment - Complied with”. It is not known when the Lodge actually ceased working, but theWarrant was cancelled on December 2, 1858.

Cochrane notes in regard to Warrant No. 130 IC that “Another Warrant, No. 38 was associated withthis Regiment”. Warrant No. 38 IC was issued in either November 1734 or September 1735 to hold a Lodgein Lillingston’s (38th Foot) and is listed under that Regiment. The reference to the 38th and 64th Regimentshaving anything in common is the result of the 1959 amalgamation of Regiments which saw the creation ofThe Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales’s) in the Prince of Wales’s Division, from theamalgamation of The South Staffordshire Regiment [ex 38th and 80th] and The North StaffordshireRegiment (The Prince of Wales’s) [ex 64th and 98th].

Cochrane notes two further issues of Warrants bearing the number “130”:

• on August 26, 1870, to hold a Lodge at Bandon, Co. Cork, and that the Warrant was returned onJune 3, 1880 when this Lodge amalgamated with Lodge No. 84; and

• on July 12, 1880, to hold Star in the West Lodge, Valentia Island, Co. Kerry, the Warrant beingreturned to Grand Lodge on March 7, 1974.

A copy of Warrant No. 130 IC issued to the 64th Foot was requested from the Grand Lodge ofIreland if the original should be found in the Archives. The reply indicated that there was no trace of theWarrant and that it had probably not been returned.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published 1973 by the Grand Lodge ofIreland in manuscript form. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001)of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, byV.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson, as printed in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For theYears 1949-1957. (4) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, byBro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of the QuatuorCoronati Lodge. (5) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol I, by JohnHeron Lepper and Philip Crossle, published by the Lodge of Research, No. CC, IC, Dublin, 1925. (6) Historyof Freemasonry, by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the BritishArmy, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 64th Foot.]


W. Bro. Ray Sheppard describes Major Henry Charles Sirr, charter JW of the Lodge, as “an old Irish179

Mason from Lodge No. 56, and said to be the father of Freemasonry in Jersey.

R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, CD-ROM Update (June 2000) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic180

Records, 1973, notes for Lodge No. 56 that there is no record of the issue of Warrant in the Grand Lodge Register(which dates from 1761 only) but that it was probably issued in either August or November 1736. The Warrant waserased from the Register in 1807.

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard reports that the Regiment served in the Gibraltar garrison from 1784 to 1794.181


REF: I103 Lodge No. 714 IC, in the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot 1790-1813[now part of The Light Infantry Regiment]

The Grand Lodge of Ireland issued Warrant No. 714 on April 1, 1790, to hold a Lodge in the 68th(Durham) Regiment of Foot which was then based in the Gibraltar garrison. R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane’s CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973 notesthat Volume 3 of the extant Grand Lodge Registers records the names of three brethren: James Coleman,James Fitzgerald and Henry Charles Sirr, and that there is no registration of Master or Wardens. Cochraneand V.W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson note that “. . . . the first Junior Warden was Henry Charles Sirr ”, although179

Cochrane notes Sirr was a member of Lodge No. 56 . It is likely, based on other experience with Warrants,180

that Coleman was Master and the others were the Wardens of the Lodge.Cochrane writes that Grand Lodge records note that Lodge No. 714 IC was working in Gibraltar in

1792 , with five other Irish Lodges - Nos. 11 (1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot); 168 (18th (Royal Irish)181

Regiment of Foot); 227 (46th Regiment of Foot); 604 (11th (North Devonshire)Regiment of Foot); and 690(51st Regiment of Foot). W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 68th Foot, writes that LodgeNo. 714 IC took a very active part in the running of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalusia (Gibraltar) underthe Ancient Grand Lodge. In 1791 Lieutenant-Colonel John Bridges Schaw became Provincial Grand Master,with Sergeant John Turner as Provincial Grand Secretary. Both Brethren were members of No. 714 IC.

