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Time Immemorial Lodges.
stitution sacred , while they chose to exist as a lodge , and act in obedience to the ancient Constitutions . " The words in italics were aimed at the three other Time
Immemorial Lodges , which assisted in the formation of the Grand Lodge . This will be rendered clearer by an examination of the " Manifesto of the Rig ht Worshipful Lodge of Antiquity , 177 8 , " a portion of which I reproduce : — remains
" And whereas , at this present time , there only one of the said four original lodges—the Old Lodge of St . Paul , or , as it is now emphatically styled , the Lodge of Antiquity . Two of the said four ancient lodges having been extinct many years , [ orig inal Nos . 2 and 3—the latter being present Fortitude Master of the other of
and . Old Cumberland , No . 12 ] , and the them [ original No . 4—present Royal Somerset House and Inverness . No 4 ] having , on the part of his lodge , in open Grand Lodge relinquished all such such inherent rights and privileges which , as as a private lodge acting by an immemorial Constitution it enjoyed . "
It is worthy of remark , that in the opinion of William Preston , as expressed in the " Illustrations of Masonry , " 1 792 ( and in subsequent editions ) there was a surrender of its ancient ( or inherent ) rights on the part of orig inal No . 3 ( Eortitude and Old Cumberland ) , as well as on that of Original No . 4 ( Royal
Somerset House and Inverness . ) He observes , " The old Lodge No . 3 , in February , 1722-3 , was removed to the Queen's Head , in Knave's Acre , on account of some difference among its
members , and the members who met there came under a new Constitution ; though , says the ' Book of Constitutions , ' they wanted it not , and ranked as No . 10 in the list . Thus they inconsiderately renounced their former rank under an Immemorial
Constitution . " But he goes on to say , and in a very different frame of mind from that in which he penned those controversial writings , the " State of Facts , " and the " Manifesto : "" It is a question that will admit of some discussion , whether
any of the above old lodges [ i . e ., The Four ] can , while they exist as lodges , surrender their rig hts ; as those rights seem to have been granted by the old Masons of the Metropolis to them in trust : and any individual member of the four old lodges might object to the surrender , and in that case they never could be given up . "
I have nearly come to the end of my digression which will now . close with a statement of the object with which it has been introduced .
A good many years ago ( 18 7 8 ) I commented on the depreciatory language used by Preston in regard to the sister lodges who co-operated with present " Antiquity" in laying thc corner stone of our present system of Masonry , in 1717 , as " illustrating the absence of cohesion among the Four Old Lodges , who unitedly might have preserved their privileges for all time . "
The attempt , therefore , which is now being made at the instance of existing No . 12 , to arrange for a celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the Grand Lodge of England , by the three surviving lodges which were present at that memorable event , has my heartiest sympathy ; and if I have slightly
drifted from my main thesis , it has been with a wish to point out how disastrous to our English Time Immemorial Lodges have been the consequences of a want of union in the past , to
suggest a fraternal alliance in the present , and to express a confident hope in the efficacy of a " triple tie " as a talisman to avert any further loss of their ancient privileges in the near or remote future .
Returning to the argument of William Preston , " It evidently appears , " he observes , " that the resolutions ofthe Grand Lodge could have no effect on the Lodge of Antiquity , after the publication of the manifesto which avowed its separation , nor while the members of that Lodge continued to meet regularly as
heretofore , and to promote the laudable purposes of Masonry on their old independent foundation . The Lodge of Antiquity , it was asserted , could not be dissolved while the majority of its members kept together , and acted in conformity to the original
constitutions , and no edict of the Grand Lodge , or of its Committees , could deprive the members of that Lodge of a right which had been admitted to be vested in themselves , collectively , from time immemorial , a right which had not been derived from , or ever ceded to , any Grand Lodge whatever . "
In bringing his remarks to a conclusion , the author of the " Illustrations of Masonry , " makes this manly declaration ' Although I have considerably abridged my observations on this unfortunate dispute in the latter editions of this treatise , I
still think it proper to record my sentiments on the subject , in justice to the gentlemen with whom I have long associated ; and to convince my Brethren that our re-union with the Society has " i ? 4 uce { ^ me * ° 7 well-grounded opinion , or deviate from the strict line of consistency which I have hitherto pursued .. "
Time Immemorial Lodges.
