Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Grand Lodge Of Ireland And The "Antient" Grand Lodge Of England.
THE GRAND LODGE OF IRELAND AND THE "ANTIENT" GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND .
Without exhausting , in our recent article on these Grand Lodges , the evidence which is forthcoming from the ' •Antient " minutes , we have nevertheless adduced sufficient to demonstrate the justice of Bro . CHETWODF . CRAWLEY ' S proposition as to the
Irish orig in of the "Antient" Grand Lodge of England so far as regards the . community of Working between the two Bodies . As regards the Bye-laws of private Lodges , we find it recorded in the minutes of the ist April , 1752 , that "The Copy of the
Bye-laws for private Lodges as Written by the late G . Secretary J . Morgan was read and compared with Brother Lau : Dermott ' s copy of the Bye Laws of his former Lodge No 26 in the City of Dublin , and the , latter being deem'd the most correct it was
Unanimously Resolved that the most correct copy should be received and acknowledged as the onl y Bye Laws for private Lodges in future . And Public thanks given to Bro - Philip McLoughlin and Morgan for their good intentions and trouble in
drawing up the former byelaws . Here we have the most emphatic testimony that could be produced as to the influence that was exercised by Dermott , even at the outset of his career as Grand Secretary of the " Antients , " in modelling the English
Society of which he was the chief executive officer on the lines of the Irish Grand Lodge , while if the readers desire evidence of the antagonism that existed between the " Antient" and " Modern " or " Regular " systems of English Masonry , they will
find it in the memorandum attached to the minutes of the 5 th December , 1 75 a , in which , with reference to a certain "Bro . William Carroll a certified sojourner , " who was " relieved by Private subscription" on that day , we are told that the said
Bro . W . Carroll reported that he had applied for relief to the . Modern G . Lodge and been refused , and "that Mr . Spenser the Secretary to the Modern Society sent out the answer to Carroll ' s petition in the foDowingwords , viz ., 'Your being an Ancient Mason ,
you are not entitled to any of our Charity . The Ancient Masons have a lodge at the five Bells in the Strand and their Secretary ' s name is Dermott . Our Society is neither Arch , Royal Arch , or Ancient , so that you have no right to partake of our Charity . ' "
And by way of emphasising this disclaimer of Secretary Spenser , it is added "The petitioner Carroll delivered the Ori ginal paper written by Mr . Spenser to Mr . Dermott , G . S ., in whose custody it remains . "
Directing our attention in the next place to the very intimate relations which existed between the two Grand Lodges , we note in the minutes of the ist March , 1758—we may reasonably assume in reply to a communication from Grand Secretary
LV-rmott— " Heard a Letter from Mr . John Calder ( G . S . ) in Dublin wherein he assured the Grand Lodge of Antient Masons " 1 London that the Grand Lodge of Ireland did mutually concur " 1 a strict Union with the Antient Grand Lodge in London and
promised to keep a constant correspondence with them ; " and •inordingly it was " Order'd that the Grand Secretary shall draw U P an answer in the most Respectful and Brotherl y Terms therein the General thanks of this Grand Lodge shall be
con-Vl 7 ed and assure them that we will to the utmost of our power promote the welfare of the Craft in General . " However , for Hune years no correspondence appears to have been held between
l » e two bodies , nor is it till Dermott has been for some time ^ tlled in the office ol Deputy Grand Master to His Grace of Athole , G . M ., and Bro . W . Dickey has succeeded him in that of
The Grand Lodge Of Ireland And The "Antient" Grand Lodge Of England.
Grand Secretary that the subject of a correspondence between the two Bodies is again mentioned . In the minutes of the 2 nd September , 1772 , will be found a "Letter from Bro . Thos . Corker , D . G . Sec . Ireland to Laurence Dermott , " the . material parts of which are as follow :
( a ) " l ) r - Sir and B - — \ our highly esteemed favor of the 29 th April , also that of the ist May , Pr Bro . Duffy , I do now ( tho : late ) most thankfully acknowledge the Rec' of , and do assure you that I would have done so lon « since had not some
concerns of a particular nature prevented , which I flatter myself you will excuse . And now give me leave to inform you that I cannot find any traces of the agreement you mention as having been made between the Grand Lodges in 1757 , which must have
been a most unpardonable neglect at least , as nothing could have been more advantageous to our poor fraternity than a strict adherence to such a resolution , and which I hope in future
to cultivate or rather stabhsh on its original just and equitable foundation , which is a matter I find cannot be done without your kind assistance , and which I am induced to hope from your known generous disposition and great attachment to the Ancient Craft .
