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Article A Masonic Family. ← Page 2 of 5 Article A Masonic Family. Page 2 of 5 →
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A Masonic Family.
with the Grand Lodge of England . But , before proceeding to describe the Masonic achievements of the most prominent members of this family who have been at the same time members of our Order , let us give a brief account of the family itself . Lord Woodlumselce . in the " Transactions of the Royal Society "
—ns quoted by the late Sir Edmund Burke in his Peerage , and by the author of an article entitled "The Earl of Zetland" in a serial publication called " Celebrities of tlie Day ; British and Foreign , " for July , 18 S 2—in speaking of the Dundases , describes them as " descendants of a family to which the historian and the genealogist
have assigned an origin of high antiquity and splendour , but which has been still more remarkable for producing a series of men eminently distinguished for their public services in the highest offices in Scotland , " and , in support of this statement , the writer of the aforesaid article proceeds to enumerate , though in a somewhat straggling
manner , some of tbe most eminent of the said Dundases . Thus , we are told of a Hugh Dundas , the friend and companion of William Wallace , who was " a man of remarkable courage and merit , " and whose son , a friend of Robert the Bruce , was slain at the . battle of Divpplin in 1332 ; of Alexander Dundas , of Fingask , five of whoso sons were
slain at Floddenfield in 1513 ; of Archibald Dundas , of the same branch of the family , who was held in high estimation b y James VI . of Scotland—James I . of Great Britain and Ireland ; of George Dundas , of Dundas , who in the great Civil War espoused tho cause of tho Parliament , and was one of the Commission that tried the
Marquis of Montrose ; and of Sir J . Dundas , of Fingask , who ruined his estate in behalf of the King , and was by him knighted in 1 ( 533 . It was this latter Dundas ' s great grandson , Lawrence , who for some years represented the City of Edinburgh in tho Parliament of Great Britain , who for his services as commissary and contractor to the
forces from 1748 to 17 ; J 9 was created a baronet in li 62 , and from whom the present Marquis of Zetland is lineally descended . In 17 S 1 Sir Lawrence was succeeded by his son Sir Thomas , who was M . P . for Stirlingshire , 17 C 8-9 , and Lord-Lieutenant and Viee-Admiral of Orkney and Shetland—the estates of the ancient earldom of Orkney
and Shetland had been purchased by Sir Lawrence Dundas of his brother Thomas Dundas , of Fingask , in 176 C—and who in 1794 was created a peer of Great Britain by the style and title of Baron Dundas of Aske in the County of York . In 1820 , Lord Dundas died , and was succeeded by his son Lawrence , who in 1838 , at tho
Coronation of the Queen , was advanced to the dignity of an earldom , being created Earl of Zetland in flic peerage of tho United Kingdom . Dying in 1839 , he was succeeded by his son Thomas , M . P . for Richmond 1818-30 , for York 1830-2 , and 1833-5 , and again for Richmond from 1 S 35 till his accession to the peerage . On the death of the
second Earl , tho title and estates devolved on his nephew Lawrence , eldest son of the Hon . John Charles Dundas , M . P ., and present peer , who for his services as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland during the latter years of Lord Salisbury ' s administration was advanced a step higher in the peerage , and became Marquis of Zetland . Of tho
many distinctions won by other members of the Dundas family , let it suffice to state that one became President of the Court of Session , Scotland , taking the title of Lord Arniston , and that a son of his in 1802 was created Viscount Melville ; and that the second son of Thomas Dundas of Fingask , elder brother of Lawrence , was in 1832 created Lord Aniosbury , a daughter of whom married Captain
Jnnies Whitley Deans Dundas , afterwards Admiral Sir J . W . D . Dundas , G . C . B ., who commanded the British Fleet which bombarded Od » ssn and Sehustopol during the Crimean War , and who in 1839 was J . O . Warden of England ; and that Fred . Dundas , M . P . for Orkney and Shetland , a grandson of the first earl , was S . G . Warden of England in 181-9 .