The Warrant was cancelled on October 7, 1813.V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, in his Irish Masonic Records, 1973, includes this issue of Warrant No. 714.

This Warrant is also included in the Appendix attached to Bro. Frederick Smyth’s Prestonian Lecture.Crossle also notes that the number “714” was used for an undated Warrant to hold a Lodge at

Newtownwards, Co. Down, no date is shown when the Warrant was struck off the rolls of Grand Lodge.Cochrane lists the issue as June 5, 1947 to hold Scrabo Lodge, Newtownards, Co. Down, and that the Lodgeis “Current” in 2001.

A copy of Warrant No. 714 IC issued to the 68th Foot was requested from the Grand Lodge ofIreland if the original should be found in the Archives. The reply indicated that there was no trace of theWarrant and that it had probably not been returned.

[Sources: (1) Irish Masonic Records, by V. W. Bro. Philip Crossle, published by the Grand Lodge of Ireland,1973. (2) R. W. Bro. Keith Cochrane, in his CD-ROM Update (June 2000 and Fall 2001) of V. W. Bro. PhilipCrossle’s Irish Masonic Records, 1973. (3) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V.W. Bro. R. E.Parkinson, as printed in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957.(4) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (5) The Poor CommonSoldier, A Study of Irish Ambulatory Warrants, by Bro. John Heron Lepper, as printed in the Transactionsof Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1925. (6) History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (7)The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth,Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1990, London. (8)



Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C.,September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 68th Foot.]



REF: E98 Lodge No. 7 PRAndalusia(A), in the 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot at Gibraltar 1804-????[now part of The Queen’s Regiment]

In 1796 The Provincial Grand Lodge of Andalusia (Antients), authorized the working of Lodge No.7, Provincial (Antients) in the 70th Regiment of Foot in 1804, under the authority of its own Warrant, No.220 ER(A), which had been issued on January 25, 1786. The Lodge was never registered on the books ofthe Grand Lodge of England (Antients). The history and disposition of the Warrant is unknown.

John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 carries a very short entry for the Lodge on page 465 inPart IV “Lodges Constituted or Warranted Abroad, but never Registered in the Books of Grand Lodge” asfollows: “Gibraltar. No. 7, Provincial. In the 70th Regiment of Foot.”

It is possible that Gibraltar Warrant, No. 7, was issued to Hooker St. John Lodge, No. 97 SCaccording to C. Martin McGibbon, ASCA, Grand Secretary, The Grand Lodge of Scotland, Edinburgh,Scotland.

The Warrant was reissued (date unknown) to Orthes Lodge in the 6th Foot, being erased in 1816.

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, Second Edition, 1895. (2) Pages of GeorgeDraffen’s Scottish Records copied and provided by C. Martin McGibbon, ASCA, Grand Secretary, The GrandLodge of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland. (2) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army, byW. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 70th Foot.]



REF: E107 Lodge, No. 4 PRAndalusia(A), in the 82nd Regiment of Foot, Gibraltar 1811-????[now part of The Lancastrian Brigade]

W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 82nd Foot, writes that the Provincial GrandLodge of Andalusia (Gibraltar) issued Warrant No. 4 (local) under date of July 4, 1811, to hold a Lodge inthe 82nd Regiment of Foot, which was then serving in the garrison. The Officers of the new Lodge, all ofwhom were Provincial Grand Lodge officers were: William Mason, Provincial Grand Master; James Stewart,Deputy Provincial Grand Master; and Samuel Holdsworth, Provincial Senior Grand Warden.

There is no entry for the Lodge in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894. Lane lists nothing inPart IV “Lodges Constituted or Warranted Abroad, but never Registered in the Books of Grand Lodge forGibraltar beyond an incomplete listing which shows only local Warrants Nos. 2 to 9 inclusive, all of whichwere issued to military Lodges - but not the 82nd Foot.

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, 2nd Edition, London, 1895. (2) Flags of Masonryin the line Regiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, noteson Lodges in the 82nd Foot.]



