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 FROM THE 
 
 BENNO LOEWY LIBRARY 
 
 COLLECTED BY 
 
 BENNO LOEWY 
 
 1854.1919 
 BEQUEATHED TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY 
 
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 PRINTED IN U.SA 
 

Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tiiis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030291300 
 
SIR OFFLEY WAKEMAN, BART, 
 Provincial Grand Master of Shropshire. 
 
HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY 
 
 IN THE 
 
 Province of Shropshire, 
 
 THE SALOPIAN LODGE, 262, 
 With an Introduction by Beg. W. J. Hughan, 
 
 PAST GRAND DEACON OF ENGLAND, 
 
 BY 
 
 ALEXANDER GRAHAM, J.D., 262. 
 
 (Published by permission of the R.W.P.G.M.) 
 
 Sbrewsburg : 
 
 ADNITT & NAUNTON, BOOKSELLERS & PUBLISHEES, THE SQUARE. 
 
 1892. 
 
 UU. 
 
5"? 7 
 
 .73 
 
Preface. 
 
 My original intention was to write only the history of 
 my Mother Lodge, the "Salopian," No. 262. From time to 
 time, however, during the course of my investigations, much in- 
 formation about the Craft in the Province came to hand, and I 
 have thought it best, while, in the main, preserving my original 
 intention, to incorporate this information in its present shape. 
 
 I cannot hope to have avoided making many mistakes, 
 and much that ought to be included may be found wanting ; for 
 such blemishes I can only ask the indulgence of my readers on 
 the ground of my inexperience, and from the fact that I was 
 traversing an almost unknown country, with few landmarks to 
 guide me on my way. 
 
 I gladly take this opportunity of tendering to the many 
 brethren, too numerous to mention separately by name, who have 
 assisted me in my task, my most sincere thanks for their kindness 
 and courtesy ; without their valuable help even the measure of 
 success I have achieved would have been impossible. Out of my 
 large band of helpers I must content myself with naming and 
 specifically thanking three. To Bro. W. J. Hughan, I, in com- 
 mon with all Masonic Students, owe a debt of gratitude which it 
 is impossible to repay. His great knowledge, always at the ser- 
 vice of the veriest tyro in Masonic work, has, I hope, enabled me 
 to steer clear of gross errors, whilst his kind advice has in many 
 respects lightened my labours. The introduction he has so kindly 
 written for me adds greatly to the value of my book, and will, I 
 am sure, be much appreciated. He desires me to add to the in- 
 formation therein contained the result of his inquiries with 
 
respect to the " Opperative Lodge," No. 184, mentioned on 
 page 149 of my book. The Lodge m question was the " Opera- 
 tive Lodge,'' Dumfries, Warranted on 5th Feb., 1776, and now 
 No. 140. 
 
 To Bro. H. Sadler, Grand Tyler of England, I am in- 
 debted for much reliable and valuable information ; his services, 
 notwithstanding the many calls upon his time, were always placed 
 most ungrudgingly at my disposal for purposes of reference to 
 the authorities in the Grand Lodge Library. 
 
 To Bro. Wyndham Deedes, I.P.M., 262, I also tender my 
 grateful acknowledgment of the sympathy and help he so kindly 
 and constantly gave ; without it I might have abandoned a task 
 which seemed beyond my powers. 
 
 A. GRAHAM. 
 DoGPOLE Chambers, 
 
 Sheewsbuey, 
 
 April 17th, 1892. 
 
Introduction. 
 
 The precise origin of Provincial Grand Lodges has not 
 yet been elucidated ; for the evidence of the Rev. James 
 Anderson, important as it is, is neither exact nor complete, if 
 the " Returns " of Chester Lodges are to be trusted, of the 
 year 1725. 
 
 It has been the custom to accept Dr. Anderson's account 
 in the "Book of Constitutions, A.D. 1738, without question, 
 wherein we read that "on 10 May, 1727, Inchiquin Grand 
 Master granted a Deputation to Hugh War burton, Esq., to be 
 Provincial Grand Master of North Wales at Chester," and that 
 "on 24 June, 1727, to Sir Edward Mansel, Bart, to be Provincial 
 Grand Master of South Wales at Caermarthen." 
 
 These are the earliest appointments of the kind noted in 
 that volume ; immediately followed by " Lovel, Grand Master 
 granted a Deputation to Sir Edward Matthews to be Provincial 
 Grand Master of Shropshire." 
 
 Singular to state, however, on looking through the Minute 
 Book of the Grand Lodge of England, which begins in 1723, I 
 found to my surprise, that the name of " Col. Era Columbine, 
 Provincial Grand Master" was not only returned in that form 
 by the Old Lodge, meeting at the "Sun," Chester, in 1725, but 
 is entered accordingly in the Records of Grand Lodge, as also 
 the names of his Deputy and two Wardens, the J.G.W. being 
 " Cap. Hugh Warburton," whose appointment as Prov. G. M in 
 1727 has already been noted. 
 
A letter also was read to tlie Grand Lodge later on, dated 
 15th April, 1727, signed by the then Prov. G. M., (Captain 
 Warburton) ; his Deputy being the same as his predecessor had 
 in 1725, but two new Prov. G. Wardens being mentioned. This 
 brother signed as Prov. G. M., though prior to the date of the 
 first appointment cited by Anderson, which is certainly remark- 
 able, there being thus two Prov. G. Masters before the period 
 noted in the " Book of Constitutions," published by authority.* 
 Subsequent issues of the Laws of the Grand Lodge, such as 1756, 
 and 1767 are less reliable on these points than the 2nd edition 
 of 1738. 
 
 In the Ofiicial Calendar there are no Prov. G. Masters 
 recorded for Durham between 1734 and 1787, but the Minute 
 Books of the " Industry " Lodge, No. 48, Gateshead, (so Bro. 
 W. Logan, P.P.G.R.O. informs me) contain the names of nine 
 brethren from 1747 to 1763, who held that office for Durham, 
 all P.M's of that Lodge ; and under 1781 it is stated that in 
 accordance with the Charter of 1734 "authorizing us to appoint 
 a Provincial Grand Master, we have elected our Worshipful 
 Master, David Richardson to that most Honble. Office during 
 his life." The change in 1788 was brought about by the spirited 
 action of the " Marquis of Granby " Lodge, supported by the 
 other Lodges in the Province. 
 
 Nothing has transpired to invalidate the claim of Shrop- 
 shire to be considered the premier Province of England, though, 
 as Bro. Graham states, we are left in the dark as to what use 
 was made of the privilege ; and during a portion of the time, at 
 least, there was not even a single Lodge to give the Prov. G.M. 
 any work to do. A Prov. G.M. without any Lodges was an 
 experience even of later times as considerable latitude prevailed 
 as to such matters down to the end of last century. 
 
 Soon after the formation of the Grand Lodge of England 
 (the first organization of its kind in the world), the Grand Master 
 
 *Vide ''Freemason," June 12, 1886, Article on "Early Chester Masonry." by Bro. H. 
 Sadler, and another by W. J, Hughan, entitled " A Curious I'raud." 
 
Vll 
 
 began to regularize Lodges by " Constituting " them, but not by 
 Warrants, as subsequently. The first of these, apparently, and 
 still on the Roll, was the present No. 6, the " Lodge of Friend- 
 ship," London, duly constituted on 17th Jan., 1721. A few- 
 years later. Lodges were started in the Provinces, and by 1736, 
 when a Lodge was opened at Shrewsbury on 16th April — the 
 first in Shropshire, — in many Counties of England numbers of 
 Lodges were at work, and the Craft was rapidly extending abroad. 
 
 For some reason or other. Freemasonry did not flourish in 
 Salop, as in most other Provinces ; and hence this Lodge of 1736, 
 had but a fitful existence, finally expiring in 1768. In the first 
 edition of the Official Engraved List for 1736, No. 142, Shrews- 
 bury (without day of meeting, or date of Constitution) numbered 
 142, and the last on the Roll, is duly inserted. This unique little 
 gem is owned by my old friend, Bro. E. T. Carson, of Cincinnati, 
 U.S.A., who has had it reproduced, by my desire, and thus kindly 
 gratifying many of his attached brethren. 
 
 The advent of the Salopian Lodge, No. 262, and the re- 
 vival of the Provincial Grand Lodge, occurred in the same decade 
 of last century ; the Shropshire Craft having secured a permanent 
 footing about the year 1788. 
 
 The particulars of Masonic activity during the first portion 
 of this period, especially in connection with the zealous Brother, 
 Major Charles Shirreff, have been most interestingly narrated by 
 Bro. Graham, who has done justice to the subject, and left noth- 
 ing more to be said. 
 
 It will be well to remember, however, that whilst there 
 are different views as to the orgin of the " Great Schism," there 
 is no question as to the year when the rival Grand Lodge in 
 London started. 
 
 The "Ancients" formed their organization in 1751, and 
 on uniting with the "Moderns," in 1813, all rivalry and sepa- 
 rate establishments were happily ended. 
 
Prior to this date, when the blessed Union was consum- 
 mated, the Royal Arch Degree was recognized and worked by 
 the " Ancient " Lodges without distinct Warrants, but the 
 " Moderns " had an independent Grand Chapter to control that 
 ceremony, there being separate Chapters with special Charters 
 and quite a different set of numbers. The first Chapters formed 
 under such auspices, not officially, but practically, recognised by 
 the regular Brethren, was in 1769, and, at the time of the Union, 
 there were some 150 of these subordinates under the wing of the 
 Supreme Grand Chapter, located mostly in the country, but many 
 were in a very comatose state. 
 
 Preliminaries for the union of the two Grand Chapters — 
 " Moderns '' and " Ancients " — were arranged on Nov. 30th, 
 1813, and on March 18th, 1817, the " United Grand Chapter of 
 Royal Arch Masons of England,'' was formally constituted. 
 
 The only Chapter in Shropshire, with a separate Warrant, 
 prior to the Union, was No. 118, " Agenorian,'' Bridgnorth; 
 doubtless promoted by the members of the " Lodge of Industry," 
 No 578, and was formed in 1801. It was taken under the pro- 
 tection of that Lodge, in due course, and became No. 597, 
 retaining the same name as previously, but collapsed when the 
 Lodge did. 
 
 Notwithstanding the publication of the Royal Arch Regu- 
 lations of 1823, and later editions, many companions continued 
 to work the ceremony without any lawful authority, just as the 
 members of the "Salopian" Lodge (No. 262,) as recorded by 
 Bro. Graham ; some by virtue of the Warrants granted under the 
 old regime, and others without even a shadow of justification. 
 
 The Charter for No. 262 (then 328) was agreed to on 17th 
 May, 1843, M.E. Comp. The Earl of Zetland, Pro. G.Z., being in 
 the Chair. Soon after, the Chapter paid the fees for its Con- 
 stitution (five guineas) and £11 12s. 6d. for eight certificates 
 and twenty-two exaltations, so the Companions began well. No 
 returns were made between 1844 and 1855, when the sum pf 
 
£1 7s. 6d. was paid, and, in 1858-9, twelve Companions were 
 registered and £9 10s. Od. remitted, another payment being 
 made in 1862-3 of £1 15s. Od. Since then its progress has been 
 steady, if not brilliant. 
 
 Bro. Graham has managed to obtain so many facts con- 
 cerning Freemasonry in Shropshire, and, moreover, has arranged 
 them so well, that he has left nothing for me to do ; so that my 
 Introduction is of necessity both brief and bald. I most warmly 
 congratulate him on his successful debut, as the historian of his 
 Province, and especially of his Lodge, No. 262. Beyond question 
 his work is both valuable and readable, its importance being such 
 as to abundantly justify its publication, and the Records thus 
 preserved are of special interest to a large circle of Masonic 
 Students far beyond the confines of Shropshire. 
 
 W. J. HUGHAN. 
 
 dunscoee, 
 
 Torquay, 
 April 11th, 1892. 
 
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 
 
 Acton, Capt. E. F. W., 1621. 
 
 Adams, W., P.M. 117, W.M. 2311, P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 Ashdown, Rev. G. M., 262, P.G.C. 
 
 Austin, W., Sec. 2311. 
 
 Avery, John, P.M. 262, P.P.G.W. (2 copies). 
 
 Bain, G. W., P.M. 949, P.P.G.R. (Durham). 
 
 Baxter, W. E., W.M. 117. 
 
 Belton, W., P.M. 117, 2311, P.P.G.D. 
 
 Bennion, S., P.M. 293, 1575, P.P.G.D. 
 
 Benson, 0. K., P.M. 1124, 1336, P.G.W. (N. Wales). 
 
 Berkeley, P. M., P.M. 262, P.G.D. (2 copies). 
 
 Bethell, A., 1621. 
 
 Blower, B., I.P.M. 117. 
 
 Bodenham, J., P.M. 1896, P.P.G.W. 
 
 Bratton, J.A., S.W. 262, P.G.O. 
 
 Bromwich, T., I.P.M. 1621, P.G. Steward. 
 
 Burd, E., P.M. 117, P.P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 Carson, J. L., 891 (I.C.) 
 
 Carson, E. T., 34 (Ohio) 33° N.S.C. 
 
 Chittey, E. J., P.M. & J.D. 1621, P.P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 Clarke, H. C, P.M. 262, P.P.G.R. 
 
 Collins, T., P.M. 1896, P.P.G.W. 
 
 Cooksey, J. H., P.M. &. Treas. 1621, P.P.G.R. (2 copies). 
 
 Cooper, C. J., J.W. 1621. 
 
 CowHng, C. H., S.W. 117. 
 
 Craig, R. A., P.M. 262, P.P.G.R. (3 copies). 
 
 Crump, V. C. L., P.M. 117, 2311, P.G. Treas. (2 copies). 
 
Davis, A. T., 262 
 
 Deakin, A. B., P.M. 117, P.P.G.S.B. 
 
 Deakin, T. P., P.M. 117, P.G.A. Sec. 
 
 Deedes, W., I.P.M. 263, P.G. Steward (3 copies). 
 
 Deighton, C. H., I.G. 1621. 
 
 Eddowes, W., P.M. 262. 
 
 Emson, Rev. P. E. A, Chaplain 262. 
 
 Elliot, Rev. W., P.M. 262. 
 
 Francis, T., P.P.G.D. Sussex, P.P.G.W. (Hants, k I. of W.) 
 
 Freeman, Captain G. W., P.M. 1068, 262, Hon. S.G.W. 
 (N.G.L. Egypt.) 
 
 Genge, Rev. R. S. 
 
 Giles, H. R., P.M. 2131, P.G.R. 
 
 Glassow, C. J., 2131. 
 
 Gore, J. R. Ormsby, J.W. 2131. 
 
 Gray, J., 262 
 
 Hamilton, J. 
 
 Harding, W. E., P.M. & Treas. 262, P.P.G.W. (2 copies). 
 
 Horton, T. R., J.D. 1120, 601. 
 
 Hughan, W. J., P.S.G.D. (Eng.) P.P.G.W. & P.P.G. Sec. 
 (Cornwall.) 
 
 Hughes, H. W., Org. 117. 
 
 Hurley, C, 117. 
 
 Hutchison, Rev. E. A. 
 
 Hyslop, W. C, 262. 
 
 KUvert, J. M., P.M. 601, 262. 
 King, Roff, P.M. 601, P.P.G.W. 
 
 Lane, J., P.M. U02, P.P.G.R. (Devon) 
 Leighton, Stanley, P.M. 1124, P.P.G.W. 
 Lewis, R., P.M. 117, P.P.G.R. 
 Lister, J. C. W., P.M. 1120, P.P.G.A.D. of C. 
 Litt, W. E., P.M. 117. 
 
McLeod, J. M., P.G.W. (Derbyshire), Sec. R.M.I, for Boys. 
 
 Mead, Colonel J. 
 
 MiUington, R., P.M. 601, P.P.G.D. 
 
 Morris, H., P.M. 1124. 
 
 Morris, J. H., 117. 
 
 Morris, W. B., P.M. 117. 
 
 Newman, H. P., J.D. 117 (2 copies). 
 Nicholson, A. C, 1432. 
 
 Ogg, W. J., 2131, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 Oswell, A. E. LI., P.M. 262, P.G.S. of W. (3 copies). 
 
 Oxley, L. J. R., 117. 
 
 Packer, H., J.W. 1120, 262. 
 Parsons, J. H., P.M. 1432, P.P.G.D. 
 Patchett, W., P.M. 117, 262 (2 copies). 
 Peele, Cecil, P.M. 262 (2 copies). 
 Peele, R. De C, Steward, 611. 
 Peele, W. C. C, I.G. 262 (2 copies). 
 Pigott, F. K., 262. 
 
 Redman, J. H., P.M. 262, P.P.G.W. 
 Roberts, T., P.M. 611, P.P.G.R. 
 Royle, T. C, P.M. 117, P.P.G.S.B. 
 
 SaHsbury, F. 262 (2 copies). 
 
 Salter, K. G., 2131, P.P.G.W. 
 
 Salwey, T. J., J.W. 611. 
 
 Sewell, J., 1621 P.P.G.O. 
 
 Smith, Bryce, P.M. 117, 1120, P.P.G.D. 
 
 Smith, H. P., S.W. 1896. 
 
 Smith, J. E., W.M. 262. 
 
 Smith, W. T., W.M. 1621. 
 
 Southam, J. D., J.W. 262 (2 copies). 
 
 Southam, S. C, S.D. 262. 
 
 Southwell, E. M., 1621. 
 
 Southwell, H. B., P.M. 1621, P.P.G.O. 
 
Southwell, W. L., P.M. 1621, 262, P.P.G.W. (6 copies). 
 SpauU, W. H., P.M. 1124, P.O. Sec, P.A.G.D. of C. 
 Smallman, C. W., 1896. 
 
 Taylor, John, I.P.M. & Sec. 1402, J.W. 328. 
 Townsend, P.M. 117, 2311, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 Tredinnick, E., 262. 
 Trevor, A. S., P.M. 1621, P.P.G. Standard B. 
 
 Urry, R., 1884. 
 
 Venables, R. G., D.P.G.M. 
 
 Vine, J., P.M. 117, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 Wace, H. T., P.M. 262, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 Wakeman, E. M., P.M. 262, P.P.G.W., P.P.G.S. of W. (Oxford) 
 
 Wakeman, Sir 0., Bart., R.W.P.G.M. (14 copies). 
 
 Walker, W. B., 117. 
 
 Warren, G. Gordon, P.M. 1575, P.P.G.W. (Shrops.), P.P.G.R. 
 (Staffs.) 
 
 Watkiss, E., 1120. 
 
 Watson, W., P.M. 61, 2069 P.P.G.S. of W. (West Yorks.) 
 
 Watton, J., P.M. 117, 262. 
 
 Webber, F., P.M. Sec. G.S.C.S.J. 33°. 
 
 Westcott, W., P.M. 1621, P.P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 Whitefoot, T., Junr., P.M. & Sec. 1621, P.P.G.W. 
 
 Williams, C. E., 1432. 
 
 Williams, J., 117. 
 
 Williams, R., J.W. 1896. 
 
 Williams, T., 892. 
 
 Withers, R. W. 0., 262. 
 
 The Salopian Lodge, 262 (20 copies) 
 
 The Salopian Chapter, 262 (2 copies). 
 
 The Salopian Lodge of Charity, 117 (2 copies). 
 
 St. John's Lodge, 601 (2 copies). 
 
 The Lodge of the Marches, 611. 
 
 The Lodge of St. Milburga, 1120. 
 
The Lodge of St. Oswald, 1124. 
 
 The Fitzalan Lodge, 1432. 
 
 The Olive Lodge, 1575. 
 
 The Castle Lodge, 1621 (2 copies). 
 
 The Audley Lodge, 1896. 
 
 The Brownlow Lodge, 2131. 
 
 The Lodge of St. Alkmund, 2311. 
 
 Library Lodge Quatuor Ooronatorum (2 copies). 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Preface ... 
 
 Introduction by Bro. W. J. Hughan 
 
 List of Subscribers 
 
 PAGE 
 iii 
 
 History of Freemasonry in the Pro\'ince of Shropshire 
 
 List of Existing Lodges 
 
 List of Existing Chapters 
 
 List of Extinct Lodges 
 
 List of ProTiucial Grand Officers 
 
 Lodge of St. Alkmund, Whitchurch, 2-311 
 
 Grand Lodge Register of Wliitchurch Lodge, 388 ... 
 
 Grand Lodge Register of Egerton Lodge, 445 ... 
 
 BrowTilow Lodge, Ellesmere, 2131 
 
 Audley Lodge, Newport, 1896 
 
 Castle Lodge, Bridgnorth, 1621 ... 
 
 Grand Lodge Register of Lodge of Industry, Bridgnorth, 578 
 
 Grand Chapter Register of Agenorian Chapter, 118 
 
 Clive Lodge, Market Drayton, 1 575 ... 
 
 Grand Lodge Register of Anchor & Hope Lodge, Woore, 644 
 
 Fitzalan Lodge, Oswestry, 1432 
 
 Lodge of St. Oswald, Oswestry, 1124 
 
 Lodge of St. Milburga, Ironbridge, 1120 
 
 Lodge of the Marches, Ludlow, 611 
 
 Grand Lodge Register of Mercian Lodge, Ludlow, 528 
 
 Lodge of St. John, WelUngton, 601 
 
 Grand Lodge Register of Wrekin Lodge, 445 ... 
 
 Eyton Chapter, Wellington, 601 ... ... • 
 
 Salopian Lodge of Charity, 117 
 Salopian Lodge, 262, Section 1 (1788-1813) 
 „ 2(1814-32) 
 
 „ „ 3 (1836-92) 
 
 Warrant of Salopian Lodge (Appendix A) 
 
 Centenary Warrant of Salopian Lodge (Appendix B) 
 
 Bye Laws (1788) (Appendix C) 
 
 List of Members of Salopian Lodge (1788-1891) (Appendix D) 
 
 1 
 
 49 
 
 50 
 
 51 
 
 52 
 
 62 
 
 63 
 
 64 
 
 66 
 
 67 
 
 68 
 
 72 
 
 76 
 
 78 
 
 79 
 
 80 
 
 81 
 
 84 
 
 85 
 
 89 
 
 90 
 
 93 
 
 94 
 
 96 
 
 104 
 
 144 
 
 168 
 
 210 
 
 212 
 
 214 
 
 219 
 
THE 
 
 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY 
 
 IN THE 
 
 Province of Shropshire. 
 — •^-*<-» — 
 
 have no intention of attempting to write a complete history 
 of the Province of Shropshire. The materials necessary 
 for the successful compilation of such a work, even if I possessed 
 the special knowledge and ability requisite to use them properly, 
 are not in my possession. Indeed, so far as I can ascertain, 
 such materials, except with reference to comparatively recent 
 times, are non-existent. None of the minute-books of any of the 
 Lodges founded in this County during the last century are now 
 available for reference, with the single exception of those 
 belonging to the Salopian Lodge, 262.(1) Any knowledge of 
 these Lodges must therefore be chiefly derived from Grand 
 Lodge records, which are meagre in the extreme, and consist 
 mainly, until the re-establishment of the Register of Members in 
 1768, of the mere dates of the foundation and formal erasure of 
 the several Lodges, together with a list of their several places of 
 meeting. It is evident that such information, accurate though 
 it be, can tell us nothing of lodge life, and give us little but the 
 dry bones of the real history of the Province. 
 
 The entire loss of the old lodge records necessarily 
 involves also the loss of all knowledge of Provincial Grand Lodge 
 Meetings, if any were in fact held ; for. Provincial Grand Lodges 
 being in early times held only in Craft Lodges, it is to the 
 records of the latter w-e must look, and look in vain, for 
 information about Provincial transactions. 
 
 (1) Some of those belonging to the Old Lodge of Industry at Bridgnorth are supposed 
 to he in existence, but cannot yet be produced, A 
 
FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 The obscurity that wraps up as with a veil the history of 
 the Craft in the Province during the last century extends also to 
 the first half of the present century, though not, perhaps, to such 
 a marked degree. The records of the two Shrewsbury Lodges, 
 dating from 1788 and 1815 respectively, d) cover between them 
 this entire period (in no instance is there a hiatus in the 
 minutes of both Lodges at the same time) and, as details of the 
 Provincial history are slightly and occasionally noticed therein, 
 some little light is thereby cast upon the general darkness. At 
 best however, this light is but a flickering ray. 
 
 I am however, convinced that Masonry, did not until 
 about the year 1850 find a very secure footing in this County, 
 and the complete annals of the Province in the last Century, 
 and the early years of the present Century, if they ever are or can 
 be written, would, in my opinion, show little of interest to the 
 Craft in general. The Shropshire Lodges appear to have been 
 throughout this period composed mainly of brethren of low social 
 standing, who were content to discharge their Masonic duties 
 quietly and unostentatiously, their path lying for the most part 
 far aside, from the stream of conflict between "Ancients" and 
 "Moderns, "(2) which was then the most notable feature of 
 Masonic history. I must therefore necessarily content myself 
 with such a slight outline of the history of the Province as the 
 materials before me supply, and express the hope that it will 
 prove sufficiently interesting to Salopian Masons to warrant its 
 being written. 
 
 The office of Provincial Grand Master was first created 
 in the year 1726, and five years later, as is recorded by the 
 Freemason's Calendar, Sir Edward Matthews was appointed to 
 that dignity over the Province of Shropshire. Who Sir Edward 
 Matthews was I have been unable to discover. His name does 
 not appear in any of the " Histories of Shropshire," and he does 
 
 (1) The Salopian Lod^e oE Charity 117, founded in 1810, did not settle in Shrewsbury 
 
 till 1815, 80 that its earlier minutes do not apply to Shropshire. 
 
 (2) A short sketch of the origin of these rival bodies, to which constant reference is 
 
 hereafter made, will be found in the Salopian Lodge history under the year 1813, 
 and should be read at once by those who are unacquainted with its details. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHKOPSHIEE. 
 
 not seem to have been a member of any of our Shropshire County 
 families. For five years he could have had no duties to discharge 
 as the first lodge in the Province was not founded till 1736. It 
 is impossible to say for what length of time he remained in ojffice, 
 but assuming that he did so until the date of the next recorded 
 appointment, he must have had at one time two lodges under 
 his jurisdiction, the one at Shrewsbury already referred to as 
 founded in 1736, and the other founded in 1744 at Oswestry. 
 Of these Lodges we know nothing except the dates of their 
 foundation, and their places of meeting ; and there is no reason 
 to suppose that their existence was in any way due to the 
 exertions of the P.G.M. 
 
 It seems, on the contrary, far more probable that they 
 were due to the presence of Brethren from Chester, in which 
 city Masonry was early established on a firm basis, and which, 
 as a Province, was the first in England to possess a Provincial 
 Grand Master. It is also not improbable that some of the trav- 
 elling bands of masons mentioned in Dr. Plott's Natural History 
 of Staffordshire had early crossed the border into Shropshire. 
 The following extract taken from the Much Wenlock Church 
 Register, and included in the report of the Historical M.SS. 
 Commission, seems to relate to a member of such a band. 
 
 "Walter Hancox, freemason, was buryed the 16 day of 
 " September [1599]. This man was a very skilfuU man in the 
 " art of Masonry, in settinge of plottes for buildinges and 
 " performinge of the same, ingravinge in alebaster and other 
 " stone or playster, and in divers other giftes that belong to that 
 " art, as dothe appeare by his workes whiche may be seene 
 "in divers partes of England and Walles, most sompteouse 
 " buildings, most stately tombes, most curyous pictures. And to 
 " conclude in all workes he tooke in hand he hathe left behinde him 
 " longe lastinge monuments of skilfull workmanship, and besides 
 " these quaHtyes, he had others which passed these, he was a most 
 " honest man, devout and zelouse in religion, pittifull to the poore, 
 " and had the love and good-will of all his honeste neighbours." 
 
FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 I must not be understood as asserting that Hancox was a 
 speculative mason. I use the passage merely to show that the 
 elements out of which speculative masonry developed, were, at 
 an early date, present in Shropshire as well as in the bordering 
 counties. 
 
 Whatever may have been the chief factor in the founda- 
 tion of the early Shropshire Lodges, it is abundantly evident that 
 the period of their existence was but short, that they never were 
 established on a secure foundation, and that there is no trace of 
 a Provincial Grand Lodge in the modern sense of the phrase 
 under the rule of Sir Edward Matthews, or for many years 
 afterwards. 
 
 The next name in the list of Provincial Grand Masters 
 contained in the Freemasons' Calendar is that of George Durant 
 (1774-1779). In the year 1753 it would, however, appear that 
 Lord' Oarysfort, then Grand Ma3ter, appointed Sir Robert de 
 Cornwall, Provincial Grand Master for the Counties of Worcester' 
 Gloucester, Salop, Monmouth, and Hereford. Commenting on 
 this appointment, especially with reference to the County of 
 Gloucester, Bro. Sadler in his most interesting work " Thomas 
 Dunckerley, his Life, Labours, and Letters," remarks, (i) that 
 " Sir Robert was one of the more ornamental than useful sort, a 
 merely nominal head of the Craft in the County, selected 
 probably from motives of friendship, rather than from any 
 special qualification for the post. With the exception of having 
 attended a meeting of the Grand Lodge when his patron was 
 present, (2) the records throw no light on whatever services he 
 may have rendered to the Craft to merit this great distinction. 
 The Book of Constitutions, published in 1767, contains a list of 
 all the Provincial Grand Masters that had been appointed since 
 the office was created (1726). This list was revised in 1769 with 
 a view of printing the names of such as were still in existence, 
 with the List of Lodges for 1770. Those who had not already 
 
 (1) Pases 198-109. 
 
 (2) " ~ 
 
 Held at the Devil Tavern, Temple Bar, Nov. 23rd, 1753. 
 
THE PnOVINCE OP SHROPSHIllE. 
 
 been superseded, were accordingly written to by the Grand 
 
 Secretary, to ascertain whether they were dead or alive. He 
 
 apparently acted under instructions, for against the name of Sir 
 
 Robert de Cornwall is written 'Take no notice of him.' It is 
 
 not therefore a matter of surprise that the name of this highly 
 
 favoured brother should not be found in ' A List of the present 
 
 acting Provincial Grand Masters' for 1770, nor does it appear in 
 
 any subsequent list." His name is, however, now inserted 
 
 in the Freemason's Calendar as P.G.M. for Gloucester, Hereford, 
 
 Monmouth, and Worcester, and also for North Wales, and its 
 
 omission from the Ust of P.G.M.'s for Shropshire I cannot account 
 
 for. If it is properly included in the former lists, it ought also 
 
 to be in the latter. Durant seems to have been of the same 
 
 stamp as Sir Robert de Cornwall, and the remarks applied 
 
 by Bro. Sadler to the latter might with equal justice be applied 
 
 to the former, so far at all events as Shropshire Masonry is 
 
 concerned. His jurisdiction, even if he exercised all that rightly 
 
 belonged to his office, only extended over a nameless Lodge in 
 
 Shrewsbury, 227, which was extinct in 1775, and the Lodge of 
 
 Friendship at Bridgnorth, 413, which ceased to work before 1783, 
 
 its number in that year being 322. He was a member of that 
 
 old Shropshire family, which until quite recently had its seat at 
 
 Tong Castle, near Shifnal, and was Member of Parliament for 
 
 Evesham in Worcester in or about the year 1777.(i) A few facts 
 
 about his Masonic career are also known. He was a member of 
 
 the Somerset House Lodge No. 4,(2) prior to 1768, and was Grand 
 
 Steward from May 1773 to May 1774, but he never attended 
 
 Grand Lodge as a P.G.M., nor paid his fee on his appointment to 
 
 that office. Except as above stated I do not think his name 
 
 occurs in the records of the Craft, and his services to Shropshire 
 
 Masonry may be considered as absolutely nil. We have no 
 
 evidence that he was ever even a member of a Shropshire Lodge. 
 
 From the fact that Shropshire is not mentioned as a Province in 
 
 the Book of Constitutions published in 1784, it may be inferred 
 
 (1) Hulbert's History of Shrewsbury, Appendix p. 17. 
 
 (2) The junior o£ the four Lodges which united in 1717 to found the premier Grand 
 
 Lodge of the world. 
 
FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 that on the death or resignation of Durant, in 1779, no fresh 
 appointment to the office of P.G.M. was made. Such an 
 appointment would in fact have been almost objectless, as 
 Masonry was tlien practically extinct in the County. From 
 1783-1785 not a single Lodge was in existence. The latter year 
 may be taken as the date of the revival of the Craft in the 
 the Province. The chief actor in the revival, was a half-pay 
 officer named Major Charles Shirreff, who in 1784 had retired 
 from active service, and settled down at Whitchurch. 
 
 A considerable number of his letters are still in existence, 
 and from them some interesting information can be extracted. 
 Some of them are quoted.^' by Bro. Sadler in his "Masonic Facts 
 and Fictions," for the purpose of showing that letters intended 
 for one of the rival Grand Lodges " Ancient and Modern," often 
 got into the possession of the wrong faction, and were answered 
 by the actual recipients as if the writers really belonged to their 
 Constitution. These letters are most valuable for our purpose 
 as they deal with Shropshire Masonry, but of such of them as 
 are quoted by Bro. Sadler, I propose only to give a summary ; 
 The first was addressed to Dr. Robert Bath, No. 399, Oxford 
 Street, London, and is dated the 23rd April, 1785. It begins 
 by stating that the writer was " An Antient Mason of 27 years 
 standing," had " been Master of sev'l Lodges, and constituted 
 one in the Island of Jersey," and not finding in Shropshire or 
 Cheshire a Grand Lodge from whom he could obtain a deputa- 
 tion to constitute a Lodge in Whitchurch, he wished to know 
 the expense of obtaining one in London, and also desired to be 
 put into communication with the Grand Secretary. In a post- 
 script he adds " Please to remember that I keep up to Antient 
 Masonry and will adhei-e to none other." His next letter 
 addressed to " The Secretary of the Grand Lodge of London," ' 
 was evidently enclosed under cover to Dr, Bath, and was by him 
 handed to the Grand Secretary of the " Moderns " instead 
 of to the Grand Secretary of the "Antients," for whom it 
 
 (1) At pages 150-155, 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 was doubtless intended. It is dated the 1st May, 1785, and 
 reiterates his desire to form a Lodge at Whitchurch, though he 
 "did not purpose working in the lower degrees of Masonry any 
 more" after having retired from the Army. The next letter, 
 dated the 27th June, 1785, is addressed to Mr. William White, 
 Free Masons Hall, Great Queen Street, Lincolns Inn Fields, 
 London, then the Grand Secretary of the "Moderns." It con- 
 tains chiefly the writer's proofs of his being an "Antient" 
 Mason. Curious though it may seem, some understanding was 
 eventually arrived at between the "Antient" Mason, and the 
 Grand Secretary of the "Moderns," for the Warrant for a 
 Lodge at Whitchurch was ultimately granted to Major Shirreff. 
 The delay of nearly seven months before the matter was finally 
 completed, was, however, a great source of annoyance to him. 
 Having arrived at the " Ne plus ultra" or 25th degree, as he 
 himself repeatedly tells us, and " holding also a patent from the 
 King of Prussia, through one of the Deputy Grand Inspectors in 
 North America," he considered that more prompt attention 
 should have been paid by Grand Lodge to any expression of his 
 wishes, and this annoyance finds frequent expression in his 
 letters. He had also a rather warm dispute with the Provincial 
 Grand Lodge of Chester over a trifling mistake. Having 
 obtained the promise of the Warrant from Grand Lodge, he 
 wrote to Sir Robert Cotton, P.G.M. for that Province for his 
 assistance in constituting the Lodge. This, so far as I can 
 understand the matter, was regarded by the Provincial Grand 
 Secretary of Chester, as an application for a Warrant, but he 
 was speedily undeceived by Major Shirreff, who promptly 
 asserted his independence of all authority except that of Grand 
 Lodge. The Whitchurch Lodge was eventually constituted on 
 the 15th November, 1785, and on the 17th of the same month 
 the old soldier wrote to Mr. White as follows : — " On the 15th 
 Inst., with the assistance of three Masters from Chester and two 
 besides myself here,(i) I opened the Lodge in the usual way, and 
 
 (1) In another letter he had stated that the only Mason besides himself in Whitchurch 
 was a Fellow Craft. This was probably his Junior Warden Wm. L. Brookes who had 
 been initiated whilst resident at the University of Cambridge at the age of 13 years. 
 
PEEEMASONRT IN 
 
 haveing one above the number that can constitute ; it was 
 accordingly done and named the Whitchurch Lodge No. 1, to 
 be held at the White Lion Inn, in s'd town. * * * Agreeable 
 to your desire I now send you a list of the Members that com- 
 pose the Body, viz., C. Shirreff, Master ; Revd. Francis Henry 
 Egerton, S.W. ; Wm. L. Brookes, J.W. ; Arthur Blaney, S.D. ; 
 Wm. Turner, J.D. ; James Turner Meakin, Stew'd ; Revd. 
 Godfrey Wooley, Treasurer ; Revd. John ColUer, Secretary ; 
 Peter Newton and Richard Bentley, Tylers." 
 
 Of Shirreff's methods of work in the Lodge thus created, 
 we know nothing. Bro. Sadler remarks that " whether he 
 continued to ' work in the Antient way ' or became modernized 
 in his old age is not quite clear. I have carefully read his 
 numerous letters, and they do not indicate any change in this 
 respect, indeed I am inclined to believe that he was hardly 
 the sort of person to be easily convinced that he had been 
 wrong during the whole of his Masonic career." In December, 
 1785, he again wrote to White, " I have the pleasure to acquaint 
 you that every one seems determined to observe the Antient 
 Custom of Masonry," " This," says Bro. Sadler, " coupled with 
 the appointment of Deacons, seems to support my idea that 
 he did not alter his mode of working." The early customs of 
 my own Lodge No. 262, to which I shall hereafter have 
 occasion to refer, <i' and the adoption of which was doubtless 
 due to a great extent to his influence, will, I thinlc, materially 
 strengthen the evidence upon this point, and show that Bro. 
 Sadler's conclusion is probably correct. 
 
 Having thus founded a lodge, Shirreff's next step was to 
 obtain the re-establishment of Shropshire as a Province, and he 
 at once intimated his intention of applying for the post of 
 P.G.M. " provided," as he puts it, " it is within the reach of my 
 Finances." As however, his income was at this time only 2/6 
 per diem, being that of a half-pay officer, it was evident he 
 
 (1) See Salopian Lodge History for the year 1788. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 9 
 
 could not undertake the expenses of such an office, and 
 eventually he relinquished his intention in favour of his Senior 
 Warden, as we shall presently see. 
 
 The rest of Major Shirreff's correspondence with the Grand 
 Secretary has, I believe, never been either published or quoted 
 from, and I venture here to extract from it all passages that may 
 interest Salopians. These extracts are of considerable length, 
 but they convey information not to be otherwise obtained, and 
 I believe they will afford in themselves a truer picture of the 
 man and his work in the Province than any history I could 
 concoct from them would present. I regret that much of interest 
 must be omitted. Major Shirreff was accustomed to write freely 
 of his knowledge of the so called "Higher Degrees," and the 
 superiority of his method of imparting that knowledge ; his 
 letters, too, show that he succeeded in infecting the Grand 
 Secretary and other prominent Masons in London with his ideas 
 upon this subject ; but such topics lie outside the scope of my 
 present purpose, and cannot now be dealt with. It is evident 
 that he was a constant sufferer from rheumatism and gout, and 
 the length and legibility of his numerous epistles, are, considering 
 the difficulties with which he had to contend, amazing. They 
 are all dated from "Whitchurch in Shropshire,'' and are 
 addressed to William White, the Grand Secretary. 
 
 1. 
 
 3Ist October, 17£5. 
 " I shall observe the same Rules in this Lodge as I always did to admit none 
 but Gentlemen, and as this is the first instance of one ever known here, 
 in all probability as I will not admit the 2nd class, they may form a 
 Hody, if so I hope their Warrent will express that tliey are to Look on 
 our Lodge as the Head, &c., ic." 
 