¦ But it is time we gave our attention to the . Masonic members of the Family , who have successively sat in the House of Lords cither as Baron Dundas of Aske or as Earl or Marquis of Zetland , the first , in order of priority being
Loitti Di .-xn . vs , Dr . rrn- GRAND MASTER . As regards the offices his lordship held and the lodges of which he was a member , my researches have not been attended with any very remarkable degree of success , bnt I have ascertained , among other things , ( hat on the 27 th November , 1816 , he was elected a joining
member of the Lodge of Antiquity , No . 2 , and that in 1818 he was , according to the late Pro . Col . Shudwell H . Clcrkc ' s brief historical sketch of the Royal Alpha Lodge , No . l ( i , a member of that distinguished body . On the 12 th May , 1813 , on the installation of the Duke of Sussex as M . W . G . M . of the regular Grand Lodge of
England , his Royal Highness was pleased to appoint Bro . Lord Dundas his Deputy , and on the consummation of the Union of the rival Societies of •' Ancient'' and " Modern" Masons , on the 27 th December of ( he same year his lordship retained his ollice . He was obligated and installed on Monday , the 2 nd May , 1814 ,
proclamation of the fact being made in the manner following : " lie it . Known ---The High ! II uruble nn . l Right , Worshi pful Thomas Lord Dundas , Lord Lieutenant -and Vice-Admiral of Orkney and Shetland , AM-., ivc . itc . is installed Deputy Grand Master of ( he United Grand Lodge of Anlieut free-Masons of England for the . year of our Lord ,
1814 ; whom may God long preserve ! " In 1815 , Bro . Lord Dundas , iii-ling in behalf of the Duke of Sussex , presided as Chairman at the Festival of the Hoys' School . His lordship remained in ollice fill Lis death in IS 20 , and was succeeded the year following b y his eldest son and successor in Ihe title and estates—
A Masonic Family.
LAWRENCE , SECOND LORD DUNDAS , AND FIRST EARL OP ZETLAND , PRO GKAND MASTER . His lordship was born 10 th April , 1766 . As tho Hon . Lawrence Dundas , he was for many years M . P . for York , of which cit y he was also an Alderman and Lord Mayor . In 1794 ho married Harriet ,
daughter of General Halo , by whom he had a numerous family . He died on tho 8 th February , 183 . 9 , having only a few months previously been created Earl of Zetland . In early life he was a close friend of the Duke of Sussex , and like his Royal Highness , obtained his first insight into Masonry in a lodge in foreign parts— -the Lodge of
Perfect Harmony , of Palermo . In the Grand Lodge Register of the Lodge of Union , York—now the York Lodge , No . 236—I find under date of 1802 , three members of the Dundas family , namely the Hon . G . H . L . Dundas , Captain in the Navy , and the Hon Rev . Thos . L . Dundas , who were admitted on the 27 th August , and the Hon . L .
Dundas , M . P ., on tho 0 th September of that year ; while in Bro . Fcnn ' s " History of the Prince of Wales' Lodge , No . 259 , " the same Hon . Lawrence Dundas , M . P ., is entered as having joined in 1803 from the Lodge of Perfect Harmony , Palermo , already mentioned . On the 25 th April , 1821 , the Duke of Sussex appointed him Deputy Grand
Master in succession to his father . In January , 1822 , he was elected , and on the 17 th May following was installed " with great splendour " Deputy Master , under H . R . H . the Duke of York , of tho Prince of Wales' Lodge . In 1824 he was re-appointed Deputy Grand Master , and remained in office fill the 30 th April , 1834 , when in
conseseqnence of his Royal Highness , the M . W . Grand Master , being affected with cataract in both eyes , the office of Acting or Pro G . Master was revived and conferred upon his lordship . At this post , he remained until his death in 1839 , having in the interim , as already slated , been advanced to the dignity of an Earl of tho
United Kingdom by the style and title of Earl of Zetland . The one oilier office of distinction which was held by his lordshi p in Craft Masonry was that conferred upon him in 1817 , when Yorkshire , having become too large for the control of a single chief , was broken ui ) into two Provinces , that , of West Yorkshire being retained by
Bro . Rob . Peniberion Milnes , who had been for 12 years Prov . G . Master of the whole county , while that , of the North and East Ridings was assigned to Bro . tlie Hon . Lawrence Dundas—as lie then was—and governed by him until his death , as aforesaid , in 1839 . In Royal Arch Masonry his lordship held the offices in
Supremo Grand Chapter corresponding with tliosc held b y liini in Grand Lodge ; that is to say , he was Grand H . when Dep . G . M ., and Pro Grand M . E . Z . when Pro Grand Master . It should , howover , be added that , according to the Grand Lodge Calendar , ho was elected Grand H . in 1817 , being annually re-elected until 1821 ,
when he became Grand Second Principal virlute officii . He was also for many years , and until his death , Grand Superintendent of the Degree for tbe Province of N . and E . Yorkshire . In 1834 , when D . G . M ., and again in 1837 , when Pro G . Master , he presided as
Chairman at the Anniversary 1 ' estival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , and I have no doubt that had the records of all these anniversaries been carefully preserve i , we should find that his lordshi p had evinced as great an interest in the welfare of both our Scholastic Institutions ns he had manifested in the duties of the various offices
in Grand and Prov . Grand Lodge and Chapter and in private lodges and chapters which had been conferred upon him . There is , indeed , no question that he was one of the ablest and most zealous among the leading . Masons of his time . The Freemasons'' Quarterly Iieeietu for 1839 , after describing his . Masonic career , delivers itself of the
following eulogy of his lordship ; "In all the grades of Masonic duty the late Earl proved his services to be most efficient . As Deputy Master of the Prince of Wales Lodge , his presidency was marked by the strictest , observance of the laws and regulations ; as Deputy Grand Master , the Book of Constitutions was his study ; as
Pro Grand Master , he maintained his exalted dignity us became himself and the Grand Master whom he represented ; and in every relation of nobleman and Brother , he fulfilled the duties , which he believed his MAKER had directed him to perform , with the most exemplary fidelity . " This is high praise , indeed , nor is there the
slightest chance that , while Freemasonry retains the firm hold it has gained in this country the memory of the many and valuable services rendered to it by Lawrence second Lord Dundas and first Earl of Zetland during a brilliant career , which extended over close upon 40 years , will be forgotten .
