The Mark Degree In England.

THE MARK DEGREE IN ENGLAND .

{ Continued from page 58 ) . This Committee met twice ; but before its second meeting the Bon Accord Grand Lodge met on the 16 th June , and passed resolutions to this effect : —That any body of Freemasons who can prove that they have met ; and worked as a Mark Lodge before the Quartetly Communication of the Craft Grand LodgeJune , 1856 , shall

, have a right to unite with Lodges under this constitution , without number , and rank next under the Bon Accord Lodge . Also , Lodges working in England under a warrant granted by a Foreign Grand Lodge , shall have a right to form union with the Lodges under this constitution , taking rank according to the date of their respective

charters . Thus , I think , virtually withdrawing from the Committee which at its second meeting passed no resolutions , and came to a premature close . At this time , I believe , there were no Lodges under the jurisdiction of the English Grand Lodge of Mark Masters but the Bon Accord Lodge . And shortly after this Lord Leigh sent

a circular , inviting Lodges to place themselves under the authority of the Grand Lodge of England , on the presumed authority of a Report of a committee to enquire into the subject , which report never was submitted to the committee at all . To this meeting which I am speaking of , Bro . Warren and some other Brethren , members of tho Committeehad never been summoned :

, and ifc was very irregular . Ifc never received sanction , none of the Scotch Lodges ever acknowledged its authority , and up to this time none of the Scotch Lodges had joined the English Grand Mark Lodge ; but some time after this ( on the 18 th of November , 1857 ) there was an irregular procedure on the part of Bro . Gaylor , Scribe E . of Scotland . He issued two Grand

Chapter certificates , and very soon after that the English Mark Lodges went over and joined the English Grand Lodge of Mark Masters , which at that time represented sixteen Lodges . In April , 1858 , there was another Conference . A Committee was then proposed , and what they suggested was that the Scotch Lodges should not join the English Lodges ,

but that they should furm a new Grand Lodge altogether ; and since that time , September , 1858 , I have not had any communication whatever with respect , to the English Grand Mark Lodge . Bro . Binckes : I think you are not quite right as to one or two little matters . I understood myself that the Bon Accord Lodgo in England was the first Mark Lodge

which derived its warrant from a Subordinate Chapter , in Aberdeen , and that is one reason why I refused to join it- One complaint was , that three or four Brethren who had made enquiries as to the Mark Degree , were told lo apply to the Bon Accord R . A . Chapter in Aberdeen , who would give a warrant , and that they applied for a warrant .

Bro . Mackersy .- There appears to be here a confusion of dates , the proceeding of Bro . Gaylor . to which Bro . Binckes refers , had nothing whatever to do with the Bon Accord Lodge . It was connected with a Lodgo called the Old Kent ; it was an act done by the Secretary without any authority , and it was entirely repudiated by the Grand Chapter of Scotland . It appears that

some English Brethren were affiliated in absence in a Scotch Chapter through Bro . Gaylor ' s private act in 1857 , and they applied for a Mark AVarrant to work a Lodge in London to be called the Old Kent . Our Grand Chapter knew nothing of these facts , and granted the warrant , but the facts having been disclosed at the very next meeting of the Grand Chapter , the Brethren were struck off the roll ancl the warrant re-called . I do not think the warrant Avas even delivered ; but , afc any

rate ifc was ordered to be cancelled , and the Petitioners for ib were ordered to be struck off the roll of Scotch Royal Arch Masons . Bro . Binckes : Had I known this subject would have been brought ; forward , I would have come prepared with the documents which were necessary to show the real state of the case . The General Meeting was held

almost immediately after the non-confirmation of the Minutes by the Grand Craft ; Lodge in June , 1856 , and ifc was a meeting of the . Bon Accord , the Northumberland and Berwick , the Old Cumber-land ( Bath ) , and the Kent Lodges , which joined in the formation of the new Grand Lodge . Bro . Mackersy : Bro . Entwisle maintains that ; the Bon

Accord Lodge called itself a Grand Lodge , and started without any authority except his own , and thafc _ these Lodges afterwards joined ifc . You say they all jointly and severally formed a Grand Lodge , and invited others to join it . Bro . Binckes : The words of the Report are : — " Other Mark Master Masons who had taken the Degree in

various old ( time immemorial ) English Lodges , together with the members of the Bon Accord Lodge , gladly welcoming the increasing appreciation of the Mark Degree , bufc not approving tbe attempt to introduce a foreign Supreme Masonic Authority into England , resolved to constitute a Grand Lodge with jurisdiction

over the Mark Degree in this country and its dependencies , in the establishment of which they at once received the adherence of the following Lodges : " —those , viz . — as above , and others . Bro . Mackersy : Which is very much like what ; Bro . Entwisle says . Bro . Entwisle : In the establishment of your Grand

Lodge you did not consult with all the Mark Lodges in the country . Bro . Bincks : I do not contend that we did consult with all , bufc with a largo number . Bro . Entwisle : Where was the authority for your meeting and forming a Grand Lodge after a few months of your first meeting .

Bro . Binckes : In conjunction with the members of other Lodges we had a right to do so . Bro . Mackersy : Bro . Entwisle says that first of all the Bon Accord declared itself a Grand Lodge and gob the adhesion of these others afterwards . Bro . Binckes : The Report quoted from was drawn from written documents in our possession and does nob

bear out that statement . In 1857 the Grand Lodge under Lord Leigh , being then a Grand Lodge , as we contend , did put itself in communication with all tho jurisdictions wherever they could be found throughout the kingdom , and four Scotch Lodges—No . 1 , St . Mark ' s ; No . 3 , ' the Thistle , No . 4 , the Arnott , and oN . 11 , Southwark , had subsequently a Conference amongst ;

themselves . Bro . Entwisle : No , they had not ; bufc they were represented at ; tho meeting convened by Lord Leigh , held on the 30 th May . Their desire was to establish a new Grand Mark Lodge by the union of all Lodges , which object , 1 believe , would have been accomplished if the Bon Accord Grand Lodge had not passed the resolutions

referred to before the Committee appointed at this meeting had made its report . Bro . Binckes : I must repeat that the Lodge mentioned had such Conference as that stated , and I will produce a Circular corroboration of my statement . * Afc that Conference they unanimously agreed to transfer their allegiance to the Grand Lodge of England . I admit that all , however , did not give effect to the agreement . Bro . Portal : Bro . Mackersy has stated as a point