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  • March 16, 1878
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  • HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY IN LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND.
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History Of Freemasonry In Leicestershire And Rutland.

HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY IN LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND .

( Continued from ' page 82 . ) EOR many years wo note but isolated events in the history of the Craft in this Province . In 1791 the Festival of St . John the Baptist was celebrated , on the 27 th June , by the brethren of Sfc . John ' s Lodge going in

procession to Church ; and it was ordered that they shonld " appear on the occasion in cocked hats , and likewise that the Tyler bo clothed , at the expense of the Lodge , with a blue coat and waistcoat and corduroy breeches , the whole with yellow buttons , a pair of white stockings , and a

three-cornered hat ; and also that he be presented with a hairy cap to wear on public occasions , tho latter to l'emain the property of the Lodge . " The procession is described as having been numerous and respectable , the members being adorned with the insignia of the Craft , and

accompanied by music and banners , there being also an immense crowd of spectators , who " conducted themselves in the most perfect order and regularity . " On the 3 rd January 1793 , the nnmber of the Lodge was changed to 471 by the filling up of blanks caused by the erasure of Lodges

from the Roll , and it was announced on the samo day that the Prov . G . Master had appointed the Rev . Bro . William Peters , who was appointed in 1783 Grand Portrait Painter , and whose portraits of Lord Petre , the Princo of Wales , and tho Dukes of Cumberland and Manchester , adorn the

walls of Grand Lodge , to bo his Deputy , the same Rev . Bro . being also appointed Prov . G . Master of Lincolnshire by tho Prince of Wales G . M . On the 23 rd May of the same year a Lodge of Emergency was held , with a view to considering tho visit of the Prov . G . M ., and it was

resolved that those who maybe appointed Prov . G . Officers should pay for their expenses , and that certain brethren be recommended for appointment as such . On the 18 th June a Prov . G . Lodge was held at tho Lion and Dolphin Inn , under the presidency of tho Rev . Bro . Peters , and

Bro . E . Hodges , a highly respectable tradesman in the town , was invested as S . G . Warden for the ensuing year , commencing from St . John the Baptist's day , and other

appointments wero made , though , with one exception , none of them were in accordance with tho recommendations of tho Emergency meeting . At the same time , Bro . Peters , who , wo read , had heard of the virtues and abilities of the

son of Bro . Smith , " who is not yet a Mason , but it is probable will be one , " ordered that a blue apron be reserved for him as Prov . G . Painter . On tho 25 th July , an Emergency meeting was held under the presidency of the Prov . G . S . Warden Bro . Hodges ; and the Rev . Bro .

Thomas Hoe was invested with the bluo apron—white aprons being the order of the day among members of private Lodges—as Prov . G . Chaplain . On the 24 th June 1794 , the Rev , Bro . Peters , owing to the expected confinement of his wife , was unable to meet his brethren , but he

informs the Prov . G . Secretary that it is the pleasure of tho Prov . G . Master that , with the exception of the Wardens , the same Prov . G . Officers shall be continued for the ensuing year . He also states the brethren to be appointed S . and J . Wardens must be the two who have

contributed most largely to the subscription for the defence of the country , then being raised in the county , to which , at a Lodge of Emergency , the members of St . John ' s had agreed to contribute . No brethren , however , appear to have been appointed to these offices . On the 12 th July 1797 , the Rev . Samuel Oliver , the "Masonic Patriarch . "

History Of Freemasonry In Leicestershire And Rutland.

who was father of the well-known Masonic writer Bro . Rov . Dr . G . Oliver , and who died in 1847 at tho advanced ago of 9 ( 5 , was initiated in St . John ' s Lodgo , and was passed and raised on the Gth September . During his membership the Rev . Bro . wrote twelve Masonic songs , one for each

Lodge night , and ono for the festival . In Juno 1860 the original MSS . of theso songs wore presented , together with many of his own works , by the late Dr . G . Oliver , on tho occasion of his being elected an honorary member of tho Lodge . On the 12 th September the Lodge held a meeting

of Emergency , and a procession was formed to attend tho funeral of Quartermaster Thompson of the 14 th Light Dragoons , and lately a Knight Templar of Lodgo 273 Irish Constitution , and in this they wero assisted b y brethren of the "Ancient" Lodge No . 91 . Several

brethren of the Dragoons were present . In the year 1800 , Lord Rancliffe died , and on 4 th February 1801 a letter was written to the Dep . Prov . G . M ., requesting he would order a Prov . G . Lodge to be held with a view to appointing the P . G . Officers , in consequence of the death or removal of

several of them , but nothing resulted from the application . This year the Lodge removed to the Three Cranes Inn , Gallowtree Gate , from the Lion and Dolphin , Bro . Moore having requested them to do so , " as , in consequence of Mrs . Moore ' s objections , it militated against his peace of mind . "

Tho first meeting at the new quarters was held on tho loth July , when a number of tho officers of the Royal Horse Guards , two troops of which wore quartered in the town , were initiated , among them being Cornet Packo , tho samo who , as " tho gallant Major Packe , " fell at Waterloo .

