Provincial Grand Chapter Of West Yorkshire.

of Cers ., W . T . Boanlmd as Assistant Direotor of Ceremonies , Hy . North Crowther , W . P . Smithson , J . Read Dore , John Barker , Edmund Lord , Tn lor Trevor and Robert Ily . Armitaste P . Directors of Ceremonies , Georgo Frederick Carr as Organist , George Carbert

289 , 290 , 296 , 302 , 304 , 306 , 308 , 337 , 3 S 0 , 387 , 448 , 495 , 521 , 600 , 652 , 827 , 904 , 974 , 1001 , 1019 , 1042 , 1283 , 1462 , 1513 , 2069 .

Visitor—Comp . A . S . Townsend P . Z . 120 . Apologies for absence were received from the following Provincial Grand Officers : — Comps . Thomas Wm . Tew , J . P ., Grand Superintendent , T . W . Embleton Prov . G . H ., Thos . Uttley and John Shoesmith Prov . G . Stewards ,

Ja « . TerryJSecretary Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution and 146 Companions . Comp . C . L . Mason P . Z . 380 P . P . G . H . acting Grand Superintendent , and Officers , entered at 3 ' 30 p . m ., and Provincial Grand Lodge was opened in due form , after which the acting Grand

Superintendent and the Provincial Grand H . and J . were saluted . The roll of Chapters was called , and 32 out of 40 answered , after which the roll of Present and Past Provincial Grand Officers was called . The minutes of the meeting held at Sheffield , on Wednesday , 11 th May 1892 , were presented

for confirmation , when it was moved by Comp . J . R . Dore , seconded by Comp . H . T . E . Holmes and resolved " That the minutes be taken as read . " Comp . W . Harrop moved ) Comp . W . H . Jessop seconded , and it was resolved " That the minutes be confirmed . " The acting Grand Superintendent then delivered the following address : —

Companions , in assuming the chair to preside over yon at this your Provincial Grand Chapter , allow me in the first place to express my great regret , and I feel sure I may say yoar regret also , at tbe continued illness of oar Grand Superintendent , Comp . T . W . Tew . We all thought at the first that the illness of our revered ohief was

only of a temporary nature , and that ere long we should again welcome him in our midst , bnt as time passes along and he is still absent our hopes grow less and less , yet " while there is life there is hope , " and we can only leave the matter in the hands of the Most High , praying and trasting that He will direct all to His glory and

the welfare of our Order . I must therefore kindly ask you to bear with me while I endeavonr to disoharge the duties that have fallen npon me , for although I may not hold in your hearts the same affectionate place as our revered ohief , yet you may be assured that there is no one who takes a greater interest in tho prosperity and

welfare of onr order than he who now addresses yon . We have , Companions , a special object in our visit to Huddersfield to-day , viz : assisting in the celebration of tbe Centenary of the Perseverance Chapter , No . 275 . I shall shortly have the pleasure of calling npon our Companion Henry Smith Prov . G . S . E . to present on

behalf of our Grand Superintendent , the Cdnteuary Warrant to the Companions of tho Chapter under whoso Banner we meet to-day . I think I cannot better employ the few minutes placed at my disposal than by giving you some information as to the pust history of the Chapter . Onr excellent Companion A . H . J . Fletcher read an

address to the memb rs of the Perseverance Chapter , No . 275 , whioh address he has most kindly placed nt the disposal of tho Provincp , and from itlextiact the remarks I am now about to give : —The Charter of the Chapter was granted by the Grand Chnptsr on the 15 th March 1792 , and was number 86 on the roll , being the seventh warranted to meet in West Yorkshire , the others being .