 This letter of course refers to the Whitchurch Lodge, 
 which at this date had not been constituted. As will be seen 
 hereafter another Lodge was subsequently founded in Whitchurch 
 
10 VREEMASONEY IN 
 
 by Major Shirreff, and the implied superiority of the Lodge first 
 in date, has an important bearing on the question hereafter 
 discussed — Was there or was there not a real Provincial Grand 
 Lodge in Shropshire during any part of the last century ? 
 
 2. 
 
 30th November, 1785. 
 
 ' The prospects I have in Establishing a Lodge of Respectability in this Town 
 gives me pleasure, as I am the Founder of it, and as none of Its present 
 members know nothing of its Progress ; and wishing that they should 
 find what I have said is by no means to arrogate to myself any Merit 
 but is my Due, you will "much oblige me to Let me know for their 
 guidance what respect is Customary to be shown to the Founder of a 
 Lodge : and the Past Master : as I do not mean always to be a Hack ; 
 and at the same time when I resign the Chair, I do not give up my 
 authority in that Lodge, being in the Superior Degrees which ihey 
 have not attain'd to, I beg you will according to the English Constitu- 
 tion draw this Line, as I have some who have been made in France, 
 and as that Nation are too fond of intrigueing, their making of masons 
 was not altogether to my way of thinking." 
 
 From a letter dated the 17th December, 1785, we learn 
 that five initiations had taken in the Whitchurch Lodge within 
 a month of its being constituted. The names of the candidates 
 were — Samuel Hodson, Peter Gregory, John Gregory, James 
 Simpson, and Charles Gibbons. George Watson, who had been 
 initiated at Chester, joined the lodge in the following month. 
 
 3. 
 
 6th February, 1786. 
 
 'My S.W. the Kevd. Mr. Egerton, son of the Bishop of Durham's, and our 
 Rector here left us ou the 3rd Inst., and from the Conversation that 
 pass'd between us respecting the Fraternity, altho' he knows but very 
 Little of it, yet as he will be advis'd by me, and appoint me his 
 D.G.Mr., I have advis'd him as he is known to Ld. Effingham, to get 
 appointed for the County, he being a man of family & fortune it will 
 be the means of promoteing the Craft in this County, and wherein that 
 is concern'd I always Yield, and espesially so when the person who tills 
 the Chair, is ready to receive advice, in this case it is of Little moment 
 who is in it, further on my own part I have never fiU'd any chair yet 
 as a Mason, that I found any one Could talk to me ; but his answer 
 was ready for him." 
 
THE PEOVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 11 
 
 The recommendation contained in this letter was promptly- 
 attended to as the Revd. F. H. Egerton was duly appointed 
 P.G.M. for Shropshire shortly afterwards, and was installed by 
 Shirreff in August, as we learn from the following extract. 
 
 4. 
 
 IstOctr., 1786. 
 ' Oil my return I forwarded your letter to the Wynnstay Lodge agreeable to 
 your address, and wrote the Mastr. two letters myself : but not a Line in 
 answer to any one of them, which makes me Conclude they have Either 
 Ceased to meet, or Else removed the lodge out of this County. The 
 Revd Mr. Egerton I had the Honour of Installing him our P.G.M. on 
 the 10th of August, who appointed me his Deputy ; this was Inserted 
 in this County's & also in Chester papers for the Guidance of those 
 Conoern'd. As yet I have heard nothing from the Brethren at Bridg- 
 north, now under the displeasure of the Gd. Lodge ; I should be 
 happy they would put it in my power through you to Effect a 
 Reconciliation. " 
 
 The Wynnstay, was a Lodge at Oswestry, first founded 
 in 1785, but not, so far as I can ascertain, originally established 
 in Shropshire. Some further account of it will be found in 
 connection with an extract from a later letter dated 2nd Febry., 
 1789. With respect to the Bridgnorth Lodge, I conclude that 
 the displeasure of Grand Lodge here referred to, arose from its 
 neglect to furnish its proper yearly returns. It is stated by 
 Bro. Lane to have been erased in 1783, yet it is curious, if that 
 statement be correct, to find the Grand Secretary writing to its 
 Master in 1786. Probably the Lodge ceased to work in 1783, 
 and its erasure was ante-dated to suit that fact. The letter of 
 the 2nd Febry., 1789, already referred to, shows that Shirreff 
 was still in communication with the Grand Secretary about it in 
 that year. The succeeding extracts refer principally to the 
 Salopian Lodge. 
 
 5. 
 
 2nd June, 1788. 
 " I have just received a letter from the Revd. Bro. Egerton, inclosing me a 
 petition from several persons at Shrewsbury praying him as P.G.M. 
 for the Coiiuty to grant them a Warrants as some luformatiou 
 
12 FEEEMASONEY IN 
 
 is further Necessary previous to Its being made out, have accordingly 
 written to them at Shrewsbury to be particular in answering my Letter, 
 in the Interim will be much Oblig'd to you if you will be pleas'd to 
 make out for me a Rough Form how these P.G. Warts, are made out, 
 Leaving the Blanks to fill up, against I have the pleasure of seeing you, 
 which will be soon after the 12th Inst, as t Leave this on that day for 
 Town, and any other Information you can give me for the Conduct of 
 P.G. Lodges, be so kind as to minute them down for me." * * * 
 
 6. 
 
 1st July, 1788. 
 
 ' I am now to acquaint you that in Consequence of my writeing to Shrews- 
 bury the intended Master with two of the Officers of the new Lodge to 
 be Formed waited on me, and I have granted him a Dispensation to act 
 &c. till their Warrent of Constitution is made out, which that you 
 may be enabled to do, I transmit you the following particulars about 
 it, viz. — Their Petition for a Wart, was dated 1.3th May last. 
 AVilliam Neal, Master; Thomas Barkley, Sour. Warden; William 
 Cotton, (1) Junr. Warden ; John Beck, Tresr. ; John Brackley Prichard, 
 Secty. ; John Hall, Senr. Deacon ; Edward Inis,(2) Junr. Deacon ; and 
 Michael Kavanagh, Tyler. The Lodge to be called the Salopian Lodge 
 No. 1, and to be held at the sign of the Fox, in the town of Shrews- 
 bury, County of Salop, and their time of meeting to be on the first 
 Tuesday in every mouth. As I expect Kevd. Mr. Egerton here very 
 shortly, I beg you will have the Warrent made out in the same form 
 as that of ours here for No. 1 Whitchurch, & send it as soon as you 
 can, that I may have it ready for the P.G. Mr. to sign on his joining us, 
 as his stay will not be long here ; vhere it is to be sigu'd mark with 
 your Pencil, & in your note please inform me whether any one is to 
 sign it besides the P.G. P. {sic) as he means to sign it himself. * * 
 When you make out this Warrent, I hope you Avill give it the No. as 
 you said you would. I want a neat Lodge Bible about 2 gu., or a 
 little more, and buch a Book of Constitutions as you sent to the Barry 
 Lodge, both books to be bound alike, and Embellished in a Decent 
 planner. I beg leave to observe to you that the Form at the beginning 
 of the Wart, may run thus (instead of We Francis Henry Egerton as 
 Mr. Sweetenborg's copy is) We the Kevd. Francis Henry Egerton, &o., , 
 ke., kc, P.G.Mr, for the County of Salop, & so on &c. 
 
 From the copy of the Warrant given in Appendix A, it 
 ■will be seen that the P.G.M. never signed it. Shirreff, however, 
 signed it both as D. P.G.M. and also as P.G. Secretary. The 
 number was not given to the Lodge until some time afterwards. 
 The Barry Lodge is again mentioned in these letters, a short 
 account of it will be found in the Salopian Lodge History under 
 the year 1788. 
 
 (1) This sViouia be Cottom, but it is correctly spelled in the Warrant. 
 
 B) Also spelled in this manner in the Warrant; the name reaUy is " Innya." 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHUOPSIIIEE. 13 
 
 7. 
 
 30tli July, 17SS. 
 'This is to request yon will have made for me six- wliite collars & send 
 them add ress'd to me here. When fiuish'd they are intended for the 
 Salopian Lodge. I am in hopes tliis may catch you in time to send 
 them with the Bihle &o., hat the Warrent I do not care how soon you 
 sent it for reasons already told yon, & the Expense Attending the 
 whole I shall take proper Steps to have you repaid." 
 
 ledi August, 1788. 
 ' I rec'd yonrs of the 5th Inst , and in a few days after the Paper Parcel safe 
 & in good order, and as I was to see the JIastcr and some of the 
 Officers of the Lodge on the lith (our Lodge Night) was my reason for 
 not answering y'r favor sooner ; they came as expected, and I 
 presented them with their IJible, &c., they were much pleas'd with 
 everything sent, & particularly desired me to return you their kind 
 thanks, ami that they were much oblig'd to you. I have set them 
 agoing, & doubt not they will be a most Respectable Lodge ; & I 
 purpose as D. P.G. M. now and then to visit them and to see how they 
 come on. You signified to me in a former Lor. the expense of a \Vt. 
 would be £i lis. 6d. * * and our P.G.II. Wt. says that for 
 every Wt. of Constitution we grant we shall send to the G.T. of the 
 Society in London £5 5s. Od. 1 apprehend this is a mistake by half- 
 a gu. too much, however, agreeable to the sum Specified in the P.G.M. 
 Wt. I now remit you for the purpo.ses therein mention'd five gnineasd) 
 & also to repay your acc't £i 2s. 8d., making the sum of £9 7s. 8d. 
 as above mention'd. * * * Masonry I have much at Heart, and I 
 am in hopes ere long to send you a list of names for a fresh Wt. I 
 shall ever be happy in promoting the Welfare of the Society, and I may 
 venture to tell yon, there is but lew on the List (Considering Situa- 
 tions) That's done more for its prosperity than I have. * * * 
 
 17th Sep., 1788. 
 
 ' I am just return'd from visiting the Barry and Salopian Lodges, and it 
 gives me much Satisfaction to inform you I approve of there [sic) Con- 
 duct in all respects, the Latter Lodge has as yet rec'd no Qnaterly {sic) 
 Communication, and I again request you will give me the No. of their 
 Lodge." 
 
 (11 The Salopian Lodge doly repaid the D.P.G.M. five guineas for the Warrant, so that 
 the mistake, if any, was never rectified. The Si 2s. 8d. was for the Bible, &c., 
 pmohased for the Lodge as mentioned in an earlier letter. 
 
14 FBEEMASONRY IN 
 
 10. 
 
 2nd Febry., 1789. 
 
 " I observe what you say ab't D.P.G.M. Jewel amounting to ab't 30/- which 
 I shall leave intirely to your Taste as far as two Guineas will go, & a 
 proper Ribbon to wear with it, if I am within Compass for a Neat one 
 so far good, but I shall not mind a few shillings more, as I think I 
 can't be turn'd out of olBce (unless I act not in character), is my motive 
 for being at this Expence willing to add to the Dignity of Masonry all 
 in my power. Every Inquiry has been made by me Respecting the 
 Lodj^e held in Oswestry ; none I am told has been held there for some 
 years past, the Wynnstay Lodge No. •S24 formerly did Assemble there 
 have left this county, & I am inform'd meet in Wales, so that is not 
 in our District ; the Lodge No. 322, formerly held at Bridgnorth (now 
 erased) have heard nothing of them, & I now acquaint you that there 
 are no more Lodges held to my knowledge in this district than you 
 have already been inform'd of by me. * * * in all probability 
 more Lodges will soon be in this County, & it is ray intentions to do 
 the business as concisely as possible, so that the Craft shall flourish, 
 and the orders of the Grand Lodge punctually observ'd, & if the 
 Lodges are once made acquainted from you that in all business of 
 Jlasonry must come to you through us, this matter will be Adjusted to 
 the Satisfaction of us both. I with pleasure inform you that another 
 Lodge is agoing to be fix'd here w'ch is approv'd of by the P.G. Jlr., 
 it will Cost me much trouble, as I must Constantly attend (they being 
 Young in the business) to act as ilr. is my reason for now desireing 
 you will Leave a space for one to be inserted by us whenever we can find 
 one that is fit for the office, but as I shall keep them close at it, hope 
 shortly to Effect it, as I spare no pains for the good of iVIasonry — there 
 petition to us was dated on 25th Deer. Last. Oificers to wit — 
 
 .Master (this for us to fill up). 
 
 JOHN PERRY, SW., age 34. Profession— Waiter. 
 
 "WALTER THOMAS, J.W., do. 24 , Clock & Watch Maker 
 
 HENJAMIN LAKIN, Tleasr. do. 34 ,, Cabinet Maker. 
 
 WILLIAM DODD, Secty., do. 30 „ Grocer. 
 
 JOHN HROOKES, S.D., do. 27 ,, Shoemaker. 
 
 JOHN HINTON, J.D., do. 24 „ Shoemaker. 
 
 PETER WRIGHT, Tyler, do. 43 „ Inn Holder. 
 
 The Lodge to he called the Egerton Lodge No. 2 at Whitchurch, to be 
 held in this Town at the sign of the Coach & Horses, & to assemble 
 on the last Monday in each Month, so that you will please make out 
 the Wart. Sevl. others will join us in a few days, haveing Granted 
 leave for that purpose • * * P. S. In order to bring a Bror. on to 
 fill the chair as soon as possible, its my intention, that myself or one 
 of our Past Mr. do always attend them when they meet (or to adjust 
 the business, w'ch will not be long in doing, as two of the members 
 were Master Masons in Chester, and are now Remov'd to this town to 
 reside." 
 
 It is somewhat curious to observe that none of the officers 
 of the Egerton Lodge mentioned in this letter were registered in 
 Grand Lodge. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 15 
 
 As will be seen hereafter Shirreff miscalculated the length 
 of his tenure of the office of D.P.G.M., so that his purchase of 
 the jewel mentioned in this letter proved a bad investment. 
 The Wynnstay Lodge appears to have been founded at Wynn- 
 stay, in Denbighshire, in 1771, by the grandfather of the late 
 R.W.P.G.M., and to have removed to Oswestry in 1785, without 
 the knowledge of Grand Lodge. If Shirreff's account of its 
 movements be correct, it seems to have returned over the border 
 into Wales shortly afterwards, such removal being likewise with- 
 out permission. Its erasure is dated 1789, and probably took 
 place as an immediate consequence of this letter. The case of 
 the Bridgnorth Lodge, called the Lodge of Friendship, has been 
 already referred to in connection with Shirreff's fourth letter. 
 The establishment of the Egerton Lodge, brought the number of 
 Lodges in the Province at this date up to three, not including 
 the Barry Lodge, a military Lodge in the 34th Regiment, then 
 stationed at Shrewsbury. The usual Book of Constitutions, . 
 Bible, Collars, and other lodge requisites, were purchased by 
 Shirreff from the Grand Secretary for the Egerton Lodge. 
 
 11. 
 
 June 3rd, 1789. 
 " I am just return'd from visiting my friends (at Newport, Shefnal, Welling- 
 ton, Shrewsbury, Ellesmere, Wrexham, and Namptwich) * • * 
 bein" in hopes Ere Long to receive Applications to set 3 or 4 more 
 Lodges agoing, so you will see Masonry I have much at heart as well 
 abroad as at home. * * * I have dated the Wart, the day of their 
 Petition, viz., 1st Janry., 1789, and appointed their olBcers as follows— 
 ISro. Walter Thomas to be Master, Bro. Robt. Barrow Jones, S.W., 
 and Bro. Benjamin Lakin J. W. * * * I inspected the Lodges 
 when in Shrewsbury, & found everything going on Right. The 
 Ensuing Festival of St. John being our Triennial return, that Masons 
 generally observe in the Country, Its my intentions that the Lodges in 
 this County do attend me on that day, in order to proceed to Church 
 and Dine together. The Barry Lodge on acct. of the militia being 
 Embodied are remov'd from Shrewsbury, wh'ch prevents them from 
 attending us, and I am inform'd they mean to apply for leave to go in 
 procession on their Return. As the day will have been observ'd 
 a<Jreeable to Antient Custom, I shall not be fond of bringing up new 
 Precedents, but should they apply, refer them to the P.G.M. & give 
 him my opinion, for I think going too often in procession looks more 
 like Parade, &c., therefore once in three years is suflicieut, I hoije you 
 will agree with me," * « « * 
 
 The Warrant here referred to was that of the Egerton 
 Lodo-e. The 34th Regiment in which the Barry Lodge was 
 
16 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 formed, was moved to Oswestry from Shrewsbury during the 
 training of the militia ; the same thing took place in 1788, as may 
 be seen from the files of the Shrewsbury Chronicle (June 28th. 
 1788). The Salopian Lodge History for 1789 contains a fuller 
 account of the procession thus arranged by ShirreiF. The 
 inclusion of Wrexham and Nantwich in the list of visits paid by 
 the D.P.G.M. is a proof that he had indeed " Masonry much at 
 heart," for those towns lie outside the Province of Shropshire. 
 Shortly after that date, viz., in 1793, a Lodge, No. 520, was 
 founded at Nantwich, which survives to the present day, and is 
 now No. 293 on the roll. Another Lodge was also constituted 
 in the same town in 1794, No. 543, but it did not long survive, 
 and in 1810 its warrant was assigned to a Lodge in the Cornwall 
 Militia, with the new number 618. No lodge was founded in 
 Wrexham exactly at this period, but in 1802 the Warrant of the 
 Lodge of Peace and Good Neighbourhood, 548, originally consti- 
 tuted at Wynnstay, in Denbighshire (1795), (i) was re-issued to a 
 Lodge in that town. Curiously enough in the year I&IO the 
 Warrant thus re-issued to a Wrexham Lodge, was assigned to a 
 Lodge at Truro, with the new number 620. This re-issuiag and 
 assignment of warrants of extinct Lodges, will be considered 
 more fully at a future page in connection with the history of the 
 Lodge of the Marches 611, and the Salopian Lodge of Charity 
 117. It may be sufficient here to notice that the re-issues of the 
 Warrants above referred to, were diiferent from the examples 
 of similar practices to be noted in connection with the last men- 
 tioned Lodges, inasmuch as new numbers were given to the new 
 Lodges, the Warrants were retained by Grand Lodge, and fresh 
 ones were issued containing recitals referring to the old Lodges. 
 The advantage of this method was that full fees, as for the con- 
 stitution of a new Lodge, were exacted in each instance. I am 
 informed by Bro. H. Claud Lisle, Secretary of the Nantwich 
 Lodge 293, that, unfortunately, the first minute book of that 
 Lodge is not now in existence, so that we cannot definitely 
 ascertain if Shirreff took any active part in its foundation. 
 
 (1) This Lodge must not be confounded with the older one founded in the same place 
 in 1771, removed to Oswestry in 1785, and ei"ased in 1789 as before mentioned. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIEE. 17 
 
 12. 
 
 In this letter the Grand Secretary is asked for informa- 
 
 on three doubtful points. 
 
 6th July, 1789. 
 
 " 1st Myself as founder of the Lo. & of Course P.SI., whether or not in the 
 absence of the Mr. as P.M. & all P.M. have not a Right to the Chair 
 & to do the business in Preference to the S. W. as it but too often 
 happens they are Ignorant and know not how to Conduct matters, & 
 for P.M. to be GoveruVl by Novices appears to me not Masonic. 
 
 2nd— In my official Capacity as D.P.G.M. have I not a Right to the Chair 
 when I chuse it on any meeting of Masons to open and close the Lo. 
 & to do the business, but particularly so in the Lo. I am a P.M. & 
 member of. 
 
 3rd— Whenever the Lo. meet & the Mr. is present and the P.G.M. or his 
 Depty. are there, & do not chuse to take the Chair that Evg. 
 should not the M. previous to opening & Closeing pay the Compt. to 
 the Gd. Mr. or Depty. to know their pleasure, this was the mode I 
 ever saw in America. ... ... ... I wish to do right, & 
 
 what is now mention to you & Bro. H. is in confidence. Last 
 Saturday I initiated Sir RichJ. Hill ; John Hill, Esqre. ; Revd. Brian 
 Hill ; & Mr. John Hill, Junr. who join'd our body as Members, the 
 Latter being rather nnder Age, a Dispensation was granted for his 
 Introduction ; at the Proper time you shall have a Regular Acc't of all 
 our proceedings & balances &c. from our Lodges sent you." * * * 
 
 The ideas of Major Shirreff as to the conduct of Lodge 
 business seem to have been peculiar. With respect to his first 
 question, he was clearly in the wrong, as the point seems to have 
 been expressly provided for on page 395 of the Constitutions of 
 1784. Bro. H. here referred to was James Heseltine, G.S. till 
 1784, and S.G.W. and G.T. in the following year. He seems to 
 have been especially struck with Shirreff's " ne plus ultra " 
 notions. John Hill was M.P. for Shrewsbury at this time, and 
 W.M. of the Egerton Lodge in the following year. 
 
 13. 
 
 26th Septr., 1789. 
 
 * » * * "On the 14th Inst, a Petition from Sevl. Brethren at 
 Wellington to the Revd. Francis Henry Egerton, P.G.M. , praying for 
 a Warrent &c. was approv'd of by him, so that you will be pleased to 
 have a Warrent drawn out Nominateing Bro. Thomas Jukes Collier, 
 Master; Bro. William Emery, S.W. ; and Bro. Richard Phillips, J. W., 
 thereof to be named the Wrekin Lodge, And to meet on the last Friday 
 in each Month previous to the full Moon at the Talbot Inn, in the Town 
 of Wellington County of Salop. There are a number of Candidates to 
 join them, and I doubt not they will be a good Society, and at the 
 
 C 
 
18 TREEMASONRY IN 
 
 usual time I shall send you a particular Ace't of tliem with all arrears 
 &c. from every Lodge in the County. * * * Please put the No. of 
 the Lodge to the Wart., and I hope this will he in time to insert the 
 New Lodge in the next F. M. Kalendar for the Eiisuiug year. We have 
 had no Quarterly Communication for a Long while— the Wart, may be 
 dated, if you think proper, on the 4th Inst., the day they made 
 application." » * * 
 
 The usual order for a neat Bible and neat Book of Con- 
 stitutions, and six white collars follows in due course ; the 
 D.P.G'.M. seems to have regarded the furnishing of the Lodge as 
 part of his official duty. As in the case of the Egerton Lodge 
 already noticed, the names of the first officers of the Wrekin 
 Lodge were not registered in Grand Lodge. 
 
 14. 
 
 21st Deer., 1789. 
 
 " I rec'J your. favour of the 24th Octr. in Answer to which am to Acquaint 
 you, that as soon after the 28th Inst., It is in my power, I will Collect 
 ifrom the dilft. Lodges there arrears to that Period, & transmit you a 
 regular Acct. & send you an order for the Cash as usual. * » * 
 Tlie Wait. &c. for the Wellington Lodge, I beg may be forwarded as 
 soon as possible, that the P.G.M. may sign it previous to his leaving 
 us abt. the Middle of next month. * * * 
 This morning I sent you ofif by waggon for the blossoms Inn, 
 Lawrence Lane address'd for you as this le'r. a turkey kill'd yesterday, 
 it is in Its feathers & undrawn ; hope it will get safe and prove 
 acceptable to your good woman. * * You will much oblige 
 us to send three proper candles for the Lodge, and the price, which I 
 will repay you with thanks." 
 
 15. 
 
 14th Septr., 1790. 
 
 * * * "I have the pleasure to inform you that JIasonry flourishes 
 in this County, and that all disputes with the S, Lodge are happily 
 terminated, and the Different Bodies assembled at Shrewsbury on the 
 31st Augt., went in procession to Church, din'd together, 88 of us, 
 Clos'd the Lodge at 6 o'clock, & I was off directly afier for Home ; 
 everything was conducted to give satisfaction, and would have been 
 completely so had it not been for the Officiousness of a Brother, whom 
 I was Obliged to call to order several times ; he was a visitor & the 
 most troublesome one I ever had to manage, the Brethren tho't I was 
 too mild with him, but Lenity I think at all times is best. He is by 
 his own Acct. a very great Mason, now Master of three Lodges, and 
 S. W. of a fourth Lodge in London, & pretends to have a thorongh 
 knowledge of you & my wortliy Hro. Hesseltine, & I am since 
 inform'd he disapproves of my Conduct, & means to relate it to you, 
 if so, you will know the Man, and that is my reason for not Announce- 
 ing his Name in this, in hopes he may think better of it ; he talks 
 much of his power, and if Justice is not done him, he can have you 
 & I turn'd out of office ; this is just intended for your Information, 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHEOPSHIRE. 19 
 
 that should this Genins heave in sight, j'ou may be prepar'J to answer 
 him, for had he had his desert, it would have been to quit us, not 
 above 5, if so many, in the room but would have been glad of it, but 
 talcing him altogether to be not right in his head, I tho't it best to act 
 as I did, for he had such an opinion of himself plainly indicated to me 
 I could not reform him, and happy was your friend when he quitted 
 hira. In due time you shall have sent you by me the returns of the 
 Difft. Lodges & the Cash from each, &c. I beg to know whether you 
 have done anything respecting our Lodge chairs. Mr. Egerton I 
 expect soon to be with us." » « * 
 
 Some further account of this great meeting at Shrewsbury 
 will be found in the Salopian Lodge History for 1790. Nothing 
 in connection with the dispute with the S(alopian) Lodge appears 
 upon its minute books, but we learn its nature from a letter of 
 the P.G.M. dated the 5th July, 1790, which has been preserved 
 in Grand Lodge. It appears that in Febry. the Salopian Lodge 
 applied for a Dispensation to walk in procession on St. John's 
 Day. This was refused by the P.G.M. as it would have inter- 
 fered with the other Lodges in the county. Thereupon the 
 Lodge appealed to Grand Lodge. The issue of that appeal we 
 do not know, but evidently some compromise was arrived at, for 
 the Lodge did not go in procession on St. John's Day, though 
 they had previously advertised their intention so to do, but joined 
 with the other Lodges in the county in the procession of the 31st 
 August, to which Major Shirreff's letter refers. Egerton's letter 
 is too long to be quoted here, but in appealing to the Grand 
 Secretary for advice, he shows a large mindedness and sense of 
 fairness very different from the more arbitrary spirit of his 
 Deputy. 
 
 16. 
 
 11th Jan., 1791. 
 
 * * * * " Should anything happen to prevent my recg. their 
 accounts (wch. I can't think will be the case) so as not to be in time 
 for their Insertion in the next Q.C., I beg you will for the Whitchurch 
 Lodge Insert for Eegistg. Fees 5/- ; Grand Charity, two guineas ; & 
 for the Cumberland School one guinea (which I request you'll pay to 
 the Secty. of that Society) for the Egerton Lodge Kegisreiing Fees 
 £1 2s. 6d. & for the Grand Charity, half-a-gninea. * * * The 
 name you wish to know — shall inform you, but it must rest with your 
 self, I take him to be a very Eccentric Man. Look at your Alphabet 
 in the 7th Degree, and observe the follg.— will tell you his name (here 
 follows the name in cypher.) * • * 'Pwo letters have 
 paas'd between me & Captain Bridgewators at Ludlow, wanting tha 
 
20 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 r.G.M. to let liim act under the Old AVart. Granted to the Sion Lodge 
 in 1772, in New York, & sign'd Peter Middleton, Esqre., D.l'.G.M., 
 under Sir John Johnson, Bart., P.G.M. My answer is as there is no 
 one Bro. but himself present belonging to that Lodge, lie can't act as 
 an Individual by that Wart., & of course a new one is Necessary for 
 the Establishing of one in Ludlow, w'ch he seems to Acquiesce in, so 
 that I expect shortly to send to you on their business. Harmony at 
 present prevails among the Lodges, & I shall do all iu my power for 
 its Continuance." 
 
 The name given in this letter in cypher is evidently that 
 of the " Officious Brother " mentioned in the previous letter. I 
 cannot interpret the cypher of the 7th or any other degree, but 
 I believe the person referred to was Thomas Dunckerley, of whom 
 I will have something further to say hereafter in connection with 
 the resignation of the D.P.G.M. 
 
 The expectation of founding a Lodge at Ludlow was never 
 realized by Shirreff, as no Lodge was constituted there until the 
 year 1805. 
 
 17. 
 
 29th June, 1791. 
 * f * * "The P.G.M. has made me acquainted that His Patent 
 is made out for four more Counties, which he Names, and offers to 
 appoint me as His Deputy to Each on Condition of Vacateingit, in either 
 or all of the counties of Stafford, Flint, Denbigh, & Montgnmery, 
 in case he should think it expedient or Necessary to appoint a Depty. 
 Avho shall be Resident in the County for wch. he is D. P. G. Mr. — My 
 answer — " Well knowing that much ease as well as pleasure must 
 accrue to the P.G.M. provided his choice of an Assistant to act in the 
 above mentioned Counties turn'd out favourable was my only motive 
 for Tendering you my services 'Till such time as you can meet with 
 Deputy Provincial Gd. Masters to your Approbation, that will Discharge 
 their Duty as such, agreeable to the Book of Constitutions in each 
 County. I am willing to act as such, and shall always be happy to 
 have it in my power to render anything you undertake Propitious." 
 The Last Q.C. I reed, from you and sent off to the Diift. Lodges in 
 the County were dated Febry., 1791, so that those in Arrear will I hope 
 E're long with my Books Heave in sight." » * « 
 
 Egerton is stated in the Free Masons Calendar to have 
 been appointed P.G.M. for the County of Stafford in the year 
 1786. As I have now in my possession a letter from him dated 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHEOPSHIEE. 21 
 
 the 13th April, 1791, addressed to the Grand Secretary, in which 
 he states that he would " consider it as an honor and an obliga- 
 tion to be appointed Provincial Grand Master" for the four 
 counties mentioned in Shirreii's btter, it is clear that the Calen- 
 dar has ante-dated his appointment by at least five years. 
 
 18. 
 
 27 til Octr., 1791. 
 " My last to you bears date 22iul ultimo. Acknowledging the receipt of my 
 Books and the Q.G. and I then aequainted you that I had by Hie 
 P.G.M. desire forwarded a Circular Ler. to the Lichfield, Wolver- 
 hampton, and Denbigh Lodges, dated 12th Septr., but no answer as 
 yet come to either of them w'ch I am surpris'd at." * * * 
 
 This letter is interesting as showing the strength of the 
 Craft in two of the new Counties committed to the care of the 
 P.G.M. for Shropshire. None of these Lodges written to by 
 Shirreff have survived to the present time. 
 
 19. 
 
 22nd April, 1792. 
 "Yesterday I forwarded a Petition to the Revd. Mr. Egerton from one Bro. 
 Innys a member of the Salopian Lo. Setting forth his unhappy Situa- 
 tion w'ch was corroborated by the Mr. Wardns., & most of the inembeis 
 Craving relief from the Gd. Lo. previous to which he wrote mo for the 
 Necessary Mode of Application my answr. was through the P.G.II. for 
 the County & from him to the G. L., instead of which it seems as if 
 No. 525 did not wisli to have anything to do with the P.G.M. or his 
 Depty. , as they have address'd his Petition to His Royal Highness the 
 Prince of Wales, & I have given them to understand for want of the 
 Necessary Formalities, I should not be surpris'd if it was returned back 
 to be corrected, had they sent it in time as they might have done 
 Mr. Egerton was here present ; & then it would have been settled by 
 him. Our Last Regular Lodge being on the 5th Inst, and the Ensuing 
 St. John's day being the Triennial return for the Brethren to go in 
 procession to Church, the P.G.II. being present gave his Consent, & as 
 he will not be here on that day the whole will Lay upon me, and there 
 being at pre.sent no P. G. Lodge as yet appointed I beg for the 
 satisfaction of myself, as there are many opinions, k I wish to act 
 light, whether there being no P.G. L. it is not still in my power to 
 Summons the Jl asters and Officers of the Difft. Lo. in the County to 
 attend me as D. P.G.M. to Church on that day, & if I am not to nom- 
 inate whose is to Preach. * » * ijijg jjjgj thing I want to 
 know is the Order of Precedency in the Procession to & from Ch. ,*,, 
 Lately I had an acct. from the Denbigh Lodge by a friend of mine that 
 they had sent there arrears, so that when I receive them you shall hear 
 from me, as for the Wolverhampton Lodge I have never heard from 
 them yec in Answer to many Lers. I wrote to thein but this must be 
 settled by the P.G.M." • » * 
 
22 PEEEMASONEY IN 
 
 The Petition of Bro. Innys was, notwithstanding the 
 want of the "Necessary Formalities,'' successful; his case is 
 fully treated of in the Salopian Lodge History. The procession 
 here referred to never took place, but it is curious to note how 
 much importance our brethren of long ago attached to the 
 successful carrying out of such ceremonies. This letter is 
 especially valuable for the reference it makes to the non- 
 existence of a Provincial Grand Lodge. 
 
 20. 
 
 22ud Septr., 1792. 
 
 " My best wishes to ray friend Bror. Heseltine, I am glad to find he is much 
 better, there is such good pickings, as also Tit-bits in the eating way, 
 & good Liquors to Moisten the Clay, in tlie Vicinity of Doctor's 
 Commons that I am not surpris'd at Esquire Gout Calling on him and 
 I should be fearful he would visit also my friend the G.S. was there 
 many Gd. Feast days in the Year. I know this gentleman well and 
 when any signs of his calling appears, I drink a Glass of Genuine Wine 
 which drives him from the Head, and Stomach into tlie feet, where ho 
 takes up his_'abode, and then iu a Little while he is off." * * * 
 
 This extract is hardly of Masonic interest, but the cure 
 for the Gout mentioned in it is probably unique, and is, like the 
 present of the Turkey, inserted to complete, as far as possible, 
 the picture of the D.P.G.M. as a man. 
 
 21. 
 
 1st June, 1793. 
 
 " I wrote j-ou on the lOtli of April last for a Warrant for the Friendly 
 Jirothcrs to Hold a Lodge at Newcastle, & on the 19th ultimo I 
 reminded you about it, & my now again doing it is in Consequence of 
 my receiveing a Ler. from them this morning, wishing me to attend for 
 to Constitute their Lodge on Wednesday 5th Instant, but not having 
 reod. their Warrant -this cannot be done, and have accordingly signified 
 the same to them, and I again beg you will be pleas'd to forward it to 
 me. In my letter of the 19th May I made you acquainted of my visit 
 to the Lodges in Staffordshire." * * « 
 
 This letter of the 19th May is not in my possession, so 
 that I cannot give any information, as I would wish to do, about 
 this visit to Staffordshire, 
 
THE PEOVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 23 
 
 22. 
 
 nth June, 1793. 
 
 * * . * "As mattera have tnrn'J out -n-hich I am persuaded 
 ■was owing to youi' kind inteiference it was judged Right in you not to 
 deliver my Ler. to ISior. D. and ffom what you relate I am satisfied, 
 it is never my intentions to wound the feelings of any Man Especially 
 one in Years, but when complaints aie piefer'd which Afl'eiits me, you 
 must join with me, that it is reasonable for me to vindicate myself in 
 such cases." 
 
 I imagine this letter refers to the old quarrel between 
 
 Shirreff and Dunckerley, but at best this can only be a matter of 
 
 conjecture. 
 
 23. 
 
 3rd Jan., 1795. 
 
 "I am much oblig'd to you for your very kind favour of the 28th Nov., and 
 am sorry to find by yonr Ler. that there is no remedying the Evil I 
 complain of & that any Power should be plac'd in the hands of any 
 One who cares not a farthing for Masonry, this I know for a fact, and 
 I now shall observe the Old Maxim vizt. — Meddle with Dirt & it will 
 stick to your fingers— as I have now done with him for ever. * * * 
 As Mr. E. gave it as his opinion that I had not in general given Satis- 
 faction to the Lodges under his Jurisdiction without specefying from 
 whence Originated any Complaint, for my own Justification I wrote 
 each. of them a Ler. dated 10th Novr. last, from No. Hi and No. 434 
 their answers have been very satisfactory, but very much so from our 
 own Lodge No. 388 : who dined together on St. John's day and I had 
 been Master for two years together, & was for giving up the Chair, but 
 they would not Listen to it, but re-elected me Mr. for this year, & 
 order'd my Ler. A their Sentiments on it, to be recorded in the Lodge 
 Books— the other Lodges have not as yet taken any notice of my Ler. 
 which surprises me. * * * Yon may depend upon it, so long as 
 the Present person acts. Masonry will dwindle, for he is despised by 
 lis all. * • * There was a Wart, wanted for a Lodge at Tam- 
 worth in Staffordshire and another at Holywell in Flintshire, what ho 
 has done abt. it I know not, & as for a Deputy he will find it a 
 dithcult matter to find one after his treatment of me." « * * 
 
 This letter indicates a serious quarrel between the P.G.M. 
 and his Deputy, and one which was never made up. Four or 
 five other subsequent letters of Shirreff carry the mat'ter no 
 further, and we have no definite knowledge of the cause of the 
 dispute. One thing is clear, that Shirreff took the action of the 
 P.Gr.M. in dismissing him from his office of Deputy with a very 
 bad grace, and, from the Chair of the Whitchurch Lodge, did his 
 best to prove his independence of the P.G.M. by communicating 
 directly with the Grand Lodge about matters which, whilst 
 
24 TREEMASONRY IN 
 
 Deputy, he had always instructed the Lodges to communicate 
 through the Provincial Officials. If I might hazard a suggestion, 
 I would say that most probably this dispute arose from Shirreff's 
 continued practice of "Ancient" Customs in Lodges established 
 'under the "Modern" constitution. If I am correct in supposing 
 that the " Officious Brother " mentioned in his fifteenth letter 
 was Thomas Dunckerley, this theory attains a higher degree o£ 
 probability. Dunckerley, commonly believed to have been an 
 illigitimate son of George II., was an ardent and enthusiastic 
 adherent of the " Moderns," and was undoubtedly possessed of 
 considerable influence in their Grand Lodge Councils, (i) He 
 was in 1790 P.G.M. for Hereford, as well as several other of the 
 Western Counties, and his presence in Shrewsbury in that year 
 was a not improbable event, as Provincial Grand Lodges, in 
 early times, were often attended by Lodges not within their 
 jurisdiction. His officiousness probably consisted of protests 
 against some of Shirreff's "Ancient" methods of working, and 
 these protests if carried to Grand Lodge as was threatened, 
 would in due course have led to Egerton's interference with his 
 Deputy. From Shirreff's 22nd letter, written in June, 1793, it 
 is evident that the occurences of 1790 had by no means been 
 forgiven or forgotten, and it is easily to be imagined that the 
 dispute continued until the following year, and so the quarrel 
 with Dunckerley led directly to the quarrel with Egerton. The 
 discontinuance of the appointment of Deacons as Officers of 262 
 from the year 1791, and the cessation of the practice of installing 
 the W.M. of the same Lodge from the year 1793 until the Union, 
 raises a strong presumption that Egerton was at this period inter- 
 fering with his Deputy, and converting his " Ancient " method 
 of working into conformity with the practices of the "Modern" 
 Grand Lodge. From the character of the man, and knowing 
 from his letters the poor opinion he held of Egerton's Masonic 
 knowledge, we can readily believe that Shirreff would have highly 
 resented any interference with his work, and any exhibition 
 
 (IJ The rank of Past Senior Grand Warden was granted to him in 1786, " in grateful 
 testimony of the high sense the Grand Lodge entertains of his zealous and 
 indefatigable exertions." 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 25 
 
 of such resentment would inevitably have resulted in his 
 dismissal from OiSce. His principles were too deeply rooted to 
 allow of his making any modifications in what he conceived to 
 be the right mode of conducting the business of the Craft, so 
 that the only alternative open to him was retirement. He 
 became a Subscribing Member of the Salopian Lodge in 1794, 
 and in December of the same year letters were read in that 
 Lodge from both Egerton and himself. These letters had 
 probably reference to the dispute between them, but no certainty 
 on the point is possible, and, so far as I know, this is the last 
 occasion on which Shirreff's name is mentioned in any record 
 of the Craft in the Province. We can only suppose that the 
 deposed Deputy went into voluntary exile, unwilling to be ruled 
 where once he had been practically supreme, and lived in solitude, 
 pouring forth gloomy prognostications for the future of Masonry. 
 If he was spared for a few years longer by his joint enemies the 
 rheumatism and " Esquire Gout," he must have seen the extinc- 
 tion of the Wrekin Lodge at Wellington in 1798, and of the two 
 Whitchurch Lodges almost immediately afterwards, and mourned 
 over the obliteration of these monuments of his Masonic career. 
 The very fact of their premature decay speaks eloquently of the 
 loss his absence had entailed upon them, and must have done 
 much to soothe his ruffled vanity, by confirming his opinion of 
 his own importance. 
 
