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J. H. Settle
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W. Dawes
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[HE origin of the Order of Eoyal Arch Masonry stUl remains in obscurity, and it is questionable whether any documentary evidence of its first connection with Craft Masonry will ever be forthcoming. The earliest authority is Dr. D'Assigny, the writer of " A Serious and Impartial Inquiry into the cause of the present Decay of Freemasonry in the Kingdom of Ireland/' Dublin, 1744 (for a reprint of which see " Memorials of the Masonic Union," London, 1874, by Bro. W. J. Hughan.) He, however, threw very little light on its origin, and but briefly alludes to it ; in one place he cautions the brethren against a certain itinerant Mason, who had lately appeared in the City of Dublin, who professed that he could commu- nicate three more steps, "which when properly placed may advance us to the highest heavens." If this individual introduced Eoyal Arch Masonry into Dublin about this period, it would be here where Laurence Dermott, who was then a young Mason, first acquired a knowledge of it, which no doubt afterwards proved so useful to him when in connection with the " Ancient," or seceding Grand Lodge, in which he held so prominent a position, to which body we are probably indebted for the present existence of the Order in connection with English Craft Masonry, for it appears to have become so popular with them, that in 1782 the " Moderns " formed a Grand Chapter, and shortly afterwards published a Book of Laws and Eegulations.
PROVINCE OF SUSSEX. 109
The earliest record of the Order in the Province of Sussex is that of the issuing the Warrant for the Chapter of "Love and Harmony," No. 71, at Chichester, in 1790, and bearing date 5th October of that year; the three Principals named in the document, being Thomas Bull, as Z. : William Madehurst, H. ; and Alexander Williams, J. ; it was held in private rooms in that city, but after a brief existence it collapsed.*
Bro. Thos. Dunckerley, one of the greatest Masonic luminaries of his day, who did much towards introducing the Order amongst the " Moderns," was Prov. G. Superin- tendent of Sussex as well as of many other Provinces about this period.
Of existing Chapters in the Province the one that claims the greatest antiquity is the " Lennox," attached to the " Eoyal Clarence " Lodge, Brighton, which was con- stituted iu July, 1811, by the Eev. John Austen, the Provincial Grand Superintendent, who also held the same appointment in Surrey ; the other two Principals who assisted on this occasion, were the Eev. Joliffe TufneU and Comp. W. Lee. Comp. Edmund Scott of this Chapter was as indefatigable in Arch Masonry as in Craft Masonry, and for some time held the ofBce of Grand Standard Bearer in the Supreme Grand Chapter; his grandson, Comp. J. H. Scott, being appointed to the same ofi&ce in 1880. After the death of the Eev. J. Austin, which happened some six or seven jears after the above event we hear no more of Sussex as a Eoyal Arch Province, with the exception of an entry in the Minute Book of No. 56, referring to Comp. Attree, of Brighton, as Deputy Prov. G. Superintendent, which title was evidently an assumed one.
• At this period the Chapters were numbered separately, and it was not till after the Union, namely, in 1817, that the roll of Chapters was revised, when they were given the same number as the Lodge to which they claimed to be attached.
110 FEEEMASONEY IN THE
as no record of it occurs in the Archives of the Supreme Grand Chapter.
The next oldest is the "Chapter of Emulation," which was constituted in 1818, in connection with the "Derwent" Lodge. About this period there were also Chapters- at Arundel, Chichester, Lewes and Uckfield, all of which after a few years ceased working, and for many years there were but two Chapters in the Province, namely, at Brighton and Hastings, and it is not till 1859, that a third was added to the roll ; this was the "Eoyal Sussex," attached to the " Eoyal Brunswick " Lodge, Brighton. The ceremony of consecration took place April 18 th, at the " Old Ship " Hotel, the of&ceis appointed by the Supreme Grand Chapter to perform it being E. Comp. John Havers, as M.E.G.Z. ; E. Comp. Eurner, as G.H. ; and E. Comp. Eev. John Edmund Cox, as G.J., assisted by Comps. Stuckey and Longton. After the Principals named in the Warrant had been installed and the other officers invested, six brethren were ballotted for, elected and exalted, Comp. V. P. Freeman being one of them.
In the next year there took place a revival of Eoyal Arch Masonry at Lewes, and the present " South Saxon " Chapter was constituted, the former Warrant being sur- rendered.