REF: E112 Lodge No. 8, PRAndalusia(A), in the 90th Regiment of Foot at Gibraltar 1803-????[now part of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (Territorial)]

The Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar (Antients), authorized the working of Lodge No. 8,Provincial (Antients) in the 90th Regiment of Foot in 1803, under the authority of its own Warrant, No. 220ER(A), which had been issued on January 25, 1786. W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the90th Foot lists a date of issue of December 14, 1796 - between 1795 and 1801 the 90th (PerthshireVolunteers) Regiment of Foot was on station at Gibraltar. Sheppard also notes that the founder officers were:Bro. Sergeant James Lewis, WM; Bro. John McCawly, SW; Bro. John Lapslie, JW; and Bro. Andrew Means,Secretary.

During the Regiment’s time in Ireland, the official list published in December 1804, giving the namesof the Masters and Wardens of all Lodges meeting in Dublin, includes Lodge No. 8, Andalusia, in the 90thRegiment.

A certificate dated May 22, 1800, issued by the Lodge to Bro. Joseph Favell, certifying that he hadbeen properly initiated, passed and raised, is transcribed below. The original document is in fairly goodcondition and is framed, and hangs on the wall of True Britons’ Lodge, No. 14 GRC, Perth. A copy is awaitedfrom the Lodge historian.

The Lodge was never registered on the books of the Grand Lodge of England (Antients) and noEnglish Warrant was assigned according to C. Martin McGibbon, ASCA, Grand Secretary, The Grand Lodgeof Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland. There is only one entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 onpage 465 for the Lodge as follows: “No. 8, Provincial. In the 90th Regiment of Foot. Gibraltar.” The Appendix attached to Bro. Frederick Smyth’s Prestonian Lecture for 1990 entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, as reprinted in the Transactions of theQuatuor Coronati Lodge does not include reference to this Lodge. The final disposition of the Warrant isunknown.

[Sources: (1) History of Freemasonry, by Robert Freke Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (2) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1990, London. (3) “The Poor CommonSoldier”, A Study of Irish Ambulatory Warrants, by Bro. John Heron Lepper, as printed in the Transactionsof Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1925, (4) Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants, by V. W. Bro. R. E. Parkinson,as printed in The Lodge of Research, No. C.C., Ireland, Transactions For the Years 1949-1957, pp 119-141.(5) History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, Vol. I, 1925. (6) Masonic Records1717-1894, 2nd Edition, by John Lane, 1895. (7) Flags of Masonry in the line Regiments of the British Army,by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodges in the 90th Foot.]



REF: E120 Lodge No. 3 PRGibraltar(A), in the 100th Regiment of Foot at Gibraltar 1796?-????[Regiment disbanded in 1922]

The Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar (Antients), authorized the working of Lodge No. 3,Provincial (Antients) in the 100th Regiment of Foot in 1803, under the authority of its own Warrant, No. 220ER(A), which had been issued on January 25, 1786. The Lodge was never registered on the books of theGrand Lodge of England (Antients) and no English Warrant (or number) was assigned.

Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry, printed in 1887, includes the Warrant in his liston page 403, and shows the date of issue as 1804. The final disposition of the Warrant is unknown. W. Bro.Ray Sheppard, in his notes on Lodges in the 100th (Prince of Wales’s Royal Canadian) Regiment of Footlists the date of issue of No. 3 Gibraltar as 1796 but provides no date of termination, cancellation or erasure.

Sheppard also includes an interesting comment that: In the archives of ‘The Grand Lodge ofScotland & United Grand Lodge of England’ dated September 1957, there is a reference to the V.S.L. & theWarrant of the above Lodge to be sold by auction on 24 September 1957. (The entry in the catalogueth

reads) 513. Freemasonry - Holy Bible, Tooled Crimson, French. Mor. B.D.G., inscribed ‘The Gift of BrotherWilliam Morgue, to Lodge 351, the Charter dated 1796 in pocket. United Grand Lodge placed a limit of £10on the Lot. It sold for £15, a few days later it was again up for sale by “Bernard Quaritch Ltd. for £45. TheBook etc, was formerly in the possession of the Rt. Hon. Earl of Dalhousie, M.C.” The note is included underthe reference to Lodge No. 3 Gibraltar as this was the Lodge to which Brother Morgue belonged.