( b ) " f-rom what I have already said you will f hope think I knew not of such agreement being between the two G - Lodges , and must beg you to assure Mr . Wm . Dickey that his Letter to me was lost , or mislaid , and that my having forgot his name was
the sole cause of my not answering his favor , that I will now with the utmost gratitude acknowledge any favor . of the same sort I shall receive , and carefully continue a correspondence
with him , with you , Sir , or any of the worthy B in London . I beg leave to subscribe myself , Dr- Sir and Br- ( Signed ) Tho - Corker , D . G . Sec * - "
On this Grand Lodge adopted a resolution for a correspondence with the Grand Lodge of Ireland , and also with that of Scotland , and that this correspondence was forthwith inaugurated may be gathered from the minutes of a Grand Lodge of
Emergency , held on the 15 th December , 1773 , at which Dep . G . M . Dermott presided . -In these we read as follows : "Heard a Letter from Lodge No . 148 , at Gibraltar , setting forth that in the month of December last'they received a summons for to assemble
with other Lodges on St . John ' s Day , the 27 th of said month , in order to proceed in procession to Church , which meeting they attended accordingly , that a set of People who had their
authority from the Modem Grand Lodge , thought proper to dispute the legality of said Warrant 148 , and proceeded to other unwarrantable measures : that in said Garrison there was also
held the Lodges No . u , 244 , 290 , 359 , 420 , and 466 on the Registry of Ireland , and No . 5 8 on the Registry of Scotland ; that during these proceedings the Lodges No . 290 , u , 244 , and 4 66 on the Irish Registry supported the Lodge No . 14 S as
became Men and Masons , as tully appeared by their letter sent the 3 last May to the Deputy Grand Sec y- of Ireland . Also read the answer of the R . W . Grand Lodge of Ireland to said Letter . " It was accordingly " Order'd "—( 1 ) . " That the thanks
of this Grand Lodge be convey'd to the R . W . Grand Lodge of Ireland for their immediate Answer to the Lodges No . 299 , 11 , 244 , and 4 66 "; ( 2 ) . "That the thanks of the R . W . Grand Lodge be convey'd to the Grand Secretary of Ireland for the
despatch of said anssver "; and ( 3 ) . " That the thanks of this R . W . Grand Lodge be convey'd to Rob' - Dowling , Master , and Mich - Clarke , S . W . No . 290 ; Peter Reid , Master , and John Wilson , S . W . No . 11 ; Tho ' - Surman , Master , and John Lowry , No .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Grand Lodge Of Ireland And The "Antient" Grand Lodge Of England.
THE GRAND LODGE OF IRELAND AND THE "ANTIENT" GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND .
Without exhausting , in our recent article on these Grand Lodges , the evidence which is forthcoming from the ' •Antient " minutes , we have nevertheless adduced sufficient to demonstrate the justice of Bro . CHETWODF . CRAWLEY ' S proposition as to the
Irish orig in of the "Antient" Grand Lodge of England so far as regards the . community of Working between the two Bodies . As regards the Bye-laws of private Lodges , we find it recorded in the minutes of the ist April , 1752 , that "The Copy of the
Bye-laws for private Lodges as Written by the late G . Secretary J . Morgan was read and compared with Brother Lau : Dermott ' s copy of the Bye Laws of his former Lodge No 26 in the City of Dublin , and the , latter being deem'd the most correct it was
Unanimously Resolved that the most correct copy should be received and acknowledged as the onl y Bye Laws for private Lodges in future . And Public thanks given to Bro - Philip McLoughlin and Morgan for their good intentions and trouble in
drawing up the former byelaws . Here we have the most emphatic testimony that could be produced as to the influence that was exercised by Dermott , even at the outset of his career as Grand Secretary of the " Antients , " in modelling the English
Society of which he was the chief executive officer on the lines of the Irish Grand Lodge , while if the readers desire evidence of the antagonism that existed between the " Antient" and " Modern " or " Regular " systems of English Masonry , they will
find it in the memorandum attached to the minutes of the 5 th December , 1 75 a , in which , with reference to a certain "Bro . William Carroll a certified sojourner , " who was " relieved by Private subscription" on that day , we are told that the said
Bro . W . Carroll reported that he had applied for relief to the . Modern G . Lodge and been refused , and "that Mr . Spenser the Secretary to the Modern Society sent out the answer to Carroll ' s petition in the foDowingwords , viz ., 'Your being an Ancient Mason ,
you are not entitled to any of our Charity . The Ancient Masons have a lodge at the five Bells in the Strand and their Secretary ' s name is Dermott . Our Society is neither Arch , Royal Arch , or Ancient , so that you have no right to partake of our Charity . ' "
And by way of emphasising this disclaimer of Secretary Spenser , it is added "The petitioner Carroll delivered the Ori ginal paper written by Mr . Spenser to Mr . Dermott , G . S ., in whose custody it remains . "
Directing our attention in the next place to the very intimate relations which existed between the two Grand Lodges , we note in the minutes of the ist March , 1758—we may reasonably assume in reply to a communication from Grand Secretary
LV-rmott— " Heard a Letter from Mr . John Calder ( G . S . ) in Dublin wherein he assured the Grand Lodge of Antient Masons " 1 London that the Grand Lodge of Ireland did mutually concur " 1 a strict Union with the Antient Grand Lodge in London and
promised to keep a constant correspondence with them ; " and •inordingly it was " Order'd that the Grand Secretary shall draw U P an answer in the most Respectful and Brotherl y Terms therein the General thanks of this Grand Lodge shall be
con-Vl 7 ed and assure them that we will to the utmost of our power promote the welfare of the Craft in General . " However , for Hune years no correspondence appears to have been held between
l » e two bodies , nor is it till Dermott has been for some time ^ tlled in the office ol Deputy Grand Master to His Grace of Athole , G . M ., and Bro . W . Dickey has succeeded him in that of
The Grand Lodge Of Ireland And The "Antient" Grand Lodge Of England.