After the lapse of eleven years the " Hartington " Chapter was consecrated at Eastbourne, on the second of August, 1871, by Comp. E. J. Furner, as M.E.G.Z., assisted by Comps. Freeman, TroUope, Pocock and Scott : the three Principals named in the Warrant were Comps. J. M. Cunningham, Z. ; T. Lane, H. ; and W. Kirkland, J., who were duly installed in their respective chairs by Comp. J. H. Scott.
On the 30th August, 1873, Comp. J. Hervey, G. SOEIBE E., assisted by Comps. E. W. Little, T. TroUope, Vi P. Freeman^ J. Eeed, and J. T. Sabinej consecrated the
PEOVINCE 0¥ SUSSEX. Ill
"Yarborough" Chapter in the rooms of the Eoyal Pavilion, Comp. J. M. Cunningham heing installed, as Z. ; Comp, W. R. Wood, as H. ; and Comp. C. Horsley, as J.
On the 17th March, 1874, E. Comp. E. J. Furner, p.z,,
GEAND STANDARD BEAEEE OF ENGLAND, consecrated the
" Eoyal Pavilion " Chapter at Brighton, attached to the "^Royal York" Lodge, No. 315. The following Companions were installed in the Principals' chairs, viz., V. P. Ereeman, Z. ; W. Challen, H. ; W. Hudson, J., and it was on this occasion that E. Comp. J. H. Scott delivered the following oration, which we recommend for perusal hy both old and young Craftsmen, for it contains sterling precepts and generous strictures, which should be carefully considered by all of us : —
" Most Excellent and Companions,
"Allow me to congratulate the brethren of the 'Eoyal York' Lodge upon having a Chapter attached to it. Every Lodge should have its own Chapter. Hitherto this has not been the case at Brighton. We have had, for several years, four Lodges; but until lately, only two Chapters. In August of last year, a third Chapter was constituted, and to-day we complete the roll, and now the four Lodges in this town, I mention them according to their number on the - register of the Grand Lodge of England, the 'Eoyal Clarence,' 271 ; the ' Eoyal York,' 315 ; the ' Eoyal Brunswick,' 732 ; the ' Yarborough,' 811, have each their own Chapter. This is as it should be, for Eoyal Arch Masonry is not another degree in Masonry ; it is, as you all know, only the Master Mason's degree completed, so that without a Chapter a Lodge does not afford to its members the opportunity of perfecting themselves in Masonic knowledge. There are other degrees supported and warmly espoused by maay
112 FUEEMASONEY IN THE
brethren. I do not know their names, nor their number. Indeed, I know very little about them. But I have been informed that they owe their origin mostly to the political and religious intrigues of the middle ages, some during that period, having been established by military despotism, to coun- teract the power of the priesthood, and others by rival sects, to outvie and to outwit each other. They are, therefore, adjuncts, and form no part of pure and antient Freemasonry. Of course it is optional with any enthusiastic brother to make himself acquainted with any or all of them. In this land of civU. and religious liberty every man has a right to be 'fully persuaded in his own mind ' and to follow the bent of his own idiosyncracy, so long as in so doing he does not violate the law or injure his neighbour. But these extraneous degrees are not recognized by the Grand Lodge of England. The first paragraph of the Book of Constitutions says, ' By the Solemn Act of Union between the two Grand Lodges of Free- masons of England, in December, 1813, it was declared and pronounced that pure Antient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more, viz., those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft, and the Master Mason, including the Supreme Order of the Holy Eoyal Arch.' This has been thought a hardship and a grievance by those who admire what they are pleased to call the ' superior degrees,' and in 1856 a proposition was brought before Grand Lodge to acknow- ledge one of them. Had Grand Lodge yielded the rest would have followed in due course, but Grand Lodge refused, and, as far as I can learn, on these grounds, that Craft and Arch Masonry embrace aU that is necessary, and I may add, aU that is worth retaining in the Order of Freemasonry.