The entry in John Lane’s Masonic records 1717-1894 on page 465 reads: “No. 3, Provincial(Gibraltar). In the 100 Regiment of Foot.”th

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, 2nd Edition, by John Lane, 1895. (2) Flags of Masonry in the lineRegiments of the British Army, by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, P.M. 322 I.C., September 2002, notes on Lodgesin the 100th Foot.]



REF: E121 Lodge No. 4 PRGibraltar(A), in the 108th Regiment of Foot at Gibraltar 1803/4-????

The Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar (Antients) originally issued local Warrant No. 4 onNovember 18, 1777 to hold a Lodge in the Royal Artillery at Gibraltar. This issue of the Warrant wascancelled in 1804. This Lodge does not appear in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 as the only entryis for a No. 2 (Gibraltar) dating after 1786.

In 1803/4 the Provincial Grand Lodge of Gibraltar (Antients), authorized the reissue of Warrant No.4, Provincial (Antients) to hold a Lodge in the 108th Regiment of Foot. The Lodge was never registered onthe books of the Grand Lodge of England (Antients) and no Warrant (or number) was assigned. [Source:C. Martin McGibbon, ASCA, Grand Secretary, The Grand Lodge of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.] The finaldisposition of the Warrant is unknown.

The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 appears on page 465 as follows: “No. 4,Provincial (Gibraltar). In the 108th Regiment of Foot.” Lane notes that the Warrant was not registered withLondon.

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, 2nd Edition, by John Lane, 1895. (2) The Master-Mason-At-Arms,A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth, Prestonian Lecture for 1990, asreprinted in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1990, London.]



(h) Two erroneously labelled “Gibraltar” Lodges


The Provincial Grand Lodge of Quebec issued Warrant No. 9 (local) to hold a Lodge in the 1st182

Battalion, Royal Artillery, when it was in the garrison at Quebec. The Battalion and its Lodge returned to Englandand applied to the Antients Grand Lodge which issued the first Warrant bearing the number “187" on April 28, 1774.The Warrant lapsed by 1777.


REF: E143 Gibraltar Lodge, No. 228 ER, in the 9th Battalion, Royal Artillery, at Gibraltar 1814-1822REF: E143 Gibraltar Lodge, No. 187 ER(A), in the 9th Battalion, Royal Artillery, at Gibraltar 1812-1814

A new Warrant No. 187 was issued (the Grand Lodge Register says “revived”) on May 25, 1812,182

by the Antients Grand Lodge, to hold a Lodge in the 9th Battalion of Royal Artillery, which was then servingin the Gibraltar Garrison. James W. Reddyhoff notes that there are references to the Lodge meeting atCanterbury and Sandgate in 1812 and Hythe in 1813. Following the unification of the Antients and ModernsGrand Lodges in 1813, new Warrants were issued in 1814, and the Lodge received No. 228 ER. Bro. RaySheppard, in his 1984 listing of Military Warrants notes that no payments were made to United Grand Lodgeafter 1814. It is unclear when the Lodge ceased working, but the Warrant was erased in 1822.

Although Robert Freke Gould, in his History of Freemasonry, 1887, shows only one Warrant, No.187 ER(A) as being issued, he notes the Lodge existing throughout the 1812-1822 period. He shows theLodge as “Gibraltar Lodge”, the name adopted here, although this may just have been to illustrate that theLodge worked in Gibraltar.

Two Warrants are referred to in the Appendix in Bro. Frederick Smyth’s Prestonian Lecture for 1990entitled The Master-Mason-At-Arms. A Short Study of Freemasonry in the Armed Forces, one having beenissued by the Antients in 1812 and one by the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1823. Irish records do not show anyIrish Warrant being issued to the 9th Battalion.

