Some Memorials Of The Globe Lodge, No.23, And Of The "Red Apron."

Some Memorials of the Globe Lodge , No . 23 , and of the " Red Apron . "

( BY HENRY SADLER . )

ANOTHER influential brother of the "Antient" fraternity was Robert Gill , who joined theGlobe Lodge in 1797 , and served as its Grand Steward in 1799 . He was Junior Grand Warden of the Antient Grand Lodge in 1795 , and Senior Grand Warden from 179 6 to 1801 , with the exception of the year 1797 . You now have my reasons for crediting this

Lodge with having done good service in reconciling the two great rival Masonic societies , and thus paving the way to the union of all English Masons under one head . It captured the principal officers in the camp of the enemy , but they were willing captives , and evidently did not regret their captivity , for two out of the six mentioned continued

PETER WILLIAM GILKES , P . M . OK THK ISLOBK LODGE . members of the Lodge long after the union , until their death in fact . It is not improbable that some of the rank and rile were also captured , but the absence of an alphabetical list

of members renders identification somewhat difficult . T HE F UND OF C HARITY , NOW THE F UND OF B ENEVOLENCE . In the Freemasons' Calendar , under the head " Remarkable Occurrences in Masonry , " will be found , " Committee

of Charity established 1725 . " At first sight there does not appear to be anything particularly remarkable in the formation of a Committee of Charity in connection with Freemasonry , but in those days it was doubtless considered very remarkable indeed , and it certainly was a most important

event . Prior to this period when it was desired to relieve a distressed brother to a larger extent than could be done by his own Lodge , his case was brought before the Grand Lodge , and if deemed worthy a collection was made on his behalf from the representatives of the Lodges who were present .

At this time the Grand Lodge had no funded property whatever , nor any source of income , there were no paid officials , and the working expenses were borne by the Grand Master for the time being . It was not until 1730 that Lodges paid a fee for being Constituted , and then it was only Two Guineas to the Fund

of Charity . The Earl of Dalkeith , Grand Master , 1723-4 , is credited with having conceived the idea of establishing a permanent Fund for the relief of the distressed , at any rate he brought the subject before the Grand Lodge in 1724 . A Committee was subsequently appointed , and at once proceeded

to draw up a code of Rules applicable to the new Fund . Notwithstanding that several appeals were made to the brethren in Grand Lodge in the meantime , it was not until 1729 that the first contributions were received , when on the 27 th of

November , in response to an earnest exhortation from the Deputy Grand Master , live brethren , whose names are given , handed to the Treasurer the several sums they had collected in their Lodges . The total amount was £ 8 S . 6 d ., of which the Lodge , now called the Lodge of Antiquity , No . 2 , contributed £ < ± 1 os ., the other four , £ 4 . 18 s . 6 d . between them .

Of these four two are still in existence , they are the Fortitude and old Cumberland Lodge , No . 12 , and the Royal Alpha Lodge , No . 16 . A month later , on St . John's Day , 27 th of December , a marked improvement was evinced , 17 Lodges contributing between them £ 41 os . 6 d ., more that half of

which came from Lodge No . 2 , now the Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge . No . 4 . This Lodge , at that time , was by far the most numerous as well as the most aristocratic Lodge in the Order , and it headed the list with £ 22 2 s .

Amongst the other contributions , ranging from £ 5 down to 10 s . 6 d ., is one from the Lodge at The Half Moon in Cheapside , £ 1 is . 6 d . It will , therefore , no doubt , be some little gratification to the brethren to know that this venerable Lodge was one of the earliest to assist in establishing that Grand Fund of Charity which has enabled us to do so much

to alleviate the sufferings and relieve the necessities of the worthy , but unfortunate members of our Order , and from which Fund no less a sum than ^ 12 , 705 has been disbursed during the past year by the Board of Benevolence , exclusive of £ 117 16 s . from another source in casual relief .

SOME OTHER CELEBRITIES OF THE GLOHE LODGE . In 1780 the Lodge was joined by Henry Strickland , who , on the decease of Dight the carpenter , originally employed in the erection of the Hall , took up the work and carried it to completion . In the minutes of the Hall

Committee he is referred to as the Society ' s carpenter , and an order was given that no carpentering work should be done on the premises except under his supervision . He was also employed as supervisor , or clerk of the works , at the rebuilding of The Freemasons' Tavern in 17 8 9 but died before

, it was finished . Probably no man was better known , or more highly respected , in metropolitan Masonry during the latter part of the 18 th century , and the early part of the 19 th , than Peter William Gilkes the celebrated Masonic Instructor . The

writer of his biography says he was born in 1765 , was baptised a member of the Catholic Church , and named after Lord Petre ( Grand Master 1772-76 ) , who had been an excellent friend to his family . The same authority states that he was received into Masonry in the British Lodge in 1786 , but the

Grand Lodge Register gives the year of his initiation as 1 794 , and fhis is probably correct . He joined the Globe Lodge in 179 8 , and continued a subscribing member until about a