THOMAS , Siico . vn EARi . OK ZETLAND , M . \ V . GRAND MASTER . Of the Masonic career of this distinguished brother , the third member in direct lineal descent of the Dundas family , who has played a principal part in the government of Masonry in this country , there is no lack of material from which to compile a memorial worth y of
his great and important services to the Craft . His lordship was born in 1795 and for upwards of 50 years was a member of one or other House of Parliament . He sat in the House of Commons as M . P . for Richmond from ISIS to 1830 , for the City of York from 1830 to 1832 , ami again from 1833 to 1835 , and for Richmond from 1835 till lii . s accession to the peerage on the death of his father in 1839 . He
was initiated in the Prince of Wales Lodge , Jso . 259 , on the 18 th June , 1830 . In 1832 the Duke of Sussex conferred upon him the collar of Junior Grand Warden . During the years 1837 and 1838 he served as Deputy Master of his mother lodge under the Duke of Sussex . In 18 : 59 be was appointed Deputy Grand Master of England , and two years later , shortl y after the lamented death of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Masonic Family.
with the Grand Lodge of England . But , before proceeding to describe the Masonic achievements of the most prominent members of this family who have been at the same time members of our Order , let us give a brief account of the family itself . Lord Woodlumselce . in the " Transactions of the Royal Society "
—ns quoted by the late Sir Edmund Burke in his Peerage , and by the author of an article entitled "The Earl of Zetland" in a serial publication called " Celebrities of tlie Day ; British and Foreign , " for July , 18 S 2—in speaking of the Dundases , describes them as " descendants of a family to which the historian and the genealogist
have assigned an origin of high antiquity and splendour , but which has been still more remarkable for producing a series of men eminently distinguished for their public services in the highest offices in Scotland , " and , in support of this statement , the writer of the aforesaid article proceeds to enumerate , though in a somewhat straggling
manner , some of tbe most eminent of the said Dundases . Thus , we are told of a Hugh Dundas , the friend and companion of William Wallace , who was " a man of remarkable courage and merit , " and whose son , a friend of Robert the Bruce , was slain at the . battle of Divpplin in 1332 ; of Alexander Dundas , of Fingask , five of whoso sons were
slain at Floddenfield in 1513 ; of Archibald Dundas , of the same branch of the family , who was held in high estimation b y James VI . of Scotland—James I . of Great Britain and Ireland ; of George Dundas , of Dundas , who in the great Civil War espoused tho cause of tho Parliament , and was one of the Commission that tried the
Marquis of Montrose ; and of Sir J . Dundas , of Fingask , who ruined his estate in behalf of the King , and was by him knighted in 1 ( 533 . It was this latter Dundas ' s great grandson , Lawrence , who for some years represented the City of Edinburgh in tho Parliament of Great Britain , who for his services as commissary and contractor to the
forces from 1748 to 17 ; J 9 was created a baronet in li 62 , and from whom the present Marquis of Zetland is lineally descended . In 17 S 1 Sir Lawrence was succeeded by his son Sir Thomas , who was M . P . for Stirlingshire , 17 C 8-9 , and Lord-Lieutenant and Viee-Admiral of Orkney and Shetland—the estates of the ancient earldom of Orkney
and Shetland had been purchased by Sir Lawrence Dundas of his brother Thomas Dundas , of Fingask , in 176 C—and who in 1794 was created a peer of Great Britain by the style and title of Baron Dundas of Aske in the County of York . In 1820 , Lord Dundas died , and was succeeded by his son Lawrence , who in 1838 , at tho
Coronation of the Queen , was advanced to the dignity of an earldom , being created Earl of Zetland in flic peerage of tho United Kingdom . Dying in 1839 , he was succeeded by his son Thomas , M . P . for Richmond 1818-30 , for York 1830-2 , and 1833-5 , and again for Richmond from 1 S 35 till his accession to the peerage . On the death of the