The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 for Warrant No. 187B ER(A), page 140, readsas follows: “9 Battalion, Royal Artillery, Gibraltar (Malaga), Spain 1812. (G. L. Warrant) 25 May 1812 No.th

187B. Revived at Gibraltar. G. L. Reg. 1814 No. 228 ER. At Canterbury, Kent 1812. At Sandgate, Kent 1812.At Hythe, Kent 1813. No payments after 1814. Erased in 1822.”

Reddyhoff also notes that any connection of a Lodge in the 9th Battalion with Gibraltar is totallyincorrect. No company of the 9th Battalion had been in Gibraltar since the Battalion had been formed atWoolwich on June 1, 1806. Only one company, that of Captain Alexander Munro, had been at bothCanterbury and Sandgate in 1812 and it was there after returning from the Walcheren expedition in 1809.In June 1813 the company had removed to Shorncliffe and then to Portsmouth in March 1814 where itembarked on transports for New Orleans. Reddyhoff notes that Sandgate, Shorncliffe and Hythe arecontiguous and the move to America in 1814 could explain why there were no further payments to GrandLodge. As he says: “How Grand Lodge arrived at the Gibraltar connection is a mystery.”

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, Second Edition, 1895. (2) History of Freemasonry,by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (3) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in theArmed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions ofthe Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (4) Freemasonry in the Royal Artillery, by Bro. James W. Reddyhoff, AQC,Volume 116, 2003.]


Three more Antients’ Warrants would be issued before unification: No. 357 ER(A) of July 29, 1813 to183

hold Royal Union Lodge at Cirencester, Gloucestershire; No. 358 ER(A) of July 28, 1813, to hold Union Lodge atGeorgetown, Demerera, British Guiana; and No. 359 ER(A) of October 12, 1813, to hold Lodge of Friends, St.Pierre, Martinique, West Indies.

Twelve Brother’s Lodge, No. 138 ER(A), dates from March 4, 1808 and met at the Blue Anchor Tavern184

at Portsea.


REF: E145 Lodge, No. 459 ER, 10th Battalion, Royal Artillery, various locations 1814-1817 (1821)REF: E145 Lodge, No. 356 ER(A), in Captain James Addams’ Company, 10th Battalion, Royal Artillery,

at Portsmouth and Montreal (using a Gibraltar authority) 1813-1814

I am indebted to W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, PM, Lodge Glittering Star, No. 211 IC, who has researchedand obtained the information for this Lodge.

The last military Warrant to be issued by the Antients’ Grand Lodge, No. 356, was issued on July6, 1813 to hold a Lodge in Captain James Addams’ Company (the 117th) in the 10th Battalion of RoyalArtillery . The Lodge name, which is not recorded in documents and for which the year of its adoption is183

unknown, appears on a smoke seal imprint in the minute book itself as “Royal Artillery Freemasons LodgeNo. 459”. This is, again, less a “name” and more an indication of what and where the Lodge was held.

Seal taken from the Minutes

[Source: Photocopy of Lodge Minute book provided by W. Bro. Ray Sheppard.]

Warrant No. 356 reads that the Lodge was in Gibraltar—but it was actually located in Portsmouth.The Lodge was formed on August 18, 1813 at Portsmouth and was Constituted by Twelve Brother’s LodgeNo. 138 . There were nine Founding Members of the new Lodge who may have been ex-Irish Artillery and184