 The two Whitchurch Lodges, 348 and 445, the Wynnstay 
 Lodge, 548, and the Lodge at Newcastle, in Stafford, 523, referred 
 to in Shirreff's letters, were all erased from the roll of Lodges for 
 refusing or neglecting to contribute to the Liquidation Fund 
 levied by Grand Lodge for the purpose of paying off the large 
 debt incurred in building and making alterations to the Free- 
 mason's Hall, in London. We may safely assume that if Shirreff 
 had still been a ruling spirit in these Lodges his knowledge of 
 the power of Grand Lodge, and of the results likely to follow 
 from gross disobedience to its orders, would have prevented such 
 refusal or neglect being persisted in. 
 
26 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 It may not be out of place if I here attempt briefly to 
 sketch the character of the maa who was, as I have said, mainly 
 responsible for the revival of Masonry in Shropshire. As his 
 letters give us nearly all the information we possess about that 
 interesting event, so also do they contain all our knowledge of 
 the man ; yet in them I believe he has unconsciously, and yet 
 unmistakeably, revealed to us his own personality. As I read 
 that revelation, he seems to have been earnest, painstaking, inde- 
 fatigable ; not devoid of a certain dry sense of humour ; inclined 
 rather to magnify his own ofiice, and fully self-conscious of his 
 own dignity and of the value of his own services. A certain 
 amount of intolerance for the opinions of others and of hastiness 
 of temper seems to have entered into his composition. Somewhat 
 of a Martinet too we guess him to have been, a consequence 
 probably of his early military training ; but in the main he must 
 be acknowledged to have been a true and good Mason, and his 
 name should be carefully and gratefully remembered by Shrop- 
 shire Lodges. He was not the man, having once put his hand to 
 the plough, to look back. Having laid the foundations of his 
 work securely, he spared no efibrt to ensure that the building to 
 arise thereon should be a worthy one. Four Lodges, as I have 
 been able to show, directly owed their constitution to his efforts, (i) 
 and though of these 262 has alone escaped the vicissitudes of 
 time, and prolonged its existence down to the present day, yet 
 he must nevertheless be credited with having widely diSiised the 
 principles of the Order through the County, and paved the way 
 for the success it attained about the middle of the present cen- 
 tury. That his immediate personal success was not greater, and 
 the results of his work more striking, I attribute solely to the 
 fact that his tenure of Office was short. His retirement from the 
 post of D.P.G.M. in 1795 caused the abandonment of much of 
 the good work he had begun to do, and had looked forward to 
 finishing. Had he retained Office for a few years longer I 
 believe he would have reaped the fruit of the seed he had sowed 
 so industriously, and rejoiced over the foundation of Lodges ia all 
 
 (1) 1 Wliitohurch No. 1.— (2; Salopian.— (3) Whitchurch No. 2 —(4) Wrekin. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 27 
 
 our chief Shropshire Towns. The impetus his efforts had given 
 to Masonic Work continued even after his retirement, and the 
 establishment of the Lodge of Industry in Bridgnorth in 1799, 
 and of the Mercian Lodge in Ludlow in 1805, may in many ways 
 be regarded as the result of his endeavour "to Spread the Light." 
 
 Turning from the Deputy to the P.G.M., we find that 
 Egerton is given in the Freemasons Calendar as having held 
 office from 1786 to 1819. He may be considered as the first 
 real Provincial Grand Master of Shropshire, and did really 
 attend for some years to the duties of his office, though not, in 
 my opinion, for quite so long a period as he is credited with in 
 the Calendar. He w£is, as we have seen, son of the then Bishop 
 of Durham, and also Provincial Grand Master of the Counties of 
 Stafford, Flint, Denbigh, and Montgomery. In the year 1786 
 he also applied for the post of P.G.M. of the County of Durham. 
 He seems to have regarded his application as certain of success, 
 as in his letter he suggests the method in which his Patent was 
 to be drawn up. In spite of his confidence, however, the post 
 was in the following year bestowed elsewhere. From this letter 
 we also learn that he was " Prebendary of the Fourth Stall in 
 the Cathedral of Durham, Domestic Chaplain to John by Divine 
 Providence Lord Bishop of Durham, and Rector of Whitchurch, 
 Shropshire, cum Marybury " ; he was also entitled to write the 
 letters M.A. and F.R.S. after his name. He attended Grand 
 Lodge more than once. 
 
 It is not a very easy question to decide whether or not 
 Egerton was ever at the head of a real Provincial Grand Lodge 
 of Shropshire. In the first place it may be noticed that though 
 Shirreff in his fifth letter speaks of the method of conducting 
 P.G. Lodges, and asks for information thereon from the Grand 
 Secretary, yet but one of his subsequent letters contains any 
 reference to the subject, and this expressly states that in the 
 year it was written (1793) there was no P.G. Lodge. Again, it 
 is evident from a study of the carefully kept Treasurer's accounts 
 
28 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 of the Salopian Lodge, that no fees were ever paid by that Lodge 
 to a Provincial Grand Lodge until late in the present century. 
 It is, however, unwise to judge past days by the light of present 
 customs, and the absence of the payment of any such fees is far 
 from being conclusive evidence of the non-existence of a P.G. 
 Lodge. 
 
 The only Officers of Provincial rank that I can trace 
 before the year" 1819 are (1)— the P.G.M. ; (2)— the D.P.G.M. ; 
 and (3)— Bro. John Collier P.G. Chaplain. The duties of P.G. 
 Secretary were evidently discharged by Major Shirreff when 
 D.P.G.M., but after 1795 both these posts filled by him remained 
 vacant. It is exceedingly improbable that other Provincial 
 Officers could have existed without their names and respective 
 ranks appearing in the Minute books of the Salopian Lodge. The 
 only occasions between 1788 and 1819 on which Provincial 
 Grand Lodges or anything of their nature were held, were at 
 Whitchurch on the Festival of St. John the Baptist in 1789, and 
 at Shrewsbury on the same Festival in the following year. 
 Apart from Shirreff's statement in 1793 that there was then no 
 P.G. Lodge in existence, it is quite evident from his letters, and 
 from the Minute books of the Salopian Lodge, that attendance 
 on these occasions was regarded as a celebration of a festival, and 
 as a mark of respect to the D.P.G.M., and not as a participation 
 in Provincial Grand Lodge proceedings. The advertisement of 
 the festival in 1790, contained in the Shrewsbury Chronicle for 
 August 20th in that year, also shows that the only business 
 intended to be done was to walk in procession to Church, hear a 
 sermon by the P.G. Chaplain, and then dine together. It seems 
 therefore perfectly certain that no Provincial Grand Lodge ever 
 existed under the presidency of Egerton, yet the fact remains 
 that the words " P.G. Lodge " occasionally occur in the minutes of 
 the Salopian Lodge, and some explanation of this difficulty seems 
 necessary. For instance, what is the meaning of a minute dated 
 the 1st Deer., 1795, which records the name of " John Hill, 
 Esqre., M.P., Provl. G. Lodge" as a Visitor 2 I believe that the 
 
THE PEOVINCE OF SHEOPSHIRE. 29 
 
 difficulty can be solved by a comparison of the account given by 
 the Secretary of the Salopian Lodge of the Festival in 1790, with 
 the account of the same event contained in the Shrewsbury 
 Chronicle of the 3rd Septr. in that year. 
 
 The Lodge Secretary gives the names of the Lodges 
 represented on that occasion as (1) Whitchurch, (2) Salopian, 
 (3) Egerton, and (4) Wrekin — the Chronicle on the other hand 
 gives the following list (1) Provincial, (2) Egerton, (3) Salopian, 
 and (4) Wellington. In order to make these lists correspond, as 
 the Wrekin was the Wellington Lodge, the Whitchurch and 
 Provincial Lodges must be considered as identical. I believe 
 that in popular estimation they then were so. The P.G.M. and 
 his Deputy chiefly attended the Whitchurch Lodge No. 1, and 
 their presence caused this Lodge to be regarded as the centre of 
 Masonry in the Province. Such was clearly Shirreff's opinion 
 when in his first letter he speaks of the dependence of the 
 Egerton Lodge (Whitchurch No. 2) on his own Lodge (Whit- 
 church No. 1). It is no wonder then that it was sometimes 
 inaccurately called the P.G. Lodge, by those who spoke or wrote 
 ignorantly or unthinkingly. John Hill, M.P. was, we know. 
 Master of the Egerton Lodge in the year 1790, though not 
 registered in Grand Lodge as a member of that Lodge, but, as I 
 believe, he was the same person as John Hill stated in Shirreff's 
 12th letter to have been initiated by him in the Whitchurch 
 No. 1 Lodge, I conclude he was also a member of the senior Lodge, 
 and so the entry of his name in the manner under consideration is 
 explained. Similarly, "Bro. John Collier, Pro. G. Chaplain," 
 was merely the Chaplain of the Whitchurch Lodge No. 1. 
 
 Though I have been forced to the conclusion that at this 
 period there was no Provincial Grand Lodge of Shropshire, yet 
 it is evident that there was at first a careful personal supervision 
 of the Lodges by the D.P.G.M, which continued until the dispute 
 in 1795 ; and the P.G.M., apart from Shirreff's letters, can be 
 shown, by the minutes of the Salopian Lodge, to have granted 
 Dispensations, remitted fees to Grand Lodge, and generally to 
 
30 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 have interested himself in the proper discharge of his duties. 
 But this unhappy quarrel entirely changed the aspect of affairs. 
 After the beginning of 1795 the Salopian Lodge began to consult 
 Grand Lodge directly, and Communications from Grand Lodge 
 previously sent through the D.P.G.M., were now sent straight to 
 the private Lodges. Egerton no longer seems to have taken much 
 interest in the Province, his absences from Shropshire referred to 
 in Shirreff's letters became more frequent, until at last they were 
 continuous. A dispensation for the initiation of Henry Bowdler 
 in the Salopian Lodge in 1798, and an application to Grand 
 Lodge in 1800 for relief for a poor member of the Egerton Lodge, 
 are the last pieces of Masonic work I can place to his credit. 
 From the former year I believe the Province was practically 
 without a head, the immediate consequence being, as already 
 noticed, the extinction of three out of the four existing Lodges. 
 
 Prom 1798 to 1817 Egerton's name does not appear in the 
 books of the Salopian Lodge. On Deer. 29th in the latter year 
 it is recorded that a proposal was made " that the Secretary 
 write to Grand Lodge, and request that a Provincial Grand 
 Master be appointed instead of the Revd. P. H. Egerton, who 
 has been absent many years." 
 
 It is, perhaps, worth noting, that the ceremony of laying 
 the first stone of the Column, erected in honour of Lord HiU, in 
 1814, was carried out entirely by the Salopian Lodge, and it is 
 most improbable that this, the greatest Masonic ceremony ever 
 performed in this County, would have been left in the hands of 
 a private Lodge, if a Provincial Grand Lodge had been in working 
 order, or if a P.G.M. had been anywhere available. 
 
 A further proof, though I think one is hardly needed, of 
 the absence of all Provincial authority at this period, will be 
 found in the fact that, in the year 1817, the Minute books of the 
 Salopian Lodge of Charity, now 117, were evidently sent direct 
 to Grand Lodge for inspection, as notes appear at the bottom of 
 many pages signed "Edward Harper, Grand Secretary," giving 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHEOPSHIEE. 31 
 
 directions for the future avoidance of irregularities there detected. 
 I, therefore, conclude that for the last 20 years of his tenure of 
 office as indicated by the Calendar, Egerton was a nominal and 
 not an active P.G. Master. The extent of his work is sufficiently 
 indicated by what has been already said ; of his personality we 
 know nothing, as his letters are for the most part colourless and 
 devoid of character. 
 
 Before I notice the appointment of the next Provincial 
 Grand Master, it may be well to review the strength of the Craft 
 in the Province between the years 1795 and 1815, especially as 
 neither Egerton nor his Deputy seem to have had any direct 
 influence on its retrogression and subsequent progression during 
 that period. In 1795 there were four Lodges in Shropshire. 
 These were (1) Salopian, (2) "Whitchurch, No. 1, (3) Egerton, 
 Whitchurch, No. 2, (4) Wrekin, WeUington. In the year 1798 
 the last named Lodge became extinct, but in the following year 
 the Lodge of Industry, Bridgnorth, was founded. In 1801, as 
 we have already seen, the two Whitchurch Lodges were erased, 
 and only two Lodges remained in the whole County. To these, 
 in the year 1805, the Mercian Lodge, Ludlow, was added, and, 
 in 1815, the number was further increased to four when the 
 Salopian Lodge of Charity, 117, after its many wanderings as a 
 Military Lodge, settled down in Shrewsbury. I do not now pro- 
 pose to break the continuity of my narrative by stating what is 
 known about any of these Lodges. It will suffice if I here indi- 
 cate where that information will be found. The history of the 
 two Shrewsbury Lodges will be found in the pages allotted there- 
 to respectively in a subsequent part of this work, that of the 
 Lodge of Industry, Bridgnorth, and of the Agenorian Chapter 
 that worked with it, is noticed in connection with the present 
 Bridgnorth Lodge, The Castle, 1621 ; that of the Mercian Lodge 
 in connection with the Lodge of the Marches, Ludlow, 611. Of 
 the two Whitchurch Lodges I know nothing further than is 
 stated in the previous pages, (i) 
 
 (1) The names of their respective members, as refjistered in Grand Lodge, will be found 
 with the history of the Lodge of St. Alkmund, 2311, hereafter given. 
 
32 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 The four Lodges whicli were active in the year 1815 con- 
 tinued working until after the death of the Provincial Grand 
 Master next appointed. This was the Hon. Henry Grey Bennett, 
 who probably owed his appointment, which, according to the 
 Calendar, dates from 1819, to the fact that he was M.P. for 
 Shrewsbury. He represented the Borough in 1806, lost his seat 
 in 1807, and was again elected in 1811, 1812, 1819, and 1820. 
 He did not contest the seat in the year 1826, and as his tenure 
 of Office as P.G.M. seems to have ceased in that year, I conclude 
 that he died about this period. The Minute book of the Salopian 
 Lodge for the year 1824 clearly shows that he was not installed 
 in Office before 1825, and I believe this ceremony was in fact 
 never performed. The only occasions upon which, so far as I 
 know, he performed any of the duties of his high station were in 
 1820, when he presented an address to King George IV. from the 
 Salopian Lodge, and in the same year when he granted a dispen- 
 sation for the initiation of Sir A. V. Corbet, Bart., in the same 
 Lodge. No formal mention is made of a Provincial Grand Lodge, 
 or of Provincial Grand Officers, during his term of Office. There 
 is, however, a letter, in other respects valueless, preserved by 
 chance amongst the debris of papers accumulated by successive 
 Secretaries of 262, which is worthy of notice. It is dated Decem- 
 ber 11th, 1842, and was written by Bro. Sir A. V. Corbet to Bro. 
 S. Wood. After accepting an invitation, the writer signs himself 
 as " A. V. Corbet, D.P.G.M." Por whom he was Deputy, or 
 when he was appointed to that Office, I cannot say, but as there 
 was no P.G.M. from the year 1826 to 1852, it seems evident that 
 he must have been appointed by Bennett before 1826, and still 
 continued to use the title when it had lost all meaning by the 
 death or resignation of the P.G.M. in that year. 
 
 After 1826 the Province remained for a quarter of a cen- 
 tury without even a nominal head. This, in my opinion, was due 
 entirely to the remissness of the Grand Lodge Officials, as the 
 Lodges in the Province seem to have been quite alive to the dis- 
 advantages entaUed upon them by the non-appointment of a P.G.M. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 33 
 
 In October, 1827, the Salopian Lodge determined to present a 
 petition on the subject to Grand Lodge, and though no trace of 
 it can be found in Freemason's Hall, it was, nevertheless, I 
 believe, forwarded in due course.!') In the following year the 
 same Lodge again considered the subject, and caused letters to 
 be written to the other Lodges in the County asking for their 
 co-operation in an attempt to get the vacant post filled up. The 
 co-operation of the Mercian Lodge could not have been obtained, 
 as it became extinct in this very year, having displayed no vitality 
 for a considerable period. Whether the other Lodges in the Prov- 
 ince acted in the matter or not, it is clear that the attempt met with 
 no success, and as about this period the Salopian Lodge reached the 
 least flourishing part of its existence, we find no further mention 
 of the subject until 1840. In September of that year the Anchor 
 of Hope Lodge, Woore, No. 644, founded in 1836, with the 
 enthusiasm commonly found in young Lodges, started an agita- 
 tion with the same object in view, but without result. In May, 
 1843, a deputation was sent by the Salopian Lodge to Bro. Sir 
 Andrew Vincent Corbet, Bart., soliciting him to accept the office 
 which had been so long vacant. At first he seems to have been 
 disposed to accept the invitation of his Mother Lodge, but ulti- 
 mately changed his mind, and, even after he had been actually 
 appointed by the G.M., returned his patent and declined to act. 
 On the 1 1th of November a letter to the Salopian Lodge was 
 written by him giving amongst other reasons for his change of 
 intention his inability to undertake the expenses attending the 
 office. It will thus be readily acknowledged that his name 
 should not be included, as it is, in the list of the P.G. Masters 
 of Shropshire contained in the Freemasons' Calendar. 
 
 No further notice of the subject is taken by the Secretary 
 of 262 until the 13th December, 1847, upon which date we find 
 the following minute: — "Proposed by Bro. Onions that the W.M. 
 of the Lodge do communicate with the other two Lodges in this 
 County to request their co-operation in applying to Grand Lodge 
 to have a Provincial Grand Lodge established for this County, 
 which was seconded by Bro. John Carline, and the same to be 
 
 (1) Bro. Sadler, who very kindly made the requisite searches for me, suggests that the 
 petition was probably forwarded from Grand Lodge to the Grand Master, and was 
 never returned by him, B 
 
34 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 placed under the care of the Grand Registrar of England, (i) 
 which was carried unanimously." This effort was also doomed to 
 failure like many that pre.ceeded it. The entry is, however, 
 interesting from the reference to " the other two Lodges in the 
 County," clearly implying that Shropshire then contained but 
 three Lodges in all. One of "the other two Lodges " was clearly 
 the Salopian of Charity, 117, but the second is not so easily iden- 
 tified. Three other Lodges in the County had in this year a 
 nominal existence, viz., The Lodge of Industry, Bridgnorth ; the 
 Anchor and Hope Lodge, Woore ; and the Roden Lodge, Wem, 
 which latter Lodge had been founded in the previous year. Of 
 these the two former were not formally erased from the list untU 
 1853, but as no names of members were registered in Grand 
 Lodge after 1840, I conclude that in 1847 they were practically 
 extinct. Grand Lodge does not contain any record of the work 
 of the Roden Lodge, if any in fact took place, and the only pay- 
 ment ever made on its behalf was for founders fees ; still as it 
 started in 1846, and for some little time sent visitors to 262, it 
 may be assumed that this was the other Lodge referred to in the 
 above minute. 
 
 Another interval of more than three years elapsed before 
 we find the Lodges again stirring in the matter. On the 10th 
 Febry., 1851, a written communication was ordered to be sent to 
 Sir Watkin Williams Wynn for the purpose of ascertaining 
 whether he would accept the oflB.ce of P.G.M. for this County. 
 On the 8th Deer., Sir Watkin gave an intimation through Bro. 
 Dymock that he would gladly do so. The appointment was 
 accordingly made in due course by the Grand Master the Earl of 
 Zetland, who however thought it right to join North Wales and 
 Shropshire into one Province. Erom what has been already said 
 it will I think be clear that there were only two real Lodges at 
 this time in Shropshire (262 and 117), and as North Wales only 
 possessed a like number, (2) the duties of the post were not at 
 first more than could be reasonably managed in one Province. 
 
 (1) Alexander Dobie (1816—1857.) 
 
 (2) St. David's, Bangor, then 640, now 3S1 ; founded 1827. 
 
 St. Cybi, Holyhead, then Hibernia 869, now 597, founded 1831. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHBOPSHIEE. 35 
 
 With the advent of the year 1852 closes one of the 
 darkest decades in the history of Shropshire Masonry. The two 
 Shrewsbury Lodges alone continued to work throughout the 
 period, and nothing but the illegality of the attempt prevented 
 the existence of the Salopian Lodge of Charity being merged in 
 that of the Salopian Lodge. The two Lodges had actually 
 amalgamated under the "Warrant of the latter Lodge in 1851, but 
 were obliged by the regulations of the order to separate again, or 
 return the Warrant of 117 to Grand Lodge. The separation was 
 accordingly promptly effected, and the lapse of time has shown 
 the wisdom of that course. Shrewsbury affords an ample field 
 for the operations of both Lodges'. But one sign of vitality 
 appears during the period of which I am writing, namely the 
 foundation, in the year 1843, of the Salopian Chapter, 262, but 
 of this subject I will take no further notice now, a separate page 
 being hereafter devoted to its consideration, (i) 
 
 The installation of Sir Watkin took place on the 9th of 
 March, 1852, in the Lodge room at the Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury. 
 The event had for some time been looked forward to with great 
 delight and interest by the Craft generally in the Province, and 
 the ceremony was numerously attended. The Installing Master 
 was Bro. The Right HonWe. Lord Combermere, the Hero of 
 Bhurtpore, and R.W.P.G.M. for Chester, who was specially 
 deputed by the Grand Master to perform the Ceremony. 
 
 After the Installation, addresses from both the Shropshire 
 and Welsh Lodges were presented to the R.W.P.G.M. That 
 presented by the former begins : — • 
 
 Right Worshipful Sir and Brother, 
 
 "We the Brethren of the Salopian Lodges Nos. 135 
 (nosv 117), 328 (now 262), 398 (Bridgnorth), 644 (Woore), and 
 765 (Wem), offer our sincere congratulations on your elevation 
 to the distinguished position you now occupy, &c., &c." 
 
 (1) See under title " The Salopian Chapter," and o£ Salopian Lodge History for 
 the year 1843. 
 
36 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 A study of the signatures appended to this address shows 
 that not a single member of the Bridgnorth or Woore Lodges 
 signed his name ; and only two belonging to the Wem Lodge 
 did so. This bears out my assumption that these lodges had then 
 ceased working. One of the two signatures from Wem is that of 
 John Bishton Minor, P.M., 765 ; in the Minute book of 262, on 
 the 23rd Deer., 1846, we find that Charles Fred Barker, a visitor, 
 was described as W.M. of the Roden Lodge 765 ; it therefore 
 seems that the Lodge must have prolonged an active existence 
 for some little time, as it had at all events two Masters. 
 
 Returning to the subject of this address, it may be 
 noticed that many signatures thereto are followed by the number 
 875, being that of the St. John's Lodge, Wellington, a Lodge 
 not then in existence. This was rendered possible as the 
 engrossment of the address was not ready for presentation on the 
 Installation day, and was not in fact delivered until after the 
 Consecration of this Lodge, which will be shortly noticed. 
 
 The first D.P.G.M. of the new Province, was Bro. the 
 the Revd. E. H. Dymock ; the first P.G. Secretary Bro. Cheis. 
 Wigan, of Ruabon ; and the first P.G. Treasurer, Bro. J. P. 
 White. The last named brother continued to hold the same 
 office until the separation of the Province in 1885, and was with 
 the exception of Bro. H. T. Wace, then appointed P.G.S. of W., 
 and Bro. J. W. Towers, then appointed P.G. P., the only one of 
 the 16 Provincial Grand Officers appointed in 1852 who lived to 
 see that event. Bro. Wace is now the sole survivor. Of these 15 
 officers, 10 were members of the Salopian Lodge. 
 
 On the 17th May, 1852, the Provincial Grand Officers 
 journeyed to Admaston to consecrate the St. John's Lodge, but 
 as the Warrant did not arrive in time, the Ceremony had to be 
 postponed until June 16th, upon which day it was duly performed. 
 Bro. J. W. Towers is stated in the Provincial Minute book to 
 have been the Master installed upon this occasion. Bro. Towers 
 lived until the present year (1891), and died deeply regretted by 
 
THE PEOVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 37 
 
 all who knew him. The brethren .signalised the first visit of the 
 R.W.P.G.M. to their Lodge by meeting him at the Station and 
 conducting him in procession to the Lodge Room. It is evident 
 from the Minute books of 262 that the officers of the St. John's 
 Lodge had prepared themselves for office by constantly attending 
 the meetings of the former Lodge, of which they were nearly all 
 members. The number was changed from 875 to 601 in 1863. 
 
 The next Lodge placed on the roll of the Province was 
 the Lodge of the Marches, Ludlow, 887, which became 611 in 
 1863. The date of this ceremony was the 13th July, 1853. The 
 Consecrating Officer was the "W.P. Grand Chaplain, Bro. Guise, 
 and the Master installed was Bro. Bach. 
 
 On the 26th October in the same year a proposal was 
 made, in a P.G. Lodge held at Shrewsbury, by Bro. H. T. Wace, 
 that a subscription should be raised for erecting Almshouses for 
 decayed Masons or their widows ; it was, however, ultimately 
 allowed to drop. On the same day Bro. Sir. A. V. Corbet, Bart., 
 was appointed P.G.S.W., but he only held office for one year; 
 the rest of the Provincial Grand Officers then appointed remained 
 in office for two years, <i' a custom always maintained until recent 
 times. 
 
 On August 8th, 1854, the Segontium Lodge, Carnarvon, 
 881 (now 606) was consecrated, and in the following year, the 
 Charter for the Eyton Chapter, working in connection with the 
 Lodge of St. John, Wellington, was granted. 
 
 On May 23rd, 1857, a return was asked for by Grand 
 Lodge of the number of P.G. Lodges held in each Province 
 during the past ten years, specifying those in which the P.G.M. 
 presided in person. The answer of the P.G. Sec?- for Shropshire 
 is worth recording — "That the R.W.P.G.M. was installed on the 
 9th of March, 1852, since which he had held five P.G. Lodges, 
 and that he had presided in each and every of them, viz. : — 
 (1) Certain exceptions occur through deaths from time to time. 
 
38 PEEEJUSONEY IN 
 
 6th September, 1852, at Bangor. 
 26th October, 1853, at Shrewsbury. 
 8th August, 1854, at Carnarvon. 
 28th August, 1855, at Admaston. 
 • 6th August, 1856, at Holyhead." 
 
 This return did not contain the three P.G. Lodges held for the 
 purpose of consecrating Craft Lodges, at all of which the 
 R.W.P.G.M. was present. 
 
 In 1857 the Lodge of St. John was removed from 
 Admaston to WelHngton. 
 
 The P.G. Lodge minute book contains no record of the 
 Consecration of the Lodge of St. Tudno, Llandudno, 755, which 
 seems to have taken place on July 23rd, 1858. 
 
 The R. W. the Grand Secretary of England, Brother 
 Wm- Henry White, on JanT- 14th, 1861, presented to the Pro- 
 vincial Grand Lodge of North Wales and Shropshire, a 
 magnificent sword. This gift was most gratefully accepted, and 
 a special minute of acknowledgment was made by order of the 
 R.W.P.G.M. Bro. J. P. White, the Pro. G. Treas. was nephew 
 to Bro. W°i- Sj- White, and presented the sword in the name of 
 his Uncle. The sword has two plates upon with engraved 
 inscriptions. The larger of these records the gift to the Province 
 as above mentioned, the other, which is very much worn, reads 
 
 thus : — 
 
 Royal Arch 
 
 Constitutional 
 
 Sols 
 
 The Constitutional Sols were a secret convivial Society, 
 in no respect Masonic, established about the year 1780. 
 
 On Jan. 13th, 1862, a special meeting of the P.G. Lodge 
 was held in Shrewsbury for the purpose of proposing an Address 
 of Condolence with Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of 
 the lamented death of H.R.H. The Prince Consort. This 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 39 
 
 meeting was numerously attended, and a loyal and affectionate 
 address was prepared, and subsequently presented. 
 
 On Feb. 25th, 1864, Sir Watkin held a P.G. Lodge at 
 "Wynnstay to commemorate the rebuilding of his mansion. On 
 this occasion invitations were issued to every subscribing member 
 of the Lodges in the Province, and a large party assembled, and 
 were entertained in a princely manner. 'i) 
 
 The Welshpool Lodge, The Royal Oak, 998, was consecrated 
 on March 31st of the same year, Bro. Goldsboro being the first W.M. 
 
 In the following year the P.G. Lodge, under the direction 
 of the R.W.P.G.M., assisted at the ceremony of laying the corner 
 stone of Ti'inity Church, Llandudno. 
 
 In the year 1866 three Lodges were consecrated, viz. : — 
 The Anglesea Lodge, Llangefni, 1113; The Lodge of St. Oswald, 
 Oswestry, 1124; and the Lodge of St. Milburga, Ironbridge, 
 1120. In the same year the Segontium Lodge, Carnarvon, was 
 ordered to be erased by the Board of General Purposes, for not 
 forwarding its returns since 1863. This Lodge is still on the 
 roll, although no notice is taken in the P.G. Lodge proceedings 
 of pardon for its offence being granted. 
 
 On the 24th of October, 1867, The Royal Denbigh Lodge, 
 Denbigh, 1143, was consecrated, and on the following day the 
 Freemasons' Hall, at Llandudno, was formerly opened by the 
 R.W.P.G.M. attended by his Officers. 
 
 The Provincial Grand Lodge held at Wellington, on the 
 24th of April, 1868, was the first not presided over in person by 
 Sir Watkin since he assumed office in 1852. He was then in 
 attendance upon H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, at Carnarvon 
 Castle, and so could not attend to his Masonic duties. At this 
 Lodge Provincial Grand Lodge jewels were voted to Bro. J. P. 
 White, P.G., Treas'-- and Bro. Charles Wigan, P.G., Sec'y. for 
 their long and valuable services. 
 
 (1) See History of The Salopian Lodge for 1864, 
 
40 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 On Nov. 1st, 1869, the R.W.P.G.M. laid the Foundation 
 Stone of the Oswestry Cottage Hospital, under the banner of the 
 Lodge of St. Oswald, 1124, under the history of which Lodge 
 further particulars of this interesting event are given. 
 
 The Square and Compass Lodge, Wrexham, 1336, was 
 duly consecrated on the 14th of March, 1871 ; the P.G. Officers 
 on this occasion were ably assisted by Bro. Willoughby, of 
 Birkenhead. A very large number of Brethren from the neigh- 
 bouring Provinces attended the Ceremony, during which Bro. 
 John Lewis was installed Master of the Lodge. He set to work 
 in real earnest, as on the 30 th of May a dispensation for 
 initiating nine candidates in one evening had to be procured. 
 
 The first meeting of the Bala Lodge, 1369, was held under 
 dispensation early in January, 1872 ; a further dispensation was 
 granted on the 6th of Feb'T-- to enable the W.M. to initiate 12 
 candidates in one evening ; and on the 3rd of May the Lodge 
 was properly consecrated. 
 
 Hitherto it had been usual to hold aU Provincial Grand 
 Lodges in Craft Lodges, which were duly opened by their own 
 officers before the arrival of the R.W.P.G.M. and his officers. 
 About this time, however, I believe. Sir Watkin, acting on the 
 principle that the less cannot contain the greater, began to hold 
 his Provincial Grand Lodge quite separate and distinct from 
 Craft Lodges, in the manner to which we are now accustomed. 
 
 The handsome donation of 50 guineas was in 1873 voted 
 by the P.G. Lodge to each of the three great Masonic Charities. 
 In June of the same year, at a Provincial Grand Lodge of 
 Emergency, The Fitzalan Lodge, Oswestry, 1432, was consecrated. 
 Bro. W. J. Wallace, the W.M. elect, was duly installed by Bro. 
 T. W. J. Goldsboro, P.P.G.S.W. In this year also Bro. W. H. 
 SpauU, P.A.G.D. of C. was appointed P.G.S., and has continued 
 ever since to discharge the onerous duties of that office in the 
 most able and energetic manner. It is to his kindness and 
 courtesy that I owe my ability to present these extracts from the 
 Provincial Grand Lodge Books since the year 1852. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHEOPSHIRE. 41 
 
 Shortly afterwards, Bro. Dymock, who had been D.P.G.M, 
 for over 20 years, resigned that ofl&ce on account of ill-health, 
 and in the following year Bro. J. R. Ormsby Gore (afterwards 
 Lord Harlech) P.M. 1124, was appointed to the post thus left 
 vacant. 
 
 The next Lodge placed on the roll of the Province was the 
 Sir Watkin, Mold, 1477. Its foundation had been under dis- 
 cussion for many years, and was at last happily consummated on 
 the 26th Feb''?-- 1874. Bro. Goldsboro again acted as Consecra- 
 ting Officer, and Bro. Piatt, P.P.G.S.W. Cheshire, installed 
 Bro. Salmon, P.M., 425, the W.M. elect. 
 
 The St. Eleth Lodge, Amlwch, 1488, and the Madoc Lodge, 
 Portmadoc, 1509, were also consecrated in this year; Bro. Golds- 
 boro in each case performing the Ceremony. In this year, too, the 
 by-laws of the Province were revised, and the Charitable 
 Association founded. 
 
 Four lodges were added to the strength of the Province in 
 1876 ; these were the Llanidloes Lodge, 1582 ; the Cedewain 
 Lodge, Newtown, 1594 ; the Castle Lodge, Bridgnorth, 1621 ; 
 and the Clive Lodge, Market Drayton, 1575. The R.W.P.G.M. 
 was present at the consecration of each of these Lodges ; the 
 Ceremony in each case being performed by Bro. Goldsboro. It 
 may be noticed that though the Clive Lodge had obtained its 
 Warrant before any of the other three, its consecration was last 
 in point of date. In this year the D.P.G.M. Lord Harlech died, 
 and Bro. W. Bulkeley Hughes, M.P., was appointed in his stead. 
 
 On the 3rd August, 1877, The Caradoc Lodge, Rhyl, 
 1674, was consecrated by Bro. W. H. Spaull, P.G.S. ; Bro. 
 Goldsboro, the officer generally performing that ceremony, having 
 died in January. On the 12th Sep*""- following, the P.G. Lodge 
 voted £50 to the Indian Famine Relief Fund, and on the same 
 day the Corbet Lodge, Towyn, 1583, was consecrated by 
 Bro. Spaull. r 
 
42 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 In this year (1877) Sir Watkin completed a period of 25 
 years rule over the Province, and to commemorate this event he 
 was presented with an address bound in an illuminated album. 
 A presentation for this Province to the Royal Masonic Institu- 
 tion for Boys, at Wood Green, was also arranged to be purchased 
 by subscription, and called the " Sir Watkin Presentation." The 
 subscription reached the handsome sum of £589 lis. 9d. At the 
 same time, the sum of 100 guineas was paid out of the P.G. 
 Lodge funds to make the P.G.M. a Vice Patron in perpetuity of 
 the same Institution ; £50 was also voted to the Girls School, 
 and a similar sum to the Goldsboro Memorial. 
 
 The "Sir Watkin Presentation," purchased for 500 guineas, 
 gave the R.W.P.G.M. for North Wales and Shropshire the right 
 from time to time, during the lifetime of H.R.H. the Princess 
 Beatrice, to nominate one boy to the Institution, whenever a 
 vacancy should occur, and in order to perpetuate this right, a 
 policy on the life of H.R.H. for £525 was taken out, the 
 premiums on which are still paid by the Province of North Wales, 
 as will be seen hereafter. 
 
 In 1880 the Province voted 30 guineas towards the 
 purchase of a Bishop's Throne for the newly restored Cathedral 
 in Bangor, in which town the Royal Leek Lodge, 1849, was con- 
 secrated shortly afterwards. This year, too, saw the commence- 
 ment of the present custom of an annual instead of a biennial 
 appointment of Provincial Grand Officers. 
 
 The Audley Lodge, Newport, 1876, was consecrated by 
 the R.W.P.G.M. assisted by Bro. W. H. Spaull, on 20th May, 
 1881. In 1882, the D.P.G.M., Bro. Bulkeley Hughes, died, and 
 our present R.W.P.G.M., Sir Offley Wakeman, Bart., was 
 appointed in his stead to the vacant office ; the Province also by 
 a second donation of 50 guineas completed the Vice Patronage 
 of the Girls' School ; and the Masonic Hall at Bangor was dedi- 
 cated. The Mawddach Lodge, Barmouth, 1988, was consecrated 
 by the D.P.G.M. on the 6th March, 1883; Sir Watkin was 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHliOPSIIIUE. 43 
 
 unable through serious illness to be present, but was sufficiently 
 recovered to atted the P.G. Lodge held at Ludlow in June. The 
 Barmouth Lodge was the last established in the old joint Province. 
 
 On August the 23rd, 1883, the W.D.P.G.M., Sir Offley 
 Wakeman, Bart., attended by the P.G. Officers, went to Wynnstay 
 and presented a Turquoise and Diamond Jewel from the Masons of 
 the Province to Miss L. A. Williams Wynn, on the occasion of 
 her marriage with Mr. Herbert Lloyd Watkin "Williams Wynn, 
 and, in the January following, Sir Offley Wakeman was himself 
 presented with a handsome clock on the occasion of his own 
 marriage. 
 
 On the 9th of March, 1885, Sir Watkin died, an event 
 deeply regretted by all who had the pleasure of knowing him 
 personally, or the honour of working under him Masonically. 
 His death is too recent to render any attemjft at eulogising his 
 work necessary ; his merits are known to and appreciated by a far 
 wider circle than I expect to reach in writing this sketch. Yet 
 this much I must say, that to him mainly is due the wonderful 
 progress made by the Craft in the Province during the past forty 
 years. His high social station, his uniform kindness, his genial 
 disposition, and especially his unwearying industry, influenced all 
 around him to respect and honour the Brotherhood of which he 
 was so bright an ornament, and stimulated his Brethren in the 
 Craft to renewed activity in upholding the true principles of 
 their profession, and in extending the sphere of its operations. 
 He was descended from a Masonic family ; his grandfather was 
 Grand Warden in the years 1770 and 1771, and acted as 
 President of the Board of Grand Stewards in the former year. 
 He was initiated in the Province of Cheshire, and was W.M. of 
 the Cestrian Lodge, 425, in the year 1851. This Lodge then 
 counted amongst its active members many distinguished men, 
 including — Lord Combermere, Lord Chief Justice Jervis, and 
 Mr. Welsby, Recorder of Chester. He joined the Salopian 
 Lodge, 262, in the year 1852, and was exalted on April ith, 
 
41 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 1853, in the Chapter connected with what was then the Lodge 
 of Fidelity of Birkenhead, 701. In 1859 he was appointed 
 Provincial Grand Superintendent of the joint Province. In all 
 respects he worthily upheld the Masonic traditions of his family, 
 and leaves behind him a nephew, his successor in his title and 
 estates, who has always evinced considerable interest in Masonic 
 work, and now holds the rank of P.P.G.W. Twenty-four Lodges 
 in all came into existence in the joint Province during his reign, 
 eight of these being in Shropshire, and he was, with two excep- 
 tions, present at the Consecration of all these Lodges. On the 
 tomb of Sir Christopher Wren, ia St. Paul's Cathedral, this 
 inscription is placed — " Si queris monumentum, Circumspice " — 
 so to my Brother Masons I say that in the prosperity they now 
 enjoy, they may trace the work of him that is gone, and find the 
 best and most enduring monument to his memory. The great 
 extension of the Craft required that on his death the Provinces 
 of North Wales and Shropshire should be again separated. This 
 was accordingly done, and his name will stand alone to all time 
 as the sole P.G.M. of the joint Province. It is fitting that it 
 should be so, and that his name alone should be associated with 
 the work he himself performed. 
 