Grand Secretary that the subject of a correspondence between the two Bodies is again mentioned . In the minutes of the 2 nd September , 1772 , will be found a "Letter from Bro . Thos . Corker , D . G . Sec . Ireland to Laurence Dermott , " the . material parts of which are as follow :
( a ) " l ) r - Sir and B - — \ our highly esteemed favor of the 29 th April , also that of the ist May , Pr Bro . Duffy , I do now ( tho : late ) most thankfully acknowledge the Rec' of , and do assure you that I would have done so lon « since had not some
concerns of a particular nature prevented , which I flatter myself you will excuse . And now give me leave to inform you that I cannot find any traces of the agreement you mention as having been made between the Grand Lodges in 1757 , which must have
been a most unpardonable neglect at least , as nothing could have been more advantageous to our poor fraternity than a strict adherence to such a resolution , and which I hope in future
to cultivate or rather stabhsh on its original just and equitable foundation , which is a matter I find cannot be done without your kind assistance , and which I am induced to hope from your known generous disposition and great attachment to the Ancient Craft .
( b ) " f-rom what I have already said you will f hope think I knew not of such agreement being between the two G - Lodges , and must beg you to assure Mr . Wm . Dickey that his Letter to me was lost , or mislaid , and that my having forgot his name was
the sole cause of my not answering his favor , that I will now with the utmost gratitude acknowledge any favor . of the same sort I shall receive , and carefully continue a correspondence
with him , with you , Sir , or any of the worthy B in London . I beg leave to subscribe myself , Dr- Sir and Br- ( Signed ) Tho - Corker , D . G . Sec * - "
On this Grand Lodge adopted a resolution for a correspondence with the Grand Lodge of Ireland , and also with that of Scotland , and that this correspondence was forthwith inaugurated may be gathered from the minutes of a Grand Lodge of
Emergency , held on the 15 th December , 1773 , at which Dep . G . M . Dermott presided . -In these we read as follows : "Heard a Letter from Lodge No . 148 , at Gibraltar , setting forth that in the month of December last'they received a summons for to assemble
with other Lodges on St . John ' s Day , the 27 th of said month , in order to proceed in procession to Church , which meeting they attended accordingly , that a set of People who had their
authority from the Modem Grand Lodge , thought proper to dispute the legality of said Warrant 148 , and proceeded to other unwarrantable measures : that in said Garrison there was also
held the Lodges No . u , 244 , 290 , 359 , 420 , and 466 on the Registry of Ireland , and No . 5 8 on the Registry of Scotland ; that during these proceedings the Lodges No . 290 , u , 244 , and 4 66 on the Irish Registry supported the Lodge No . 14 S as
became Men and Masons , as tully appeared by their letter sent the 3 last May to the Deputy Grand Sec y- of Ireland . Also read the answer of the R . W . Grand Lodge of Ireland to said Letter . " It was accordingly " Order'd "—( 1 ) . " That the thanks
of this Grand Lodge be convey'd to the R . W . Grand Lodge of Ireland for their immediate Answer to the Lodges No . 299 , 11 , 244 , and 4 66 "; ( 2 ) . "That the thanks of the R . W . Grand Lodge be convey'd to the Grand Secretary of Ireland for the
despatch of said anssver "; and ( 3 ) . " That the thanks of this R . W . Grand Lodge be convey'd to Rob' - Dowling , Master , and Mich - Clarke , S . W . No . 290 ; Peter Reid , Master , and John Wilson , S . W . No . 11 ; Tho ' - Surman , Master , and John Lowry , No .