second Earl , tho title and estates devolved on his nephew Lawrence , eldest son of the Hon . John Charles Dundas , M . P ., and present peer , who for his services as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland during the latter years of Lord Salisbury ' s administration was advanced a step higher in the peerage , and became Marquis of Zetland . Of tho
many distinctions won by other members of the Dundas family , let it suffice to state that one became President of the Court of Session , Scotland , taking the title of Lord Arniston , and that a son of his in 1802 was created Viscount Melville ; and that the second son of Thomas Dundas of Fingask , elder brother of Lawrence , was in 1832 created Lord Aniosbury , a daughter of whom married Captain
Jnnies Whitley Deans Dundas , afterwards Admiral Sir J . W . D . Dundas , G . C . B ., who commanded the British Fleet which bombarded Od » ssn and Sehustopol during the Crimean War , and who in 1839 was J . O . Warden of England ; and that Fred . Dundas , M . P . for Orkney and Shetland , a grandson of the first earl , was S . G . Warden of England in 181-9 .
¦ But it is time we gave our attention to the . Masonic members of the Family , who have successively sat in the House of Lords cither as Baron Dundas of Aske or as Earl or Marquis of Zetland , the first , in order of priority being
Loitti Di .-xn . vs , Dr . rrn- GRAND MASTER . As regards the offices his lordship held and the lodges of which he was a member , my researches have not been attended with any very remarkable degree of success , bnt I have ascertained , among other things , ( hat on the 27 th November , 1816 , he was elected a joining
member of the Lodge of Antiquity , No . 2 , and that in 1818 he was , according to the late Pro . Col . Shudwell H . Clcrkc ' s brief historical sketch of the Royal Alpha Lodge , No . l ( i , a member of that distinguished body . On the 12 th May , 1813 , on the installation of the Duke of Sussex as M . W . G . M . of the regular Grand Lodge of
England , his Royal Highness was pleased to appoint Bro . Lord Dundas his Deputy , and on the consummation of the Union of the rival Societies of •' Ancient'' and " Modern" Masons , on the 27 th December of ( he same year his lordship retained his ollice . He was obligated and installed on Monday , the 2 nd May , 1814 ,
proclamation of the fact being made in the manner following : " lie it . Known ---The High ! II uruble nn . l Right , Worshi pful Thomas Lord Dundas , Lord Lieutenant -and Vice-Admiral of Orkney and Shetland , AM-., ivc . itc . is installed Deputy Grand Master of ( he United Grand Lodge of Anlieut free-Masons of England for the . year of our Lord ,
1814 ; whom may God long preserve ! " In 1815 , Bro . Lord Dundas , iii-ling in behalf of the Duke of Sussex , presided as Chairman at the Festival of the Hoys' School . His lordship remained in ollice fill Lis death in IS 20 , and was succeeded the year following b y his eldest son and successor in Ihe title and estates—
A Masonic Family.
LAWRENCE , SECOND LORD DUNDAS , AND FIRST EARL OP ZETLAND , PRO GKAND MASTER . His lordship was born 10 th April , 1766 . As tho Hon . Lawrence Dundas , he was for many years M . P . for York , of which cit y he was also an Alderman and Lord Mayor . In 1794 ho married Harriet ,
daughter of General Halo , by whom he had a numerous family . He died on tho 8 th February , 183 . 9 , having only a few months previously been created Earl of Zetland . In early life he was a close friend of the Duke of Sussex , and like his Royal Highness , obtained his first insight into Masonry in a lodge in foreign parts— -the Lodge of
Perfect Harmony , of Palermo . In the Grand Lodge Register of the Lodge of Union , York—now the York Lodge , No . 236—I find under date of 1802 , three members of the Dundas family , namely the Hon . G . H . L . Dundas , Captain in the Navy , and the Hon Rev . Thos . L . Dundas , who were admitted on the 27 th August , and the Hon . L .