In 1779 , the Lodge of Antiquity became the "Grand Lodge of England South of the Trent , " and proceeded to establish daughter lodges . This invites a comparison with the proceedings of the ancient Lodge of Kilwinning , which although a consenting
party to the erection of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1 736 , withdrew from it in 1 743 , and re-asserting its independence , continued to exercise all the functions of a Grand Lodge until 1807 , when a reconciliation was happily effected with the " Grand Body" which had been called into existence in 1736 .
The Scottish lodges , however—still existing—of higher antiquity than their Grand Lodge , will form the subject of a separate study , and the analogy between the fortunes of " Mother Kilwinning " and those of our premier English lodge , I shall pass over for the present , though it will be well to bear in mind
that the principle involved in the secession of either of the two constituent particles of a Grand Lodge , was identical , and , therefore , that whatever reasoning is regarded as being conclusive in the one instance , should , without doubt , be considered as equally applicable and convincing in the other .
Preston ' s argument ,. to the effect that the Grand Lodge of England had no power to endow a minority of the members of the Lodge of Antiquity with the rights of the majority , appears to me absolutely conclusive of the point which he sought to establish . It may , indeed , be conceded , that the position and
rank of the senior lodge , could have been conferred upon any set of brethren whom the Grand Lodge might choose to name . These , also without doubt , might have been allowed to style themselves " The Lodge of Antiquity , No . 1 , " —but , with equal
certainty , of the body so established the remark would have applied , they " came under a new Constitution , " and without the salvo ( which follows these words in the case of Original No . 3 , as given by Dr . Anderson in 1 73 S ) , "though they wanted it not . "
In other words , it was quite impossible for the Grand Lodge to transfer the ancient rights of the Lodge of Antiquity from a majority to a minority—or to put the matter in a different form , the Governing Masonic Body , organised in 1717 , was
incompetent to grant an Immemorial Constitution , which is precisely what it was presumed to have done by arrogating to itself the right of confiscating the privileges of the real , and arbitraril y bestowing them upon the nominal Lodge of Antiquity .
The actual lodge , therefore , I maintain—in opposition to the view expressed by Bro . Hughan—was unquestionably represented by those members who seceded from the Grand Lodge .
The order of seniorit y in which the four oldest lodges were arranged by Dr . Anderson may justify a few remarks . The "Approbation" of the earliest " Book of Constitutions" ( 1723 ) was followed by the signatures of ( he Masters and Wardens of 20 London lodges . The officers of what is now the " Lodge of
Antiquity" were shown at the lirst number . The second place was occupied by those of the lodge at the Queen ' s Head , Turnstile , formerly at the Crown , now defunct . The representatives of our present day " Fortitude and Old Cumberland " and " Royal Somerset House and Inverness" then follow at the numbers 3
and 4 respectively . This is the only occasion where the Four Lodges are shown in the above order of precedency in any printed list down to , and inclusive of , the year 1737 . After that
date , however , in the "Constitutions" of 1738 ( p . 109 ) , the names and descriptions of the Four are given by Anderson in the same numerical order , as the founders and creators of the Grand Lodge of 1717 .
The representatives of the Four Lodges probably signed the " Constitutions " of 1723 , according to their respective seniority , but of this there is nocertainity . According to the Engraved List for 1729 , Original No . r ( "Antiquity" ) was " constituted "
in iogi . and Original No . 2 in 1712 . No date of formation is assigned to Original No . 4 ( Royal Somerset House and Inverness ) ; but it may be supposed to have been established between 1712 and 1717 .
The age of Original No . 3 ( Fortitude and Old Cumberland ) cannot be even approximately determined . It occupied the second place on the Engraved List for 1723 and 1725 , and probably continued to do so until 1728 . The position of the lodge in 1729 must have been wholly determined by the date of its
" new constitution , and , therefore , affords no clue to its actual seniority . It is quite impossible to say whether it was established earlier or later than Ori ginal No . 2 ( 1712 ) , nor can we be
altogether sure—if we assume the precedency in such matters to be regulated by dates of formation—that '' Fortitude and Old Cumberland" would be justified in yielding the first place even to the Lodge of Antiquity itself . , The histories of many English lodges have been written , and it is a . little surprising that among the number there are none
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Time Immemorial Lodges.