 Our present R. W.P.G.M., Sir Offley Wakeman, Bart., was 
 instaUed on Oct. 22nd., 1885, by Bro. Colonel Shadwell Gierke, 
 G.S., in the Lodge Room, at the Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury, in the 
 presence of a large gathering of distinguished Masons. On the 
 following day Lord Harlech was installed R.W.P.G.M. of the 
 Province of North Wales. 
 
 Bro. Sir Ofiley Wakeman was initiated in the Churchill 
 Lodge, 478, in the year 1871, was appointed Provincial Grand 
 Secretary of Oxfordshire in 1872, and, in 1878, was elected to fill 
 both the chair of W.M. in his Lodge, and that of S.W. in his 
 Provincial Grand Lodge. In 1882, as already noticed, he became 
 D.P.G.M. of North Wales and Shropshire. 
 
THE PROVINCE or SHROPSHIEE. 45 
 
 Considerable difficulty was experienced in making an 
 equitable division of the assets of the joint Province. Eventually 
 the matter was suitably arranged by a Committee appointed for 
 the purpose. The right of nominating a boy under the pro- 
 visions of the "Sir Watkin Presentation Fund" was to be 
 exercised alternately by the new Provinces during the life of the 
 Princess Beatrice, and to prevent the perpetuation of such 
 alternate nomination, another policy on the life of H.R.H. was 
 taken out for an amount equal to that of the existing policy. 
 One of these policies will ultimately secure to each Province the 
 benefit of a right of nomination of one boy in perpetuity. The 
 Patronage of the Institutions for Boys and Girls was divided as 
 evenly as possible, regard being had to the number of Lodges in 
 each Province. The presentation sword given as before men- 
 tioned by Bro. W. H. White, was allotted to Shropshire ; the 
 banners of the joint Province and a smaller sword in its 
 possession, to North Wales. A gold snuif box,(i) formerly 
 presented to Bro. W. H. White by the Duke of Sussex, when 
 G.M., and which was then the property of the joint Province, 
 was given to Bro. J. P. White in recognition of his long service 
 as P.G. Treasurer. The balance of the funds then in hand after 
 discharging all liabOities, was presented to the P.G. Secretary, as 
 a token of esteem from the brethren for the energy displayed by 
 him in promoting the well-being of Masonry in the Province 
 during his 13 years of office. 
 
 After the Installation of the R.W.P.G.M., Sir Offley 
 Wakeman, he was presented by the D.P.G.M., on behalf of the 
 Lodges, with a handsome Album containing the following address, 
 with the names of all members of the Lodges appended. 
 
 "To Sir Offley Wakeman, Bart., Right Worshipful 
 Provincial Grand Master of the Antient Free and Accepted 
 Masons of Shropshire." 
 
 (1) For the ultimate fate of this snufl box, see History of the Salopian Lodge for 
 the year 1880. 
 
46 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 " It having pleased the Most Worshipful Grand Master 
 to divide the old Province of North Wales and Shropshire, We, 
 the members of the Lodges in the new Province of Shropshire, 
 beg to express our gratification that the choice of His Royal 
 Highness should have fallen upon you as our Provincial Grand 
 Master, and we offer you our sincere &,nd fraternal congratulations 
 on the auspicious event of to-day, feeling sure that it is but the 
 precursor of the increase and good of Freemasonry in your 
 province. The zeal you have displayed in pursuing the objects 
 of our organization from the period of your initiation into the 
 privileges and mysteries of the Craft, we cannot but remember 
 with satisfaction ; and we are deeply imbued with the conviction 
 that the interests of our truly noble Order will be materially 
 advanced under your guidance, while those who are unconnected 
 with us by the ties of brotherhood, will be satisfied from the 
 position you hold in your native county, that there is nothing in 
 our principles inconsistent with true patriotism, active charity> 
 pure religion, permanent order, and every social and domestic virtue. 
 
 We pray that the Great Architect of the Universe may 
 spare you to govern us for many years, and that the Lodges 
 under your rule may flourish and increase." 
 
 Subsequent events have fully justified the language of this 
 address, and the prayer with which it closes, may be repeated 
 now with equal sincerity. 
 
 Shortly after the Province was estabhshed, we find the 
 Brethren attempting to get a Masonic Hall built in Shrewsbury, 
 but their efforts only succeeded in adding another to the long 
 list of Committees which have from time to time been appointed, 
 only to fail, for that object. 
 
 Bro. R. A. Craig, P.M., 262, who was the first to hold the 
 office of Standard Bearer in the new Province, presented to the 
 Provincial Grand Lodge on his retirement from office, a handsome 
 Silk Banner, bearing the Arms of the Province. His kindness 
 was suitably acknowledged by the Lodge. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 47 
 
 On January 11th, 1886, The R.W.P.G.M., assisted by 
 Bro. W. H. Spaull, P.G., Sectr- and Bro. Warren Thompson, 
 consecrated the Brownlow Lodge, Ellfesmere, 2131, upon which 
 occasion Bro. E. M. Prevost was installed as W.M. 
 
 In the following year the Provincial Grand Lodge entered 
 on its minutes an expression of devoted loyalty to Her Majesty 
 the Queen on the occasion of her reaching the Jubilee year of her 
 reign. In May of the same year the R.W.P.G.M. presided as 
 Chairman at the Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for 
 Girls. On this occasion the Province contributed the sum of 
 £1054 18s. Od. to the "A" Fund. 
 
 In March, 1888, Bro. J. P. White was compelled by 
 failing health to resign the office of P.G. Treasurer, which he had 
 held continuously for 36 years. In the History of his Mother 
 Lodge, 262, at a subsequent page, further reference is made to 
 the great services rendered by Bro. White to the Craft. 
 
 In the same year it was found that the debt incurred on 
 the separation of the old joint Province was too large to be 
 liquidated by the surplus income of the new Province, unless 
 payment were spread over a great number of years. The Lodges 
 were, therefore, invited to contribute, pro rata according to the 
 number of their subscribing members, to discharge this liability. 
 The sum thus raised placed the finances of the Province once 
 more upon a satisfactory footing. 
 
 At a P.G. Lodge held at Ironbridge, on Sep. 18th, 1888, 
 Bro. W. H. Spaull was presented a full dress suit of Grand Lodge 
 clothing, a case containing an undress suit of the same clothing, 
 and a receipt for the fee of honour payable on his appointment 
 to the office of Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies, as a 
 mark of the esteem of the Brethren of the Province for the way 
 in which he had conducted the business of the Province. 
 
 On June 6th, 1889, the Lodge of St. Alkmund, Whit- 
 church, 2311, was consecrated by the R.W.P.G.M., assisted by 
 
48 FRKEMASONRY IN 
 
 the P.G. Secretary. Since that date no addition to the roll of 
 Lodges has been made ; but Shropshire, with its twelve Lodges, 
 continues slowly and yet surely to grow in Masonic strength, and 
 to do its share in the beneficent work of Charity — the distinguish- 
 ing characteristic of the tenets of the Craft. 
 
 In conclusion, I can only express the earnest wish that 
 the present prosperity and harmony may long continue, and that 
 if any spirit of rivalry be present in our midst, it may only be in 
 the eifort to further the principles of Masonry, and to cultivate 
 that true fraternal union which gives real strength to all 
 Masonic endeavour. 
 
 y|v 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHKOPSHIEE. 
 
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52 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 LIST OF PROVINCIAL GRAND OFFICERS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 Provincial Grand Masters : 
 
 Sir Edward Matthews, 1731 — ? 
 
 Sir Robert de Cornwall, 1754 — 1 
 
 George Durant, 1774 — 1779. 
 
 Hon. & Rev. F. Hy. Egerton (398), 1786—1819 (?1800 circa). 
 
 Hon. Henry Grey Bennett, M.P., 1819—1826. 
 
 Sir W. Watkin Wynn, Bart. (262), 1852—1885. 
 
 Sir Offley Wakeman, Bart. (262), 1885 — . 
 
 Deputy Provincial Grand Masters : 
 
 Major Charles Shirrepf (388-262), 1786—1795. 
 
 Sir Andrew Vincent Corbet, Bart. (262), 1823 (circa) — 1852. 
 
 Rev. E. H. Dymock (262), 1852—1873. 
 
 J. R. Ormsby-Gore (Lord Harlech) (1124), 1874—1876. 
 
 W. Bulkbley Hughes, M.P. (606), 1877—1882. 
 
 Sir Offley Wakeman, Bart. (262), 1882—1885. 
 
 Rowland G. Venables (611-1124), 1885—. 
 
 Provincial Grand Treasurers : 
 Joshua Pugh White (262), 1852—1888. 
 Vincent Corbet Legu Crump (117), 1888 — . 
 
 Provincial Grand Secretaries : 
 
 Major Charles Shirrefp (388-262), 1786—1795. 
 Charles Wigan (425), 1852—1872. 
 W. H. Spaull (1124), 1872—. 
 
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60 
 
 FHEEMASONEY IN 
 
 Provincial Grand Stewards. 
 
 1852-3. 
 
 B. Churchill, 262 
 Isaac Taylor, 262 
 
 1853-4-5. 
 W. H. Niccolls, 262 
 W. J. Beech, 601 
 John Francis, 606 
 Wm. Williams, 606 
 Wm. Patchett, 262 
 Wm. Anslow, 601 
 
 1855-6-7. 
 W. H. Bayley, 262 
 John Aronson 
 Wm. Thomas, 38i 
 R. Pritchard 
 John Francis, 606 
 R. M. Williams, 606 
 
 1857-8-9. 
 W. Stokes 
 S. Blandford 
 John Barker, 601 
 Edward Lewis, 1336 
 H. A. Jones, 262 
 E. Jeffreys 
 
 1859-60-1. 
 
 C. G. Wingfield, 262 
 W. B. Hayley, 601 
 
 — Webb 
 
 — Preece 
 George Felton 
 
 — Thomas 
 
 1861-2-3. 
 W. F. Chapman 
 H. E. Sulhvan 
 
 1861-5. 
 J. Minor Kilvert, 611 
 John Lloyd, 611 
 W. T. Middle (Salop) 
 
 1866-7-8. 
 George Owen, 1124 
 Jasper More, 262 
 Thomas B. Brown 
 Edward Pryce 
 George Brown, 998 
 
 1866-7-8. 
 William Thomas 
 
 1868-9-70. 
 Richard BeUiss, 601 
 Wm. Blakeway, 262 
 Edward Pryce 
 Arthur Britten, 601 
 
 1871-2-3. 
 Thomas Rutter 
 Askew Roberts, 1121 
 Frederick Cox, 611 
 
 1873-4. 
 Ephraim Wood, 1124 
 W. Patchett, 262 
 H. Newman, 262 
 
 E. C. Peele, 262 
 P. H. Evans, 117 
 
 1874-5-6. 
 R. T. Phillips, 1488 
 Wm. Collender, 1582 
 R. J. Sisson, 1143 
 
 B. de la P. Beresford, 1432 
 Alfred Marston, 611 
 
 C. H. Rees, 606 
 
 1876-7. 
 John Thomas, 1124 
 
 F. Britton, 1594 
 W. Low, 1336 
 J. Stokes, 1621 
 
 R. T. Phillips, 1488 
 E. Andrew, 262 
 
 1878-9. 
 J. C. W. Lister, 1120 
 J. O. Bury, 1336 
 A. McMillan, 384 
 John Corbett, 1477 
 Wm. Spraggon, 117 
 Wm. Burton, 1336-1124 
 
 1879-80. 
 H. C. Clarke, 262 
 J. Adams, 601 
 H. Shepard, 601 
 J. S. Davies, 998 
 J. Treweek, 1488 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 61 
 
 Provincial Grand Stewards. 
 
 1880-1. 
 John Davies, 1143 
 Donald Cameron, 384 
 W. J. Morris, 1509 
 E. Smith, 1336 
 
 D. E. Kirkly, 1583 
 RoffKing, 601 
 
 1881-2. 
 Thomas Roberts, 6 1 1 
 R. Roberts, J 509 
 
 E. Williams, 1113 
 Daintry Hollins, 755 
 
 E. J. Chitty, 1621 
 W. Aston, 1432 
 
 1882-3. 
 R. Roberts, 1509 
 T. "Warren Thompson, 1 1 7 
 T. Coxhead, 1674 
 J. Cowen, 1336 
 
 F. R. Spaull, 1 1 24 
 W. E. Stuart, 262 
 
 1883-4. 
 E. Robinson, 998 
 W. J. Lovegrove, 1 988 
 W. Putman, 611 
 T. Rought Jones, 1575 
 P. H. V. Grosholz, 1583 
 
 1884-5. 
 
 G. K. Reason, 1 336 
 R. Owen Jones, 1369 
 V. C. L. Crump, 117 
 Wm. Lloyd, 1143 
 
 T. A. Forster, 1694 
 E. W. Keatinge, 1674 
 
 18t<5-6. 
 John Blockley, 117 
 T. Whitefoot, Junr., 1621 
 John Smith, 601 
 J. H. Williams, 611 
 John Ginders, 1 575 
 Charles Drew, 1432 
 
 1886-7. 
 T. P. Deakin, 1 1 7 
 Wm. Belton, 117 
 
 A. Marston, 611 
 T. Pratt, 1621 
 
 J. H. Parsons, 1432 
 
 B. Bastow, 1575 
 
 1887-8. 
 L. A. Manning, 1 1 24 
 A. S. Townsend, 1 1 7 
 H. E. Roberts, 1621 
 H. G. U. Elliott, 1896 
 T. J. Barnett, 1120 
 J. England, 1432 
 
 1888-9. 
 Herbert Major, 1 1 7 
 Wm. Westcott, 1621 
 W. J. Ogg, 2131 
 F. Chubb, 1 1 20 
 Samuel Bennion, 1575 
 T. C. Bird, 1896 
 1889-90. 
 
 C. Lewis, 1896 
 W. E. Sharp, 611 
 A. S. Trevor, 1621 
 KyffinG. Salter, 2131 
 Tom Machin, 1120 
 
 A. B. Deakin, 117 
 
 1890-1. 
 Wm. Adams, 1 1 7 
 R. McBean, 6 1 1 
 A. Nelson, 1432 
 A. Exham, 1575 
 H. R. Giles, 2131 
 F. A. Bird, 1 896 
 
 1891-2. 
 Benjamin Blower, 1 1 7 
 Wyndham Deedes, 262 
 Thomas Allen, 1 1 20 
 T. Bromwich, 1621 
 C. E. Baddeley, 1896 
 — Woodford, 1575 
 
 Note — From 1852-1885 the Province included both North Wales and Shropshire, 
 Many Brethren in the above lists belongred to more than one Lodge — as far as possible, 
 I have tiied to credit each Brother to that Lodge in which he was in office at the 
 time of his appointment. Absolute accuracy in the earlier names and numbers 
 cannot be guaranteed, as the Provincial Minute Book is in places very incomplete^ 
 and no other reliable source of information is attainable. 
 
62 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 Tub Lodge of 
 St. ALKMUND, WHITCHURCH, No. 2311. 
 
 The past liistory of the Craft in Whitchurch has been 
 fully dealt with in the previous pages in coiuiection with the 
 work of Major Shirreff in the closing years of the last century. 
 That history was then practically identical with the history of 
 the Province, and now, after an interval of 90 years, during which 
 nothing could be recorded, its closing page may be written with 
 bright auguries for a successful future. 
 
 The Lodge of St. Alkmund was founded in 1889, its 
 warrant being dated April 18th in that year. Its Consecration, 
 by the R.W.P.G.M. Bro. Sir Offley Wakeman, Bart., took place 
 on June 6th, the Installing Officer on that occasion being the 
 W.P.D.G.M. Bro. Rowland Venables, P.A.G.D. of C. 
 
 The establishment of the Lodge was largely due to the 
 efforts of some zealous brethren of the Salopian Lodge of Charity, 
 117. Of its sixteen founders no less than nine were members of 
 that Lodge, and its first three Masters were all Past Masters of 
 the same Lodge. Since its foundation it has rapidly gained 
 ground, and has already attained a most honourable position in 
 the Charity Returns. It now numbers nearly 30 subscribing 
 members. Bro. Sir Watkin Wynn, Bart., P.P.G.W., the nephew 
 of the late R.W.P.G.M., was one of the founders. 
 
 I believe I am correct in stating that at the close of the 
 year 1892 the Lodge will be strong enough in every way to stand, 
 as it is intended that it should do, without any extraneous 
 assistance, and conduct its Masonic work in a thoroughly efficient 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 63 
 
 ■way. Its short list of W.M.'s given below, contains names which 
 are a sure guarantee that the instruction received by the youngest 
 Lodge in the Province, has been, and will be, most careful and 
 accurate. 
 
 List of Masters. 
 
 1S89-90— Vincent Corbet Legh Crump, P.M., 1 1 7, P.G. Treasurer. 
 1890-91— William Belton, P.M., 117, P.P.G.S.D. 
 1891.92— William Adams, P.M., 117, P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 GRAND LODGE REGISTER OE MEMBERS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 WHITCHURCH LODGE, No. 3S8 (erased 1801.) 
 
 Name. 
 
 to 
 
 < 
 
 Profession. 
 
 Residence 
 
 When 
 Made 
 
 Joined 
 
 Charles Shirreff 
 
 48 
 
 Major in Army 
 
 VYhitcliurch 
 
 
 15,11,85 
 
 Rev. F. H. Egerton 
 
 28 
 
 Clerk 
 
 
 
 )J 
 
 W. L. Brookes 
 
 34 
 
 Esq. 
 
 
 
 53 
 
 R. Bentley 
 
 33 
 
 Gardener 
 
 
 15,11,85 
 
 
 P. Newton 
 
 39 
 
 Innholder 
 
 
 )) 
 
 
 John Collier 
 
 26 
 
 Clerk 
 
 
 
 )T 
 
 Godfrey Wolley 
 
 25 
 
 Clerk 
 
 
 
 )J 
 
 Arthur Blaney 
 
 25 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 
 
 3) 
 
 William Turner 
 
 33 
 
 Architect 
 
 
 
 3) 
 
 John Dodd 
 
 33 
 
 Esqre. 
 
 Leicester 
 
 JJ 
 
 
 Thomas Sandford 
 
 21 
 
 Esq re. 
 
 of Sandford 
 
 )J 
 
 
 J. T. Meakin 
 
 37 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Whitchurch 
 
 17,11,85 
 
 
 Samuel Hodson 
 
 27 
 
 Draper 
 
 3) 
 
 24,11,85 
 
 
 Peter Gregory 
 
 46 
 
 Attorney 
 
 J^ 
 
 15,12,85 
 
 
 John Gregory 
 
 22 
 
 Do. 
 
 jj 
 
 J) 
 
 
 James Simpson 
 
 51 
 
 Excise Ofl3.cer 
 
 )T 
 
 ?) 
 
 
 Charles Gibbons 
 
 28 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Namptwich 
 
 n 
 
 
 George Watson 
 
 42 
 
 Do. 
 
 Whitchurch 
 
 
 14,1,86 
 
 Thos. Pigot 
 
 32 
 
 Esqre. 
 
 Wollerton 
 
 2,2,86 
 
 
 Henry Salmon 
 
 54 
 
 Clerk 
 
 Audlam 
 
 15,.3,86 
 
 
 Henry J. Raynett 
 
 23 
 
 Army 
 
 
 28,.3,86 
 
 
 T. P. D. Salmon 
 
 24 
 
 Clerk 
 
 Oxford 
 
 )) 
 
 
 Jas. Warren 
 
 25 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Drayton 
 
 
 3,4,86 
 
64 
 
 
 FREEMASONRY 
 
 IN 
 
 
 
 Name. 
 
 6 
 
 Profession. 
 
 Residence 
 
 When 
 Made. 
 
 Joined 
 
 William Wickstead 
 
 29 
 
 Barrister 
 
 London 
 
 3,4,86 
 
 
 Samuel Marshall 
 
 27 
 
 Army- 
 
 
 23,6,50 
 
 
 Lord Kilmorrey 
 
 
 
 
 }7 
 
 
 Joseph Beddow 
 
 45 
 
 Grocer & Iron- 
 monger 
 
 
 20,2,87 
 
 
 John Beck 
 
 27 
 
 do. 
 
 
 8,3,87 
 
 
 John Kempster 
 
 40 
 
 Grocer 
 
 
 6,6,87 
 
 
 Joseph Langford 
 
 22 
 
 Clerk 
 
 
 13,5,!S8 
 
 
 Thos. Jones 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 John Gerrard 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 T. J. Collier 
 
 25 
 
 Grocer 
 
 Whitchurch 
 
 18,6,89 
 
 
 Sir Richard Hill 
 
 55 
 
 Baronet 
 
 J) 
 
 4,7,89 
 
 
 John Hill 
 
 48 
 
 Esqre. 
 
 jj 
 
 JJ 
 
 
 Rev. Brian Hill 
 
 33 
 
 Clerk 
 
 J) 
 
 JJ 
 
 
 John Hill, Junr. 
 
 20 
 
 Esqre. 
 
 jj 
 
 J) 
 
 
 Rev. W. Judgson 
 
 
 Clerk 
 
 
 1,10,89 
 
 
 Edward Seagar 
 
 45 
 
 Iron Merchant 
 
 
 1,11,90 
 
 
 Richard Wingfield 
 
 39lGentleman 
 
 
 14,3,91 
 
 
 Charles Walker 
 
 22 
 
 Clerk 
 
 
 25,0,91 
 
 
 Phi Tonnereau 
 
 43 
 
 Esqre. 
 
 
 JJ 
 
 
 Richard Thomas 
 
 20 
 
 Gardener 
 
 
 5,10,91 
 
 
 William Kent 
 
 39 
 
 Clerk 
 
 
 J) 
 
 
 Owen Roberts 
 
 32 
 
 Esqre. 
 
 
 30,8,92 
 
 
 Wm. Hill Watson 
 
 45 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Whitchurch 
 
 17,6,93 
 
 
 Samuel Lowe 
 
 22 
 
 jj 
 
 )j 
 
 22,2,98 
 
 
 William Collier 
 
 24 
 
 J) 
 
 J) 
 
 6,10,98 
 
 
 Richard Crosse 
 
 21 
 
 
 jj 
 
 12,10,99 
 
 
 Richard Grant 
 
 
 
 Drayton 
 
 3,4,1800 
 
 
 GRAND LODGE REGISTER OF MEMBERS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 EGERTON LODGE, WHITCHURCH, No. 445 (erased 1801.) 
 
 Name. 
 
 bo 
 
 Profession. 
 
 Residence 
 
 When 
 Made. 
 
 Joined 
 
 William Challnor 
 Robert B. Jones 
 John Manning 
 Thos. Penlington 
 Thos. Hinton 
 
 45 
 27 
 29 
 36 
 
 28 
 
 Plaisterer 
 
 Stationer 
 
 Cordwainer 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Butcher 
 
 Wliitchurch 
 
 J) 
 J) 
 
 17,3,89 
 
 1^4,89 
 
 19,0,89 
 
 30,11,89 
 
 
THE 
 
 PROVINCE OF SIIEOPSHIRE. 
 
 65 
 
 Name. 
 
 
 Profession 
 
 Residence 
 
 When 
 Made. 
 
 Joined 
 
 Thos. Wilson 
 
 45 
 
 Butcher 
 
 Whitchurch 
 
 28,12,1789 
 
 
 Thos. Casewell 
 
 33 
 
 Watchm'k'r 
 
 jj 
 
 6,12,90 
 
 
 John Edwards 
 
 23 
 
 Currier 
 
 )} 
 
 28,7,90 
 
 
 Samuel Driver 
 
 38 
 
 Staymaker 
 
 )t 
 
 17,11,90 
 
 
 John Morris 
 
 35 
 
 Painter 
 
 )j 
 
 16,12,90 
 
 
 Samuel Cross 
 
 20 
 
 Waiter 
 
 
 
 27,12,90 
 
 Samuel Hotchkees 
 
 37 
 
 Clerk 
 
 )) 
 
 6,1,92 
 
 
 John Pearson 
 
 •28 
 
 Farmer 
 
 )j 
 
 i> 
 
 
 William Kirby 
 
 27 
 
 Musician 
 
 
 24,7,92 
 
 
 John Reese 
 
 36 
 
 Attorney 
 
 
 6,12,92 
 
 
 John Willet 
 
 38 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 
 J) 
 
 
 John Grant 
 
 54 
 
 Writer 
 
 
 27,12,92 
 
 
 Edward Jones 
 
 35 
 
 Clerk 
 
 J) 
 
 4,9,93 
 
 
66 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 THE BROWNLOW LODGE, ELLESMERE, 2131. 
 
 EUesmere was one of the towns visited by Shirreff in the 
 last century in his capacity of D.P.G.M. for the Province of 
 ■Shropshire. He did not, however, succeed in establishing a Lodge 
 there, and until the last few years the Brethren of that town have 
 been obliged to join Lodges at a distance. On the 12th of 
 December, 1,885, a Warrant was issued for the foundation of the 
 Brownlow Lodge. It was consecrated on the 11th of January 
 following, by the R.W.P.G.M. Bro. Sir Offley Wakeman, the 
 ceremony being performed in the Town Hall. The first founders 
 were Bro. E. W. Prevost, A. T. Akroyd, and W. J. Ogg. The 
 Brownlow was the first Lodge warranted in this Province after 
 its separation from North Wales. Bro. H. R. Giles was the first 
 initiate, and can thus claim to be the first W.M., who was the 
 first initiate of the first consecrated Lodge in the new Province. 
 It now numbers 21 members, and seems to be gradually but 
 surely gaining ground. 
 
 List of Masters. 
 
 1886— Edward WilHam Prevost. 
 
 1887— Arthur Thomas Akroyd, P.P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 1888— Walter John Ogg, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 1889— Kyffin George Salter, P.P.G.S. W. 
 
 1S90— Henry Richard Giles, P.G.R. 
 
 1891— Arthur John Prince Child 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 67 
 
 THE AUDLEY LODGE, NEWPORT, 1896. 
 
 This was the last Lodge founded in Shropshire before its 
 erection into a separate Province. The Warrant is dated 
 February 15th, 1881, and the Lodge was consecrated on May 
 20th in the same year by the R.W.P.G.M. Bro. Sir Watkirf 
 Wynn, assisted by Bro. W. H. Spaull, P.G. Sec. 
 
 At a lodge held on September 26th, 1882, an address of 
 congratulation was presented to Bro. W. Masefield, Grand Std. 
 Bro., P.D.P.G.M., Worcestershire, who was a native of Newport, 
 and an honorary member of the Lodge. At the close of the 
 business a banquet was, by a curious coincidence, held in the very 
 house in which the venerable guest of the Lodge had been born 
 82 years previously. There are now more than 30 subscribing 
 members on its roll. 
 
 List or Masters. 
 1881— John Bodenham, P.P.G.W., P.P.G. Treas., Staffs. 
 1882 — John Bodenham. 
 1883— R. T. Masefield. 
 1884— Rev. C. R. Gordon, P.P.G.C. 
 1885— Thomas James, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 1886— Tom Collins, P.P.G.J.W. 
 1887— PI. G. U. Elliott, P.P.G.R. 
 1888— T. C. Bird, P.P.G.J.D. 
 1889— Charles Lewis, P.P.G. Steward. 
 1890— F. A. Bird, P.P.G. Sword Bearer 
 1891— C. E. Baddeley, P.G. Steward. 
 
 This list gives the year of installation of the various 
 Past Masters. 
 
68 FEEEMASONEY IN 
 
 THE CASTLE LODGE, BRIDGNORTH, 162L 
 
 The Castle Lodge has had three predecessors in Bridg- 
 north. The first of these was a nameless " Ancient " Lodge 
 founded in 1767. It met at the Crown Inn, Low Town, and 
 was numbered 147. It apparently existed for a very short period, 
 as there are no records in Grand Lodge except for the year of 
 its foundation. The fate of its Warrant is told in the notes 
 placed at the end of the preceding list of extinct Lodges in the 
 Province. A second Lodge, the Lodge of Friendship, meeting 
 at the Hand and Bottle Inn, and numbered 413 on the roll of 
 the "Modern" Grand Lodge, was founded in 1771. It was 
 erased in 1783, its number in 1780 having been altered to 321, 
 and in 1781 to 322. The Lodge of Industry, founded in 1799, 
 is the third Lodge referred to. It originally met at the Hand 
 and Bottle Inn, but in 1800 removed to the Raven Inn, where 
 it continued to meet during the remainder of its existence. Its 
 original number on the " Modern " roll was 578 ; at the Union 
 it became 597, and in 1832 this number was again changed to 398. 
 It was erased in 1853, though, as no names were registered in 
 Grand Lodge after 1840, it had doubtless ceased working some 
 time before the former date. Its formal erasure was due, we 
 may readily believe, to the reports made to Grand Lodge by the 
 Officers of the then newly constituted Province of North Wales 
 and Shropshire. 
 
 The records of this Lodge would be particularly valuable 
 
 •if they could be recovered, but unfortunately the clue to their 
 
 whereabouts cannot at present be followed up. Some of the 
 
 and other Masonic possessions of the Lodge are however still in 
 
 existence, and are now in the custody of the Castle Lodge. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SIIEOPSI-IIRE. 69 
 
 These relics consist of — ■ 
 
 1. The Charter, dated March 4th, 1818, for a Royal Arch 
 Chapter to be called " the Agenorian Chapter," working 
 in connection with the Lodge of Industry, 597, and to 
 hold its first meeting on March 29th in the same year. 
 
 This Chapter had undoubtedly been working from about 
 the year 1801 under the wing of the Grand Chapter, unofficially 
 promoted by the " Modern " Grand Lodge prior to the Union. 
 The Charter in question was, therefore, probably only one of 
 confirmation (though it certainly is not expressed to be such) 
 granted in 1818 by the United Grand Chapter(i) estabhshed in 
 1817. The Companions named in it are Thomas Southern, 
 Edward Parry, Thomas Devey, Richard Baker, Richard Holmes, 
 John Nicholas, William Page, Richard Dukes, and Edward 
 Page, Junr., all of whom were duly registered members of the 
 Agenorian Chapter before 1816, except John Nicolas and Edward 
 Page, Junr., against whose names there is no date in the Grand 
 Chapter Register, and whose exaltation, judging by the sequence 
 of dates, may have .taken place at any time between 1816-1818. 
 Fifty-two names in all are upon this Register. Amongst them 
 will be found the names of three members of the Salopian Lodge, 
 viz. : — Benjamin Partridge, P) John Jenks, and John Jaundrel 
 (or Jandrel), and two of the Salopian Lodge of Charity, viz. : — 
 William Dodd and Robert Powis. (3) The last name was registered 
 in the year 1836, so that the Chapter probably ceased working a 
 year or two before the Lodge of Industry. Its number in 1801 
 was 118, but after the establishment of the United Grand Chapter, 
 in accordance with the rules of that Institution, it took the num- 
 ber of the Lodge to which it was attached. The Charter is in 
 capital preservation, being framed and covered with glass. 
 
 (1) See Salopian Lodge History for 1817. 
 
 (2) See Salopian Lodge History for 1702. 
 
 (3) See History o£ Salopian Lodge of Charity infra. 
 
70 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 2. A large Portrait, in oils, of Bro. Richard Baker (Barker in 
 
 the Grand Chapter Register, 1815) arranged in both 
 Royal Arch and Craft clothing, including the collar and 
 jewel of a W.M. 
 
 3. A very small Royal Arch Pedestal with the letters S.K.I., 
 
 H.K.T., and H.A.B. arranged as a monogram. 
 
 4. A crimson silk banner on which are emblazoned the twelve 
 
 Ensigns or Bearings of the Twelve Tribes of Israel as 
 used in a R.A. Chapter. 
 
 5. Three Crowns evidently intended for the three Principals of 
 
 the Chapter. They seem not to have been worn, but 
 placed on pedestals near the chairs of the Principals. 
 
 6. A very handsome Cavalry Sword, with the following inscrip- 
 
 tions : — On one side — " To the Lodge of Industry, No. 
 578, Bridgnorth, 1799." On the other side—" A token 
 of remembrance from the Brethren of the 21st Regt. 
 Light Dragoons," and on the back edge — " Quarter 
 Masters Simms, Sharpley, Hurst, Hackete, "Whiteaker."(i) 
 It is now used by the Tyler of the Castle Lodge. 
 
 7. A large China Punch-bowl, decorated with many Masonic 
 
 emblems, including the letter G in the centre of a 
 blazing star ; two columns or pillars surmounted by 
 globes ; the square pavement ; the sun, crescent moon, 
 and seven stars ; an ear of corn near a fall of water ; 
 the Volume of the Sacred Law ; the square and com- 
 passes, level, square, plumb rule ; a semi-circular 
 protractor, &c., ifcc. 
 
 There is nothing upon the bowl to indicate that it was 
 the property of the Lodge of Industry, except represen- 
 tations of two bee-hives, with the bees depicted busily 
 at work, symbolically referring to the Lodge as the 
 home of Industry. 
 
 (1) See Salopian Lodge History lor the year 1800. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 71 
 
 A very curious gallows-looking framework for raising, by 
 means of pulleys, the perfect ashlar. The pulleys are 
 inscribed " Lodge of Industry," and the ashlar is fitted 
 up so as to illustrate the principle of the lewis. 
 
 Various working tools, gavels, heavy maul, transparency, 
 collar jewel of the W.M., &c., &c. The working tools 
 are more fitted for an operative than a speculative 
 Lodge ; the level is about four feet wide by three feet 
 high, and the other tools are made in proportion. 
 
 10. A portion of the back of the Chair of the W.M. representing 
 the Sun, and a circular board depicting the Crescent 
 Moon and Seven Stars, in gold, on a dark blue ground. 
 
 The only reminiscence of the working of the Lodge of 
 Industry that I have been able to recover from the memory of 
 living brethren is in relation to the working of the third degree. 
 Bro. T. Whitefoot, Senr. asserts, that, in the olden time, a very 
 impressive portion of that ceremony, my readers will know to 
 what I refer, was worked with an adherence to reality which 
 Modern Masons do not imitate. From the list of members 
 appended it will be seen that 33 candidates were initiated in the 
 year of its foundation — a good start for a Lodge dating from 
 the last century. After the extinction of this Lodge, Bridgnorth 
 remained without a Lodge until the year 1876. On Aug. 25th 
 in that year, the Castle Lodge was consecrated by Bro. Goldsboro, 
 its "Warrant being dated May 30th. On that occasion Bro. 
 Joseph Stokes was installed as W.M. Since its foundation the 
 Lodge has had a quiet but useful existence; it now numbers 
 about thirty subscribing members, and is conspicuous in its 
 devotion to the cause of charity. Its musical ritual is exceed- 
 ingly well done, much of its efficiency in this respect being due 
 to the loving care bestowed upon it by Bro. J. Sewell, P.P.G.O. 
 
72 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 List op Masters. 
 •1876-7-J"oseph Stokes, P.P.G.R. (Worcester.) 
 1877-8— Edward Jones Chittey, P.P.G.A.D. of 0. 
 1878-9— Horace B. Southwell, P.P.G.O. 
 1879-80-Abraham Colles. 
 1880-1— Thomas Pratt, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 1881-2— William Simms, P.P.G.P. 
 1882-3— Edmund M. Southwell. 
 1883-4— Thomas Whitefoot, Junr., P.P.G.J.W. 
 1884-5— W. Lascelles Southwell, P.P.G.J.W. 
 1885-6— James Hughes Cooksey, P.P.G.R. 
 1886-7— Henry E. Roberts, P.P.G.J.D. 
 1887-8— William Westoott, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 1888-9— Alfred S. Trevor, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 1889-90-Rev. Reginald T. H. Lucas, P.P.G.C. 
 1890-1— Thomas Bromwich, P.G. Steward. 
 1891-2— William Thomas Smith. 
 
 GRAND LODGE REGISTER OF MEMBERS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 LODGE OF INDUSTRY, BRIDGNORTH, No. 578 
 (erased 1853.) 
 
 
 
 Business 
 
 W'hen 
 
 
 Name. 
 
 6 
 
 or 
 
 Residence 'Made 
 
 Joined 
 
 
 
 Profession. 
 
 
 
 
 Richard Holmes 
 
 
 
 
 1799 
 
 
 William Hall 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Thomas Thomson 
 
 
 Surgeon's Mate 
 
 21st Regt. 
 
 
 
 John Pearce 
 
 
 Currier 
 
 
 
 
 Henry Veritrice 
 
 
 Stationer 
 
 
 J} 
 
 
 Josiah Garthide 
 
 
 Lieutenant 
 
 21st Regt. 
 
 
 
 William Simms 
 
 
 Quarter-Master 
 
 )J 
 
 J) 
 
 
 Richard Bagley 
 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 
 )) 
 
 
 John Gibson 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Whitaker 
 
 
 Sergt. Major 
 
 21st Regt. 
 
 jj 
 
 
 Thomas Wilkinson 
 
 
 Quarter Master 
 
 J) 
 
 J) 
 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSIIIEE. 
 
 73 
 
 Name. 
 
 William Hackett 
 "William Blades 
 John Hartley 
 William Evrey 
 William Sharpley 
 Edward Williams 
 William Page 
 Joseph Bangham 
 William Lewis 
 James Hamson 
 Thomas Southorn 
 William Smith 
 — Adams 
 Edward Bowen 
 Thomas Hirst 
 Edward Parry 
 Edward Darke 
 William Edwards 
 Richard Elcock 
 John Morris 
 
 Bennett 
 Francis Davis 
 Joseph Steward 
 George Pitt 
 Samuel Roden 
 J. Holmes 
 James Griffiths 
 William Harts- 
 
 horne 
 John Hardwick 
 John Christopher 
 Kiflfernsteen 
 John Fletcher 
 Thomas Parker 
 Cornelius Wheeler 
 Isaiah John Guest 
 James Cureton 
 Matthias Crowther 
 Edward Stephens 
 Thomas Milner 
 
 Samuel Goasnell 
 Thomas Bean 
 Edward Pearce 
 Thomas Devey 
 
 27 
 31 
 23 
 
 29 
 
 45 
 23 
 
 27 
 
 58 
 25 
 
 Profession. 
 
 Quarter-Master 
 
 Lieutenant 
 
 Serjeant 
 
 Corporal 
 
 Quarter-Master 
 
 Sadler 
 
 Taylor 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Serjeant 
 
 Pipemaker 
 
 Comedian 
 
 Serjeant 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Quarter-Master 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Officer Excise 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Malster 
 
 Whitesmith 
 
 Farmer 
 
 jj 
 Brickmaker 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Clockmaker 
 Farmer 
 
 27 
 22 
 26 
 33 
 28 
 53 
 25 
 24 
 23 
 
 40 
 33 
 33 
 
 42 
 
 Serjeant 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Tinman 
 
 Watchmaker 
 
 Mercer 
 
 Gardener 
 
 Miller 
 
 Painter 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Baker 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Residence. 
 
 21st Regt. 
 
 )) 
 )) 
 )J 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 21 si Regt. 
 
 21st Regt. 
 21st Ree-t. 
 
 When 
 Made. 
 
 1799 
 
 2,3,99 
 24,8,99 
 
 28,9,99 
 23',11,99 
 
 Joined 
 
 Broseley 
 
 Burcott 
 
 53rd Regt. 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 Broseley 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 Broseley 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 Eardington 
 
 Upper Arley 
 
 Harley 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 9,5,1803 
 
 6,6,1803 
 
 8,8,1803 
 
 30,1,1804 
 
 30,4,1804 
 
 17,6,1805 
 
 24,6,1805 
 
 14,10,1805 
 
 15,4, '1806 
 
 or 1807 
 
 24,6,1807 
 
 24,8,1807 
 
 6,2,1809 
 
 24,6,1809 
 
74 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 Name. ^ 
 
 George Lewis 29 
 
 William Nock 2t< 
 
 George Hartshorn 44 
 John Nicholas 33 
 
 John Daniel 39 
 
 Samuel Holloway 35 
 Thomas Wardell 40 
 William Bright 25 
 William Pearce 35 
 Thomas Roberts 32 
 Richard Gwynn 48 
 George Gwynn 40 
 John Brown 26 
 
 Richard Corbet 
 
 Cooper 
 Thomas Jenkins 37 
 Benjamin Turner 44 
 John Dallow 38 
 
 Rev. George Hugh 
 
 Hazlewood 42 
 John Boulton 2 
 
 John Longmore 29 
 Thomas Nock 51 
 
 William Hardwick 40 
 Charles Gabert 36 
 William Rudge 54 
 Samuel Reynolds 42 
 James Brampton 26 
 Nathum Blacker 45 
 Benj aminPartridge 
 Richard Dukes 
 Robert Pearce 
 Thomas Higgs 
 James Newton 23 
 Joseph Bennett 36 
 Rev. Chas. C. 
 