Dundas , M . P ., on tho 0 th September of that year ; while in Bro . Fcnn ' s " History of the Prince of Wales' Lodge , No . 259 , " the same Hon . Lawrence Dundas , M . P ., is entered as having joined in 1803 from the Lodge of Perfect Harmony , Palermo , already mentioned . On the 25 th April , 1821 , the Duke of Sussex appointed him Deputy Grand
Master in succession to his father . In January , 1822 , he was elected , and on the 17 th May following was installed " with great splendour " Deputy Master , under H . R . H . the Duke of York , of tho Prince of Wales' Lodge . In 1824 he was re-appointed Deputy Grand Master , and remained in office fill the 30 th April , 1834 , when in
conseseqnence of his Royal Highness , the M . W . Grand Master , being affected with cataract in both eyes , the office of Acting or Pro G . Master was revived and conferred upon his lordship . At this post , he remained until his death in 1839 , having in the interim , as already slated , been advanced to the dignity of an Earl of tho
United Kingdom by the style and title of Earl of Zetland . The one oilier office of distinction which was held by his lordshi p in Craft Masonry was that conferred upon him in 1817 , when Yorkshire , having become too large for the control of a single chief , was broken ui ) into two Provinces , that , of West Yorkshire being retained by
Bro . Rob . Peniberion Milnes , who had been for 12 years Prov . G . Master of the whole county , while that , of the North and East Ridings was assigned to Bro . tlie Hon . Lawrence Dundas—as lie then was—and governed by him until his death , as aforesaid , in 1839 . In Royal Arch Masonry his lordship held the offices in
Supremo Grand Chapter corresponding with tliosc held b y liini in Grand Lodge ; that is to say , he was Grand H . when Dep . G . M ., and Pro Grand M . E . Z . when Pro Grand Master . It should , howover , be added that , according to the Grand Lodge Calendar , ho was elected Grand H . in 1817 , being annually re-elected until 1821 ,
when he became Grand Second Principal virlute officii . He was also for many years , and until his death , Grand Superintendent of the Degree for tbe Province of N . and E . Yorkshire . In 1834 , when D . G . M ., and again in 1837 , when Pro G . Master , he presided as
Chairman at the Anniversary 1 ' estival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , and I have no doubt that had the records of all these anniversaries been carefully preserve i , we should find that his lordshi p had evinced as great an interest in the welfare of both our Scholastic Institutions ns he had manifested in the duties of the various offices
in Grand and Prov . Grand Lodge and Chapter and in private lodges and chapters which had been conferred upon him . There is , indeed , no question that he was one of the ablest and most zealous among the leading . Masons of his time . The Freemasons'' Quarterly Iieeietu for 1839 , after describing his . Masonic career , delivers itself of the
following eulogy of his lordship ; "In all the grades of Masonic duty the late Earl proved his services to be most efficient . As Deputy Master of the Prince of Wales Lodge , his presidency was marked by the strictest , observance of the laws and regulations ; as Deputy Grand Master , the Book of Constitutions was his study ; as
Pro Grand Master , he maintained his exalted dignity us became himself and the Grand Master whom he represented ; and in every relation of nobleman and Brother , he fulfilled the duties , which he believed his MAKER had directed him to perform , with the most exemplary fidelity . " This is high praise , indeed , nor is there the
slightest chance that , while Freemasonry retains the firm hold it has gained in this country the memory of the many and valuable services rendered to it by Lawrence second Lord Dundas and first Earl of Zetland during a brilliant career , which extended over close upon 40 years , will be forgotten .
THOMAS , Siico . vn EARi . OK ZETLAND , M . \ V . GRAND MASTER . Of the Masonic career of this distinguished brother , the third member in direct lineal descent of the Dundas family , who has played a principal part in the government of Masonry in this country , there is no lack of material from which to compile a memorial worth y of
his great and important services to the Craft . His lordship was born in 1795 and for upwards of 50 years was a member of one or other House of Parliament . He sat in the House of Commons as M . P . for Richmond from ISIS to 1830 , for the City of York from 1830 to 1832 , ami again from 1833 to 1835 , and for Richmond from 1835 till lii . s accession to the peerage on the death of his father in 1839 . He
was initiated in the Prince of Wales Lodge , Jso . 259 , on the 18 th June , 1830 . In 1832 the Duke of Sussex conferred upon him the collar of Junior Grand Warden . During the years 1837 and 1838 he served as Deputy Master of his mother lodge under the Duke of Sussex . In 18 : 59 be was appointed Deputy Grand Master of England , and two years later , shortl y after the lamented death of