Warranted To meet at No . 62 Holy Cross 15 th August 1788 Knaresboro ' „ 72 Unity Ootober 1790 Leeds ( did not however hold any meetings till 1796 ) „ 73 Sincaiity 22 nd November , 1790 Halifax

„ 74 Unanimity Ootober 1790 Wakefield „ 76 Judea 24 th Febraary 1791 Keigbley „ 83 Cumberland 27 th September 1791 Ripon „ 86 Perseverance 15 th March 1792 Halifax

The Charter for this Chapter was originally granted to the town of Halifax . That town seems to have been very active in Masonry , for out of tho seven above-named Chapters , two were granted to that town , one in 1790 , and the other in 1792 . I need hardly remind my hearers that both Lodge Harmony , 275 , aud Chapter Perseverance , 275 , were warranted to Halifax , but were removed to this town in 1837 .

The orig inal minute book from 1792 to 1802 has been lost , but fortunately many enteries relating to Eoyal Arch Masonry are entered in the Lodge minute books , whioh are perfect from 1789 . There appears to have been a very close connection between tho Lodge and the Chapter throughout . In the Lodgo account 20 th February 1792 , the following entry appears : paid to Bro . Cure for

E . A . C . £ 3 10 a . This no doubt , was for the warrant . On 10 th September 1792 , cash from E . A . C . £ 3 16 s 6 d showing repayment of the amount advanced . On the 11 th November 1793 , the Lodge minutes record the following : — "John Briar passed the chair , " This is a similar entry to

others which occur iu many other Lodge minutes . It is hardly necessary to remind the Companions that at this period , no ono was eligible to be exalted a B . A . M . unless he was an Iostalled Master . It soon became evident that no degree could flourish that could only be reoroited from so select a body as the Past Masters , so the expedient was hit upon o £ conferring the degree without having

and Thomas A . Mirsb . P . Organists , Herbert G . E . Green Assistant S . E ., Thomas Chester Janitor , William Fisher Tasker Steward , William Liycock as Steward , J . P . Hewitt and A . H . J . Fletcher Stewards . Also Principals , Past First Principals , and Companions of the following Chapters , viz .: —61 , 139 , 154 , 20 S , 258 , 264 , 265 , 275 ,

Provincial Grand Chapter Of West Yorkshire.

served the otfioe of Master , when ha was said to have " passed the ohair , " anrl thns became eligible for exaltatiou . E . Companion Fletcher states that this continued in this Province till 1850 , and tho last Brother who thus " passed the ohair , " was Bro . Thomas Collins , lately deceased . The . Lodge , from the minutes , appears to have held frequent meetings during its early exiatenoe , the only

business being " passing Brethren through the ohair , " and sometimes Brethren were " passed" who had only been raised tbe night before . This convenient " passing" did away with the requisite twelvo months' probation now required before proceeding to the R . A . The Chapter , it ia thought , met at the same plaoe as the Lodge , whioh is confirmed by the oldest minute book in the

possession of the Chapter , viz .: That the meeting in February 1803 was held at the " Lower George , " the same Inn at whioh tbe Lodge assembled . I think we must all join E . Companion Fletoh-w in his regret that the minutes of the Chapter are so very meagre , hardly anything , he states , is entered , but names . Our anoient Craftsmen respeoted their obligation of seoreoy , yet much could have been

recorded whioh at this distance of time would have been of deop interest to us . From a note in the minute book of Ootober 1805 , it ia recorded that the Companions of the Chapter , opened a Chapter at Batloy . This would be No . 129 Chapter , " Industry" Warrant dated 26 th Febraary 1805 , and whioh had but a short existenoe , only made one return and soon became extinct .

Compauiou Fletcher calls attention that about this date ( 1805 ) , it was agreed , " new . con , " that the degree of Super Excellent Mason shall be annexed to the Chapter . There is nothing in the minutes to Bhow how this degree was worked , but evidently it was worked quite distinct from the degree of R . A . Frequent accounts of its being conferred appear for many years after this resolution , and even after

the transfer of the Chapter to Huddersfield . In 1806 the fees for the Super Excellent Degree and Royal Arch were £ 110 s 6 d , and not more than 5 a was . to be spent at the exaltation of any Brother . At this time the meetings were held with great regularity , towards the end of every month , and the average attendance exceeded 15 . There is nothing recorded in the minutes