PEOVINCE OF SUSSEX. 113
" And what is it, Companions, that is worth retaining in "Freemasonry ? Is it the obsolete forms ; the foolish penalties of our oaths ; the dubbing our- selves with high sounding names and arrogating to ourselves the most astounding pretensions? Are these the things which as sensible men we desire to cherish ? Are we not all aware that there is much in our ceremonies we would gladly omit, and which we tolerate only because of the great principles with which they are associated ? These principles are not strengthened by a multiplication of idle ceremonies and useless degrees, and therefore, to increase the latter without any corresponding advantages, is to bring the former into contempt and render them abortive. "What is there in these ' superior degrees ' which is not already taught in the three degrees with which we are all familiar, excepting those party and polemical doctrines which it is the very spirit of Freemasonry to do away with? In all ages of the world's history, religion and politics have been the fruitful source of animosities, heart-burning, strifes and persecutions among men. In pure and antient Freemasonry these topics find no place. They are not allowed to be grounds for exclusion from the Order to which all 'just, upright, and free men, of sound judgment and strict morals,' are admitted ; all save the blasphemer and the advocates of open riot or secret rebellion. Our antient Charges say 'Let a man's religion or mode of worship be what it may, he is not excluded from the Order, provided he believe in the glorious Architect of heaven and earth, and practise the sacred duties of morality.' Masons unite with the virtuous of every persuasion in the firm and pleasing bond of fraternal love; they are taught to
114 FEEEMASONEY IN THE
view the errors of mankind with compassion, and to strive hj the purity of their own conduct to demon- strate the superior excellence of the faith they may profess. Thus Masonry is the centre of union between good men and true, and the happy means of concili- ating friendship amongst those who must otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance.
" With regard to our obligations as citizens, our antient charges say: — 'A Mason is a peaceable subject, ■wherever he resides or works ; is never to be concerned in plots and conspiracies, is cheerfully to conform to every lawful authority, to uphold on every occasion the interest of the community, and zealously promote the prosperity of his own country. Craftsmen are bound by peculiar ties to promote peace, cultivate harmony, and live in concord and brotherly love.'
" Such are the qualifications for admission into the degrees of Pure and Antient Masonry, but in the so-called ' superior degrees,' I have been told that the obligations are most stringent. No Jews can be admitted to some, no Unitarians to others, and in one degree, I was informed by a brother who had gone through the ceremony, — a distinguished brother on whose testimony I could rely, one whom we all knew, but who is now no more, — that the sacrament of the Lord's S-upper'was administered. I desire to speak with all reverence, and to wound the feelings of none, but I ask fearlessly, is such an institution part and parcel of antient Freemasonry ? and, if not, has anyone just cause to blame Grand Lodge for refusing to recognize it as such, or other degrees which would ultimately lead to its adoption. The introduction of this and other ceremonies would, I believe, be subver- sive of the whole system of Freemasonry. It is
PEOYINCE OF SUSSEX. 115
notorious, moreover, that on the continent these degrees are made the instruments of political schemes; so much so, that in France during the rule of the late Emperor, the whole Order was suspended for many- years, and in Italy they give occasion, every now and then, for his Holiness the Pope, to fulminate against Freemasonry his harmless anathemas,
" In making these observations, I again earnestly desire to give no offence. As I said before, every brother and companion is at liberty to prosecute these matters as far as he pleases till he reach the 33°, or any that may be beyond it. I have only to remind you that the Grand Lodge of England — not you may depend without investigation — not without due cause — not without sound judgment and discretion — solemnly pronounced sixty years ago, and still adheres to the fiat, 'that pure antient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more.'
