: ; ; A HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY IN LINCOLNSHIRE BEING A RECORD OF ALL EXTINCT AND EXISTING LODGES, CHAPTERS, &c. A CENTURY OF THE WORKING OF PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE and THE WITHAM LODGE TOGETHER WITH BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTERS AND OTHER EMINENT MASONS OF THE COUNTY. BY WILLIAM DIXON, P.M. 297, Honorary Librarian of Provincial Grand Lodge. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY W. J. HUGHAN, Past Grand Deacon of England. fincdn STREET. Bro. JAMES WILLIAMSON, 290 HIGH 1894. H-S HZ' /\ ,'i:2^Dl1 LINCOLN : BRO. JAMES WILLIAMSON, PRINTER, 290 HIGH STREET. To William Henry Smyth, Esquire, of Elkington Hall^ Provincial Grand Master of Lincolnshire, and for Fifty Years a faithful Brother of the Craft, this History of Freemasonry in the County is respectfully dedicated, with most sincere and fraternal regard, by The Author. Page Dedication to the R.W. Bro. W. H. Smyth, Prov. G.M.... vii. Preface of October, 1894 ... ... ... ... ... ix Introduction by Bro. W. J. Hughan (Oct. 20th, 1894) ... xi. Freemasonry in Lincolnshire prior to formation of P. G.L. ... i Old Lodge at Lincoln, 1730 (earliest records of a Masters' Lodge known) .. ... ... ... ... ... 2 Second Lincoln Lodge, 1737 18 Old Lodge at Spalding and Dr. William Stukeley ... 20 Rev. William Dodd, LL.D. (Grand Chaplain, 1776) ... 23 Revival of Masonry in Lincolnshire ... ... ... 27 St. Matthew's Lodge, Barton-on-Humber, 1787 ... ... 28 Prince of Wales' Lodge, Gainsborough, 1787 ... ... 33 Doric Lodge, Grantham, 1791 ... ... ... ... 39 Office of Prov. G.M. and Provincial G.L,, their origin, &c. 45 P.G.L. of Lincolnshire, 1792 ... ... ... ... 54 Do. Table of Meetings, 1 792-1893 ... ... ... 109 Officers of P.G.L. of Lincolnshire, 1792-1893 ... ... in Position of Lodges of Province on Roll of G. Lodge ... 121 Summary of the Register of the Province, 1836-1891 ... 122 Prov. G. Masters of Lincolnshire, Biographies of... ... 123 Lodges formed since the Establishment ofP.G.L., 1 792-1890 141 The Rev. Samuel Oliver ... ... ... ... ... 267 The Rev. Matthew Barnett, 1787-1833 (D. Prov. G.M.)... 274 The Rev. George Oliver, D.D. (D! Prov. G.M., 1833-1841) 282 Lincolnshire Lodges under the Ancient or Athol Constitution 309 Royal Arch Masonry in Lincolnshire from 1788 ... ... 323 Royal Arch Masonry, Prov. G. Chapter ... ... ... 343 Mark Masonry in Lincolnshire from 1798 346 The Fraternity of Masonic Knights Templars in Lincolnshire 350 The Provincial Charities and Memorial Funds ... ... 351 Addenda— The Old Lodge at Spalding, 1739, &c. {^iih Illustratiofi) 354 The Shakspere Lodge, Spilsby 355 Index (tenfag^es) 356 ^xzhtz. T N view of the Centenary Celebration of Provincial Grand -* Lodge in 1892, it was suggested that some account of its past meetings would be acceptable to the Brethren, and add interest to the event. When proceeding to carry out this suggestion, it was very soon apparent that the simple minutes of P.G.L. could not be satisfactory without considerable explanation, neces- sarily involving a search among the records of Grand Lodge and those of the several Lodges in the Province. Thus finding it impossible to complete the work by the Festival, the plan was enlarged, and a history of the Lincolnshire branch of the Craft attempted. It is pleasing to state that with very few exceptions the applications—nearly a hundred—for information and assistance were met with every courtesy and attention. Thanks are especially due to Mrs. Gerard Ford for the memoir of her husband's ancestor, the Rev. Matthew Barnett; and to Brother W. J. Hughan, of Torquay, and to Brother Henry Sadler, Sub-Librarian at Grand Lodge, for the very valuable aid which they have so heartily afforded from the commencement of the work. Well knowing the prevailing opinion concerning much of what has hitherto held to be reliable Masonic history, every effort has been made to verify the statements con- tained in the following pages, either by a personal inspection of the original documents wherever possible, or from reliable official information. X. Freemasonry in Lincolnshire. The result in some cases may probably occasion a slight shock to existing traditions, but on the other hand the names of several brethren almost forgotten will be found occupying the honourable positions their services to the Craft have merited. The book is now submitted to the Brethren in the hope that they may derive as much pleasure from a perusal of the contents as the Avriter has had in their collection and arrangement, and also that they will look kindly upon any shortcomings which they may observe. Lincoln, October, 1894. WILLIAM DIXON. : "' introtittctiott. THINK Bro. Dixon has acted very wisely in committing I his memoranda as to " Freemasonry in Lincolnshire to print, for reliable data as to that Province, and so many others, are much needed, particularly during the early part of last century. According to Dr. Stukeley's testimony. Freemasonry in Lincolnshire began in 1726, for in June of that year he tells us in his Common Place Book — " I retired to Grantham thinking by country exercise to get the better of it [the gout]. Here I set up a lodg of freemasons, wh. lasted all the time I lived there." He left this town for Stamford in 1730, and retired from the craft " for good and all, on his removal from Grantham to Stamford, in February, 1730." The first Lodge constituted in the Province, under Grand Lodge auspices, was No. 73 at the " Saracen's Head,". Lincoln, to meet on the "First Tuesday," and dated Sept. 7th, 1730. The numeration was agreed to 26th Nov., 1728, the successive additions being numbered consecutively in order of precedence. In the oldest engraved list preserved of the "Regular Lodges according to their Seniority and Constitution " * of the fourth decade of the last century, the sign of the inn at which the Lincolnshire Lodge assembled is duly depicted. Another old Lodge is in the engraved lists from 1738, and described as " Angel Above Htll, 'Ba.Wmlc^ of Lincoln, 23 Dec. 1737." We know nothing as to this Lodge, but of the senior one there are happily records extant from 1732, which were reproduced by Bro. Dixon in an excellent paper,-f- * Hughan's "Engraved List ofRegular Lodges for a.d. IT^^" facsimile, 1889. + The OldLodt^at Lincoln,hyVii\\w.m'Dnoxt, " Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, 1891. Freemasonry in Lincolnshire. and likewise appear in the present history. These minutes have been known, more or less, to Masonic students for some time, as it was my good fortune to publish a number of them, from a transcript made by Bro. Frederick Watson, of Lincoln, many years ago* Their importance cannot well be over estimated, there being so few particulars known of the craft in England 1 732-1 740. A remarkable feature of these minutes at Lincoln is the absence of any reference to the Fellow Craft Degree, which has led some brethren to infer that the ceremony was not worked there and then, but to my mind such silence is not of itself sufficient to prove the Degree was not conferred in that Lodge 1732 onward. Secretaries during this period, and so often later, were provokingly reticent as to details, but so long as we sometimes meet with records of the F.C. Degree in Lodge minutes of that decade, it is reason- able to suppose that the custom was generally observed of conferring the three Degrees, as provided for in the Book of Constitutions, 1738, and dating from the year 1725, when the " Master of a Lodge with his Wardens and a competent number of the Lodge assembled in due Form " were allowed to " make Masters and Fellows at discretion." Unless by dispensation, Dr. Anderson declares that prior to this date (22 Nov., 1725), " Fellow Crafts fl«(f Masters" were only admitted or passed, &c., in Grand Lodge, which may or may not have been the case. So early as 1724-5 we meet with the records of brethren being " pass'd Fellow Crafts " and " pass'd Masters " in one or more private LodgeSj^f and we know that from 1 730-1 there is no lack of evidence as to such separate and distinct ceremonies, sometimes the E.A. and F.C being conferred at the same meeting ; at other times the F.C. and M.M., and frequently the whole three given at the one assembly. The F.C. appears to have been thought but little of, and apparently when communicated the same eve as the E.A. was not always recorded, but absorbed in the word "making." * See page 108. + Hughan's Origin of the English Rite of Freemasonry, 1884. — .J • Introduction. xiii- We read of " Passing Fellow Craft" Jan. 15th, 1735, and "Passing Master" Aug. 3rd, 1737, in the Salisbury Lodge,* and at Edinburgh, 31st Mar., 1735, a brother was "admitted Fellow Craft " and three others " Master Masons."f Also in the very suggestive and valuable extracts from the " Old King's Arms Lodge" from 1733, cited by Bro. Dixon, it is recorded, March 27th, 1734, Lord Vere Bertie and Wm. Todd " were severally admitted in Form F.C. and E.P.," and yet (with the knowledge of these three degree being* conferred) in the records of the " Lodge of Felicity" from 1737, there is not a single reference to the Fellow Craft ceremony for many years, nor is the degree noted in the By-laws of 1737. The earliest By-laws of a Regular Lodge that I know of which provide for the three degrees being conferred, are those of No. 83, of Jan. 5th, 1731 (old style), when it was enacted " That all & every Person, or Persons recommended & accepted as above, shall pay for his or their making the sum of Three pounds three shillings.