 Whitmore 26 
 Richard Baker 31 
 Thomas Boulton 32 
 Thomas Whitmore 31 
 Robert Heighway 43 
 Thomas Nevitt 42 
 Wm. Beech Howell 46 
 Richard Phillips 40 
 
 Profession. 
 
 Mercer, &c. 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Victualler 
 
 Brazier 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Cooper 
 
 Excise Officer 
 
 Grocer 
 
 Potter 
 
 Mercer, &c. 
 
 Shoemaker 
 
 Chandler 
 
 Druggist 
 
 Architect 
 Innkeeper 
 Carpenter 
 
 Clerk 
 
 Lieutenant R.N. 
 
 Hatter 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Brewer 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Major 
 
 Book-keeper 
 
 Victualler 
 
 Yeoman 
 Servant 
 
 Clerk 
 Esquire 
 Esquire 
 Esquire, M.P. 
 Yeoman 
 Barge Owner 
 Plumber, (fee. 
 Farmer 
 
 Residence. 
 
 When 
 Made. 
 
 Broseley 
 
 28,8,1809 
 
 )) 
 
 28,11,1809 
 
 jj 
 
 25,12,1809 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 3,2,1806 
 
 Woodlands 
 
 4,8,1806 
 
 BilHngsley 
 
 30,9,1806 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 27,10,1806 
 
 Broseley 
 
 25,12,1809 
 
 Binthall 
 
 JJ 
 
 Broseley 
 
 J) 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 12,11,10 
 
 
 11,3,11 
 
 Apley Park 
 
 9,4,11 
 
 Billingsley 
 
 13,5,11 
 
 DeuxhUl 
 
 10,6,11 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 24,6,11 
 
 J) 
 
 5,8,11 
 
 J) 
 J) 
 
 3,2,12 
 
 J) 
 Apley Park 
 
 
 jy 
 
 1,6,12 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 J) 
 
 >) 
 
 21,12,12 
 
 J) 
 
 13,1,13 
 
 Apley Park 
 
 15,2,13 
 
 >j 
 
 17,3,13 
 
 Stockton 
 
 4,6,13 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 3,7,13 
 
 )j 
 
 3,7,13 
 
 Apley Park 
 
 23,7,13 
 
 Stockton 
 
 16,8,13 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 21,8,13 
 
 )j 
 
 13,9,13 
 
 Astley 
 
 11,10,13 
 
 Abbots 
 
 
 Joined 
 
 2,3,12 
 1,6,12 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 75 
 
 Name. 
 
 Peter Charlton 
 Peter Scahill 
 
 Thomas Crumpton 
 
 George Littleford 
 William Stokes ' 
 
 Richard Weaver 
 Samuel Holloway 
 Samuel Rowden 
 David Pritehard 
 Matthias Crowther 
 John Parks 
 William Scott 
 Robert Jenkins 
 Edmund Steward 
 Henry Pagett 
 William Dallewy 
 Stanley Crowther 
 Thomas Glase 
 John White 
 Benjamin Lloyd 
 William Barrey 
 
 WilUam Ball Elton 
 John Thomas 
 
 Ragley 
 James Long 
 John Williams 
 John Kynaston 
 Richard Paget 
 
 Drinkwater 
 
 40 
 
 27 
 
 Profession. 
 
 Gardener 
 Landscape Gar 
 
 doner 
 Gentleman 
 
 Farmer 
 Gentleman 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Brickmaker 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Apley Park 
 
 Astley 
 
 Abbots 
 
 i> 
 
 Whitemere, 
 Salop 
 
 Billingsley 
 
 Broseley 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 Excise Officer 
 
 Hatter 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Miller 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Plumber&Glaziei 
 
 Watchmaker 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Plasterer 
 
 Jeweller 
 Currier 
 Sadler 
 Innkeeper 
 
 34 
 21|Merchant 
 
 Billingsley 
 Stockton 
 Chelton 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 >j 
 Kindleford 
 Bridgnorth 
 Hunley, Co. 
 
 Stafford 
 
 5) 
 
 City of Cov- 
 entry 
 Broseley 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 When 
 Made. 
 
 1,8,14 
 
 28,11,14 
 
 23,12,14 
 30,1,15 
 
 18,3,15 
 
 1816 
 
 9,4,17 
 
 11,5,17 
 
 6,3,20 
 
 29,5,20 
 
 8,5,20 
 
 25,9,20 
 
 18,8,21 
 
 4,4,25 
 
 6,6,25 
 
 1,8,25 
 
 30,1,26 
 
 4,2,28 
 
 6,3,28 
 
 5,30 
 
 15,8,34 
 
 4,1,31 
 
 30,5,36 
 
 Joined 
 
76 
 
 PKEEMASONRY IN 
 
 GRAND CHAPTER REGISTER 
 
 OP THE 
 
 MEMBERS OF THE AGENORIAN CHAPTER, No. 118 
 
 (erased 1853). 
 
 
 
 Exalted 
 
 6 
 
 
 Members' Names 
 
 6C 
 
 or 
 
 be 
 
 Title, Profession, &c. 
 
 
 < 
 
 Admitted. 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 PartridgeBenJ amin 
 
 
 1801 
 
 
 Bookseller 
 
 Southern, Thomas 
 
 
 
 
 Pipe Maker 
 
 Hardsman, William 
 
 
 
 
 Paper Maker 
 
 Dark, Edward 
 
 
 
 
 Agent 
 
 Jenks, John. 
 
 29 
 
 12,8,1802 
 
 
 Currier 
 
 Bennett, John 
 
 35 
 
 15,9 „ 
 
 
 Malster 
 
 Nunns, John 
 
 
 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Williams, Edward 
 
 45 
 
 10,9,1801 
 
 
 Saddler 
 
 Parry, Edward 
 
 40 
 
 )) 
 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Bangham, Joseph 
 
 43 
 
 J» 
 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Page, William 
 
 30 
 
 12,8,1802 
 
 
 Tailor 
 
 Hornblower, John 
 
 25 
 
 )J 
 
 
 Iron Master 
 
 Dukes, Richard 
 
 33 
 
 15,9 „ 
 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Hall, William 
 
 35 
 
 )) 
 
 
 jj 
 
 Taylor, William 
 
 55 
 
 9,10 „ 
 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Bagley, Richard 
 
 45 
 
 )) 
 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Jandrell, John 
 
 36 
 
 )J 
 
 
 Schoolmaster 
 
 Holmes, Richard 
 
 
 1803 
 
 
 P.S. 
 
 Higgs, Thomas 
 
 37 
 
 7,1,1803 
 
 
 Barge Owner 
 
 Williams, John 
 
 40 
 
 n 
 
 
 Clerk 
 
 Lewis, Wilham 
 
 24 
 
 21,5 „ 
 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Cox, James 
 
 41 
 
 3) 
 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Pearce, John 
 
 24 
 
 24,9 „ 
 
 
 Currier 
 
 Fletcher, John 
 
 22 
 
 29,12 „ 
 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Hallen, George 
 
 40 
 
 4,2,1804 
 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 William 
 
 
 
 
 
 Guest, Isaiah 
 
 30 
 
 28,12,1806 
 
 
 Mercer 
 
 Hartshorn, William 
 
 36 
 
 3) 
 
 
 Watchmaker 
 
 Griffiths, James 
 
 33 
 
 J3 
 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Marshall, John 
 
 49 
 
 27,12,1807 
 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Daniel, John 
 
 38 
 
 27,12,1808 
 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Barker, Ricd., Esq. 
 
 38 
 
 20,6,1815 
 
 
 Gent., Bridgnorth 
 
 Boulton, Thomas 
 
 36 
 
 3) 
 
 
 )> )j 
 
 Devey, Thos., Esq. 
 
 42 
 
 JJ 
 
 
 )5 
 
 Hardwick, William 
 
 38 
 
 35 
 
 
 JJ ,, 
 
 Blacker, Latham 
 
 16 
 
 7,8 „ 
 
 
 Esqre. 
 
 Jenkins, Thomas 
 
 44 
 
 5,9 „ 
 
 1 
 
 
 Architect, Apley 
 
 Park 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHEOPSHIUE. 
 
 77 
 
 NEW REGISTER (from 1818). 
 
 
 
 Exalted 
 
 6 
 
 
 Members' Names 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 or 
 
 M 
 
 Title, Profession, &c 
 
 
 < 
 
 Admitted. 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 Nicholas, John 
 
 
 
 
 
 Page, Edward, Jun. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Reynolds, Samuel 
 
 
 29,1,1819 
 
 
 
 Pritchard, David 
 
 
 25,10 „ 
 
 
 
 Hazlewood, Rev. 
 
 
 17,1,1820 
 
 
 
 George Hugh 
 
 
 
 
 
 Russell, John 
 
 
 19,11,1827 
 
 526 
 
 
 Crowther, Stanley 
 
 
 )> 
 
 597 
 
 
 Lloyd, Benjamin 
 
 
 7,1,1828 
 
 )) 
 
 
 Brown, John 
 
 
 )) 
 
 )J 
 
 
 Glase, Thomas 
 
 
 5,10 „ 
 
 )) 
 
 
 Dallewy, William 
 
 
 JJ 
 
 )> 
 
 
 Powis, Robert 
 
 49 
 
 12,2,1843 
 
 135 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Dodd, William 
 
 41 
 
 )J 
 
 )) 
 
 Painter 
 
 HoUyoak, Henry 
 
 26 
 
 5,1,1836 
 
 435 
 
 Captain 
 
 Law, Paul 
 
 35 
 
 J) 
 
 5J 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Williams, John 
 
 49 
 
 It 
 
 398 
 
 Saddler 
 
78 
 
 PEEEMASONEY IN 
 
 THE CLIVE LODGE, MARKET DRAYTON, 1575. 
 
 This Lodge, which takes its name from the great 
 Shropshire hero Lord Olive, was warranted on October 23rd, 
 1875. The names of its founders, given upon the Warrant, are 
 George Gordon Warren, John Tayleur, John Bodenham, William 
 Henry Harding, Thomas Rought Jones, Frederick Charles 
 Cockagne, and John Bell Unsworth. Bro. Warren was installed 
 as its first Master by Bro. J. Loxdale Warren. It now contains 
 about 16 subscribing members. 
 
 List of Mastees. 
 
 1876-7— George Gordon Warren, P.M., 726-887. 
 
 1877-8— „ P.P.G.R. StafiF., P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1878-9— John Bodenham, P.M., 1896, P.P.G.S.W., P.P.G. 
 Treas. Staff. 
 
 1879-80-Jabea C. Jones. 
 
 1880-1— Samuel Bennion, P.P.G.J.D. 
 
 1881-2— Thomas Rought Jones, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
 1882-3 — George Lashmour. 
 
 1883-4^ohn Ginders, P.P.G.A.D. of 0. 
 
 1884-5— Thomas E. Chritchley. 
 
 1885-6 — Benjamin Bastow, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
 1886-7— Thomas Ginders, P.P.G.A.P. 
 
 1887-8 — Joseph Gouldbourne. 
 
 1888-9— Frederick C. Woodforde. 
 
 1889-90-Arthur F. E. Exham, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
 1890-91- „ P.G. Standard B. 
 
 The list of names registered in Grand Lodge as belonging 
 to the extinct Anchor and Hope Lodge, Woore, is placed next, 
 as being probably of greater interest to the Brethren from 
 Market Drayton than to those hailing from any other part of the 
 Province. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 79 
 
 GRAND LODGE REGISTER 
 
 OF THE 
 
 MEMBERS OF THE ANCHOR & HOPE LODGE, WOORE, 
 
 No. 644 (erased 1853.) 
 
 
 
 Business 
 
 
 When 
 
 Members Names 
 
 Age. 
 
 or 
 Profession. 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Made 
 Masons. 
 
 John Bromfield 
 
 W.M. 
 
 
 
 
 James Foden 
 
 s.w. 
 
 
 
 
 James Barratt 
 
 J.W. 
 
 
 
 
 Wm. Preston 
 
 
 
 
 
 Bradbury 
 
 
 
 
 
 Henry Wittington 
 
 
 
 
 
 Henry Church 
 
 
 
 
 
 Moody 
 
 
 
 
 
 Thomas Barratt 
 
 
 
 
 
 William Crutchley 
 
 
 
 
 
 James Clark 
 
 
 
 
 
 Richard Morris 
 
 23 
 
 Carpenter 
 
 Madely 
 
 8,2,1838 
 
 James Broomhall 
 
 40 
 
 Ground 
 
 Bailiff 
 
 )j 
 
 ?J 
 
 Richard Clough 
 
 33 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Woore 
 
 24,1,1839 
 
 Richard Benbow 
 
 44 
 
 )j 
 
 Dorrington 
 
 3) 
 
 George Hopwood 
 
 42 
 
 jj 
 
 Ashley 
 
 20,6 „ 
 
 Richard Stanway 
 
 58 
 
 )) 
 
 Knighton 
 
 25,7 „ 
 
 Ralph Challioner 
 
 35 
 
 j» 
 
 Hunsterston 
 
 J» 
 
 Daniel Hewitt 
 
 24 
 
 Draper 
 
 Woore 
 
 )J 
 
 Wm. Horatio 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pankhurst 
 
 27 
 
 Manufactur'r 
 
 Hanley 
 
 3) 
 
 William Machin 
 
 29 
 
 Attorney 
 
 J) 
 
 J3 
 
 Thomas Keay 
 
 46 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Oakley 
 
 19,12,1839 
 
 Thomas Bromfield 
 
 30 
 
 Butcher 
 
 Wybunbury 
 
 16,4,1840 
 
 Thomas Wooley 
 
 39 
 
 Gardener 
 
 Oakley 
 
 9,7,1840 
 
80 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 FITZALAN LODGE, OSWESTRY, No. 1432. 
 
 This, the junior Lodge in Oswestry, was warranted on 
 April 5th, 1873, and consecrated on June 21st in the same year, 
 Bro. Goldsboro, P.P.G.S.W. was the Consecrating Officer. The 
 names of the brethren mentioned on the warrant are J. W. 
 Wallace, Alexander Walker,. Robert de la Poer Beresford, 
 J. Ralph Ormsby Gore (afterwards Lord Harlech), George Owen, 
 and John Ward, but Bros. Edward Bremner Smith and Samuel 
 Hazlit had a very considerable share in its foundation. It now 
 possesses 26 subscribing members. On August 4th, 1876, a 
 Petition for a Chapter was approved by the P.G. Lodge, but 
 nothing further seems to have been done in the matter. About 
 the year 1880 a Lodge of Instruction met in connection with the 
 Lodge, but it is now practically defunct. 
 
 List op Masters. 
 
 1873-4— John Winfield Wallace. 
 
 1874-5— Robert de la Poer Beresford, P.P.G.J.D. 
 
 1875-6 — Edward Bremner Smith. 
 
 1876-7— Samuel Hazlit. 
 
 1877-8— David Vaughan. 
 
 1878-9— William Aston, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 1879-80-John B. Murless. 
 
 1880-1— William Griffiths. 
 
 1881-2— John Maclardy, P.P.G.S.D. 
 
 IS 82-3— Richard Brayne, P. P.G. A. S. 
 
 1883-4- John Thomas Whitridge, 
 
 1884-5— James Henry Parsons, P.G.J.D. 
 
 1885-6— Charles Drew, P.P.G.J.D. 
 
 1886-7— James England, P. P.G. Steward. 
 
 1SS7-8— Arthur Thomas Akroyd, P.P.G.O. 
 
 1888-9— William Aylmer Lewis, P.P.G.S.D. 
 
 1889-90- Alexander Nelson, P.P.G.A.P. 
 
 1890-1— James Henry Parsons, P.G.J.D. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIKE. 81 
 
 THE LODGE OP ST. OSWALD, OSWESTRY, 1124. 
 
 As I have already noticed there were two Lodges founded 
 in Oswestry in the last century — one in 1744, which met at the 
 Masons' Arms, and lasted for about ten years, its number 
 throughout that period being 119 — the other, originally founded 
 in 1771 at Wynnstay, and called by that name, was removed to 
 Oswestry in 1785, and only survived for a few years, its number 
 being 324. As the name denotes, this latter Lodge was founded 
 at the residence of Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., in Denbighshire, but 
 all records of its existence, if any were in fact preserved, were 
 destroyed in the great lire in 1858. After its extinction, 
 Oswestry remained without a Lodge until the year 1866, when 
 the Lodge of St. Oswald was founded. Its first meeting was 
 held by dispensation, on Oct. 1st, when J. R. Ormsby Gore, Esq., 
 M.P., the first Lord Harlech, was proposed as a member, and on 
 Nov. 5th it was duly consecrated by Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., 
 R.W.P.G.M., assisted by Bro. Goldsboro. 
 
 Amongst the founders who are still alive will be found 
 the names of Bro. Lord E. H. Hill Trevor, of Brynkinalt, and 
 Bro. W. H. Spaull, now for many years past P.G. Sec. The 
 Lodge was presented by the R.W.P.G.M. with the three antique 
 chairs and six candlesticks formerly used by the old Wynnstay 
 Lodge, and it thus possesses relics of the past many years older 
 than those belonging to any other Lodge in the Province. 
 
 On Nov. 1st, 1869, the R.W.P.G.M. under the banner of 
 the Lodge, laid the foundation stone of the Oswestry Cottage 
 Hospital, which has since proved itself to be a most useful Public 
 Institution — Bro. W. H. Spaull was the Architect. The cere- 
 mony was most impressive, and during its course the following 
 
82 rnEEMASONRY IN 
 
 hymn, specially composed for the occasion by the Rev. W. Wal- 
 sham How, now Bishop of Wakefield, was sung by the Choir, 
 
 Tune — Jam Lucis. 
 
 O Thou, thro' sufiering perfect made. 
 On "Whom the bitter Cross was laid. 
 In hours of sickness, grief, or pain. 
 No sufferer turns to Thee in vain. 
 
 The halt, the maim'd, the sick, the blind, 
 Sought not in vain Thy tendance kind : 
 Now in Thy poor Thyself we see, 
 And minister thro' them to Thee. 
 
 O loving Saviour, Thou canst cure. 
 The pains and woes Thou didst endure : 
 To Thee this house. Physician Great, 
 In lowly faith we dedicate. 
 
 O heal the bruisfed heart within, 
 O save our souls, all sick with sin : 
 Give life and health in bounteous store. 
 That we may praise Thee evermore. 
 
 So Mote it be. 
 
 A Special Masonic Edition of the Oswestry Advertizer, 
 dated Nov. 1st, 1869, contains a full report of the proceedings, 
 and may be consulted for further information. 
 
 In the year 1872, the R.W.P.G.M. built a Lodge Room, 
 attached to the Wynnstay Arms Hotel, for the use of the Lodge, 
 and in this room it heis since continued to meet. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 83 
 
 The Lodge possesses an old and interesting print dedicated 
 to the Grand Lodge of England by Bro. Jeffreys, representing 
 the " Distinguishing Characteristic of Masonry — Charity exerted 
 on proper objects." A copy of this print is reproduced in the 
 left hand panel of the certificate of thanks given by the Com- 
 mittee of the Girls School to the Stewards at its festivals. Its 
 subject is Ruspini, the founder of that School, leading one child 
 by the hand, and followed by many others. 
 
 List op Masters. 
 
 1866-7— William Henry Hill, RP.G.J.D. 
 
 1867-8— George Owen, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1868-9 — Captain J. Hamer. 
 
 1869-70-E. Elias. 
 
 1870-1— W. H. Spaull, P.G. Seo. 
 
 1871-2— R. J. Ormsby Gore, M.P., P.P.D.G.M. 
 
 1872-3— John Ward. 
 
 1873-4— Ephraim Wood, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1874-5— Alexander Walker, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 1875-6— John Thomas, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
 1876-7— William Burton, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
 1877-8— H. C. Corlield. 
 
 1878-9— Rev. A. L. Taylor, P.P.G.C. 
 
 1879-80-F. Chaplin. 
 
 1880-1— Stanley Leighton, M.P., P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1881-2— F. R. Spaull, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1882-3— R. G. Yenables, D.P.G.M., P.A.G.D. of C. (Eng.) 
 
 1883-4— A. 0. Spaull, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1884-5— George J. Morgan, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 
 1885-6— L. A. Manning, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 
 1886-7— Henry Morris. 
 
 1887-8— Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1888-9— J. P. Cartwright, P.P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 1889-90- Rev. J. B. Meredith, P.P.G.C. 
 
 1890-1— Rev. Henry Dunkin, P.G.C. 
 
8i FREEMASONRY IX 
 
 THE LODGE OF ST. MILBURGA, IRONBRIDGE, 
 
 No. 1120. 
 
 This Lodge was warranted on June 5th, 1866, held its 
 first meeting on September 11th, and was consecrated on Nov. 
 27th in the same year. Bro. Goldsboro, P.P.G.W., performed 
 the Ceremony of Consecration. Its first W.M., Bro. Bryce 
 Smith, who is still living, had been W.M. of the Salopian Lodge 
 of Charity in the previous year, and was one of the founders of 
 the Shrewsbury Lodge of Instruction in 1862. In 1890 it num- 
 bered 33 subscribing members. 
 
 List op Masters. 
 
 1866-7— Bryce Smith, P.P.G.J.D. 
 
 1867-8— Henry Woolner, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 1868-9 — James Procter. 
 
 1869-70- Alexander Grant. 
 
 1870-1— F. G. Yates. 
 
 1871-2 — James Bates. 
 
 1872-3— Robert Anslow. 
 
 18734— Thomas G. Thursfield. 
 
 1874-5 — Edward Lawrence. 
 
 1875-6— John Machin, P.P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 1876-7— J. 0. W. Lister, P.P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 1877-8— Sir C. B. H. Soame, Bart., P.G.J. W. 
 
 1878-9— Thomas Morgan. 
 
 1879-80-James Smart, P.P.G.O. 
 
 1880-1— Matthew Garbett. 
 
 1881-2— George Stevenson, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 
 1882-3— William Taylor. 
 
 1883-4— Henry Stubbs. 
 
 1884-5— Louis E. WoUstein, P.P.G.S.D. 
 
 1885-6— John Jenks, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 
 1886-7— Thomas J. Barnett, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 
 1888-9— Frederick Chubb, P.P.G. Swd. B. 
 
 1889-90-Tom Machin, P.G.D. of C. 
 
 1890-1— Rev. J. T. W. Claridge, P.P.G.C. 
 
 1891-2— Thomas Allen, P.G. Steward. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSIIIKE. 85 
 
 THE LODGE OF THE MARCHES, LUDLOW, 611. 
 
 In the year 1791, a Lodge was warranted by Thomas 
 Dunckerley, at Kington, in Herefordshire, of which county he 
 was then P.G.M. It was called the Silurian Lodge, 576, but 
 this number was in the following year altered to 485. It 
 originally met at the Sun Inn, but subsequently removed to the 
 Kings's Head. Its first Master was Charles James, who in 1791 
 visited the Salopian Lodge, and was then described as W.M. of 
 the Kinton Lodge. The names of 35 members only appear on 
 the Grand Lodge Register, the last of these being registered in 
 1796, in which year also the last payment to Grand Lodge was 
 made. Its subsequent fate is described in the following passages 
 taken from " A History of Kington, by a Member of the 
 Mechanics Institute of Kington.'' "This Lodge continued in 
 existence till the year 1800, and then separated, and divided the 
 cash among the brethren ; the Lodge furniture was sold in the 
 year 1804 by the Treasurer to a person in Ludlow for the sum of 
 twenty-two pounds and ten shillings." A List of the Officers 
 given by the same writer, shows that Lodges under the care of 
 Dunckerley followed the usual practice of the " Moderns,'' and 
 did not appoint Deacons. In the same year that the Silurian 
 Lodge was founded, we know that ShirreiF, then D.P.G.M. for 
 Shropshire, was in correspondence with a Captain Bridgewaters 
 about the foundation of a Lodge at Ludlow. The project was 
 however abandoned, and I know of no reference to Masonry in 
 that town till the year 1805. There can be little doubt, however, 
 that the purchase of the jewels and furniture of the Silurian 
 Lodge before alluded to, was made in contemplation of the 
 foundation of the Mercian Lodge in Ludlow, which took place in 
 that year. At all events it is a fact that these articles passed 
 immediately into the possession of the new Lodge. In addition, 
 the warrant of the defunct Lodge was transferred to the Mercian 
 
86 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 Lodge. This practice of transferring warrants, instead of issuing 
 new ones was a consequence of a statute, passed in 1799, directed 
 against secret societies. Existing Lodges of Freemasons were 
 specially exempted from its operation, but the act was construed 
 as prohibiting the foundation of new ones. To evade this Law, 
 both Grand Lodges were accustomed to issue transfers of the 
 warrants of extinct Lodges to brethren desirous of forming fresh 
 ones, and such transfers were supposed to legalise the existence 
 of the new Lodges. It is evident that such transfers implied no 
 necessary connection between the two bodies ; indeed it rarely 
 happens that so close a connection can be traced as in the case 
 under examination. In addition to possessing the same warrant, 
 jewels, and furniture,, the two Lodges had at least one member 
 in common, in the person of the Rev. John Thomcis, of Lucton. 
 The Mercian Lodge met at the Angel Inn; its number, 485, 
 derived from the Silurian Lodge, was, at the Union in 1813, 
 changed to 528. The Grand Lodge Register shows a total of 27 
 names registered. Its active existence terminated shortly after 
 1826, though it was not formerly erased till 1832. Towards the 
 close of its career of active existence, its list of members was very 
 small, and there is a tradition in the Lodge of the Marches, that 
 its members resolved not to initiate another candidate. At all 
 events it seems that the Lodge deliberately put an end to its own 
 existence, as, in a book containing its by-laws, an entry was made 
 in the year 1864, apparently on the authority of Bro. G. 
 Anderson, that it was dissolved on the 21st October, 1828. 
 Bro. G. Anderson was a mem^ber of the Mercian Lodge, and he 
 with three other members, namely — J. GriflBths, B. Urwick, and 
 H. Whittall, was aUve in the year 1853. Through their instru- 
 mentality, the warrant, jewels, and furniture of the Silurian and 
 Mercian Lodges were preserved, but unfortunately their care did 
 not extend to the records, which are entirely lost, with the excep- 
 tion of the book of by-laws before referred to. This book contains 
 nothing particularly worthy of notice, though it is justly prfeed 
 by the members of the Lodge of the Marches, in whose possession 
 it now is, as an heirloom of their Masonic predecessors in Ludlow. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 87 
 
 The last mentioned Lodge was founded in the year 1853, 
 probably as a consequence of the great revival of the Craft 
 experienced in this Province upon the appointment of Sir Watkin 
 W. Wynn to the post of P.G.M., stimulated by the knowledge of 
 the existence of the jewels and furniture of the old Lodges. 
 These interesting relics of antiquity, now used by the Lodge of 
 the Marches, are as follows — 3 chairs, 3 pedestals, 3 mauls, 
 3 candlesticks, the collar jewels of the W.M., S.W., J.W., 
 Treasurer, and Secretary, an old Master Mason's apron, printed 
 from an engraved plate, and a large Past Master's Jewel set with 
 brilliants, presented to Bro. J. B. Morris, of the Mercian Lodge, 
 in 1815. In addition, the Lodge has been recently presented by 
 the Rev. H. Brown with a handsome glass goblet, made for the 
 Silurian Lodge in 1791. The name of the Lodge of the Marches 
 is, of course, derived from the old name for those districts on the 
 borders of Wales, of which Ludlow was the centre, where rapine 
 and civil brawls between Welsh and English formerly held full 
 sway. Its original number was 887, altered in 1863 to 611. 
 The Golden Lion Hotel was its first home ; it was consecrated on 
 the 13th of June, 1853, by Bro. Guise (262), Pro. G.C., in the 
 presence of the P.G.M. and his Deputy the Rev. E. H. Dymock. 
 The occasion was regarded by the whole town as an important 
 function, as we read that the P.G.M. "arrived by special train 
 amidst the firing of cannon, and the ringing of the bells of St. 
 Laurence Church." One of the first acts of the brethren was to 
 elect all members of the late Mercian Lodge members of their new 
 Lodge, upon payment only of Grand Lodge fees. Whether these 
 old members had anything to do with the foundation of the Lodge 
 of the Marches cannot now be ascertained, but as a body they 
 probably had not. Since its foundation this Lodge has continued 
 to prosper, and now possesses more subscribing members than 
 any Lodge in the Province ; it is honourably known for its large 
 subscriptions to the cause of Charity, and for the success of its 
 Mafeonic festivities. It has also, I imagine, succeeded in estab- 
 lishing a record in this era of records, inasmuch as at the P.G. 
 Lodge held in Ludlow in September of the present year (1891), 
 
88 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 no less than 31 of its members were present. It may, perhaps, 
 not be out of place, if I here acknowledge, with the deepest grati- 
 tude, the kindness of Bro. T. J. Salwey in allowing me to peruse 
 and make extracts from his M.S. History of his Mother Lodge, 
 which will, I sincerely hope, some day assume the more permanent 
 form which it assuredly deserves. 
 
 List of Masters. 
 
 1853— J. Bach. 
 
 1854— W. M. Beddoes. 
 
 1855 — J. B. James. 
 
 1856— J. B. James. 
 
 1857— W. E. Curtis, P.P.G.S.D. 
 
 1858— W. E. Curtis. 
 
 1859— P. Newman, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 I860— W. Jellicorse. 
 
 1861— W. M. Beddoes. 
 
 1862— W. M. Beddoes. 
 
 1863— P. Newman, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 1864— W. C. Johnson. 
 
 1865— W. C. Johnson. 
 
 1866— F. Cox, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
 1867— W. Powell, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 
 1868— J. M. KUvert, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
 1869— E. J. Partridge. 
 
 1870— W. Powell, P.P.G.Std. B. 
 
 1871— F. Cox, P.P.G. Swd. B. 
 
 1872— H. Jones. 
 
 1873— Alfred Marston, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
 1874— Alfred Marston. 
 
 1875— J. Peacock. 
 
 1876— C. J. Bowles. 
 
 1877— J. P. Challoner. 
 
 1878— J. Roberts, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1879— T. Roberts. 
 
 1880— R. Cross. 
 
 1881— J. H. Williams, P.P.G.J.D. 
 
 1882— W. Putman, P.P.G.S.D. 
 
 1883— J E. Brooks, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1884— W. Norton, P.P.G A. P. 
 
 1885— Arthur Marston, P.P.G S D. 
 
 1886— R. G. Venables, D.P.G.M. 
 
 1887— R. G. Venables, P.A.G.D. of C. (Eng.) 
 
 1888— W. E. Sharp, P.P.G.P. 
 
 1889— R. McBean, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
 1890— R. McBean, P G.P. 
 
 1891— C. "W. Wicksted, P.G.S.W. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHEOPSHIRE. 
 
 89 
 
 GRAND LODGE REGISTER 
 
 MEMBERS OF THE MERCIAN LODGE, LUDLOW, 526 
 
 (erased 1832.) 
 
 Date of 
 Initiation, 
 
 1805, Nov. 5th 
 
 1806, Nov. 26tli 
 
 1807, Nov. 10th 
 
 1810, Nov. 6th 
 1812, Dec. 15th 
 
 1813 
 1813, Jan. 12th 
 1813, April 13th 
 1813, June 8th 
 1815, Jan. 24th 
 
 1818, Dec. 
 
 1820, June 24th 
 
 Name. 
 
 Morris, B. Jno. 
 Wellings, Edward 
 Lloyd, Henry 
 Russell, Richard 
 Griffiths, Thomas 
 Acton, Samuel 
 Anderson, George 
 Rogers, Edward 
 Urwick, Benjamin 
 Davies, James 
 Meyrick, Thomas 
 
 Whittal, Henry 
 Greenhouse, John 
 Wakefield, Richard 
 Whitney, William 
 Thomas, John 
 Wellings, Henry 
 Wellings, Thomas 
 Price, James 
 
 Cooke, John 
 
 Massey, Jonathan 
 Bryan, William 
 Bryan, Richard 
 
 Dansey,Geo. Henry 
 
 Harley, Edward 
 
 Profession. 
 
 Attorney 
 
 1821, June 30th 
 1821, Sept. 24th|22 
 
 Residence. 
 Ludlow 
 
 Bookseller 
 
 Glover 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Tanner 
 
 Glover 
 
 Dancing 
 
 Master 
 Druggist 
 Currier 
 Surgeon 
 Innholder 
 Currier 
 Bank Clerk 
 Woolstapler 
 Mercer 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Gentleman 
 Woolstapler 
 
 Gentleman 
 Lord 
 
 Hay, Breck- 
 nockshire 
 Brampton 
 
 Brian 
 Ludlow 
 Spode 
 Long Road, 
 
 Radnorshire 
 Ludlow, from 
 
 29, London 
 Brampton 
 
 Brian, from 
 
 711, Oxford 
 Ludlow 
 
 26 Dansey, Ed. ColUns Lieut. R.N. 
 [Griffiths, Thomas Stationer 
 
 This Register was commenced in 1813 and does not contain 
 some names that were entered in the earlier Register kept 
 between 1805 and 1813. 
 
90 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 LODGE OF ST. JOHN, WELLINGTON, 60L 
 
 After the extinction of the old Wrekin Lodge in 1798, 
 the district around Wellington remained in a state of Masonic 
 darkness till the year 1852. In that year the Lodge of St. John 
 was established at Admaston, its founders being almost all mem- 
 bers of one or other of the Shrewsbury Lodges. Its warrant is 
 dated the 27th April, and the brethren mentioned therein are — 
 J. W. Towers, H. Evett, Henry Lewis, Robert P. Weston, W. 
 Patchett, William Field, and John Broughall. Reference has 
 been already made to its consecration, and the installation of 
 Bro. Towers as its first Master. In the minute book of the 
 Lodge Bro. Goode is stated to have been the first to occupy the 
 chair, and I cannot account for the discrepancy between this 
 account and that given by the Provincial Grand Lodge Minute 
 book. The contradictory statements are both precise and definite. 
 As, however, the consecration of the Lodge was delayed by the 
 non-arrival of the Warrant from May 17th, the day originally 
 fixed, until June 16th, I think we may conclude that Bro. Goode 
 was installed on the former and Bro. Towers on the latter date, 
 the Provincial Grand Ofiicers being present on both occasions. 
 The correctness of the appended list of past masters must depend 
 in part on this conclusion being accurate. In 1857 owing to a 
 dispute with the caterer, the Lodge was removed to Wellington, 
 where it has ever since remained. In the early history of the 
 Lodge two of its members were most conspicuously identified with 
 its prosperity. I allude to Bros. T. C. Eyton and William 
 Anslow. The former presented the Lodge with a Cairngorm 
 Snuff Box, which is almost unique, the pebble being of almost 
 abnormal size. The services of Bro. Anslow to the Lodge were 
 considerable, amongst them I may mention that he acted as 
 Installing Master for 10 successive years, from 18-57-1867. The 
 
THE PUOVINCE OF SHROPSIIIRB. 91 
 
 brethren were not ungrateful for his eiforts, and, after his death, 
 placed in the church of All Saints, Wellington, two memorial 
 windows, one on each side of the chancel, in commemoration of 
 their regard for him. These windows are of stained glass, bear- 
 ing respectively life size figures of St. John the Baptist, and St. 
 John the Evangelist. On the pedestal on which these figures 
 are depicted as standing, the following words are placed in stained 
 glass — " To the Glory of God, and in memory of William Anslow 
 of Eyton." A brass plate at the foot of each window bears this 
 inscription — " To the memory of WiUiam Anslow of Eyton this 
 and the corresponding window on the other side of the Chancel 
 were presented to the Parish Church by his brother Freemasons 
 and other friends in affectionate remembrance, and as a token of 
 their respect and esteem. Born 24th Octr. 1825, departed this 
 life 23rd Octr., 1867." In later days Bro. Rowland Millington, 
 who has now been Secretary of the Lodge for more than quarter 
 of a century, has done good and useful work. Some years ago 
 he was presented by the Lodge with an exceedingly handsome 
 clock, as a token of gratitude. The Banner of the Lodge bears 
 upon it an oil painting of St. John, copied from one of the 
 memorial windows above mentioned — the silver letters and minia- 
 ture working tools with which it is adorned, were the work of the 
 donor, Bro. Roff King, during the year 1877 in which he filled 
 the Chair. The Lodge is now one of the smallest in the Province, 
 and it is a matter of regret, that the Brethren, inheriting as they 
 do traditions of good work, should not seek more vigorously to 
 inci'ease its strength. 
 
 List op Masters. 
 1852— B. W. Goode. 
 1853— J. W. Towers, P.P.G. Swd. B. 
 1854— T. C. Eyton, P.P.G.S.W. , 
 1855— H. Evett, P.P.G.D. of C. 
 1856— William Anslow, P.P.G. Swd. B. 
 1857— Isaac Knowles, P.P.G.S.D. 
 1858— K G, Belliss, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
^2 fREEllASOI^RY IJf 
 
 1859— William Howlet. 
 
 I860— J. Barber, P.P.G.D, of C. 
 
 1861— T. C. Eyton, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1862— W. B. Hayley, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 1863 — John Hooper. 
 
 1864— J. L. Randal, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1865— Rowland Millington, P.P.G.J.D. 
 
 1866— S. J. Fellows, P.P.G.D. of C. 
 
 1867— A. R. Britton, P.P.G.S. 
 
 1868— J. H. Slaney, P.P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 1869— E. Bagaley. 
 
 1870— W. Dallow. 
 
 1871— A. Taylor. 
 
 1872— H. Shepard, P.P.G.J.D. 
 
 1873-E. J. Webb, P.P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 1871— F. B. Higgison. 
 
 1875 — R. J. Acton. 
 
 1876— John Adams, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
 1877— Roff King, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1878— J. Brookes. 
 
 1879— Rev. A. J. Von Straubenzee, P.P.G.C. 
 
 1880— J. Greene. 
 
 1881— J. R. Poole. 
 
 1882— J. Millington, P.P.G. Swd. B. 
 
 1883— W. T. Parkins. 
 
 1881— J. Smith, P.P.G. Swd. B. 
 
 1885— Rowland Millington, P.P.G.J.D. 
 
 1886— E. R. Millington. 
 
 1887— E. A. Hicks, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1888— E. A. Hicks, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1889— Roff King, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1890— H. Shepard, P.P.G.J.D. 
 
 1891— R. J. Acton. 
 
tHE Province op shuopshiue. 
 
 93 
 
 GRAND LODGE REGISTER 
 
 OP THE 
 
 WREKIN LODGE, WELLINTON, 445 (erased 1798.) 
 
 Name. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Profession. 
 
 Residence. 
 
 When 
 Initiated 
 
 Henry Y. Carter 
 
 30 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Wellington 
 
 5,1,1790 
 
 John Ridding 
 
 26 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 
 
 )J 
 
 Frederick Ridding 
 
 21 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 
 
 18,1,90 
 
 Thomas Webb 
 
 24 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 
 
 26,2,90 
 
 William Webb 
 
 38 
 
 )) 
 
 
 
 )) 
 
 Richard D. Phillips 
 
 22 
 
 Attorney 
 
 
 
 10,8,90 
 
 George Collier 
 
 21 
 
 )j 
 
 
 
 21,8,90 
 
 Edmund Nash 
 
 29 
 
 )> 
 
 
 
 27,9,90 
 
 Thomas Jones 
 
 21 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 
 
 )) 
 
 Robert Meek 
 
 21 
 
 Mercer 
 
 
 
 22,10,90 
 
 WilHam Davis 
 
 30 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 
 
 15,7,91 
 
94 FREEMASONllY IN 
 
 THE EYTOX CHAPTER, WELLINGTON, 601. 
 