stitution sacred , while they chose to exist as a lodge , and act in obedience to the ancient Constitutions . " The words in italics were aimed at the three other Time
Immemorial Lodges , which assisted in the formation of the Grand Lodge . This will be rendered clearer by an examination of the " Manifesto of the Rig ht Worshipful Lodge of Antiquity , 177 8 , " a portion of which I reproduce : — remains
" And whereas , at this present time , there only one of the said four original lodges—the Old Lodge of St . Paul , or , as it is now emphatically styled , the Lodge of Antiquity . Two of the said four ancient lodges having been extinct many years , [ orig inal Nos . 2 and 3—the latter being present Fortitude Master of the other of
and . Old Cumberland , No . 12 ] , and the them [ original No . 4—present Royal Somerset House and Inverness . No 4 ] having , on the part of his lodge , in open Grand Lodge relinquished all such such inherent rights and privileges which , as as a private lodge acting by an immemorial Constitution it enjoyed . "
It is worthy of remark , that in the opinion of William Preston , as expressed in the " Illustrations of Masonry , " 1 792 ( and in subsequent editions ) there was a surrender of its ancient ( or inherent ) rights on the part of orig inal No . 3 ( Eortitude and Old Cumberland ) , as well as on that of Original No . 4 ( Royal
Somerset House and Inverness . ) He observes , " The old Lodge No . 3 , in February , 1722-3 , was removed to the Queen's Head , in Knave's Acre , on account of some difference among its
members , and the members who met there came under a new Constitution ; though , says the ' Book of Constitutions , ' they wanted it not , and ranked as No . 10 in the list . Thus they inconsiderately renounced their former rank under an Immemorial
Constitution . " But he goes on to say , and in a very different frame of mind from that in which he penned those controversial writings , the " State of Facts , " and the " Manifesto : "" It is a question that will admit of some discussion , whether
any of the above old lodges [ i . e ., The Four ] can , while they exist as lodges , surrender their rig hts ; as those rights seem to have been granted by the old Masons of the Metropolis to them in trust : and any individual member of the four old lodges might object to the surrender , and in that case they never could be given up . "
I have nearly come to the end of my digression which will now . close with a statement of the object with which it has been introduced .
A good many years ago ( 18 7 8 ) I commented on the depreciatory language used by Preston in regard to the sister lodges who co-operated with present " Antiquity" in laying thc corner stone of our present system of Masonry , in 1717 , as " illustrating the absence of cohesion among the Four Old Lodges , who unitedly might have preserved their privileges for all time . "
The attempt , therefore , which is now being made at the instance of existing No . 12 , to arrange for a celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the Grand Lodge of England , by the three surviving lodges which were present at that memorable event , has my heartiest sympathy ; and if I have slightly
drifted from my main thesis , it has been with a wish to point out how disastrous to our English Time Immemorial Lodges have been the consequences of a want of union in the past , to
suggest a fraternal alliance in the present , and to express a confident hope in the efficacy of a " triple tie " as a talisman to avert any further loss of their ancient privileges in the near or remote future .
Returning to the argument of William Preston , " It evidently appears , " he observes , " that the resolutions ofthe Grand Lodge could have no effect on the Lodge of Antiquity , after the publication of the manifesto which avowed its separation , nor while the members of that Lodge continued to meet regularly as
heretofore , and to promote the laudable purposes of Masonry on their old independent foundation . The Lodge of Antiquity , it was asserted , could not be dissolved while the majority of its members kept together , and acted in conformity to the original
constitutions , and no edict of the Grand Lodge , or of its Committees , could deprive the members of that Lodge of a right which had been admitted to be vested in themselves , collectively , from time immemorial , a right which had not been derived from , or ever ceded to , any Grand Lodge whatever . "
In bringing his remarks to a conclusion , the author of the " Illustrations of Masonry , " makes this manly declaration ' Although I have considerably abridged my observations on this unfortunate dispute in the latter editions of this treatise , I
still think it proper to record my sentiments on the subject , in justice to the gentlemen with whom I have long associated ; and to convince my Brethren that our re-union with the Society has " i ? 4 uce { ^ me * ° 7 well-grounded opinion , or deviate from the strict line of consistency which I have hitherto pursued .. "
Time Immemorial Lodges.