On the 1 mi August two other officers of the samo regiment were initiated , and on tho 7 th of tho following month Private Thomas Draper , WTS proposed , initiated , and passed , and the next evening raised , Bro . Kelly ' s opinion being that this was done in order that he might serve as

Tyler in a Lodge proposed to be formed in tho regiment . On leaving the town the officers presented to the Lodge a regimental trumpeter ' s banner of crimson silk , richly embroidered in gold and silver with the royal arms , and this is still suspended over the Master ' s chair in tho

Freemasons' Hall . Though Lord Rancliffe died , as we havo stated , in 1800 , it was several years before another Pro - vincial Grand Master was appointed , though an effort was made in 1807 , and again tho year following . In 1809 St . John ' s Lodge moved from the Three Cranes to tho Whito

Swann Inn , Market Place , and thonco in February 1812 was despatched a letter to Lord Rancliffe , soliciting him to become Prov . Grand Master . His Lordship replied affirmatively , expressing himself much honoured hy their choice , and promising that " by following ye steps of" his father

ho would endeavour to merit a continuance of their goodwill . This promise was certainly carried out , as during tho first twenty-one years of his tenure of the appointment he never fulfilled his duties , and it was by an accident that even then tho Prov . Grand Lodce was reconstituted .

However , not to anticipate matters , we find that on 4 th November of the year in which his Lordship accepted the appointment , a letter was written to him recommending that the Rev . Bro . W . Peters be appointed his deputy . Nothing is said as to the result of the recommendation , and

Bro . Kelly opines that , as Bro . Peters had held the office of Prov . Grand Master of Lincolnshire for twenty years , it was very probably declined . At a meeting on the 5 th May 18 L 3

we read " Bro . Kgrist Justin , member of a French Lodge at Ashby-de-la-Zouch " was present . So singular a record causes Bro . Kelly to travel oub of the direct road in order to give some account of it . Ho tells us that both at North-

“The Freemason's Chronicle: 1878-03-16, Page 1” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 2 Aug. 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fcn/issues/fcn_16031878/page/1/.
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HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY IN LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND. Article 1
GRAND LODGE OF MASSACHUSETTS. Article 2
GRAND LODGE OF VIRGINIA. Article 3
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 4
THE LATE QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION. Article 5
COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. Article 6
THE INSTALLATION MEETING OF THE KENT LODGE, No. 15. Article 6
THE " RECORD " ON FREEMASONRY Article 6
ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS. Article 7
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OUR WEEKLY BUDGET. Article 8
DIARY FOR THE WEEK Article 10
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WHY CANNOT WOMEN BE MASONS. Article 14
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History Of Freemasonry In Leicestershire And Rutland.

HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY IN LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND .

( Continued from ' page 82 . ) EOR many years wo note but isolated events in the history of the Craft in this Province . In 1791 the Festival of St . John the Baptist was celebrated , on the 27 th June , by the brethren of Sfc . John ' s Lodge going in

procession to Church ; and it was ordered that they shonld " appear on the occasion in cocked hats , and likewise that the Tyler bo clothed , at the expense of the Lodge , with a blue coat and waistcoat and corduroy breeches , the whole with yellow buttons , a pair of white stockings , and a

three-cornered hat ; and also that he be presented with a hairy cap to wear on public occasions , tho latter to l'emain the property of the Lodge . " The procession is described as having been numerous and respectable , the members being adorned with the insignia of the Craft , and

accompanied by music and banners , there being also an immense crowd of spectators , who " conducted themselves in the most perfect order and regularity . " On the 3 rd January 1793 , the nnmber of the Lodge was changed to 471 by the filling up of blanks caused by the erasure of Lodges

from the Roll , and it was announced on the samo day that the Prov . G . Master had appointed the Rev . Bro . William Peters , who was appointed in 1783 Grand Portrait Painter , and whose portraits of Lord Petre , the Princo of Wales , and tho Dukes of Cumberland and Manchester , adorn the

walls of Grand Lodge , to bo his Deputy , the same Rev . Bro . being also appointed Prov . G . Master of Lincolnshire by tho Prince of Wales G . M . On the 23 rd May of the same year a Lodge of Emergency was held , with a view to considering tho visit of the Prov . G . M ., and it was

resolved that those who maybe appointed Prov . G . Officers should pay for their expenses , and that certain brethren be recommended for appointment as such . On the 18 th June a Prov . G . Lodge was held at tho Lion and Dolphin Inn , under the presidency of tho Rev . Bro . Peters , and

Bro . E . Hodges , a highly respectable tradesman in the town , was invested as S . G . Warden for the ensuing year , commencing from St . John the Baptist's day , and other

appointments wero made , though , with one exception , none of them were in accordance with tho recommendations of tho Emergency meeting . At the same time , Bro . Peters , who , wo read , had heard of the virtues and abilities of the

son of Bro . Smith , " who is not yet a Mason , but it is probable will be one , " ordered that a blue apron be reserved for him as Prov . G . Painter . On tho 25 th July , an Emergency meeting was held under the presidency of the Prov . G . S . Warden Bro . Hodges ; and the Rev . Bro .