 This Chapter was established soon after the foundation of 
 the Lodge of St. John, its Charter being dated the 1st August, 
 1855. It was at first composed almost entirely of members of 
 that Lodge and of the Salopian Lodge; the latter of whom joined 
 for the purpose of getting it into good working order. After the 
 foundation of the Lodge of St. Milburga, 1120, its recruits were 
 however largely drawn from Ironbridge. After the first few 
 years of its existence it was for a considerable period somewhat 
 irregular in its meetings. Blanks occur in its Minute books from 
 October, 1861 to April, 1863 ; from January, 1866 to July, 1867 ; 
 from January, 1868 to October, 1869; and from October, 1870 
 to January, 1873. The list of its P.Z's is therefore for several 
 years incomplete. During this period the Chapter was greatly 
 indebted to the services of Companion Bristow, of Dudley, who 
 filled the principal chair during the performance of nearly all the 
 ceremonies. These services were suitably acknowledged by the 
 presentation to Companion Bristow of a very valuable gold snuff 
 box. From about the year 1877, however, the Chapter seems to 
 have taken a fresh lease of life, and from that time its meetings 
 have been regularly held, and its ceremonies carried through 
 without any extraneous aasistance. It now numbers about 20 
 subscribing members. 
 
 P.Z's 
 
 1855-6— G. Marriott. 
 1856-7— W. Brightwelh 
 
 1858 — T. C. Eyton. 
 
 1859 — W. Anslow. 
 
 1860 — R. G. Belliss. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 95 
 
 1861— J. L. Randal. 
 
 1862— 
 
 1863— 
 
 1864— W. Anslow. 
 
 1865— H. Evett. 
 
 1866— W. B. Hayley. 
 
 1867— 
 
 1868— J. Barber. 
 
 1869— 
 
 1870— R. Millington. 
 
 1871— 
 
 1872— 
 
 1873— R. Millington. 
 1874— R. Millington. 
 
 1875— J. Barber. 
 
 1876— J. H. Slaney. 
 
 1877— H. Shepard. 
 
 1878 — J. Bodenham. 
 
 1879— R. Anslow. 
 
 1880— R. Jackson. 
 
 1881— Roff King. 
 
 1882— Sir C. B. H. Soame, Bart. 
 
 1883 — Rev. A. J. Von Straubenzee. 
 
 1884— J. C. W. Lister. 
 
 1885- W. T. Parkins. 
 
 18S6 — J. Smart. 
 
 1887— E. A. Hicks, 
 
 1888— T. Machin. 
 
 1889— H. Shepard. 
 
 1890— J. C. W. Lister. 
 
 1891— T. C. Bird. 
 
96 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 THE SALOPIAN LODGE OF CHARITY, 117. 
 
 On. February Sth, 1768, a Warrant was granted by the 
 "Atholl" or "Ancient" Grand Lodge, for the formation of a 
 Lodge numbered 153 in the 13th Regiment of Foot. No returns 
 were made from this Lodge to Grand Lodge after 1776, and it 
 then, doubtless, became extinct. In the year 1809 a meeting of 
 several brethren in the Regiment of the Shropshire Militia, then 
 stationed at Eastbourne, was held for the purpose of establishing 
 a Lodge in that Regiment. A Warrant was eventually granted 
 on March 22nd, 1810, by the "Ancient" Grand Lodge, the 
 number given to the new Lodge (153) being that of the extinct 
 Lodge in the 13th Regiment. Upon this identity of numbers 
 has been founded the theory that there was some connection 
 between the old and the new Lodge, and that the latter was in 
 someway the continuation of the former. No such connection, in 
 my opinion, ever existed; at all events it certainly cannot be 
 proved. The fact appears to be that this grant of an old Lodge 
 number to a new Lodge, is only another instance of the various 
 devices invented by both the rival Grand Lodges to evade the 
 provisions of the Act directed against Secret Societies. In my 
 outline of the history of the Lodge of the Marches, 611,1 have 
 pointed out the scope of that statute, and have shown that a 
 transfer by endorsement of the Warrant of a defunct Lodge, was 
 one of these devices. In the case under consideration we see 
 another artifice which was sometimes adopted, viz., the grant of 
 a new Warrant bearing an old number, "the latent (!) powers of 
 extinct Lodges being revived for entirely new and distinct 
 organizations."(i) A study of the Warrant granted as above 
 mentioned, and of the minute books of the Lodge then created, 
 shows that they contain not the slightest reference to the older 
 
 (1) Lane's Handy Book to the List of Lodges, p. 113. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 97 
 
 Military Body, on the contrary they are in themselves suflScient 
 evidence of the creation of an absolutely new Lodge. As a proof 
 of my statement in this respect I here give the first entry in the 
 minute book verbatim. 
 
 "East Bourne, 2nd Oct., 1809. 
 At A Friendly Meeting of Brothers of Ancient Free-Masonry— 
 The Following Brothers signed their Names "With the following 
 sums Opposite Each, and agree to Meet Once a Fortnight from 
 this Date to subscribe Each Regularly to raise a sum 
 
 sufficient to Obtain a warrant to hold a Lodge in the Shropshire 
 Regiment of Militia, viz." — (Here follows the names of 20 
 brethren, with various sums after their names) 
 I may add that the fact that No. 153, the old Military Lodge in 
 13th Regt., was continued on the Roll of the Atholl Grand 
 Lodge until the present century, is no proof of the continued 
 existence of the Lodge beyond the period of its last return in 
 1776. Numerous instances could be quoted of Lodges, undoubt- 
 edly defunct, whose numbers were similarly retained on the roll. 
 Grand Lodge supervision was in former days far from being close 
 or exhaustive. In the year 1811 the Lodge had a seal engraved 
 with this motto round it — "The Salopian Lodge of Charity." — 
 This name it has ever since retained. In the year 1813, after 
 the Union, its number was changed to 186, and it then passed 
 under the same Grand Lodge jurisdiction as the Salopian Lodge 
 262. In the history of the latter Lodge I have shown the 
 method in which the numbers on the Registers of the respective 
 Grand Lodges were dealt with at the Union. I need here only 
 remark that the precedence on the roll of its own Grand Lodge 
 gained by the Salopian Lodge of Charity in 1810, by the grant 
 of a low number to which it was not entitled by its age, was in 
 1814 preserved and continued on the roll of the United Grand 
 Lodge, and it is now 145 places higher than 262, though 22 years 
 junior tothat Lodge. In the Constitutions for 1734 it is laid 
 down that " The Precedency of Lodges is grounded on the 
 Seniority of their Constitution." That equitable principle is 
 violated in the case of 117 and 262, as well as in numerous 
 
 M 
 
98 
 
 FEEEMASONET IN 
 
 instances elsewhere throughout the kingdom. Nothing but the 
 extreme exigencies of the case at the beginning of the present 
 century, through parliamentary interference, could have justified 
 such unfairness to the older Lodges: In the Province, however, 
 the age of a Lodge as recorded in the books of the Province, and 
 not its number, gives precedence, and so in the roll of Provincial 
 Lodges the Salopian Lodge of Charity ranks after 262, as the 
 second senior Lodge. Between the years 1810-15 the Lodge 
 followed the Regiment in which it was founded, and records of 
 meetings in Gosport, Stonehouse, Ennis, Limerick, and Dublin 
 still exist. One effect of this visit of the Lodge to Ireland was 
 that the members became infected with a leaning towards 
 Knights' Templarism, then much in vogue amongst our Irish 
 Military brethren. " This order, then known as ' Black Masonry,' 
 was propagated, to a large extent, through Charters issued by 
 the ' High Knights' Templars of Ireland,' — a body of Freemasons 
 in Dublin, who were constituted by Mother Kilwinning (Scotland) 
 in 1779, for the practice of the Craft Degrees."'^) In 1813 
 application was made to the Mother Lodge to authorize the 
 transfer of a ' Black "Warrant ' from Knights of the Temple and 
 of Malta, in the Westmeath Militia, to brethren in the same 
 degree serving in the Shropshire Militia. But the Lodge of 
 Kilwinning (Scotland), in reply to the ' Sir Knights ' of the 
 latter regiment, repudiated the existence of any maternal tie 
 between herself and any Society of Masonic Knighthood, and 
 confessed her inability to ' communicate upon Mason business 
 farther than the Three Steps.' The minute books do not contain 
 the slightest allusion to this application, or to the Order referred 
 to, and it is probable that the return of the Lodge to England 
 speedily banished all desire for further information in this . 
 direction. 
 
 After its wanderings the Lodge finally settled down in 
 Shi'ewsbury in 1815, doubtless owing to the disembodiment of 
 
 (1) Gould's History, vol. iii., p. 44 and note. 
 
 Lyon History of Mother Kilwinning (Freemasons Magazine, Felj. IGth, 
 1805, p. 114. 
 
THE PEOVINCE OP SHROPSIIIUE. 99 
 
 tiie Militia after Waterloo, and the consequent return of its 
 jnembers to their native county. Between 1816-1819 it continued 
 the practice, persisted in siiy;e its constitution, of initiating 
 civilians. Being a Military Lodge, such a practice was distinctly 
 illegal, and drew upon the Lodge the scrutiny of Grand Lodge, (i) 
 The offence was forgiven in due course, and in 1820 (June 23) 
 the Lodge exchanged its Military Warrant for a civil one. 
 
 The minutes from April Uth, 1819 to January 27th, 1830 
 are missing, but the Register of Initiations during that period 
 is still in existence, and Grand Lodge records show beyond all 
 doubt that the Lodge continued working as usual. In 1832 its 
 number, 186, was at the general re-numbering of the Lodges 
 altered to 135. 
 
 The practice of " Passing the Chair," which is explained 
 in the Salopian Lodge History '2) was frequently adopted by the 
 Salopian Lodge of Charity. At the Union it was declared to be 
 no longer necessary as a preliminary to exaltation in the Royal 
 Arch, but an instance occurs in this Lodge so late as 27th 
 December, 1836, upon which occasion "Bros. Drinkwater, Owen, 
 and Pool passed the Chair," and paid a fee of 5/- for doing so. 
 This persistence in an old custom, affords an excellent example of 
 the conservative tendencies of the members of a Lodge, unwilling 
 to abandon practices, however unnecessary, which had been in 
 vogue amongst their Masonic Ancestors. It is doubtful whether 
 or not these brethren " passed the chair " for the purpose of 
 being exalted ; most probably they did not. The only Chapter 
 then in the Province was one in connection with the Lodge of 
 Industry in Bridgnorth, of which they are not registered as 
 members in Grand Chapter. The members of 135 were, 
 however, clearly aware of its existence, and sometimes availed 
 themselves of the opportunities that existence afforded them, as 
 may be seen from the following minute — " Monday, Jan. 6th, 
 1834, A commitey assembled at Bro. Curton's (?Cureton) con- 
 
 (1) See Salopian Lodge History for year 1819. 
 
 (3) See year 1780 ; where the nature o£ the ceremony is indicated. 
 
100 I'REEMASOifRY IN 
 
 cerning some brothers going to Bridgnorth to be exalted, the 
 Brethren pressant agread that our W. Master Dodd should be 
 Lent £i from the fund of the Lodge and to Pay it back When 
 Called for." Bros. Dodd and Powis, the latter of whom was also 
 a member of 135, were exalted together on Feb. 12th in the same 
 year, and their names are registered in Grand Chapter. There 
 is no other mention of the Boyal Arch in the minute books, and 
 the Lodge seems to have taken no part in the foundation of the 
 present Chapter in Shrewsbury, attached to 262 in the year 184.3. 
 The next event worthy of note was the amalgamation of the 
 Lodge with 262, in the year 1851. This subject has been treated 
 fully in connection with the latter Lodge, and need not here be 
 further considered. 
 
 On Nov. 6th, 1862, a Lodge of Instruction was established 
 under the auspices and direction of the Lodge. Its founders 
 were Thomas Phillips, W.M., 135, Bryce Smith, 135, Edward 
 Burd, J.W., 135-328, William Stanway, S.W., 135-328, Richard 
 Lewis, P.M., 135, Richard Nicchols, W.M., 328. Of these Bros. 
 Bryce Smith, E. Burd, and Richard Lewis, of Wrexham, are 
 still alive. It was originally called the Wyrmstay Lodge of 
 Instruction — Wynnstay being the residence of the R.W.P.G.M. 
 This word was dropped from the title of the Lodge in the year 
 1887, shortly after the division of the Province. The Lodge is 
 now available for both the Shrewsbury Lodges, but still remains 
 entirely under the management of 117. The W.M.'s of the 
 two Lodges generally take the chair on alternate days of meeting 
 and rehearse the ceremonies to be performed in their respective 
 Lodges. A series of able and diligent Directors of Ceremonies 
 have kept the working of the Lodge at a high state of perfection, 
 and its influence has been most marked in promoting the efficiency 
 of Lodge ceremonial in Shrewsbury. Bro. T. P. Deakin, P.M. is 
 the present D. of C, and in his hands the Lodge traditions of 
 careful and accurate work are fully maintained. It would be 
 a matter of congratulation if his views as to the Lodge beinw one 
 of Instruction rather than of Rehearsal could in the future 
 
*HE PEOVlNCE OF SHROPSHIRE. lOl 
 
 obtain the practical expression which they undoubtedly deserve. 
 The number 135 was changed to 117 in 1863, since which date 
 no re-numbering of the Lodges has taken place. Shropshire 
 Masons will cordially admit, that the Salopian Lodge of Charity 
 has always taken its proper place in all that concerns the Craft 
 in the Province ; it has for years been in a most flourishing state, 
 and now possesses about 45 subscribing members. Not the 
 least of its good works has been the foundation of the Whit- 
 church Lodge in 1889, thus reflecting back, as it were, the 
 " Light,'' which, just a century before, had shone from that town 
 to illuminate the darkness of Shrewsbury. 
 
 List of Masters. 
 
 1810 — James Mansfield. 
 
 I James Mansfield. 
 181W Thomas Baugh. 
 ( John Cheese. 
 
 1812— John Cheese. 
 
 1813— John Price. 
 
 1814— John Dibbin. 
 
 1815— John Dibbin. 
 
 isifi i Robert Taylor. 
 ^°^° ( Richard Pritchard. 
 
 , „, Y ( Richard Pritchard. 
 I James Mansfield. 
 
 1818 — James Mansfield. 
 
 1819 — James Mansfield. 
 
 1820-1829— No Records. 
 
 1830— Patrick Kean. 
 
 1831— Richard C. Hughes. 
 
 1832— James Mansfield. 
 
 1833— William Dodd. 
 
 1834— William Dodd. 
 
 1835 — John Humphreys. 
 
 1836— Samuel Lea. 
 
 1837 — Samuel Lea. 
 
 1 838 —Evan Owen. 
 
102 FKEEIIASONEY IN 
 
 1839— Evan Owen. 
 
 1810— George Maxon. 
 
 1841 — Richard P. Drink water. 
 
 1812 — Joseph Sharrod. 
 
 184-3 — George Maxon. 
 
 1844— Thomas Onions, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1845— Thomas Onions, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1846 — George Maxon. 
 
 1847 — Richard P. Drinkwater (never acted). 
 
 1848— Thomas Onions, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1849— John Leohe Rowland, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1850— John Watton. 
 
 1851— John Nigel Heathcote, P.P.G.J.W. 
 
 1852 — John Leche Rowland ? (No record, being year of 
 amalgamation.) 
 
 1853— William Patchett, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 1854— Thomas Onions, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1855— Joshua Pugh White, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1856— James R. Pickering, P.P.G.P. 
 
 1857— Joshua Pugh White, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1858— Henry Atkin, P.P.G.P. 
 
 1859- Richard Lewis, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 
 1860— Richard Lewis, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 
 1861— John Lawrence Randal, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1862— Thomas Phillips. 
 
 1863— William Stanway, P.P.G.P. 
 
 1864— Edward Burd, P.P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 1865— Bryce Smith, P.P.G.J.D. 
 
 1866— Charles Fleet. 
 
 1867— Francis Fletcher, P.P.G.D. of C. 
 
 1868 -Edward H. Hankey, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1869— John Evans. 
 
 1870 — Joseph Cresswell. 
 
 1871— Philip H. -Evans, P.P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 1872— Horatio M. Jones. 
 
 1873— Edward H. Hankey, P.P.G.R. 
 
THE PROVINCE OE SHROPSHIRE. 103 
 
 1874— John Bishop Boucher, P.P.G.O. 
 
 1875— John Briscoe Bagnall, P.P.G. Swd. B. 
 
 1876— John Briscoe Bagnall, P.P.G. Swd. B. 
 
 1877— William Spraggon, P.P.G. A.D. of C. 
 
 1878— William B. Morris. 
 
 1879— Thomas Warren Thompson, P.P.G.D. of C. 
 
 1880— William E. Litt. 
 
 1881— Vincent Corbet Legh Crump, P.G. Treas. 
 
 1882— James Vine, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 1883— John Blockley, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 1881: — Thomas Pidduck Deakin, P.G. Assistant Sec. 
 
 1885— Thomas Challoner Royle, P.P.G. Swd. B. 
 
 1886— William Belton, P.P.G.S.D. 
 
 1887— A. Silver Townsend, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 1888— Herbert Major, P.P.G.A.D. of 0. 
 
 1889— Alfred B. Deakin, P.P.G. Swd. B. 
 
 1890— William Adams, P.G.A.D. of C. 
 
 1891 — Benjamin Blower, P.G. Steward. 
 
 1892— William Baxter. 
 
 I have done my best to render this list accurate, but, 
 owing to minute book irregularities, I cannot guarantee the 
 absolute correctness of some of the earlier names. 
 
104 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 HISTORY OF THE SALOPIAN LODGE, 262. 
 
 Section I. (1788—1813). 
 
 The Salopian Lodge can only claim to have attained an 
 eminently respectable age. Nothing in connection with its 
 history is a matter of speculation, as is so often the case with 
 respect to Lodges boasting of their antiquity. Its origin, con- 
 stitution, and progress are faithfully recorded in its own minute 
 books, which have, except for one short period of five years, been, 
 in the main, carefully kept since the date of its foundation, and 
 form the chief source from which my information has been 
 derived. I propose to let these minute books, as far as possible, 
 tell their own story, and for that purpose copious extracts from 
 them will be given, such explanations and additions only being 
 inserted as will make them intelligible. I have also thought it 
 best to place these extracts in proper chronological order, so that 
 a glance at the margin of each page will show the year to which 
 my remarks are intended to apply. 
 
 The Warrant of the Lodge, of which an exact copy 
 1788. is given in Appendix A, is dated the 13th day of May, 
 1788. It constituted certain brethren, namely, William 
 Neale, Thomas Barkley, William Cottom, John Beck, John 
 Brackley Prichard, John Hall, and other brethren residing in or 
 near the town of Shrewsbury, into a regular Lodge, under the 
 title of the Salopian Lodge, No. 1, to be opened at a House 
 known by the sign of the Fox. William Neale was appointed 
 W.M , Thomas Barkley, S.W., and William Cottom, J.W. The 
 Rev. Francis Henry Egerton was then P.G.M. for Shropshire, 
 Major Charles Shirreff being his Deputy, and it was the latter 
 who procured the Warrant for the Lodge. It will be noticed 
 from a perusal of the Warrant that it was issued by the authority 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 105 
 
 of the P.G.M., though never actually signed by him, 
 and the Salopian Lodge, like many others, especially in 1788. 
 Yorkshire, has never possessed any full Warrant from 
 Grand Lodge. Bro. John Beck was a Banker and Wine Mer- 
 chant, and Bro. Cottom was Landlord of the Trumpet' Inn, liut 
 with these two exceptions nothing certain appears to be known 
 of the founders, their history, or occupations. Various conjectures 
 will however be found opposite their names in the full list of 
 members contained in Appendix D, such conjectures having been 
 made in the manner hereafter indicated. 
 
 The minute of the Urst recorded Lodge runs as follows : — • 
 " By virtue of a Dispensation from the P.G.M. for 
 Shropshire, A Lodge of Free and accepted Masons was 
 held at the Fox Inn, in Shrewsbury, 3rd July, 1788. 
 Peesekt. 
 William Neale, Master. 
 Thomas Barkley, Senior Warden. 
 WilHam Cottom, Junior Warden. 
 John Beck, Treasurer. 
 John Brackley Prichard, Secretary. 
 John Hall, Senior Deacon. 
 Edward Innys, Junior Deacon. 
 Michael Kavanah, Tyler. 
 Membep.s. 
 Alexander Keate 
 Visitors. 
 Bro. Fitzsimmons, Master; Bro. Thornton, & Bro. Cockburn, 
 Officers ; & Bro. Narcesso; Members of Barry Lodge. Bro. John 
 Gellion from Chester, & Bro. William Cartwright. 
 Proceedings. 
 Bro. E. T. Smith was raised to the Sublime Degree of 
 Master Mason. 
 
 Resolved — That a Code of Bye Laws be prepared for the 
 good Rule and Government of this Lodge." 
 
 This resolution was speedily carried into effect, as a code 
 
 N 
 
106 PREEMASONET IN 
 
 of by-laws was submitted to the Lodge on August 20th, 
 1788. and being then approved of, they were ordered to be 
 
 copied in the Minute Book, and signed by the Members. 
 On an examination of the names appended in pursuance of this 
 order, it will be seen that many brethren must have disregarded 
 it. Even the name of Bro. Smith who had just been raised, is 
 conspicuous by its absence, but this is probably explained by the 
 fact that he was in the Royal Navy, and evidently left Shrews- 
 bury soon after he was raised, as his name never appears again 
 in the minutes. A copy of these by-laws will be found in 
 Appendix 0, and from them considerable knowledge of the 
 managemsnt of the Lodge is derived. Its meetings were held at 
 the Fox Inn, on the first Tuesday in every month in the year. 
 In the winter months the Brethren met at 6 o'clock, and remained 
 together till 9, whilst in the summer months these hours were 
 8 and 10 respectively. It was specially forbidden that any 
 brother should remain in the Lodge Room after 11 p.m., under 
 a penalty of 2s. 6d. for each offence. The Officers, amongst 
 whom it must be especially noticed were included Deacons, were 
 elected on the lodge night preceding the Festival of St. John the 
 Evangelist (Dec. 27th), upon which day they entered upon their 
 respective offices. It is curious to note that the two Wardens 
 were elected by the Lodge, and not chosen by the Master. On 
 the other hand, the Master had the power of appointing Com- 
 mittees to enquire into any necessary business, a power which has 
 recently been thought to have lapsed by disuse. There is a 
 delicate euphemism contained in the by-law which provides that 
 the Master shall fine any brother who shall enter the Lodge 
 disguised in liquor in the sum of one shilling and order him to 
 depart the Lodge. No record exists of the Master being obliged 
 to use the authority thus confided to his hands. The expense of 
 holding a Lodge of Emergency was borne by the person for whose 
 benefit it was called. Passings and raisings were intended to be 
 performed only in such Lodges, and the candidates were liable 
 for the necessary outlay. The election of members was by 
 petition, followed by a proposal in open lodge, and an approval 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 107 
 
 by ballot as at present. Unanimity was, however, nec- 
 essary, as a single black bean was sufficient to exclude any 1788. 
 proposed candidate. The fee payable on initiation was 
 £2 15s. Od., which included 5s. for registration in Grand Lodge, 
 2s. Gd. for the Lodge Secretary, and Is. 6d. for the Tyler. A 
 further sum of half-a-guinea was payable on the performance of 
 each of the ceremonies of passing and raising. From the Treasurer's 
 accounts we find that for at least 5 years, the Hon. (?) Secretary 
 received this fee of 2s. 6d. as a matter of course. The subscription 
 of members was Is. a month for the funds of the Lodge, and Is. 6d. 
 a night for refreshments ; these payments were collected monthly. 
 Visitors were always required to pay the subscription of Is. 6d. 
 for refreshments, and also the sum of Is. to the funds of the 
 Lodge, unless they were subscribers to some other Lodge. This 
 seems to the present generation of Masons a curious way of 
 exercising that peculiarly Masonic Virtue Hospitality, but it is 
 certain that the custom was then a widely diffused one, and not 
 by any means confined to Shrewsbury. It may be partly explained 
 by the fact that special invitations to visiting Brethren were in 
 those days rare, the usual method of invitation being by advertise- 
 ment in the local journals. It can be easily understood that 
 Brethren accepting such an invitation might fairly be expected 
 to pay their own expenses. In addition it may be remarked 
 that the same visitor's name is often found recorded for several 
 successive lodges, so that it would appear that the visitors were 
 generally Masons who did not belong to any other Lodge, or 
 who were detained in the town for some considerable length of 
 time, and not brethren from a distance attending for one Lodge 
 only. It seems only just that those of the former class should 
 pay as much as regular subscribers, while those of the latter class 
 were protected by a clause in the same by-law, which provided 
 that a person visiting the Lodge should be admitted the first 
 night free of expense. 
 
 The account given by the Secretary of the formal Con- 
 stitution of the Lodge, is contained in the minute of " a Lodge 
 
lOS FREEJIASOSTEY IN 
 
 of Emergence held on the 10th Septr., 1788." It records 
 1788. that "after dining together in perfect harmony the Dep- 
 uty Provincial Grand (nic) produced and had read the 
 Warrant for constituting this Lodge, he then installed Bro. Neal 
 Worshipfull and the rest of his OiBcers. He delivered a most 
 excellent charge upon the occasion, in which the duties of a Mason 
 were forcibly expressed, and the beauties and utility of Masonry 
 were finely exemplified and most judiciously explained." Another 
 account of the same Ceremony is contained in the Shrewsbuz'y 
 Chronicle of Sep. 19th, it is as follows — " We hear that last week 
 the 'New Salopian Lodge of Free Masons was regularly constituted, 
 and the oificers installed at the Pox Inn in this town, by Major 
 Charles Shirreff, Deputy Provincial Grand Master for this 
 County; when an excellent dinner was provided, and the afternoon 
 spent with that sober hilarity, and with that edifying conversation 
 which becomes and should always distinguish Pree and Accepted 
 Masons from men of dissolute and disorderly manners."' 
 
 Of Major Shirreff I have already said much in the 
 previous part of this work in connection with the Province 
 of Shropshire, but of his special influence upon the Salopian 
 Lodge in particular, some further details must be given. 
 I believe that his influence was mainly responsible for a some- 
 what anomalous feature in the early history of the Lodge. 
 Constituted, as it was, under the " Moderns," it appears to have 
 at first regularly adopted as an ordinary part of its system, three 
 of the features which mainly distinguished "Ancient" from 
 "Modern" Lodges. These are (1) the appointment of Deacons 
 (2) the regular Installation of the W.M., and (3) the careful 
 observance of both the Festivals of St. John (in June and Dec- 
 ember). Deacons were by no means unknown under the 
 " Modern " Constitution ; a few lodges might be mentioned 
 which possessed them in 1788, and in one instance they existed 
 in a "Modern" Lodge as early as 173i. Nevertheless the 
 recognized opinion of Masonic Writers seems to be that under 
 the "Modern" system they were not deemed 6Sse)i<iaZ, whereas 
 
THK PnOVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 109 
 
 in "Ancient " Lodges they were invariably appointed. 
 The fact that by a resolution of the Lodge in 1788. 
 the year 1791 the ofifice of Deacon was abolished, 
 would seem to indicate a return to stricter conformity to 
 the usages of "Modern" Lodges. With regard to the 
 regular practice of Listallation, I may, without going deeply 
 into the question, quote from Bro. Sadler's " Masonic 
 Facts and Fictions" the following passage, (i) which refers to the 
 year 1810 — "It is therefore perfectly clear,'' he says, "that the 
 " Moderns " had, certainly for many years, dispensed with the 
 ceremony of Installation, while their rivals had kept up the old 
 custom in this respect, as will be seen by a reference to the 
 extracts from their records." As there is ample evidence that 
 the Salopian Lodge from its foundation until the year 1793 
 observed this ceremony, I am, I think, justified in regarding the 
 practice as a proof of the theory I am advocating. In the year 
 1810, "The Special Lodge of Promulgation," created for "the 
 purpose of ascertaining and promulgating the Ancient Land 
 Marks of the Craft," passed a resolution " that it appears to this 
 Lodge, that the Ceremony of Installation of Masters of Lodges 
 is one of the two Landmarks of the Craft, and ought to be 
 observed." From the date of this resolution, the Ceremony has 
 been duly observed by all Lodges. A very similar remark may 
 be. made about the observance of the Festivals, which were 
 never regarded with as much veneration by the " Moderns " as 
 by the " Ancients," or celebrated with the same punctiliousness. 
 It is true such observance was not a necessary part of any form 
 or ceremony, still its neglect by the " Moderns " was an innova- 
 tion on established usage, which was never permitted by the 
 Salopian Lodge. This whole question might be discussed at much 
 greater length if space allowed, but I hope sufficient has been 
 said to make my proposition clear, and also to show that the 
 inference drawn by Bro. Sadler from a perusal of Shirreff's letters, 
 that he never became "Modernized" in his old age, can be more 
 fully established by a perusal of the records of my own Lodge. 
 (1) at page 101. 
 
110 
 
 FEEEMASONEY IN 
 
 The number of the Lodge in 1788 was 525. . The 
 1788. Fox Inn was situate on the site of the building 
 
 now known as the Working Men's Hall. It had 
 a fine open courtyard in front of it, to which there were 
 two ways of approach ; the one from Princess Street, the 
 other from College Hill ; it had, however, no frontage on 
 either of these streets. The Landlord was Bro. James Tre- 
 hearn, who was initiated in 1788. He seems to have been an 
 excellent caterer, as we find many votes of thanks passed to him 
 by the Lodge. In permitting him to be a member, a breach of 
 the Constitutions was made, for it was there provided that " ISTo 
 Master of a public house or tavern shall be a member of any 
 lodge held at his house."(i) 
 
 The Lodge, having been formally constituted, lost no time 
 in getting to work. In the first six months of its existence there 
 are records of 22 lodges having been held, 9 of which are described 
 as "Lodges of Emergence," and 14 initiations, and a total of 39 
 ceremonies were performed. These figures go far to show that 
 the Brethren spared no effort to increase the strength of the 
 Lodge. Degenerate Shrewsbury Masons of the present day, un- 
 accustomed to many ceremonies, would shrink from the prospect 
 of a night's work such as our Masonic Ancestors often went 
 through. Thus, on July 4th, there were three separate initia- 
 tions ; on Septr. 8th, and again on Octr. 9th each of the three 
 degrees was worked through ; on November 11th there were four 
 initiations; and on Nov. 18th four passings and a raising took 
 place. Rapidity was also a feature of the Lodge work in this 
 year. Thus, three brethren, passed on Nov. 11th, were raised 
 seven days afterwards. In the Book of Constitutions to which 
 the Lodge was then subject, and which was published in 1784, 
 there seems to be no express law upon the point, and a duplica- 
 tion of ceremonies was not illegal, except in the case of making 
 and raising, which, without a dispensation, could not be performed 
 on the same evening upon the same candidate. In the 
 
 U) Constitutions 1781 Art, ix., p. 388, 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIEB. Ill 
 
 Constitutions of 1815, it was, however, provided, 
 that no candidate should receive a degree at a 1788. 
 less interval than one month from receiving a 
 former degree. A rigid adherence to constitutions and by-laws 
 was often forgotten in early times. For example, we read in a 
 minute dated Sep. 11th, that "The Rev. George Holland was 
 proposed a candidate for Masonry, and being approved, had the 
 honour of being initiated by the Deputy Provincial Grand." If 
 such a high official in the Graft as Bro. Shirreff could thus tacitly 
 sanction the violation of the 20th by-law, which provided that 
 the ballot was not to be taken till the lodge night next after that 
 upon wliich the proposal was made, it is little wonder that the 
 lesser officers should not have hesitated to follow his example. 
 It may be, however, that in this particular instance the act of 
 irregularity noted carried with it its own dispensation, as it was 
 committed by the D.P.G.M., who could have given a dispensation 
 if necessary. Though lax in some respects, in others Bro. Neale 
 sufficiently upheld and vindicated the authority of the Chair ; 
 on Nov. 4th, for instance, it is recorded that he fined two 
 brethren for non-attendance. There is a curious entry under the 
 same date which runs as follows — " This Evening much to the 
 honour of the Worshipful Master and Senior Warden, the 
 diflerence subsisting between them was finally settled." We are 
 left in the dark as to the cause of this difference, and if and how 
 far the Lodge acted as Mediator between the parties to it. 
 
 On the Feast of St. John the Evangelist we find this 
 entry — "Visited the Barry Lodge at Bro. Cottoms, when they 
 returned and spent an hour with us." This visit was paid to the 
 Trumpet Inn, and is an unique event in the Lodge history. It 
 will be remembered that the Master and some of the brethren of 
 the Barry Lodge were present at the opening meeting of the 
 Salopian Lodge. The Barry Lodge could not be identified at first 
 with any known Lodge, and considerable difficulty was experi- 
 enced in accounting for its presence in Shrewsbury. However, 
 on searching the files of the Shrewsbury Chronicle, the following 
 
112 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 entry was found recorded on June 28th, 1789 — "On 
 1788. Tuesday last, being the Anniversary of St. John the 
 
 Baptist, a body of Freemasons in the 34th regiment 
 (with a number of very respectable Brothers of this town) walked 
 in solemn procession, attended by a band of music, from the 
 Lodge room at the Trumpet Inn, Mardol, to St. Alkmund's 
 Church.'' This at once indicated that the " Barry " was a Mil- 
 itary Lodge in the 3-lth regiment, and as such it will be found 
 recorded in the list contained in Bro. Gould's History of Free- 
 masonry, (i) In addition to the giving and receiving of Hospit- 
 ality, the Brethren also practised another great Masonic virtue, 
 namely Charity. On Dec. 23rd we tind they voted three guineas 
 for " the charitable purpose of buying coals for the poor of the 
 town,'' and that sum was accordingly paid to the Mayor. 
 
 It is noticeable that many candidates proposed and duly 
 approved by ballot, never came forward for initiation. It must 
 not therefore be supposed that the Lodge, even in its infancy, 
 thankfully received the name of any candidate submitted for 
 approval. In this year tvro candidates were rejected — One of 
 these, Thomas Gray, Junr., was black beaned on June 11th, but 
 apparently in no way discomfited by this rebuff, he succeeded in 
 getting initiated in some other lodge, and on Oct. 25th was 
 accepted by 525 as a joining Brother. From the Register in 
 Grand Lodge it is evident that Bro. Gray was made in the Barry 
 Lodge. Bros. T. Bassett and AY. Bourlay were also initiated in 
 the same Lodge. 
 
 The average attendance of members during the year was 
 12, and the greatest number present on any occasion was 19. 
 Very little information is to be found in the minute books as to 
 the social position of the members, such details as are available 
 have been inserted in Appendix D, which is a complete list of 
 all the members since the foundation of the Lodge. In some 
 jiistances the statements contained in tliis list are conjectural, 
 being inserted in consequence of entries on the credit side of 
 
 (1) vol. iii , p. 400. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 113 
 
 the Treasurer's account. As an example the name of 
 
 Bro. S. Harwood may be cited. On December 2nd, 1788. 
 
 1788, he appears to have been paid a bill of £1 3s. 6d. 
 
 for stationery supplied to the Lodge, and he is accordingly 
 
 described in the list as a stationer. This method of arriving 
 
 at conclusions is obviously apt to lead to inaccuracy, and has 
 
 been used very sparingly. In other instances the Grand Lodge 
 
 Register gives us the only information we possess. 
 
 The Treasurer's Account Book shows that the relief of 
 distressed brethren was carefully looked after. Before the close 
 of the year we find five distinct entries of sums paid out of the 
 Lodge funds for that purpose. The W.M. appears to have made 
 some of these payments on his own responsibility and in his own 
 discretion, and afterwards to have recovered the sums paid from 
 the Treasurer. The Lodge had then no Charity Representative. 
 From the same book the following may be quoted : — 
 
 Warrant from the P.G. Lodge ... 
 Bible, Book of Constitutions, & Collars 
 Bro. Hall for Covering a Bible and Hire 
 
 of a Horse ... 
 Liquor at the Constitution of the Lodge 
 Bro. Barclay 1 doz. New Aprons 
 
 In the History of the Province I have endeavoured to 
 prove that there was no real P.G. Lodge at this time. Shirreff's 
 letters show that this sum of £5 5s. Od. was duly transmitted to 
 Grand Lodge. My readers must from the third entry draw 
 their own conclusions as to Bro. Hall's social standing, I must 
 confess I feel unable to assist them. He is stated in the minute 
 book to have been a Draper. The aprons worn at this period 
 consisted of a plain white lambs skin, and were provided by the 
 Lodge for its members. At the close of the year the Lodge con- 
 sisted of 32 members, of these the names of Loxdale and Lloyd are 
 familiar to all Salopians, and Richard Dansey was the Great 
 Grandfather of the present Sir Richard Dansey Green Price, Bart. 
 
 £ 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 13 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
114 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 Bro. Neale was again elected W.M. in this year, and 
 1789. the Lodge continued to grow in numbers, and to 
 
 perform its work most energetically. In all 27 lodges 
 were held, 9 of these being Lodges of Emergency; 15 initiations, 
 and 38 ceremonies were performed. Many apparent irregularities 
 may be noticed in the minute books. Thus it is recorded that 
 William Evans, Wythen Evans, John Lewis, and "William Bowley 
 were duly passed on various dates, although no record of their 
 respective initiations was ever made ; similarly, no account is 
 given of the passing of Richard Jenkins, although the Secretary 
 notes both his initiation and raising. The Treasurer's books, 
 however, shows that these apparent irregularities only appear 
 through the defaults of the Secretary. All the proper fees were 
 paid for the ceremonies omitted to be noticed by him, and there 
 can be no doubt they were properly performed. Bro. Secretary, 
 if somewhat negligent, was not allowed to go entirely unpunished, 
 for he records on August 7th that he was fined for non-attend- 
 ance, a similar fate having overtaken two other members earlier 
 in the year. The Lodge at this time began its subscription of 
 £5 5s. Od. per annum to the Salop Infirmary, an Institution 
 which was founded about 174:5, and which was the second of its 
 kind in England to begin the charitable work of relieving the 
 sufferings of the poor, that at Winchester alone having a prior 
 origin — a second subscription of the same amount was voted on 
 December 28th, but it is evident that this was intended for the 
 following year. The Treasurer gives the Lodge credit for the 
 sum of £1 lis. 6d thus. — "Received from the Com'ittee Half 
 the Amonnt of a Subscription for the Poor last winter." This 
 return of money given in charity was, to say the least of it 
 unusual, and it may be supposed that the distress which induced 
 the Brethren to vote 3 guineas in the previous year must have 
 been greatly exaggerated. The Shrewsbury Chronicle contains 
 no traces of any special hardship or poverty existing at this 
 period. In May it was proposed and agreed that " this Lodge 
 attend the Provincial Grand Master at Whitchurch next St. 
 John's Day, and that Major Shirreff be desired to acquaint him 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SIIEOPSIIIRE. 115 
 
 with our intentions." No further notice is taken of 
 
 the matter by the Secretary, the Treasurer, however, 1789. 
 
 takes credit for the following payments : — 
 
 June 23rd, Cleaning Sword for Wt'Ch. 3 
 
 July 7th, Expense of Bro. Innys, and 
 
 the Tyler to Wt'Ch 1 
 
 from which we may conclude that the Lodge went to Whitchurch 
 in Masonic State. Bro. Innys was in very reduced circumstances, 
 which will account for this payment of his expenses. A consider- 
 able sum of money was early in this year expended on the 
 purchase of "jewills," and also in procuring glasses and 
 decanters. A small quantity of the glass then bought is, I think, 
 still in the possession of the Lodge ; at all events there is some 
 in existence which has engraved upon it the No. 525, and, as the 
 Lodge changed its number in 1792, the glass in question must be 
 at least 100 years old. Three other entries in the Treasurer's 
 books may here be noticed, they are : — 
 
 March 17th — Lost by light money ... 2 
 
 May 31st — Bro. Green for 6 pairs of 
 
 gloves 12 
 
 Septr. 1st — A box for a transparency 6 6 
 
 From the second of these entries I conclude the Lodge provided 
 the Brethren with gloves as well as aprons. I am not quite clear 
 what the real functions of a transparency were, but Bro. Hughan 
 in answer to my inquiries suggests that it was probably required 
 for the 3rd degree, the star (lighted) being a great feature of that 
 ceremony in years gone by. 
 