In 1779 , the Lodge of Antiquity became the "Grand Lodge of England South of the Trent , " and proceeded to establish daughter lodges . This invites a comparison with the proceedings of the ancient Lodge of Kilwinning , which although a consenting
party to the erection of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1 736 , withdrew from it in 1 743 , and re-asserting its independence , continued to exercise all the functions of a Grand Lodge until 1807 , when a reconciliation was happily effected with the " Grand Body" which had been called into existence in 1736 .
The Scottish lodges , however—still existing—of higher antiquity than their Grand Lodge , will form the subject of a separate study , and the analogy between the fortunes of " Mother Kilwinning " and those of our premier English lodge , I shall pass over for the present , though it will be well to bear in mind
that the principle involved in the secession of either of the two constituent particles of a Grand Lodge , was identical , and , therefore , that whatever reasoning is regarded as being conclusive in the one instance , should , without doubt , be considered as equally applicable and convincing in the other .
Preston ' s argument ,. to the effect that the Grand Lodge of England had no power to endow a minority of the members of the Lodge of Antiquity with the rights of the majority , appears to me absolutely conclusive of the point which he sought to establish . It may , indeed , be conceded , that the position and
rank of the senior lodge , could have been conferred upon any set of brethren whom the Grand Lodge might choose to name . These , also without doubt , might have been allowed to style themselves " The Lodge of Antiquity , No . 1 , " —but , with equal
certainty , of the body so established the remark would have applied , they " came under a new Constitution , " and without the salvo ( which follows these words in the case of Original No . 3 , as given by Dr . Anderson in 1 73 S ) , "though they wanted it not . "
In other words , it was quite impossible for the Grand Lodge to transfer the ancient rights of the Lodge of Antiquity from a majority to a minority—or to put the matter in a different form , the Governing Masonic Body , organised in 1717 , was
incompetent to grant an Immemorial Constitution , which is precisely what it was presumed to have done by arrogating to itself the right of confiscating the privileges of the real , and arbitraril y bestowing them upon the nominal Lodge of Antiquity .
The actual lodge , therefore , I maintain—in opposition to the view expressed by Bro . Hughan—was unquestionably represented by those members who seceded from the Grand Lodge .
The order of seniorit y in which the four oldest lodges were arranged by Dr . Anderson may justify a few remarks . The "Approbation" of the earliest " Book of Constitutions" ( 1723 ) was followed by the signatures of ( he Masters and Wardens of 20 London lodges . The officers of what is now the " Lodge of
Antiquity" were shown at the lirst number . The second place was occupied by those of the lodge at the Queen ' s Head , Turnstile , formerly at the Crown , now defunct . The representatives of our present day " Fortitude and Old Cumberland " and " Royal Somerset House and Inverness" then follow at the numbers 3
and 4 respectively . This is the only occasion where the Four Lodges are shown in the above order of precedency in any printed list down to , and inclusive of , the year 1737 . After that
date , however , in the "Constitutions" of 1738 ( p . 109 ) , the names and descriptions of the Four are given by Anderson in the same numerical order , as the founders and creators of the Grand Lodge of 1717 .
The representatives of the Four Lodges probably signed the " Constitutions " of 1723 , according to their respective seniority , but of this there is nocertainity . According to the Engraved List for 1729 , Original No . r ( "Antiquity" ) was " constituted "
in iogi . and Original No . 2 in 1712 . No date of formation is assigned to Original No . 4 ( Royal Somerset House and Inverness ) ; but it may be supposed to have been established between 1712 and 1717 .
The age of Original No . 3 ( Fortitude and Old Cumberland ) cannot be even approximately determined . It occupied the second place on the Engraved List for 1723 and 1725 , and probably continued to do so until 1728 . The position of the lodge in 1729 must have been wholly determined by the date of its
" new constitution , and , therefore , affords no clue to its actual seniority . It is quite impossible to say whether it was established earlier or later than Ori ginal No . 2 ( 1712 ) , nor can we be
altogether sure—if we assume the precedency in such matters to be regulated by dates of formation—that '' Fortitude and Old Cumberland" would be justified in yielding the first place even to the Lodge of Antiquity itself . , The histories of many English lodges have been written , and it is a . little surprising that among the number there are none