of muoh interest until 1813 , when the following appears among the transactions : " Unanimously agreed that no further registering fees shall be paid to the Grand Royal Aroh Chapter of England from this body , until proper accounts be giveu of the expenditure of the same . " During this year the Union of the two Grand Lodges took place , shortly followed by the settlement of Grand Chapter . Iu 1814 the

opening of the Prince George Lodge at Bottoms is noted , and every Companion attending the Ceremony was to have 2 s 6 d . A copy of the Chapter Bye-laws , of about 1816 , are still in existence and in the possession of the Chapter , the 13 th Law shows something at that time of the inner working of the Chapter . It reads : — " neither shall any in office or out of office call for any liquors to drink without

the consent of the Principals , " and in June of the same year , there ia a minute , " any member coming into the room after the Chapter and Books are closed , shall not be entitled to any liquor , but at his own expense . " E . Companion Fletcher remarks , " we are , I think , irrestibly led by these minutes to see that labour and refreshment were in those days taken together , without the formality of adjourning

from the one to the other , " In 1822 the Chapter obtained the Charter under which they at present work , and which is now hanging on the walls . Curiously enough , there is no traoo of the application for this warrant in the minutes , nor is there anything on the Warrant to show that the Chapter commenced work prior to 1822 , except ; that the date of the

first meeting of the Chapter is IJF : blaok on tho Warrant , nor is there any record of the surrender of the old Warrant , whioh was required to be done in order to obtain the new or \ e . Interest in the Chapter was well maintained until about the year 1830 , but from that time un'il the transfer to Huddersfield , in 1837 , it considerably decline ! . In 1835 there are only three meetings

recordcl aud none after that year till 1838 . Tho Companions , however , still regarded themselves as a Chapter , retained their warrant and paid contributions . Iu 1837 , the Chapter whioh then met or bad last met at tho " Lower George Inn , " Halifax , was transferred to Huddersfield . The inventory of its possessions is still preserved , and includes , "Pillars , " "Arch and Box , "" Six Crowns , " ( these Com .

panion Fletoher remarks , cannot have been of gold , for they were only valued at 10 ? , " Three Minute Books , " showing there must have been one from 1792 to 1802 ) , and last " Chains and HandooftV' All the Companions who moved the Cnapter from Halifax to Huddersfield are described as " Joining Companions , " thus showing that they considered tbe Chapter alive and able to be joined . Toe

name 3 are all familiar ones to the Lodge of Harmony , and the two bodies , the Lodgo and the Chapter , were at that time practically identical , tho Chapter smaller than tho Lodge , and drjiwiug its rnem bers almost exclusively from the Lodge . There is an entry in 1839 , that Bro . S . T . W . Gawthorpe " passed the veils , " and that he was then exalted to the "Excellent aud

' Super Excellent' degree . " Gradually the distinction between the Excellent and Super Excellent Masons and the R . A . had become more and more confused . In 1841 the degree of R . A . is called for the last time Super Excellent , and after that date there are only r : cords of the R . A . bping c . tiferrod . In 1813 Bro . G . IV . Brook was exalted , who is still living . It is to be regretted that he is no longer a woiking

Companion , and that he is not with ii 3 to-day , as probably he might give us remiuisceuots not at all uninteresting . In 1845 there are records of an alteration in the working of the ChapFer . In this year E . Companion Armitage , whose Masonio jubilee has just been celebrated in the Harmony Lodge , 275 , was exaltail a Royal Arch Mason , aud whom we welcome amongst ua

tjday . In 1847 new Bye-Laws were framed , and the state of the Chapter dors not nppear to have been altogether satisfactory , as a Committee was appointed to report on it . Iu 1848 there are several mentions of excc'lent " oyster suppers , " which ( as E . Companion Fletcher states ) seem to have taken the plaoe of work . In 1852 a Companion from Hull was preBont " to install tho Olhoers aooordiug