transferred into the 10th Battalion RA, although this is not clear. The founders were all from Lodge No. 228IC and included: WM, Zachauah Wilson; SW, Hugh Thompson (trade “Cordwns” from Killalach, initiated inNo. 100 IC); JW, John Adames (trade “Weaver”, from Belmonach, initiated in No. 606 IC); SD, WilliamHarper (trade “Weaver”, from Belmonach, initiated in No. 537 IC); JD, John Carrol (trade “Tayor”, fromArmagh, initiated in No. 749 IC); Secretary, John Jennings (trade “Mason”, from Armagh, initiated in No. 7ER(A) and now No. 13, ER); P.M., Mathl. Green (trade “Labour”, from Lisburn, initiated in No. 811 IC); andTreasurer, James Mc.Cully (trade “Weaver”, from Armagh, initiated in No. 201 IC). It appears that all theFounders were in possession of Certificates attesting to their Masonic status—an improvement over earliertimes when Founders only had to state that they were Masons who had been registered with an “approved”Grand Lodge or in the early days of the Antients-Moderns split when they only stated that they were “mastermasons” without specifying whether they were one or the other.

W. Bro. Sheppard notes that the records show that three other members of the new Lodge were:John Winsford (trade “Painter”, from South Mold, initiated in 228 IC); Abraham Brannan (trade “Cordwaind”,



from Biddiford, initiated in 228 IC) and William Butler (trade unspecified, Secretary of 228 IC, fromBarnstorph).

Following the unification of the Antients and Moderns Grand Lodges in 1813, new Warrants wereissued in 1814, and the Lodge received No. 459 ER.

A copy of the minutes of 38 meetings of the Lodge (36 held during the time it was located in Canada)have been obtained through W. Bro. Ray Sheppard—March 9, 1814 (the last meeting in Portsmouth beforeleaving for Canada); September 21, 1814; October 12, 1815; November 16 and 29, 1815; December 14 and27, 1815; January 6 and 11, 1816; February 6, 8, 13, 23 and 27, 1816; March 14, 1816; April 11, 1816; May8, 1816; June 13 and 24, 1816; July 11, 1816; August 8, 1816; September 12, 1816; October 10, 1816;November 11, 1816; December 12 and 27, 1816; January 9 and 22, 1817; February 13 and 17, 1817; March13 and 21, 1817; April 10 and 16, 1817; May 8 and 26, 1817; June 6, 1817 (held at Quebec); and August14, 1817 (held at Woolwich).

These minutes reveal the initiation, raising and passing of several members of the Lodge — JohnWatson (proposed by Bro. Ridley) and James Hill (proposed by Bro. Carrol) “. . . Balloted for . . . and initiated. . . passed and raised . . .” on March 9, 1814; David Hogg, James Rowley and Richard Jervin were initiatedon October 12, 1815;

Minutes of the Lodge indicate that it was situated at Portsmouth for the entire year 1813 and that onMarch 16, 1814, the Company mustered at Portsmouth Docks. There it embarked on the T/P Lord Mulgraveon March 21, 1814 with an additional detachment of “. . . 1 sergt.; 1 corpl.; 1 bomb and 11 gunners . . .”. Thecompany landed at Quebec on May 30, 1814, mustered on June 1, 1814 and moved to Montreal. On July1, 1814 the Company is recorded at Chambly and from August to October, at Montreal. On November 17,1814 the Company is reported at Kingston where it remained until July 1, 1815 when it removed to Montrealwhere it remained until June 1817. In that month the Company embarked at Quebec on T/P Hussaren,landed at Woolwich on July 23, 1817, mustered for the last time on August 1, 1817 and was disbanded (WEF31 August 1817).

It is possible that the Lodge may have met after the Company was disbanded. Grand Lodge recordsshow that in 1821, the Warrant, then held in Capt. Addam’s Company, was erased.

Charter, initiated and affiliated Members of the Lodge and the various Visitors, as recorded in theMinutes, are available.

The entry in John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 for Warrant No. 356 ER(A)/459 ER, page 207,reads as follows: “3 Company or 10 Battalion Royal Artillery [Capt. Adams’ or 10 Company] Gibraltarrd th th

(Malaga) Spain 1813. (G. L. Warrant) 16 July 1813 No. 356 ER(A). 1814 No. 459 ER. At King’s Head, St.Mary’s Street, Portsmouth, Hampshire 1813. Tenth Battalion Royal Artillery. Erased in 1821.”

