The Province Of Durham.

a "Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons" Avas held "at the house of Bro . John Horseman , Avithin the city of Durham /' and " Thomas Craggs Avas admitted a Brother . " As this candidate is marked " No . i , " Bro . Logan thinks it Avas the lirst regular meeting of the neAvly formed lodge , which consisted of sixteen members , and there is much in

favour of that AUCAV . We 'know not , however , from what lodge or lodges these founders hailed , and neither does it appear by what authority such an inauguration took place . They had their OAVH ideas of regularity notwithstanding , as in 1742 brethren were lined more than once "for not bringing

their Books of Constitutions to the Lodge . " This speculative lodge was recognised locally , though not " constituted " according to modern usage . Members of the regular lodge at Gateshead ( formed in 173 6 , of which more anon ) Avere visitors in 1742 , & c , and in 1 745 "Bro . Bryan

Stebbart , a Mason made at Sunderland , entered himself a member of this lodge . " There Avas no warranted lodge at Sunderland until 1755 , when the present Phoenix , No . 94 , Avas chartered , so this joining brother , and others also admitted from that town , must have belonged to a lodge working in a

similar manner to the one at Durham , thus proving howgeneral it Avas at that period for lodges to assemble under the old regime .

RAIJY CASTLE .

In 1742 it is stated that a Brother AVIIO Avas " an Ancient Mason " was elected a joining member , but Avh y such a term Avas used is difficult to explain , unless it meant an aged Mason , as the lodge itself was under the old system . In 1746 Captain Hirtzell , belonging to a SAVI ' regiment then domiciled in the city , a member of a lodge in

Switzerland , joined , or as it is termed , " enter'd himself . " There was a lodge formed at Lausanne in 1740 as No . 18 7 by the Grand Lodge of England , but was closed b y the State in 1 743 ( Lane ' s "Masonic Records , " 1895 ) , so it is quite possible this brother may have been initiated in that city . Bro . Logan

thinks it Avas intended to have a lodge in that regiment , as ten brethren were made during the year , especially as a servant of the captain ' s Avas admitted freely , being "intended for a T yler . " It is much to be regretted that the " Masters' Book " ( that is , the minutes of the Lodge of Master Masons ) , started in 1752 , is missing , as the entries would be of brethren who

were " raised " in the separate lodge , held under the Aving of Hie ordinary lodge , and keeping distinct records . In the year 176 3 the old lodge Avas warranted by command of the Right Hon . Earl Ferrers , M . W . Grand Master . Bro . Geo . Nicholson Avas re-appointed the Master ( W . M . in 1762 ) , and the members were empowered to assemble at the " sign of

the Marquis of Granby- , " hence the name of the lodge , selected subsequently . It Avas constituted by Dr . Nicholas , the W . M . of the Palatine Lodge , which originated in 1757 as No . 218 , and is IIOAV 97 , known in early clays as the "Sea Captains' Lodge . " Its historian tells us that the " Marquis of Granby" has

numbered among its members the leading men of the county , and were not slow to recognise their status and laudable desire to work . Bro . George Baker , of Elemore Hall , was initiated in March , 1764 , and became W . M . three years later ; and in 1786 his son was admitted , AVIIO Avas " raised " in the

folloAving year , Avith Bro . Wm . Henry Lambton , M . P ., Avho AA'as appointed Provincial Grand Master in 1788 . Another P . M of the lodge , Bro . George Finch , Avas the first Deputy Provincial Grand Master under the IICAV order of things . In 1792 the lodge contributed a guinea tOAvards the fund being raised to obtain the abolition of the slave trade , and evidentl y the brethren Avere both warm-hearted and generous

according to the traditions and customs of the Craft . The members also were appreciative of the services of zealous Past Masters , and in 179 8 presented gold medals to IAVO who Avere conspicuous for their zeal and ability , viz ., Bros . Geo . Wood and Geo . Finch . The " great light of the Marquis of Granby- Lodge " Avas elected a joining member in 1797 , and

continued devoted to the brethren until his decease in 1832 . I refer to Bro . Alex . Logan , Avho was an initiate of an old Cornish lodge in 1795 . The lodge frequently patronised the theatre , and had as members Bros . Charles and Stephen Kemble , the latter having a special chair to sit in at the meetings , being so

corpulent . In 1803 Lord Viscount Tamworth received the three degrees at the meeting convened on the 2 nd August . This nobleman Avas a grand-nephew of the Right Hon . Earl Ferrers , who granted the warrant in 1763 . Deacons were first appointed in 1804 , following the "Ancient" and Irish