Thomas Hoe was invested with the bluo apron—white aprons being the order of the day among members of private Lodges—as Prov . G . Chaplain . On the 24 th June 1794 , the Rev , Bro . Peters , owing to the expected confinement of his wife , was unable to meet his brethren , but he

informs the Prov . G . Secretary that it is the pleasure of tho Prov . G . Master that , with the exception of the Wardens , the same Prov . G . Officers shall be continued for the ensuing year . He also states the brethren to be appointed S . and J . Wardens must be the two who have

contributed most largely to the subscription for the defence of the country , then being raised in the county , to which , at a Lodge of Emergency , the members of St . John ' s had agreed to contribute . No brethren , however , appear to have been appointed to these offices . On the 12 th July 1797 , the Rev . Samuel Oliver , the "Masonic Patriarch . "

History Of Freemasonry In Leicestershire And Rutland.

who was father of the well-known Masonic writer Bro . Rov . Dr . G . Oliver , and who died in 1847 at tho advanced ago of 9 ( 5 , was initiated in St . John ' s Lodgo , and was passed and raised on the Gth September . During his membership the Rev . Bro . wrote twelve Masonic songs , one for each

Lodge night , and ono for the festival . In Juno 1860 the original MSS . of theso songs wore presented , together with many of his own works , by the late Dr . G . Oliver , on tho occasion of his being elected an honorary member of tho Lodge . On the 12 th September the Lodge held a meeting

of Emergency , and a procession was formed to attend tho funeral of Quartermaster Thompson of the 14 th Light Dragoons , and lately a Knight Templar of Lodgo 273 Irish Constitution , and in this they wero assisted b y brethren of the "Ancient" Lodge No . 91 . Several

brethren of the Dragoons were present . In the year 1800 , Lord Rancliffe died , and on 4 th February 1801 a letter was written to the Dep . Prov . G . M ., requesting he would order a Prov . G . Lodge to be held with a view to appointing the P . G . Officers , in consequence of the death or removal of

several of them , but nothing resulted from the application . This year the Lodge removed to the Three Cranes Inn , Gallowtree Gate , from the Lion and Dolphin , Bro . Moore having requested them to do so , " as , in consequence of Mrs . Moore ' s objections , it militated against his peace of mind . "

Tho first meeting at the new quarters was held on tho loth July , when a number of tho officers of the Royal Horse Guards , two troops of which wore quartered in the town , were initiated , among them being Cornet Packo , tho samo who , as " tho gallant Major Packe , " fell at Waterloo .

On the 1 mi August two other officers of the samo regiment were initiated , and on tho 7 th of tho following month Private Thomas Draper , WTS proposed , initiated , and passed , and the next evening raised , Bro . Kelly ' s opinion being that this was done in order that he might serve as

Tyler in a Lodge proposed to be formed in tho regiment . On leaving the town the officers presented to the Lodge a regimental trumpeter ' s banner of crimson silk , richly embroidered in gold and silver with the royal arms , and this is still suspended over the Master ' s chair in tho

Freemasons' Hall . Though Lord Rancliffe died , as we havo stated , in 1800 , it was several years before another Pro - vincial Grand Master was appointed , though an effort was made in 1807 , and again tho year following . In 1809 St . John ' s Lodge moved from the Three Cranes to tho Whito

Swann Inn , Market Place , and thonco in February 1812 was despatched a letter to Lord Rancliffe , soliciting him to become Prov . Grand Master . His Lordship replied affirmatively , expressing himself much honoured hy their choice , and promising that " by following ye steps of" his father

ho would endeavour to merit a continuance of their goodwill . This promise was certainly carried out , as during tho first twenty-one years of his tenure of the appointment he never fulfilled his duties , and it was by an accident that even then tho Prov . Grand Lodce was reconstituted .

However , not to anticipate matters , we find that on 4 th November of the year in which his Lordship accepted the appointment , a letter was written to him recommending that the Rev . Bro . W . Peters be appointed his deputy . Nothing is said as to the result of the recommendation , and

Bro . Kelly opines that , as Bro . Peters had held the office of Prov . Grand Master of Lincolnshire for twenty years , it was very probably declined . At a meeting on the 5 th May 18 L 3

we read " Bro . Kgrist Justin , member of a French Lodge at Ashby-de-la-Zouch " was present . So singular a record causes Bro . Kelly to travel oub of the direct road in order to give some account of it . Ho tells us that both at North-

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