" When pure and antient Masonry first became an Order it is almost impossible to determine ; so much that is mere tradition clings to it, that he would be an extraordinary man who could extricate its real history from the fables which have grown up around it. Some pretend to trace it back to the times of Tubal Cain, others affirm that it commenced with the building of King Solomon's Temple. Be that as it may, it is sufficient for us to know that there did actually exist, ages ago, a band of men who were called Freemasons, who were bound together by secret signs, tokens and words, who were remarkable for the excellence of their skill; the wisdom, strength, and beauty of their Craft; and the rectitude and purity of their Kves. Of these traits we have abundant proof even in this nineteenth century. From the . i2
116 FREEMASONBY IN THE
time of the completion of the temple at Jerusalem, when King Solomon, attended by the Princes of Israel, went out to view it, and they were all so struck with its admirable proportions and the beauty of its design, that they impulsively raised their hands above their heads, and simultaneously exclaimed, ' won- derful Masons,' to the present day when we enter that splendid edifice, which is one of the wonders of the world, the pride and boast of every Englishman, where for centuries past we have laid with reverence the bodies of our great men, where poets in their , dreams have wished to be buried, and of which our great naval hero, as the battle of Trafalgar was about to commence, was heard to exclaim, ' "Westminster Abbey or a Dukedom,' we have, I say, abundant proofs of the extraordinary skiU and workmanship of this travelling guild of working Masons. One of the most eminent architects of the present day says, ' there can be little doubt that most of our Cathedrals were bmlt by the well-known fraternity of Free- masons.' What higher testimony is needed ? What nobler or more enduring monuments to the genius and labour of these excellent Masons can we desire, than the beautiful churches and abbeys which adorn our own land, and those of Germany and France ? Who that has seen Strasbourg, Antwerp, Amiens, St. Ouen, Jumi^ges, and our own English Cathedrals, can ever forget the impression they have made? Which of us, Companions, at one time or another of our lives, has not been struck with solemn awe and profound devotional feehng as we have gazed on these magnificent structures 1 ' TeR me not,' said an eloquent speaker I once heard, 'that a mere dark superstition actuated the men who designed and
PEOvmOE GB SUSSEX. 117
executed these sublime edifices. The long drawn aisles, the fretted roofs, the dim recesses, the soaring spires, aU witness that the architect had grand thoughts of God, and strove to embody them in com- binations of the wood and the stone, even as the poet his conceptions in the melodies of verse, and the orator his in the majesty of eloquence. His must be a cold and withered heart which catches no inspira- tion from the structure, as he walks beneath arches which seem designed to bear up the sky ; and hears the rich symphony wandering amid the forest of pillars, even as the voice of the Lord God was heard among the trees of the garden. And there must, we believe, have been piety, aye, lofty and ardent piety, in those who could plan structures that thus seem to furnish instances of their piety to successive genera- tions. The cathedral, with its awe-inciting vastness its storied windows, its mellowed light, its deepened shadows, appears to me like the rich volume of some old divine ; I gather from the work the mind of the author, and it is a mind which has grown great in musing upon God.'
" So grand was the handiwork of the Freemasons of old. Of the rectitude and purity of their lives we have testimony in the fact that even now in these latter days we glory in the truths which they held fast to ; that we accept the traditions and the obsolete customs which they have handed down to us, in order to perpetuate the principles of morality which they observed ; and which made them great and worthy of example.
" Companions, we are no longer operative, but speculative, or Free and Accepted Masons; never- theless, let us emulate our antient brethren in the
118 JfiEEHASONHY IN THE
excellence of their work, and in the rectitude of their conduct. In our individual callings, ' whatsoever our hand findeth to do, let us do it with our might.' However beset in this world by danger and tempta- tion, let no evil actions darken and disfigure our lives. Let brotherly love and affection distinguish us as men and as Masons. And let us ever remember that the great object of our noble and venerable Institution is, ' to promote the welfare of our fellow creatures, but above all, the honour and glory of God's Holy name' — So mote it be."
During the same year a Charter for constituting a Chapter at Chichester was issued, and on the 12th February, 1875, E. Comp. E. J. Furner consecrated the " Cyrus " Chapter, No. 38, being assisted by Comp. V. P. Freeman, P.z. ; and Comp. W. Challen, P.z. ; the three Principals named in the Warrant being Comps. J. H. Scott, P.Z. 271, 732, as Z. ; John St. Clair, as H. ; and George Smith, as J. ; the same being duly installed in their respective chairs.
A few years roU on and we hear rumours of a Prov- incial Grand Superintendent of Eoyal Arch Masonry being appointed. At the Quarterly Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter, held on May 5th, 1880, Comp. J. H. Scott was appointed Grand Standard Bearer. On the 9th October following, one more Chapter was added to the roll of the Province, named the " Hova Villa," attached to the flourishing "Hova Ecclesia" Lodge, 1466. The ceremony took place at the "Old Ship" and was most ably performed by the Grand Scribe E., Lieut.-Col. Shadwell H. Gierke, as M.E.G.Z., who was assisted by Comp. J. H. Scott, p.z., as G.H. ; Comp. the Kev. E. J. Simpson, as G.J. ; and Comp.