Note on the location of the Lodge at formation. John Lane records in Masonic Records that the location ofthe Warrant was “Gibraltar”. W. Bro. Sheppard (and others) believe that this reference has a validitybecause, under the Secret Societies Act of 1799, which included Freemasonry, it was believed that no newWarrants could (or should) be issued. The Antients overcame this be re-issuing old defunct Warrants—notnecessarily Warrants which were in the possession of the Grand Secretary, but those from which the GrandSecretary and Grand Lodge had not heard for many years. These Warrants were made out again andcharged for as new Warrants. To identify this series of re-issues of numbers (rather than actual Warrants)Lane adopted a reference numbering by adding “A”, “B”, “C” etc to the original number. Sometimes Lodgescame across old defunct Warrants of lower numbers and Grand Lodge permitted them to be exchanged forthe lower numbered one at cost. Gibraltar appears to have been an area where Lodges would be formed butwould not report regularly to Grand Lodge due to the large number of infantry regiments and units of theRoyal Artillery passing through. The Moderns eventually followed this system.

[Sources: (1) Masonic Records 1717-1894, by John Lane, Second Edition, 1895. (2) History of Freemasonry,by R. F. Gould, 3rd Edition, 1886. (3) The Master-Mason-At-Arms, A Short Study of Freemasonry in theArmed Forces, Bro. Frederick Smyth in his Prestonian Lecture for 1990, as reprinted in the Transactions of



the Quatuor Coronati Lodge. (4) W. Bro. Ray Sheppard, notes on the Lodge in Capt. Addams’ Company,Royal Artillery.]



About the Author

Michael Jenkyns spent 32 years in the federal civil service: twenty-nine with the Canadian InternationalDevelopment Agency (CIDA) where he served as Regional Director (Bilateral) for S. E. Asia and also EastAfrica, and held diplomatic postings as Head of CIDA Programs in Djakarta (1973-75) and Nairobi (1986-88).He is a graduate of Carleton University, Ottawa (BA - 1967) and Algonquin College, Ottawa (Honors Post-graduate Diploma in International Trade - 1998). He has travelled extensively around the world (visitingabout 45 countries) and is very interested in the history of Canada and its place on the global stage in thetwenty-first century. He is married to Virginia Elizabeth (Nash) and they have two children: Megan (Brooks)and Andrew.

Michael joined Acacia Lodge, No. 561 GRC, Ottawa in 1991 and is an active member of several York Ritebodies. He has made an extensive and exhaustive study of Freemasonry in military regiments and theircontribution to the growth and spread of Freemasonry around the globe and particularly in Ontario. Michaelis a Fellow of the Ontario College of Freemasonry; an affiliate of The Heritage Lodge, No. 730 GRC; TheLodge of Research, No. CC IC, Dublin; the Philalethes Society and the Quatuor Coronati CorrespondenceCircle, London.

By the same author

The Sovereign Great Priory of Canada of the United Orders of Malta and of the Temple 1855-2002, The SupremeGrand Masters, published 2003 by Gryphon Jenkyns Enterprises, ISBN 0-9732736-0-7.

Central District (1858-1895) and Ottawa District 13 (1896-present) Royal Arch Masons of Ontario, published2003 by Gryphon Jenkyns Enterprises, ISBN 0-9732736-1-5. Out of print.

Discontinuous Flight: A Canadian Pilot in the Royal Air Force 1939-1945, published 2003 by GryphonJenkyns Enterprises, ISBN 0-9732736-2-3. Out of Print

The Cryptic Rite in Ontario: The Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of Ontario from 1871 to 2004,published Spring 2005 by Gryphon Jenkyns Enterprises, ISBN 0-9732736-4-X

Freemasonry in Gibraltar 1727 - present - Intergonintergon.net/tal/freemasonryingibraltar.pdf ·...

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Transcript of Freemasonry in Gibraltar 1727 - present - Intergonintergon.net/tal/freemasonryingibraltar.pdf ·...