 Merit seems to have been promptly recognised in olden 
 times, as we find Bro. Warren became Secretary on the day he 
 was passed. There can be little doubt that such an appointment 
 could not do much to promote the efficient working of the Lodge 
 affairs, and the recently adopted practice, at present followed in 
 the Salopian Lodge, of only appointing a P.M. to that office, 
 seems a sound and judicious one, 
 
116 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 It is apparent in this year, as in the previous one, that 
 1789. many accepted candidates were never initiated, as we 
 
 find the Secretary ordered to write to them threatening 
 the forfeiture of their deposit money unless they appeared in due 
 course. Major Shirreff in a passage in one of his letters which I 
 have not previously quoted, suggests that the Candidates held 
 back for fear of the " marking irons." How much of truth there 
 was in the suggestion I cannot pretend to say. 
 
 On December 2.3rd a Committee meeting was held to 
 settle the arrangements for celebrating the Feast of St. John the 
 Evangelist. The resolutions adopted by this Committee throw a 
 good deal of light on the subject of the banquets then indulged 
 in, and may be quoted in extenso without much comment. 
 
 It was resolved — 
 
 " That it is tlio opinion of this Comniittee tliat the sum of five shillings he 
 paid by every Brother who shall attend on that day." 
 
 " That every Absentie shall pay 2 shillings & CJ." 
 
 " That Bro. Trehearn shall be ordered to provide a Dinner for Thirty at two 
 shillings each, and that all Liquors be paid for besides, that the 
 Dinner be directed to be ou the Table at 2 o'cdork." 
 
 " That the Secretary be ordered to issue Summonses to all the Jlcmbers on 
 the 24th giving nutice to meet at 12 o'clock in order that there may be 
 time for the installation of the new OlBcers." 
 
 " That the Steward be requested to attend early and collect the five shillings 
 as each member arrives." 
 
 "That an advertisement be inserted in the Shrewsbury paper that the 
 Brethren of the Salopian Lodge intend to celebrate the Festival at the 
 Fox ou Monday the 28th inst. recjuesting the Company of Yisiting 
 Brethren." 
 
 " That the Steward call for the Bill of the Dinner as soon as the Cloth shall 
 be taken away, and pay for the Liquors as they are brought in, and 
 inform the Master when the money collected for the day shall be 
 uearly expended." 
 
 The paper alluded to in these resolutions was the still 
 floui-ishing Shrewsbury Chronicle, to which I have already 
 referred. It was established in 1772, sixteen years before the 
 Lodge came into existence. A Copy of the advertisement 
 follows : — 
 
THE PUOVINCE OP SHROPSHIHE. 117 
 
 " FREE MASONRY." 
 Dec. 25th, 1789. "The Brethren of the Salopian 1789. 
 Lodge meet to celebrate the Festival of St. John the 
 Evangelist at Brother Trehearn's, the Fox Inn, at 12 o'clock on 
 Monday the 28th day of December, when the Company of 
 Visiting Brethren will be esteemed a favour.'' 
 
 " Dinner on the table at 2 o'clock." 
 
 No visitors seem to have responded to this invitation, but 
 32 members of the Lodge attended. 
 
 Once more the election of Bro. Neale as W.M. is 
 recorded. It is, perhaps, needless to remark that the 1790. 
 election of the same W.M. for three successive years is 
 now forbidden by the Constitutions. The average attendance in 
 this year exceeded 18, and work continued very plentiful, as a 
 total of 28 ceremonies performed clearly shows. The Secretary 
 again unjustly credits the Lodge with appai-ently irregular 
 proceedings, but once more the accurate figures of the Treasurer's 
 accounts correct the impressions gathered from a perusal of the 
 minutes, and once more judgment followed hard upon the offence, 
 as the Secretary was shortly afterwards again fined for non- 
 attendance. That hard-working ofiicial apparently tried to get 
 an Assistant Secretary appointed, but the Lodge reserved the 
 question for future consideration, the opportunity for which, if it 
 ever came, was not taken advantage of. 
 
 An example of strictness is worthy of notice, especially as 
 it would now hardly be followed as a precedent. I refer to the 
 case of Bro Kyffin, who was black-beaned in October, but who 
 was re-balloted for in November and then elected, the reason 
 given being that "some members had voted on the previous 
 occasion whose subscriptions were in arrears." 
 
 By virtue of a Dispensation from the P.G.M. the Brethren 
 took part in a great procession on the Festival of St. John the 
 
118 
 
 FUEEMASONRY IN 
 
 Baptist. The entry relative to this event is a very 
 1790. important one, as it shows the strength of Masonry in 
 the province at this date ; it is as follows ; — 
 " The Festival of St. John the Baptist was celebrated on Tuesday, 
 August, 31st, 1790. Present. 
 
 Bro. Charles Shirreff, D.P.G.M. 
 Officers & Brethren of the Whitchurch Lodge. 
 
 Bro. Thomas Loxdale, Esqre., Master, (i) 
 Officers and Brethren of the Salopian Lodge. 
 
 Bro. John Hill, Esqre., Master. 
 Officers & Brethren of the Egerton Lodge. 
 
 Bro. Collier, Master. 
 
 Officers & Brethren of the Wrekin Lodge. 
 
 Bro. Grant, Master of 314. 
 
 Bro. Geo. Collier, P.G. Chaplain. 
 
 and many other Visiting Brethren. 
 The Lodges proceded from the Lodge Room at 1 1 o'clock 
 in procession to St. Mary's Church, where after hearing Divine 
 Service and a Sermon on the occasion, they returned to the Town 
 Hall to dinner, and the evening was spent in Harmony and 
 Conviviality." 
 
 The intention to hold this procession was advertised in the 
 Chronicle in the following terms : — 
 Aug. 20th. " FREE MASONRY." 
 
 "A dispensation having been granted by the P.G.M. for 
 the County of Salop to the Salopian Lodge for celebrating the 
 past festival of St. John the Baptist on Tuesday, the 31st 
 August, the brethren of the different Lodges in the County are 
 desired to attend the D. P.G.M. at the Lodge Room at JO o'clock 
 in the morning, from thence to walk in procession to St. Mary's 
 Church, attended by the Provincial Grand Chaplain, and after- 
 wards to dine at the Town Hall when the Company of every 
 visiting brother will be highly esteemed. 
 
 By order of the P.G.M., 
 CHARLES SHIRREFF, D.F.G .M." 
 
 (1) Bro. Neale had just resigdecl. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 119 
 
 The account given by the same paper in its issue of 
 September 3rd is : — " On Tuesday last a very numerous 1790. 
 and respectable body of Free and Accepted Masons 
 belonging to the Provincial Egerton Salopian and Wellington 
 Lodges of this County, assembled at the Fox Inn at this town, 
 from whence they went in procession in their respective uniforms, 
 adorned with the jewels and insignia of the order, preceded by a 
 band of Music to St. Mary's Church." The banquet, we further 
 learn from the same source, was conducted with " that harmony 
 and decorum which always adorn the character of Masons.'' 
 
 In the Provincial History I have already indicated the 
 importance of a comparison of these accounts. I may, perhaps, 
 repeat here the conclusions at which I then arrived. These are 
 1st — that this was not a meeting of a Provincial Grand Lodge, 
 and 2ndly — that the Whitchurch Lodge No. 1 was in common 
 estimation regarded as a Provincial Grand Lodge, and that in 
 fact no real Provincial Grand Lodge was then in existence. No. 
 344 was not a Shropshire Lodge ; at this date 344 on the English 
 Register was the Merchants Lodge, hailing from Liverpool. 
 Bro. Grant was probably only a casual visitor. It is curious that 
 Bro. Sadler, who kindly made the requisite search for me in 
 Grand Lodge, cannot find the name of Grant on the register of 
 the members of the Merchants Lodge. It may, therefore, be 
 that 344 was some Lodge on the Irish or Scotch Register, and 
 not an English Lodge at all. The procession was evidently 
 carried out with considerable pomp, as the Treasurer paid 
 £3 18s. 6d. for the band alone. The sermon preached by Bro. 
 Collier was greatly appreciated, and he was invited by the Lodge 
 to get it printed, or else favour them with a copy for that pur- 
 pose. Eventually, as we shall see later on, he acceeded to this 
 request. 
 
 I have already noticed the resignation of Bro. Neale. He 
 was undoubtedly a good and enthusiastic, if somewhat quarrel- 
 some Mason. The Minute referring to his resignation of office 
 reads thus—" After an elegant address from the Right Worshipul 
 
120 
 
 FREEMASONRY IX 
 
 Master, he resigned the Chair, which he had filled with 
 1790. so much honour and credit to himself and profit to the 
 Lodge, and appointed and installed Bro. Loxdale 
 Master, instituted Bro. Lloyd into the office of Senior Warden, 
 and proper charges were given on the occasion." That his ability 
 and industry were considerable is evident by the progress the 
 Lodge had made under his fostering care ; and that his efforts 
 were appreciated by the Lodge is seen from a minute dated May 
 10th, which records that "After a most excellent charge delivered 
 by the Right Worshipful Master to Bros. R. Jones and Rowley, 
 who had been raised to the sublime degree of Master Masons last 
 lodge night, he gave an extraordinary fine lecture on the 3rd 
 degree of Masonry, and afterwards one on the first, when the 
 Lodge was closed in Peace and Harmony." 
 
 On October 5th the Lodge Room was put in mourning for 
 the late Grand Master, H.R.H. the Duke of Cumberland. A 
 hatchment was ordered to be prepared, and inquiries were 
 addressed to the P.G.M., "asking if it was necessary to observe 
 any particular ceremony on the occasion." 
 
 A curious event took place on December 27th — On that 
 day Rro. Loxdale resigned the Chair, and Bro. Barkley was 
 elected unanimously in his place, and was duly installed ; he then 
 immediately resigned office, and Bro. Loxdale was re-elected 
 Master, and was installed in proper ionn. This is the only 
 instance of ' Passing the Chair,' viz. of obtaining the rank of 
 P.M. without having served the office of W.M., recorded in the 
 annals of the Lodge. The rank of Installed Master, then 
 regarded as a degree, was considered to be a necessary qualifica- 
 tion for exaltation in the Royal Arch, and the fiction of ' Passing 
 the Chair ' was invented to enable an ordinary Master Mason to 
 be exalted before he had presided over a Lodge as Master. The 
 use of this fiction was at the date of the Union in 1813 declared 
 to be no longer necessary, and any Master Mason can now be 
 exalted. The custom, however, in some Lodges continued until a 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHEOPSHIRE. 121 
 
 much later period. "In Nos. 37 and 42 it lasted until 
 
 1846 and 1850 respectively."(i) I have found no trace 1790, 
 
 of the Royal Arch being worked in Shrewsbury before 
 
 the year 1797, and I therefore conclude that Bro. Barkley must, 
 
 unless he was receiving a mere honorary degree, have passed the 
 
 Chair with a view to exaltation in some other part of England. 
 
 In the minute books of 117 many instances of several Brethren 
 
 ' Passing the Chair ' on the same evening may be found, but this 
 
 was at a time 20 years later than the period of which I am 
 
 writing. 
 
 The initial impetus now began to lose its force. 
 Only 16 lodges were held during the year ; the average 1791. 
 attendance was lowered to 15, and the number of 
 ceremonies to 9. Considerable pecuniary difficulty was also felt, 
 and in consequence the subscription to the Salop Infirmary was 
 reduced to 3 guineas, and an application for aid from the 
 Humane Society was refused. Subscriptions in arrear were 
 closely looked after, suppers were discontinued for five nights, and 
 strict economy generally enforced. These measures were success- 
 ful, and at the end of the year, notwithstanding considerable 
 outlay on distressed Brethren, the Treasurer had a balance of 
 £12 17s. lOd. in his hands. On Feb. 1st., a Quarterly Commun- 
 ication was received notifying the election of H.R.H. George, 
 Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV., to the office of Grand 
 Master; he had been initiated in 1787. It is curious to note 
 how the words " Quarterly Communication " early changed their 
 meaning. Originally they implied that personal communication 
 or intercourse which the Masters and Wardens of the Lodge were 
 expected to keep up with the officers of Grand Lodge, and the 
 quarterly meetings of Grand Lodge were called Quarterly Com- 
 munications.W In 1791 we see that the words had come to 
 mean the quarterly letter from Grand Lodge to the Lodges 
 subordinate to it. 
 
 (1) Gould's History o£ Freemasonry, vol. ii., p. 460. 
 
 (2) Book of Constitutions 1781 at p. 200. 
 
122 FEEEMASOXEY IN 
 
 rrom the Minutes of Feb. 1st and March 1st we find 
 1791. that Bro. Collier was anxious about the proceeds of the 
 
 sale of his Sermon, preached in the previous year, and 
 which had been printed by the Lodge. The Secretary was 
 accordingly " ordered to make out an account of the Sermons sold 
 and remit the money due.'' This is only one instance amongst 
 many which might be quoted from the records, of the eagerness 
 with which the Brethren purchased printed Sermons. Our tastes at 
 the present day diifer somewhat from those of by-gone generations. 
 Two other entries on March 1st are worth noting. The 
 first records a resolution " that the Lodge will not take upon 
 them to decide upon the misunderstanding which arose between 
 Bros. Neale and Hall, and that the Secretary write to Bro Hall 
 to attend as usual." This, Bro. Hall, with true Masonic Spirit, at 
 first refused to do, as his enmity still existed. However, the 
 matter was ultimately disposed of, for on August 2nd we find it 
 " Resolved that Bro. Hall be excused paying his arrears for the 
 past six months, his absence being occasioned by a disagreement 
 between him and another worthy Brother, which is now amicably 
 settled." The other entry referred to is as follows : — " Resolved 
 that in future the Lodge be formed with the Wardens in the 
 West, agreeable to the usage of the Grand Lodge — that the Office 
 of Deacon be abolished and Stewards appointed in their stead." 
 Upon this it may be remarked that the Lodge was misinformed 
 as to the proper position of the Wardens. At this time Grand 
 Lodge followed the usage of the present day, though at a much 
 earlier date I believe the Wardens were found in the West. "In 
 different rites the positions of these officers vary. In the York 
 and American rites, the Senior Warden sits in the West and the 
 Junior in the South. In the French and Scottish rites, both 
 Wardens sit in the West, the Senior in the North West and the 
 Junior in the South West."(i) This latter position is that shown 
 upon an old Apron found in Ireland, which is described by Bro. 
 D. R. Clark, F.S. A. in the Journal of the Quatuor Coronatorum.(-) 
 
 (1) Mackey's Encyclopcedia. 
 
 (2) Tol. iv., part 1, p. 56. 
 
THE PUOVINCE OE SIIUOPSIIIRE. 123 
 
 The abolition of Deacons, when once established 
 as regular Lodge officers, is very curious. Bro. Shirreff's 1791. 
 views upon the change would be most intei'esting, if we 
 could ascertain what they were. I have already suggested that 
 it was probably a re-action towards " Modern " customs, caused 
 by his excessive tendencies in favour of " Ancient " usages. 
 
 In this year we first liear of a Lodge of Instruction 
 established in connection with the Lodge. It obtained the use 
 of the old lodge jewels for its meetings, which were held every 
 Tuesday Evening at the Trumpet Inn. I do not think it 
 existed for any great length of time, as it is never mentioned 
 again, and the minutes from time to time make it perfectly clear 
 that this was only the first of a long series of attempts to establish 
 such an institution. 
 
 Bro. Neale appears to have left Shrewsbury about this 
 time, as we find the Lodge recommending him to the notice of 
 Sir Robert Cotton, P.G M. for Cheshire, in whose neighbourhood 
 he went to reside. His name is never again mentioned. by the 
 Secretary, but his change of residence does not seem to have 
 brought him prosperity, for I find shortly afterwards, from the 
 columns of the Shrewsbury Chronicle, that he became bankrupt. 
 
 On December 6th a letter was read in Lodge from " the 
 author of Freemasonry for the Ladies." •ft would be interesting 
 to see the work in question, but the Lodge apparently did not 
 think so, as it refused to purchase a copy. There can be little 
 doubt, I think, that the full title of the work in question was, 
 " The Use and Abuse of Freemasonry ; a Work of the greatest 
 utihty to the Brethren of the Society, to mankind in general, 
 and to the Ladies in Particular." The author was Captain 
 George Smith, who in 1783 failed to obtain the sanction of Grand 
 Lodge for its publication.(i) 
 
 A present of some candles to the Lodge by Bro. Beck may 
 be noted, as also of a crane by Bro. Taylor. Candles, then the only 
 illuminants, formed a very heavy item in the Lodge expenditure. 
 
 (1) Gouia, vol. ii., p. 470. 
 
124 FKEEMASONEY IN 
 
 In October the thanks of the Lodge were ordered to be 
 
 1791. sent to "Bro. Sketchley, of Birmingham, for his polite 
 attention to them in sending the acct. of the late Grand 
 
 procession at Hereford." The Lodge there was called the 
 Palladium, and still exists, its number being 120. It was 
 founded in 1762. I have no details of the Grand Procession to 
 supply ; but " Bro. Sketchley " was, I think, Bro. Schichley, who 
 in the year 1791 struck, in Birmingham, a Masonic token to 
 celebrate the election of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales as Grand 
 Master, (i) A copy of this interesting token is now in the possession 
 of Bro. A. E. Lloyd Oswell, P.M. Forty members and visitors 
 sat down to dinner on St. John's Day in December, the Secretary's 
 only remark on the subject is that " the Evening was spent in 
 hai'mony and due decorum." 
 
 The average attendance in the year 1792 was only 12, 
 
 1792. and only 8 Ceremonies were performed. Three of these 
 ceremonies were performed in one evening upon Bro. 
 
 Partridge, whose case is deserving of some further notice. He 
 was a visitor, without any protest being made, at the February 
 lodge, but when his name was mentioned in September as a 
 joining brother, it was decided, as he was a member under the 
 " Antient Constitution," he could not become a member of a, 
 Modern Lodge without undergoing re-initiation. He was 
 accordingly balloted for as an ordinary candidate, and being 
 accepted, was initiated, passed, and raised the same evening. 
 Bro. William Ford who was also a " Member of the Ancient 
 Constitution " was rejected when proposed under similar circum- 
 stances. Bro. Gould remarks'^' — " Undue stress has been laid 
 upon the custom which prevailed under the two Grand Lodges 
 of England of requiring brethren who had already graduated 
 under one system, to go through the ceremonies a second time 
 under the other. The fees for registration may have been at the 
 bottom of the whole affair, and in each case, as the admission of 
 
 (1) Hughana Masonic Kegister, p. 30. 
 
 (8) History o£ Freemasonry, vol. ii., p. 461. 
 
THE PliOVINCE OF SHBOPSHIKE. 125 
 
 brethren from the rival camp in. the capacity of 
 visitors — until a comparatively late period— plainly 1792. 
 indicates, a remaking was more a protest against the 
 regularity than the validity of the degree to which the postulant 
 had previously been admitted." A converse re-making may be 
 noted in the records of 117, which was, as we know, until the 
 Union, an "Ancient" Lodge. Under date Jan. 9th, 1811, we 
 read that "Mr. John Beer, Sergt. was proposed to be ancinized" ; 
 the Secretary, we may conclude, meant to say " ancientized," if 
 such a word may be coined for the occasion. 
 
 The Chair during the entire year was filled by the Senior 
 "Warden, Bro. Jones, as Bro. Barkley, who had been elected 
 Master, resigned that office on Jan. 3rd. 
 
 The Lodge exercised a great amount of caution in the 
 initiation of a Serving Brother. His note of hand for £3 7s. Od. 
 was required from him before the Ceremony was performed, in 
 case " he quitted Bro. Trehearn's (the Caterer) services before 3 
 years." This was evidently to prevent the possibility of a gratu- 
 itous initiation, which might have taken place if the Brother in 
 question had suddenly ceased to serve the Lodge. 
 
 In the previous year the Lodge appears to have lent a 
 Bro. Johnston, who was not a member, the sum of £& 10s. 4d., 
 and to have taken from him his notes of hand for that amount. 
 Bro. Johnston was evidently in poor circumstances, as in this 
 year a Committee appointed to deal with his business, accepted 
 from his sureties " half the money due upon the notes in full 
 satisfaction to the Lodge." The minute then continues—" but 
 the notes should remain in the possession of the Lodge, in order 
 to enable the persons to whom the same are made payable, to 
 recover the money from Johnston, and reimburse the sureties 
 what money they should pay." 
 
 The appointment of a Committee of Charity about this 
 period, is worth noticing. Hitherto the W.M. seems to have 
 been the principal almoner, except in cases where rehef was voted 
 to specific Brethren in open Lodge. 
 
126 FKEEMASONRY IN 
 
 At this time, too, occurs the first mention of the 
 
 1792. "Cumberland Society for the Support and education of 
 Female children, daughters of Masons,'' ealled after- 
 wards the " Royal Cumberland Free Masons School," and now 
 the well-known Masonic Institution for Girls. The Lodge 
 determined to support its funds by collecting 5/- from every 
 initiate, but with considerable caution added, "provided the 
 Lodge shall have the privilege with other Lodges to recommend 
 proper objects for this Charity." The School was founded in 
 1788, and took its original name from the Duke of Cumberland, 
 the Grand Master of the " Moderns." 
 
 The by-laws were now revised ; a copy is preserved in the 
 Minute Book, but only three changes need be mentioned. — 
 These are (1) that the choice of a Secretary and of the Wardens 
 was now placed in the hands of the W.M., subject, however, to 
 the approval of the Lodge — (2) that a single fee of £3 3s. Od. was 
 to be paid for initiation, no subsequent charge being made for 
 the other ceremonies — and (3) that all polls and ballots were to 
 be taken by the Junior Warden. The last mentioned alteration 
 was doubtless due to the abolition of the office of Deacon, which 
 has been already noticed. 
 
 The next entry that calls for notice relates to one of the 
 saddest events that a Mason has ever to deal with. — " Bro. John 
 
 , lately admitted a member of the Lodge, having conducted 
 
 himself improperly, and having defrauded several members, 
 of the Lodge of money, and otherwise degraded the character of 
 a Mason. — It was therefore unanimously resolved that the sd. 
 
 John be expelled the Lodge, and his name be erased from 
 
 the list of Members." 
 
 The number of the Lodge, owing to a general re-numbering, 
 now became 434. 
 
 Some members of the Lodge now appear to have 
 
 1793. become anxious for a more frequent change of officers, 
 but a proposal to elect them half-yearly was ultimately 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 127 
 
 negatived. Funds were very plentiful, so that it was 
 proposed to reduce the yearly subscription of 30/- 1793. 
 (2/6 a month, 1/- being for the Lodge funds, and 1/6 
 for the expenses of the night) to 20/- The Brethren appear to 
 have been delighted with the prospect, as they adopted a resolu- 
 tion to that eifect at four successive meetings. Even this 
 reduction, when carried out, failed to empty the Treasurer's 
 coffers ; at the end of the year we find he had a balance of 
 £25 in hand, part of which was employed "in encouraging the 
 production of, and becoming subscribers to the Freemasons 
 Magazine." 
 
 At a Lodge of Emergency held on Nov. 20th the sum of 
 5 guineas was voted to the " relief of the British Troops then in 
 Flanders." This was in the time of the younger Pitt, when 
 British troops, under the Duke of York, was sent to support the 
 coalition of Russia, Austria, Saxony, Sardinia, and Spain, against 
 France, then distracted by Civil War, under the Revolutionary 
 Government. The whole country seems to have taken part in 
 the effort to assist our army. A public meeting in that behalf 
 was held in Shrewsbury in November, and from the Chronicle we 
 learn that another was held at Bridgnorth, "to supply the 53rd 
 or Shropshire Regiment with 500 waiscoats as a tribute to the 
 courage and bravery which that regiment had lately shown at 
 Nieuport." In the following year, when the situation of the 
 Allies was critical, the Earl of Moira was sent out with a 
 reinforcement of 10 000 men, and after one of the most brilliant 
 and extraordinary marches in history, succeeded in effecting a 
 junction with the Duke of York, then nearly surrounded by 
 forces much superior in number to those under his command. 
 The genius of Napoleon ultimately proved more than a match for 
 the Allies, who suffered great privations in their ineffectual 
 efforts to oppose him. 
 
 A good part of the Treasurer's Accounts for the year is 
 taken up by details in connection with the death and burial of 
 Bro. Innys, who, almost since the foundation of the Lodge, had 
 
128 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 been in receipt of relief — his rent being paid for him, 
 
 1793. and pecuniary aid constantly given. He was buried at 
 the expense of the Lodge, the bills amounting to 
 
 £10 3s. lid.; the Brethren attending the funeral, however, 
 provided their own bands and gloves. The Lodge appears to 
 have seized all his effects, and sold them by auction amongst the 
 members. A total of £19 19s. 6^d. was thus received, the details 
 of each Brother's purchase being fully set out. There seems to 
 have been some dispute about the rent due by Bro. Innys, as a 
 minute of April 15th records that " The Right Worshipful 
 Master declared his entire disapprobation of a charge contained 
 in Mr. Bickerton's bill against the late Mr. Innys, and also 
 declared that Mr. Bickerton never made any such demand in the 
 lifetime of Bro. Innys. It was therefore unanimously " Resolved 
 that the sd. charge of £1 lis. Od. in the said bill be disallowed." 
 The whole history of Bro. Innys supplies an excellent instance of 
 the exercise of the brotherly love inculcated by the Craft, and 
 also of the close attention then devoted by the Lodge to the 
 aifairs of its members. 
 
 In another part of the same Accounts is the item 
 £5 6s. 2d. " Cash paid for soldgers clothing," while on the other 
 side of the account appears " By cash reed, by Br. Steward of 
 Sundry Br. for soldiers cloathing £4 Os. Od." This transaction 
 has reference, I suppose, to the relief voted for the troops in 
 Flanders. The 5 guineas voted out of the funds of the Lodge, 
 seems to have been partly defrayed by private subscription 
 amongst the members, and its value in clothes duly forwarded to 
 the Seat of War. 
 
 This was a very quiet year in the history of the Lodge ; 
 
 1794. in many instances the minutes of the meetings held 
 only record the names of the Brethren present. Bro. 
 
 Shirreff, D.P.G.M., now joined the Lodge as an honorary member. 
 We find a trace of his quarrel with the P.G.M. in the fact that 
 the Lodge forwarded a subscription of one guinea to the General 
 Fund of Charity through the latter, and not through his Deputy, 
 as in former years. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 129 
 
 The Treasurer records on June 26th having 
 received 5/- for the first seven numbers of the Free- 1794. 
 masons' Magazine," but its published price does not 
 appear. Bro. Secretary seems to have been in a hurry on Dec. 
 29th as his only remark is "The Lodge spent in Harmony, &c." 
 
 The question of arrears was again seriously con- 
 sidered in this year, and Grand Lodge was written to 1795. 
 for advice upon the subject. An absent P.G.M. and a 
 discredited Deputy, left the Lodge no other source of information 
 to apply to. A Committee of Charity was again appointed, but 
 on this occasion it received very definite instructions as to its 
 mode of action — " It is orderecl that when any person shall 
 apply in that situation (viz. distressed) one or more of the 
 Committee shall examine him, and if he or they discover him to 
 be a true brother, they give an order to the treasurer for such 
 relief as shall be by them thought necessary, and that no brother 
 be relieved out of the Fund of the Lodge by any other means." 
 
 On April 7th a letter was read from Bro. Bourlay charging 
 Bro. Trehearn with ill-usage, and a lodge was summoned to 
 inquire into the matter, which accordingly met in July. The 
 minute runs : — " The Lodge this night assembled having heard 
 Bro. Bourlay's charge against Bro. Trehearn, and also Bro. 
 Trehearn's defence thereto, and having heard the evidence of 
 Bro. Jones who was present at the affray between Bro. Bourlay 
 and Bro. Trehearn, do adjudge that Bro. Trehearn did not 
 conduct himseK as a Brother Mason towards Brother Bourlay, 
 and therefore the Lodge doth order that Bro. Trehearn shall and 
 do make a concession to Bro. Bourlay in the Lodge Room for his 
 misbehaviour, which was accordingly done." One cannot help 
 wondering from whence the Lodge conceived it had received its 
 jurisdiction to make such an order, or what would have been the 
 consequences of disobedience to it. 
 
 On August 4th a letter was read from Sir Robert Cotton, 
 P.G.M. for Cheshire, recommending to the notice of the Lodge 
 
 Q 
 
130 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 "A Chronological and Brief History of the French 
 
 1795. Revolution," by Bro. Talma. Bro. Talma was a visitor 
 on this occasion, but the Lodge does not appear to have 
 
 bought a copy of the work in question. 
 
 In November the Lodge was invited to the Consecration 
 of the Royal Edward Lodge. This was the Leominster Lodge, 
 which became extinct sometime before 1832. There is now, 
 however, a Lodge of the same name (No. 892) in the same town, 
 which was founded in 1861. Bro. Jones, the Treasurer, died 
 during his year of office. The Brethren attended the funeral, and 
 refreshed themselves very liberally at the expense of the Lodge. 
 
 Bro. Thomas Gray, Junr., applied for relief, but as his 
 
 1796. name had some time before been erased for non-payment 
 of his subscription, his application was refused. Bro. 
 
 Carline, W.M., seems to have had a frugal mind, as he 
 proposed "that all visitors in future should pay 2/6, and also 
 that only the sum of money arising from the subscribing members 
 be expended on the lodge night, any extra expense to be paid by 
 the members present." These propositions were ultimately 
 adopted, and twelve months later we find the second of them 
 ordered to be strictly enforced. Some such arrangement was 
 evidently necessary, as the Lodge was clearly going down hill, 
 and not nearly so prosperous as formerly. The average 
 attendance during the year only reached 1 1, and only one 
 initiation took place. 
 
 In March we find the Lodge at conflict with its printer. 
 
 1797. " The Lodge unanimously agreed that Mr. Wood be 
 paid for advertising the Festival of St. John once only, 
 
 it appearing to the Lodge that Mr. Wood had made a wilful 
 mistake in inserting the advertisement before the date — by adver- 
 tising the festival on the 18th Dec, and dating the same the 25th." 
 
 The ordering of two columns for the use of the Wardens, 
 leaves us in doubt whether or not the Lodge had previously been 
 destitute of these articles of furniture. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIEE. 131 
 
 Once again, after a long interval, we hear of 
 Bro. Johnston's notes of hand. A Committee was now 1797. 
 appointed to interview him on the subject. The result 
 of this interview is evident from an inspection of the Treasurer's 
 Book as we find in it an entry dated August as follows — " Bro. 
 Johnston 10/- in the pound on his notes of hand £3 5s. Od." 
 This sura was not half of the £8 10s. 4d. previously stated to 
 have been lent, but I cannot account for the discrepancy. The 
 Lodge apparently never paid over this sum of £3 5s. Od. to Bro. 
 Johnston's sureties, which assuredly ought to have been done in 
 pursuance of the agreement made with Bro. Johnston in 1792. 
 Perhaps we may assume that Bro. Johnston's circumstances had 
 now materially improved, and that he himself reimbursed his 
 sureties for the payments made by them on his behalf. 
 
 Two Brethren in prison, recommended to the notice of the 
 Lodge by the Egerton Lodge, were " found on enquiry not to be 
 proper objects " of charity. It is interesting to note that at this 
 period prison discipline allowed relief to be administered to the 
 prisoners from outside sources. In the Chronicle of Dec. 19th 
 the following curious advertisement occurs : — " The prisoners in 
 the County Goal return their hearty thanks to a Gentleman 
 Farmer for his annual donation to be laid out in beef and plum 
 pudding for their dinner on Christmas Day." 
 
 The Festival of St. John was celebrated as usual, but the 
 Secretary's only remark thereon is — " The Evening conducted in 
 the best manner." 
 
 Henry Bowdler, aged only 17 years, was initiated 
 in March, by virtue of a Dispensation from the P.G.M. 1798. 
 (Egerton). The petition presented by Bro. Bowdler 
 was for some reason put upon the minutes. From the subjoined 
 copy it will be seen that it was practically identical with the 
 form in use at the present day. " I Henry Bowdler of my own 
 free-will, unbiassed by friends or uninfluenced by mercenary 
 motives, do freely and voluntary (sic) offer myself a candidate for 
 
132 
 
 FMEEMASONIIY IN 
 
 ye mistiry of free masonry, it's soly from the favourable 
 
 1798. oppinion I have of the Institution makes me solicit to 
 
 become a Brother, if I should therefore be happy 
 
 enough to be accepted, I am determined to chearfuUy conform to 
 
 all the Rules Customs and Regulations of the Society. Witness 
 
 my Hand this first day of March, 1798. 
 
 HENRY BOWDLER." 
 
 The dispensation was in the form of a letter to Bro. Geo. 
 Bowdler, the father of the Candidate — 
 
 " Sir — I have this morning received your letter forwarded 
 from Whitchurch ; and by the first, in hopes this may arrive in 
 time, I forward my permission as P.G.M. to make your son a 
 Mason tho' under age, in case the Lodge chuse to elect him. If 
 a regular dispensation should be necessary, I shall order you to 
 be acquainted therewith. I beg leave to present my respects to 
 the Shrewsbury Lodge, 
 
 Duke of Bridgewater and am Sir 
 
 Cleveland Court, yr. obedt. hble. Servt., 
 
 5 March 1798 FRANCIS H. EGERTON." 
 
 Under the address was written these words — " The Post- 
 master at Salop is desired to order this to be delivered on 
 Tuesday Evg. 6th March." 
 
 The certificate given to Bro. Bowdler was " signed by the 
 Master and Wardens &c.," and is in the form of a letter 
 addressed to him ; apparently this was deemed sufficient. 
 
 The minute of July 10th has a curt quaintness about it 
 worth noticing, it is : — " Nothing particular occur'd." 
 
 Bro. Gray, whose name had been erased from the roll of 
 the Lodge members, applied for a Certificate, which was refused j 
 he made several attempts in succeeding years to melt the Lodge 
 into acquiesence with his wishes in this respect, but without 
 success. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHEOPSHIUE. 133 
 
 The Brethren, appeared to think that they had 
 had enough of Sermons in their previous experiences, as 1798. 
 they now resolved not to send any answer to " a letter 
 from Mr. Perfect of Mailing with proposals for the Sermons by 
 the Rev. Jethro Inwood, B.A." 
 
 Up to this date the number of Brethren admitted was 
 about 90. Amongst the names of old Salopians we find the 
 following — John Beck, Thomas Loxdale, Samuel Meire, William 
 Heighway, John Carline, William Clement (the father of 
 W. J. Clement, the late well-known Shrewsbury Surgeon), and 
 James Sandford. 
 
 From this year until 1813 the downward course 
 of the Lodge continued almost without a break. Only 10 1799. 
 lodges were held, with an average attendance of 9 
 members ; twice, the orthodox number to form a complete lodge 
 was only obtained by the presence of visitors. No ceremonies of 
 any description were performed ; no lodges were held in January, 
 February, or July ; and the minutes contain no records of business 
 transacted until December. In that month we find a Committee 
 was appointed " to take into consideration the state of our 
 finance and other urgent Busines's. Also our continuance of one 
 guinea Subn. to the Grand Lodge Fund of Charity.'' Part of this 
 business was certainly urgent, as the Treasurer only had 2/7 in 
 hand at the end of the year. 
 
 The pecuniary difficulties mentioned in the pre- 
 ceding year caused the subscription to be again raised to 1800. 
 30/- per annum. Even this measure was ineffectual to" 
 prevent the existence of a deficit of £i 8s. 4d. on this year's 
 accounts. About this time the 21st Dragoons seems to have 
 been quartered in Shrewsbury, having come there from Bridg- 
 north. Four members of the Regiment joined the Lodge ; they 
 had been made in the Lodge of Industry 578, founded in 
 Bridgnorth in the previous year. As a consequence, perhaps, of 
 this influx of Bridgnorth Masons, the intercourse between the 
 
134 PREEMASONEY IN 
 
 Salopian Lodge and the Lodge of Industry was of a 
 
 1800. most friendly character, and mutual invitations passed 
 between them. The members of the former Lodge 
 
 attended a procession at Bridgnorth in their private capacity, and 
 the Bridgnorth Lodge came to Shrewsbury to celebrate the 
 Festival of St. John. The minutes also from time to time contain 
 the names of casual visitors from Bridgnorth. 
 
 In February the Secretary notes the levy by Grand 
 Lodge of a poll tax of 2/- per member. This tax was established 
 in 1799 to pay off the debt on the Freemasons' Hall, which had 
 greatly increased. Stringent regulations were made for the 
 erasure of lodges not paying it, and in consequence many, 
 including two Shropshire Lodges, were struck off the roll ; it was 
 exacted every year till 1810. 
 
 An instance occurs in this year of a matter which has not 
 been previously noted, but which was then usual and continued 
 so for many years. It appears to have been considered that the 
 passing or raising of a brother could only take place after a 
 proposition to that effect had been duly made and carried. The 
 W.M. does not seem to have then had that discretion in such 
 matters which he now exercises. 
 
 The minute of Augt. 5th discloses the first sign of the 
 dissatisfaction of the Lodge at their accommodation at the Fox. 
 " It was ordered that the ill-treatment of the Lodge by Bro. 
 Trehearn should be inquired into." Accordingly in October the 
 Lodge gave notice of its intention to move to other quarters. 
 
 The new home of the Lodge was in the Trumpet Inn, 
 
 1801. kept by Bro. Cottom, its first Junior Warden. The 
 Trumpet was situate in Hill's Lane, Mardol. The 
 
 change does not seem to have been at all successful. 
 
 In March a Bro. who wished to join the Lodge was black 
 beaned, but in May another ballot was taken, as some of the 
 members thought there was an error in the former one, and upon 
 this occasion he was duly elected. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 135 
 
 In June Bro. Clement waselected W.M. Why 
 this election took place is not disclosed. Bro. Bassett, 1801. 
 who was W.M. in the first half of the year, also presided 
 over the majority of Lodges held during the remainder of the 
 year, but he is always described thus — " Bro. Bassett as W.M." 
 Bro. Clement never took the chair at this, or any other, period. 
 
 In August the Lodge was invited to attend a P.G. Lodge 
 at Hereford. A grand procession was in contemplation to go to 
 Divine Service. The Ceremony was in honour of the birthday of 
 the Royal Grand Master, afterwards George IV. 
 
 A Bro. Finch of Canterbury in this year honoured the 
 Lodge with the first of a long series of letters with " proposals 
 for publishing by subscription a Masonic Key, price 3/6, 
 containing upwards of 500 different allusions and explinations 
 (sic) relative to the Masonic Order, which contains full one third 
 more than what is practised in either Ancient or Modern Lodges." 
 The Lodge declined to subscribe, and it acted wisely in so doing. 
 Finch was a Masonic impostor of an unusually brazen and 
 pertinacious type. One of his works was the creation in Ireland 
 of a fancy degree called the Order of Philippi. 
 
 In December occurs the first mention of the " Masonic 
 Society's Fund for the relief of the Sick." This, I imagine, was 
 the " Masonic Benefit Society," which was started in 1799 upon 
 the same basis as all other Benefit Societies, but probably did 
 not survive the Union in 1813. 
 
 The average attendance was again lowered, it now only 
 reached 8 ; on three separate occasions only five members were 
 present. Bro. Trehearn of the Fox seems to have borne no 
 lasting animosity on account of the Lodge having left his house, 
 as his name once more appears in the list of Members. 
 
 Ten ceremonies performed in this year recall the 
 memories of non-flourishing days gone by, and four 1802. 
 raisings in one night must have kept the Lodge fully 
 
136 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 employed. It is rather curious that Bro. Hitchcock, 
 
 1802. one of the new initiates, should have been elected 
 Secretary in December, his fitness for that post must 
 
 have been to a great extent a matter of faith. 
 
 As an instance of the close attention paid by the Lodge 
 to the affairs of its members, the case of Bro. Carswell may be men- 
 tioned. For some time the Brethren had been greatly concerned 
 about his non-attendance to his Masonic duties. The Secretary 
 was ordered to visit him, and when that official reported at the 
 next meeting that he had visited Bro. Carswell but could not see 
 him, the Tyler was sent to him during lodge hours. The Tyler 
 announced that he " found him particularly engaged, but would 
 certainly attend next Lodge night." This promise was not kept, 
 and the Brethren then appear to have looked upon the matter 
 as hopeless, and did not worry Bro. Carswell any further. 
 
 The late Treasurer was requested in December " to pay 
 immediately what money was due to the Lodge." He declared it 
 not to be in his power to do so, " but would certainly pay it by 
 the end of January next." The amount was £8 Is. 2d., and, so 
 far as I can ascertain, no repayment was ever made. 
 
 The entries this year are purely formal, and do not 
 
 1803. require any notice. The only business recorded outside 
 the ordinary routine, is that the Tyler was admonished 
 
 for neglect of duty. 
 
 The Lodge was invited on August 13th to another 
 
 1804. procession at Hereford, but does not seem to have 
 accepted the invitation. The attendance of Brethren 
 
 at lodge was very small, and no business is recorded on several 
 dates. A letter from a Bro. Pullen was answered, " inclosing his 
 imaginary Notes " (? Notis). Wliat this minute refers to I have 
 been unable to discover. 
 
THE PKOVINCE OF SHEOPSHIRE. ' 137 
 
 In September, the Mercian Lodge, Ludlow, 
 founded in this year, invited the Lodge to join in their 1805. 
 procession, but an answer was sent " stating the 
 impossibility of attending as a Lodge." In return for this 
 invitation, the Salopian Lodge wrote a letter to the Mercian 
 Lodge " stating the necessity of well considering the custom of 
 relieving Brethren in distress, and that caution is necessary to 
 prevent being the dupes of impostors." The former Lodge had 
 twice in the previous year refused assistance to applicants, as 
 they were not ht objects of Charity, so that this letter of advice 
 to the younger Lodge was by no means superfluous or 
 unnecessary. 
 
 The lodges in these years were regularly held, 
 but little interest seems to have been taken in Masonic 1806-7-8 
 work by the great majority of members. The average 
 attendance was very small, and only two ceremonies were 
 performed in the whole period. A rather quaint minute on 
 Nov. 2nd, 1807, records that a proposition to erase the names of 
 members in arrear with their subscriptions, " was generally 
 seconded but particularly by Bro. Bassett." In July ' 1808 
 another invitation from Ludlow was received, another procession 
 having been arranged for in that town. 
 
 Once more the Secretary records the expulsion 
 of a member "in consequence of his irregular 1809. 
 behaviour." The brother in question was Junior 
 Warden, and was actually present in the lodge at the time the 
 resolution expelling him was carried. The Brethren appear to 
 have been desirous of acting very strictly in the matter, as the 
 Secretary was ordered to report it to Grand Lodge, and the 
 minute was signed by the W.M. The practice of confirming the 
 minutes had not then been invented, or at all events had not yet 
 been introduced into the Salopian Lodge, and this is only an 
 isolated instance of such a custom, not the beginning of a regular 
 habit of so doing. 
 
138 
 
 PREEMASONUT IN 
 
 The small attendance of members, which had now 
 1810-11 continued for some years, induced the Lodge to hold its 
 
 meetings quarterly instead of monthly. The day of 
 meeting was also changed from Tuesday to Monday, although no 
 alteration was made in the by-laws. To get a larger number of 
 Brethren together, a circular letter of invitation was sent to all 
 Masons resident near Shrewsbury, but no effect was produced. 
 Only three visitors appeared during the entire year 1810, and 
 none in 1811. In the former year the total amount received by 
 the Treasurer, including Subscriptions to the banquets, only 
 reached the sum of £6 l-Ss. 6d. This may account for the 
 " inability of the Lodge to subscribe anything towards the relief of 
 the British prisoners in France.'' 
 
 In December, 1811 the celebration of the Festival of 
 St. John was postponed to Jan. 1st, 1812, owing to the election 
 of a Member of Parliament for the Borough of Shrewsbury. The 
 member then elected was The Hon. H. G. Bennet, afterwards 
 Provincial Grand Master. 
 
 On Jan. 1st is the first recorded instance of the 
 1812. Lodge holding its banquet in the evening. The 
 hour was 7 o'clock, and the price of the tickets 
 2/6 each. 
 
 In December Grand Lodge requested a subscription 
 towards a Masonic jewel to be presented to the Right Honble. 
 the Earl of Moira. The answer of the Lodge weis a refusal, 
 couched in the following terms : — " As we are not subscribers to 
 the Charity Fund, it would npt be proper to subscribe, our Lodge 
 being small." The Earl of Moira, afterwards the Marquis of 
 Hastings, was then the Acting Grand Master, and was about to 
 proceed to India as Governor General of that Colony. The 
 jewel was duly presented to him, no less a sum than £1000 being 
 spent in purchasing it. I cannot attempt to give any account of 
 his life, interesting though it be ; both as a soldier and a Mason 
 it was full of work well done. I may, however, state that to his 
 
THE PUOVINCE OF SHKOPSHIKE. 139 
 
 influence is commonly ascribed the exemption of the 
 Society from the provisions of 39 Geo. III. c. 99, 1812. 
 which was intended to suppress all Secret Societies. 
 Had his efforts been unsuccessful in this respect, the Craft 
 could not have continued to exist as a legal institution. 
 
 Another instance occurs this year of the custom of 
 attending the funeral of a deceased brother. The expenses for 
 refreshments were, however, on this occasion only 6/- 
 
 Owing to Bro. Cottom leaving the Trumpet, the 
 Lodge had to seek a new home, and removed to the 1813. 
 Britannia Inn. There it remained but one year, and held 
 only four meetings. No record of any change of officers exists, and I 
 believe that frpm 1812 to 1814 inclusive, the brethren appointed 
 in the former year remained unaltered in their respective posts. 
 
 This year was a most eventful one in the history of the 
 Craft in England, as in it the Union between the rival Grand 
 Lodges was effected. The great impetus given to the prosperity 
 of the Masonic Order by this happy event cannot be over- 
 estimated. Immediately it was consummated, the Craft, 
 formerly divided and distracted by internal dissensions, acquired 
 a greatly extended influence and reputation. New Lodges 
 sprang up in every direction, and the old Lodges found the 
 number of their members increasing rapidly. An increased 
 public knowledge of and sympathy with Masonic work, produced 
 renewed efforts to spread the "Light," on the part of its 
 guardians. That success crowned those efi'orts is a matter of 
 notoriety. The story of the Union is so well-known, that any 
 attempt to relate it here may seem superfluous, but as it forms a 
 most important page in the history of any last century Lodge, a 
 short account is appended. 
 
 The Grand Lodge of England, established at the 
 memorable meeting of the members of the Four Old Lodges, 
 held in. London in 1717, held, until the year 1739, undisputed 
 
140 
 
 FKEEMASONRY IN 
 
 sway over all the Lodges in England, with the single 
 1813. exception of that belonging to the York Masons. This 
 
 Body had been established in the City of York for a 
 very long period of time and was in 1725 acknowledged by the 
 Grand Lodge of England to be independent of its jurisdiction. 
 Thereupon it assumed the title of the Grand Lodge of All 
 England, which it retained until its collapse in 1792. Its efforts 
 were always practically confined to Yorkshire and Lancashire. 
 In the year 1739 the Grand Lodge of England proceeded to 
 " consider a complaint against certain brethren suspected of being 
 concerned in an irregular making of Masons," and ultimately 
 ordered that " the laws be strictly put in execution against all 
 brethren who should, for the future, countenance, connive, or 
 assist at any irregular makings." The supposed consequences of 
 this order are very forcibly put in a note by Bro. Horthouck, the 
 Editor of the Book of Constitutions, 1784, appended to the 
 report of the proceedings of Grand Lodge above quoted. He 
 says : — " The Grand Lodge justly considered such proceedings as 
 an infringement on the original laws, an encroachment on the 
 privileges, and an imposition on the Charitable fund of the 
 Society. It was therefore resolved to discountenance those 
 assemblies, and to enforce the laws against all brethren who were 
 aiding or assisting in the clandestine reception of any person into 
 Masonry at any of these illegal conventions. This irritated the 
 brethren who had incurred the censure of the Grand Lodge, who, 
 instead of returning to their duty, and renouncing their error, 
 persisted in their contumacy, and openly refused to pay allegiance 
 to the Grand Master, or obedience to the mandates of the Grand 
 Lodge. In contempt of the Ancient and established laws of the 
 Order, they set up a power independent ; and, taking advantage 
 of the inexperience of their associates, insisted that they had an 
 equal authority with the Grand Lodge to make, pass, and raise 
 Masons. At this time no private Lodge had the power of passing 
 or raising Masons, nor could any brother be advanced to either 
 of these degrees but in the Grand Lodge, with the unanimous 
 consent and approbation of all the brethren in communication 
 
THE PKOVINCE OF SIIKOPSHIRE. 141 
 
 assembled. Under a fictitious sanction of the Ancient 
 
 York Constitution they presumed to claim the right of 1813. 
 
 Constituting Lodges. Some brethren at York continued 
 
 indeed to act under their original constitution, notwithstanding 
 
 the revival of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717 ; but the 
 
 irregular Masons in London never received any patronage from 
 
 them. The Ancient York Masons were confined to one Lodge, 
 
 which is still extant, but consists of very few members, and will 
 
 probably soon be altogether annihilated. This illegal and 
 
 unconstitutional claim obliged the regular Masons to adopt new 
 
 measures to detect these impostors, and debar them and their 
 
 abettors from the countenance and protection of Regular Lodges. 
 
 To accomplish this purpose more effectually, some variations were 
 
 made in the established forms, which afforded a subterfuge, at 
 
 which the refractory brethren readily grasped. They now 
 
 assumed the appellation of "Ancient Masons," proclaimed 
 
 themselves enemies to all innovations, insisted that they preserved 
 
 the ancient usages of the Order, and that the regular Masons, on 
 
 whom they conferred the title of " Modern Masons," had adopted 
 
 new measures illegal and unconstitutional ; thus by a new species 
 
 of deceit and imposition, they endeavoured to support an 
 
 existence, using the necessary precautions taken by Grand Lodge 
 
 to detect them, as a ground for a novel and ridiculous distinction 
 
 of Ancient and Modern Masons. This artifice strengthened 
 
 their party to some degree ; the uninformed were caught by the 
 
 deception, and in order to procure further support to their 
 
 assumed authority, they also determined to interrupt the regular 
 
 mode of succession of Grand Master by electing a chief ruler 
 
 under that designation, and other officers under the title of 
 
 Grand Officers, appointed from their own lodge ; convinced that 
 
 the most probable means for establishing their opposition, would 
 
 be by liberally conferring honours on their votaries to secure 
 
 their allegiance, and induce others to join them. They framed a 
 
 Code of Laws for their government, issued patents for new 
 
 Lodges, and exacted certain fees of constitution, from which they 
 
 hoped to raise a fund sufficient to support their power. They so 
 
142 FKEEMASONEY IX 
 
 far succeeded in their new plan as to be acknowledged 
 1813. by many; some gentlemen of family and fortune 
 
 entered among them, and even many regular Masons 
 were so unacquainted with their origin, or the laws of the Society 
 as to attend their Lodges, and give a tacit sanction to their 
 proceedings — of late years, however, they hav.e not been so 
 successful." Such is the account of the origin of the Great 
 Schism which has been, until comparatively recent times, received 
 as Gospel. It is, however, important to note that it is derived 
 from "Modern" sources, and like all other productions of party 
 writers, was written rather to run down the opposite faction, than 
 to present a true view of the real facts of the case. Bro. Gould, 
 whose opinion is worthy of all respect, considers that in the 
 period of neglect and misrule which the Craft suffered from 
 during the time Lord Byron was Grand Master (1747-1752), and 
 in the summary erasures of numerous Lodges for non-attendance 
 at the Quarterly Communications and non-payment to the Fund 
 of Charity, we find the true causes of the Schism. Another 
 recent writer (Bro. Sadler) considers that there is no evidence 
 yet brought to Hght, which would justify him in believing that 
 any considerable number of the so called Ancients, ever owed 
 allegiance to the Grand Lodge of England. His "Masonic Facts 
 and Fictions " is an elaborate and able attempt to prove that the 
 generally received account of the origin of the Schism, is the 
 greatest of all Masonic fictions. His theory, so far as it can be 
 presented in a few words, is this : — that there were always in 
 existence, from 1717, certain Lodges which never owned allegi- 
 ance to the Grand Lodge founded in that year ; that chiefly 
 through Irish influences these Lodges maintained the old land- 
 marks intact in their struggles with the Society element 
 introduced into the Craft at the beginning of the last century — • 
 and that from them ultimately developed the Grand Lodge of 
 England according to Old Institutions, viz. the " Ancient " Grand 
 Lodge. Whatever may have been its true origin, this Grand 
 Lodge undoubtedly continued to grow in strength. In 1813 it 
 counted 260 Lodges under its banner, at which date its older 
 
THE PROVINCE OE SHUOPSHIEE. 143 
 
 rival held sway over 386. In the early years of the 
 present century efforts were made to put an end to the 1813. 
 existing conflict between the two bodies; and, in 1813, 
 when the Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV., was Grand 
 Master, and his brother, the Duke of Sussex, was Deputy Grand 
 Master of the- "Moderns," and another brother, the Duke of 
 Kent, was Grand Master of the " Ancients," these efforts were 
 at length crowned with complete success. Chiefly by a judicious 
 exercise of their undoubted influence, the Royal brothers caused 
 to be drawn up Articles of Union, which were ratified on 
 Dec. 8th. A Lodge of Reconciliation, consisting of members of 
 both Grand Lodges, met to settle uniformity of ritual and 
 practice, and, on the Festival of St. John the Evangelist, 
 the Articles were duly signed and sealed. An absolute 
 equality between the former enemies was agreed upon, 
 and all unhappy disputes were forgotten, and their annoyance 
 forgiven. The precedence of the Lodges was settled by lot, in 
 which the first advantage fell to the Ancients, and their Grand 
 Masters Lodge No. 1 Ancients became No. 1 on the roll of the 
 United Grand Lodge. No. 1 " Moderns," the Lodge of Antiquity 
 was placed No. 2 on the same roll ; No. 2 " Ancients '' and No. 2 
 " Moderns " were placed No. 3 and 4 respectively, and this process 
 was continued, the " Ancients " and " Moderns " taking 
 alternate places, until the rolls of both were exhausted. Hence 
 it was that the Salopian Lodge which was No. 434 in 1792 
 became No. 498 in 1814. 
 
144 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 Section II. (1814-1832). 
 
 The Salopian Lodge certainly shared in a full 
 1814. measure in the growing prosperity of the Craft. No 
 
 less than 18 initiations took place in this year. Bro. 
 Richard Phillips, the W.M. elected at the close of the year, was 
 also Mayor of Shrewsbury, and it seems probable that his position 
 in the town was partly responsible for this sudden influx of 
 candidates. In June the Lodge removed to the Unicorn 
 Inn, at the bottom of the Wyle Cop, but remained 
 there only a few nights and then again changed its home 
 to the Raven and Bell Yard Inn, situate at the top of the 
 same street. The Unicorn has during the year 1891 been well 
 restored, and is now a good example of the old "Black & White," 
 style so common in this County. 
 
 Early in the year the Lodge relieved a " Bro. Mons De 
 Largen," a French Officer prisoner of war in great distress ; a 
 strange contrast this to the refusal in 1811 to assist our own 
 countrymen, prisoners of war in France. The contrast is doubt- 
 less explained by the altered state of the Lodge Finances. 
 
 I have now to record the most important public event in 
 which the Lodge ever took any prominent part. On Dec. 27th a 
 Lodge was held at the Town Hall, Shrewsbury, " for the purpose 
 of forming a procession, under a dispensation from H.R.H. The 
 Duke of Sussex, G.M., to go and lay the first stone of the 
 Column intended to be erected in honour of the Right Honble. 
 Rowland Lord Hill, K.C.B." The Bridgnorth Lodge attended 
 as a Lodge, and including Visitors, more than 50 Masons were 
 present at this ceremony. The following account of it is taken 
 from the Shrewsbury Chronicle. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHEOPSHIRE. 145 
 
 " On Tuesday the ceremony of laying tho first stone of the 
 Column, to be erected in honour of Lord Hill, was performed 1814. 
 according to Masonic rule, by the Salopian Lodge of Free and 
 Accepted Masons, under the auspices of their R.W. Master, our respected 
 Chief Magistrate, Richard Phillips, Esqre., assisted by the brethren from 
 other Lodges. The Salopian Lodge and the Deputies from other Lodges, 
 assembled at the Town Hall at 11 o'clock, whence thoy proceeded decorated 
 with the various insignia of their diffeient Orders, and accompanied by a 
 band of Music to the place of the intended Memorial ; where having arrived, 
 they thrice marched round in solemn procession, and on the Master of the 
 Salopian Lodge coming the third time opposite to the stone appropriated 
 for the formal operation, they halted." 
 
 The Rev. Bro. James Matthews, Chaplain to the Lodge, 
 then advanced to the platform, and delivered himself of a lengthy 
 prayer. This prayer is too long to be quoted here, but it seems 
 to have been a remarkable one to have been used on any Masonic 
 occasion, as it contained frequent references to the Second Person 
 of the Holy Trinity — and concluded with the Lord's Prayer. 
 After the Prayer was finished, the W.M. laid the stone, and then 
 coming forward he addressed the Architect thus ; — • 
 
 "Sir, As Master of the Work, I salute 3-ou, but as a Mason I greet 
 you most heartily ! May God the Divine Architect of the Universe bless your 
 Work ! May he endue you with those great blessings he was pleased to 
 bestow on our three original Grand Masters ! May he give you wisdom to 
 continue, strength to support, and beauty to adorn this our intended work ! 
 May he grant you health, wealth, and prosperity during its whole progress, 
 and permit you to see a complete finish, or what we Masonically term it — the 
 net completely thrown over it." 
 
 To this complimentary eifusion Bro. Straphen (a member 
 of the Salopian Lodge), the Master of the Work, replied as 
 follows : — 
 
 " Right Worshipful Master, Senior, and Junior Wardens, Brethren All 
 —I have to return you my most sincere and hearty thanks for the honour you 
 have done me this day ; for the confidence you repose in me on this occasion ; 
 for presenting me with this scroll, the jewels, the tools of an operative Master ; 
 hoping by conforming to these, and a strict observance of tlic rules of 
 Masonry, I shall acquit myself in that department, and with the Divine Aid 
 of the Great Architect of the Universe and the assistance of the Brethren, I 
 shall be enabled to complete this intended structure, so as to prove an honour 
 to the Craft, as well as a lasting Memorial in honour of our Shropshire Hero, 
 Lord Hill." 
 
 After the inscription had been read by Bro. Bassett, the 
 W.M. then addressed the Lodges again : — 
 
146 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 " Brethren, This is the only honour that we as Masons can 
 1814. publicly confer upon our Noble Warrior. We have other honours 
 
 to bestow, but, owing to the strictness of our Order, these honours 
 must be given within the walls of our Lodge. With your permission we will 
 return thither, and with your kind assistance perform the honours which his 
 Lordship so richly merits from the heart and hand of every true Mason." 
 " The band then played God Save the King ; the first verse of the National 
 Air was sung in full chorus ; after which three times three cheer.s to the honour 
 of the Shropshire Hero concluded the ceremony. The Brethren then returned 
 in procession to the Town Hall. In the evening the festival of St. John was 
 celebrated in their new Lodge Boom at the Raven and Bell with that spirit 
 of harmony so peculiar to Masonic Institutions." 
 
 The inscription placed upon the Column was as follows — 
 
 "The first stone was laid by Richard Phillips, Esqre. , Mayor of 
 Shrewsbury, and Master of the Salopian Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, 
 assisted by the Chaplain, Wardens, the Brethren of this, and Deputies from 
 other Lodges upon the 27th day of December in the year of our Lord 1814, 
 and in the year of Masonry 6814, being the Festival of St. John. The funds 
 for this beautiful memorial, in honour of splendid talent and private woith 
 were furnished by a public subscription raised chiefly by the inhabitants of 
 this town and County of Salop." 
 
 Amongst minor details in connection with this event I 
 may mention that the stone, thus laid by Bro. Phillips, weighed 
 4| tons, and measured lift. Sin. long, by 3ft. broad, and 2ft. high. 
 Bro. John Carline, a very well-known member of the Lodge, 
 obtained third prize for his design in the competition arranged 
 for securing suitable plans for the erection of the Memorial. 
 The Lodges paid £i 10s. Od. for the band which headed the 
 procession, and also paid for having the bells of the Abbey Church 
 and St. Chad's rung, besides giving a liberal fee to the 
 " "Workmen at the Collumn." Fifty-one sat down to dinner 
 in the evening, and the bill for refreshments was sufficiently 
 large to show us that the Lodgfe dealt out hospitality with no 
 niggardly hand. Lord Hill was not, so far as I can ascertain, a 
 member of any Shropshire Lodge, but the allusion in one speech 
 of Bro. Phillips to those honours which could only be conferred 
 upon him within the walls of the Lodge, seems to indicate that 
 he was a member of the Craft. 
 
 In February Lord Hill called on Bro. Phillips, and 
 
 1815. asked him to thank the members of the Lodge for the 
 
 honour they had done him in attending in Masonic 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SIIROPSHIEE. 147 
 
 form to lay the first stone of the Column. Bro. Phillips 
 
 must have died shortly afterwards, as in August the 1815. 
 
 Lodge appeared in mourning for him. He was the 
 
 only Master of the Lodge who died during his year of office. 
 
 Commenting on his death, the Chronicle of July 21st remarked 
 
 that — " He died whilst Mayor, an office in which he exerted 
 
 himself with unwearied diligence, and for the public benefit." 
 
 An attempt was made in this year to obtain the services 
 of Bro. Sir John Hill, Bart., who had lately joined the Lodge, to 
 act as Master. His reply is, perhaps, worth recording — 
 
 Hawkstone, 
 
 15tli December, 1815. 
 
 " Mr. Bowley, I am much obliged to you and other good friends and 
 Brother Masons, for the hint given, that 1 might probably be honour'd with 
 a high situation in your most respectable Lodge at Shrewsbury, but as I now 
 lind that at my time of life (tho' blessed with better health than most are 
 when in the 7(ith year), it will not be probable that I shall be able to attend 
 to the duties as I ought to do. Indeed was it not for this impedieut I should 
 think myself very improper to undertake anything of the sort, for altho' 
 having regularly attended for abont three years, to our late R.W. Master at 
 AVhitchurch, Major Shirreff, and having been admitted a Master, want of 
 practice would make me a very unfit person to undertake any office in a. 
 Society to which I ever shall retain a most sincere Brotherlike regard." 
 
 I presume the words " having been admitted a Master," 
 refer to the time when the writer filled the chair of the Egerton 
 (Whitchurch No. 2) Lodge. The title " Right " prefixed to the 
 words "Worshipful Master" was discontinued at the Union, 
 but from this letter, as well as from the Lodge minutes, we see 
 that it was, as might reasonably be expected, still used for several 
 years in the Country. 
 
 A fit of economy led the Lodge to discontinue suppers 
 during the summer months, and also to arrange " that no spirits 
 should be allowed at the expense of the Lodge " during the same 
 period. 
 
 This was a very busy year; 20 Lodges were 
 held, and 28 Ceremonies performed. Four raisings I8I61 
 were carried out on two separate occasions; 
 
148 FHEEMASONEY IN 
 
 On May 9th it was proposed " that a procession should 
 1816. be made on the 21:th of June to lay the last stone 
 
 of the Column," and the Secretary was instructed 
 to write to Grand Lodge for a dispensation, and also to 
 the Chester, Bridgnorth, and Ludlow Lodges, inviting them 
 to attend. The dispensation was duly obtained, but the 
 minute book does not record whether or not this procession 
 took place. Its silence upon the point leads me to believe 
 that the Ceremony was abandoned, and this belief is 
 confirmed by the only account of the matter contained in the 
 Chronicle, which records that "The last stone of Lord Hill's 
 Column, erected near this town, was laid on Tuesday 18th, 
 being the anniversaiy of the battle of Waterloo." A public 
 ceremony would probably have received more notice from a local 
 paper than is contained in the passage quoted. The top stone of 
 the Column could, I imagine, be laid with greater ease and 
 safety by Operative than by Speculative Masons, and considera- 
 tions of personal risk may have conduced to the absence of 
 Members of the Lodge. The Salopian Lodge does not seem at 
 this period to have realized that the Salopian Lodge of Charity 
 had settled down in Shrewsbury in the previous year, or the 
 invitation above referred to would have been extended to its 
 members The first mention of the latter Lodge in the minute 
 books of the former occurs in 1819. 
 
 Suppers were again discontinued during the Summer 
 months, but in this year this abstinence on the part of the 
 brethren was partially compensated for by the unanimous vote 
 that " A proper quantity of spirits be allowed." 
 
 The Lodge now again moved ; this time it found a home 
 at the Crown, which was then kept by Edward Jones, who was 
 at once initiated, and made a member of the Lodge. It is worth 
 noting that this removal was voted for in a lodge summoned 
 especially to consider the subject, and that none but Master 
 Masons were allowed to attend. In later years the practice of 
 sxcluding E.A's and F.C.'s from a participation in Lodge 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHEOPSHIEE. 14:9 
 
 proceedings was referred to as " an old established 
 custom." This is the first occasion upon which I can find 1816. 
 this custom was adopted, and there is no evidence to be 
 found in the minute books, that either previously or subsequently 
 to this date such a custom passed into a common practice. 
 
 New by-laws were passed, and an inventory of the Lodge 
 furniture was made in this year, but no copy of either has been 
 preserved. One new by-law, which was enacted at this time, 
 provided that fines should be paid by every brother absent from 
 the Lodge of Instruction, or on a regular Lodge night, or from a 
 Lodge of Emergency, but it was, I think, speedily allowed to be 
 forgotten. 
 
 A letter -was received in September from Grand 
 Lodge (? Grand Chapter) proposing to the members 1817. 
 of the Lodge to have a Chapter of the Royal Arch. 
 A very short time before this letter was written, the two 
 Grand Chapters, which had formerly existed under the 
 patronage of the rival Grand Lodges, had effected a Union, 
 and the United Grand Chapter of England was evidently 
 endeavouring to secure as many dependent Chapters as 
 possible. No chapter was formed in Shrewsbury at this time, 
 though, as will be seen hereafter, (i) the Brethren of 262 were 
 undoubtedly surreptitiously yet innocently working the Eoyal 
 Arch at this very period, without any proper charter or authority 
 for that purpose. Such working was, however, not carried out 
 in the Craft Lodge, as was frequently the case in " Ancient " 
 Lodges before the Union. 
 
 The office of Deacon was now quietly re-established, 
 without any resolution upon the subject. This was only natural, 
 as the office was at the Union recognized by the United Grand 
 Lodge to be a useful and necessary one. 
 
 In this year the name of Bro. Thomas Slater is recorded 
 as a visitor from the "Opperative Lodge of St. John 184." 
 
 (1) See History of Salopian Chapter. 
 
150 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 In Bro. Hughan's Masonic Register I find that No. 184 
 
 1817. was at this date the Lodge of St. Albans, Birmingham, 
 but I cannot ascertain if this was the Lodge of which 
 
 Bro. Slater was a member. The existence of a truly operative 
 Lodge so late as 1817 must, I think, be doubtful. 
 
 Bro. Horsman, formerly a member of the Lodge, now 
 rejoined it, and was accepted as a member without a ballot — a 
 strange piece of irregularity. 
 
 About this time the Lodge began to feel indignant at 
 
 1818. the long continued absence of the Rev. F. H. Egerton, 
 P.G.M., from the Province, and wrote to Grand Lodge 
 
 upon the subject, requesting that a new appointment should be 
 made. 
 
 In response to a circular from Grand Lodge asking if any 
 alterations were thought desirable in the Laws and Regulations 
 of the Craft, a reply was sent that in the opinion of the Lodge 
 the Registering (10/6) and Certificate (6/6) fees, were too high. 
 This question of the amount of the Registering fees had been for 
 some time a sore point with the Lodge, and the Grand Secretary 
 had to write many times upon the subject, as the Brethren 
 practically refused to pay them to the Lodge, which was, 
 nevertheless, held liable for them hj Grand Lodge. In June 
 three members, and in July one resigned sooner than pay them, 
 though it may be said to their credit that two years later they 
 rejoined the Lodge, and then paid what was required without a 
 murmur. One of the letters from Grand Lodge was pasted into 
 a blank page of the Book of Constitutions (1815), and so has 
 been preserved. An extract from it will show that relations 
 were getting rather strained. 
 
 London, 
 
 Freemasons' Hall, 
 "Sir and Bro., August, 1818. 
 
 After the numerous letters which have been written in respect of the 
 Salopian Lodge I did not expect to be under the necessity of addressing you 
 again on the same subject. The language contained in your letter is such as 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 151 
 
 I would not chuse for your sakes to lay before the Board of 
 Finance. It begins by slating 'The demand made by the G.L. 1818. 
 against the Salopian Lodge &o." and which according to your 
 own showing is only the just dues and contributions payable by the Lodge 
 and which has been too long withheld * * * In referring you 
 to Bro. Gilkcs I mentioned he would instruct you in the correct method 
 adopted since the Union, it is quite useless to enquire of me 'which is 
 correct,' more I cannot say by this mode of Communication." 
 
 I am. Sir and Bro., 
 
 very faithfully yours, 
 
 ED. HARPEE, G.S. 
 
 The last sentence of this letter, though not referring to 
 the subject for which the letter is primarily quoted, is most 
 interesting. It evidently refers to some change in ritual, or 
 those other matters which cannot be written of, which were 
 settled by the Lodge of Reconciliation after the Union, but 
 which had not yet in the Country Lodges been stereotyped in 
 practice. In September the Secretary shortly records — '' Received 
 two letters from Grand Lodge respecting fees, which business is 
 now finally settled." The settlement was of course made by the 
 Lodge paying in full what was due. The actual transfer of a 
 great part of the money due was however avoided, as the 
 Treasurer stopped out of it the sum of £5 granted to Bro. Quick 
 out of the General Fund of Benevolence. The passing of a 
 Bro. Sinclair, who never was a member of the Lodge, is rather 
 curious and irregular, especially as it seems to have been done 
 without any communication with his Mother Lodge (No. 28). 
 In May the following minute was written — " The W.M. having 
 stated to the Lodge that some brother had informed Mr. P — — 
 that he was black beaned ; and also that information had been 
 o-iven to the wife of a brother respecting business that had been 
 transacted in the Lodge, the S.W. proposed that the W.M. be 
 requested to inquire into it." This proposition was agreed to, 
 but the result of the inquiry is not recorded. Let us hope it will 
 prove a warning to the married members of the Lodge, and teach 
 them discretion. The initiation fee was twice raised in this year, 
 first to 3| guineas, and afterwards to £L 
 
152 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 In February the Secretary was ordered to write to 
 1819. Grand Lodge "to know whether the Lodge No. 186 of 
 
 the Shropshire MiHtia had a right to initiate persons 
 
 who were not military men, and also if they had a right to admit 
 
 persons who had been rejected by another Lodge." This is the 
 
 first mention of 186, now 117, contained in the minutes. Grand 
 
 Lodge investigated the subject thoroughly, and a report on the 
 
 matter was made to it by the Board of General Purposes. A 
 
 portion of this report is contained in the Quarterly Communication 
 
 for June, and is as follows : — 
 
 "That a complaint had been preferred against a Military Lodge for 
 initiating individuals wlio were not of the Military profession ; that, upon 
 inquiry into the ease, it appeared that the Lods;e had acted under the 
 mistaken notion, that as the Coips to which their Lodge was attached was 
 stationary, the Laws relative to Military Lodges were not applicable to them. 
 The Laws of the Grand Lodge relative to Military Lodges being general, aiid 
 prohibiting them from initiating any person who does not belong to the 
 Military profession, the Lodge was informed that though it was stationary, it 
 could not initiate a civilian ; but inasmuch as the Lodge had acted under a 
 mistaken notion, and not with any intention to disregard the laws, the Board 
 recommended that no further proceeding should be taken against the Lodge 
 on this occasion." 
 
 In the following year 117 changed its Warrant for a 
 
 Civil one. 
 
 In May one brother complained that another had traduced 
 his character, and the Lodge decided to inquire into the matter. 
 It was found, however, that the evidence of non-Masons, who 
 could not attend in open Lodge, would be required, and so the 
 matter was allowed to drop. 
 
 A journey to London was evidently considered a serious 
 matter in the early days of which I am writing — so much so, 
 that a Lodge of Emergency was held to initiate a person about to 
 proceed there on urgent business. From Owen and Blakeway's 
 History of Shrewsbury we learn that in 1822 the journey by 
 Coach which had formerly taken 22 hours, was then reduced to 
 18, and that 7 coaches ran every day. Incidentally it may be 
 mentioned that coaches then ran daily from Shrewsbury to 
 Chester, Hereford, Welshpool, and Newtown ; and others, 13 in 
 number, to Manchester, Worcester, Aberystwith, Holyhead, and 
 Birmingham. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSIIIEE. 153 
 
 On Feb. 7th the Lodge drew up an address of 
 condolence to King George IV. upon the death of his 1820. 
 father and of congratulation to him upon his own 
 accession to the Throne. It is of considerable length, and 
 couched in language of extreme loyalty and affection. It is, 
 however, chiefly interesting from the fact that it was presented 
 to His Majesty by the new Provincial Grand Master, The Honble. 
 Henry Grey Bennett, whose name for the first time appears on 
 the books of the Salopian Lodge. George IV. had been Grand 
 Master, while Prince of Wales, from 1787 to 1813, and, when he 
 resigned that office in the latter year, took the title of Grand 
 Patron, which he retained after his accession to the Throne. In 
 due course an answer to the address, signed " Sidmouth," was 
 received by the Lodge, and informed them that " His Majesty had 
 been pleased to receive the same in the most gracious manner." 
 
 In March a resolution was passed "that in future no 
 brother shall be allowed to vote in any ballot in this Lodge, who 
 is not a master mason and a subscriber thereto." This resolution 
 was an attempt to establish some legal foundation for the 
 exercise of the " old established custom," said, at a subsequent 
 date, to have force in the Lodge. It shows that the previous 
 .instance already noticed was an irregular proceeding on the part 
 of the Master Masons, as there was then no by-law or resolution 
 authorising the exclusion of brethren in the lower degrees from a 
 participation in Lodge business. 
 
 In July the Lodge sent a subscription to the Royal Kent 
 Lod^e of Antiquity, ISTo. 20, held at Chatham, to assist in 
 replacing the regalia of that Lodge which had been burnt. This 
 Lodge was founded in 1723; its original number on the 
 " Modern" roll was 10, but at the Union it became 20, and still 
 retains that number. 
 
 Under dispensation from the P.G.M., dated Dec. 27th, 
 Andrew Vincent Corbet, of Acton Reynald, though under age, 
 was initiated on the following day. He was the father of the 
 
 T 
 
154 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 late Baronet of the same name, and was apparently, 
 
 1820. sometime before 1826, appointed D.P.G.M. by the 
 Honble. H. G. Bennett, P.G.M. He was a most 
 
 enthusiastic mason, and, even in his old age, constantly attended 
 the Installation Ceremony in December. 
 
 In this year the Lodge invested in a painted cloth 
 representing the Seven Liberal Arts, and ordered the Trans- 
 parency to be completed. This was the beginning of an attempt 
 to make the furniture of the Lodge more complete. In the 
 following year we find that new pillars were ordered for the 
 Wardens, "a Mosaic pavement, Tesselated border and Blazing 
 Star" were supplied, and, in 1822, "a Statuary Marble Pedestal" 
 was added at a cost of six guineas. This last article might have 
 been expected to have resisted the ravages of time, especially as 
 an oak case to store it in was provided, bnt it is not now in the 
 possession of the Lodge. 
 
 In March the brethren agreed "that in future no 
 
 1821. candidate should be initiated on the night he is 
 balloted for except in case of emergency " ; a departure 
 
 from what is found in modern times to be a most convenient 
 practice. 
 
 The Lodge about this time began to worry Grand Lodge 
 on the subject of the first part of the Book of Constitutions, 
 " which has been paid for several years." It appears that shortly 
 after the Union in 1813 Grand Lodge obtained subscriptions 
 from all the Lodges for the production of this work, which was 
 originally designed to be issued in two parts. The first part was 
 to contain the history of the Craft in general, and the second 
 part the rules and regulations appointed by Grand Lodge for its 
 good government. The second part was delivered in due course, but 
 various causes delayed the production of the historical volume, 
 which was in fact never published. The proof sheets show that 
 it would have been only a servile imitation of the history contained 
 in the Book of Coiastitutions for 1784 edited by Northoouck, and 
 so no great loss was sustained by its non-appearance. 
 
'Sun PROVIltCE 01* SlillOPSHlftE. 155 
 
 A gentleman who had been proposed as a can- 
 didate for initiation in 1816, and then duly accepted, 1821. 
 now applied for the return of his deposit money, or in 
 the alternative to be admitted. The Lodge, with considerable 
 dignity, informed him that " either proposition was contrary to the 
 spirit of the by-laws, and could not be entertained." 
 
 The Committee of Management for the celebration in 
 Shrewsbury of the Coronation of His Majesty King George IV., 
 invited the Lodge to attend the Mayor to Church on that day. 
 The Mayor on that occasion was Mr. "VVingfield, uncle to our late 
 Bro. Colonel Wingfield, of Onslow, P.M. 262, P.P.G.W., who 
 died in May, 1891. The brethren very properly declined this 
 invitation, on the ground " that it is contrary to the principles 
 of the Craft for a Lodge of Freemasons to join in any other than 
 a Masonic Procession.'' 
 
 The Festival of St. John was celebrated as usual in 
 December, but on this occasion the enjoyment of the banquet 
 must have been considerably damped by the knowledge that it 
 had been previously arranged that " No Wine should be on the 
 table at the expense of the Lodge after 12 o'clock at night." The 
 early closing movement indicated in the first set of by-laws, seems 
 by this time to have collapsed. On referring to the Treasurer's 
 accounts I find that the banquet alluded to cost nearly £1 a 
 head, so that the brethren must have made good use of their 
 opportunities before the fatal hour had struck. 
 
 Bro. Hill, passed on Nov. 5th, was raised on Dec. 3rd, an 
 irregularity which seems to have escaped the notice of Grand 
 Lodge. 
 
 Early in this year it was proposed that " the old 
 established custom of excluding Entered Apprentices 1822. 
 and Fellow Crafts from participating in the trans- 
 actions of the Lodge, be enforced." As has been already 
 noticed the only recorded instance of this exclusion was in 1816, 
 
156 FEEEMASONRY IN 
 
 and even after the resolution passed in 1820, and 
 
 1822. already referred to as making such exclusion from 
 thenceforth legal, it was not insisted on. The point 
 
 does not appear to have been again raised, and we subsequently 
 find that many propositions were both proposed and seconded by 
 members of the classes thus sought to be excluded. A more 
 proper proposal, and one more in accordance with the true 
 Masonig spirit of equality, was carried shortly afterwards. It 
 provided that "no brother should be raised until he had shown 
 some proficiency in the Lectures." 
 
 In July the sum of 2 guineas was voted to the "distressed 
 Irish." 
 
 From a correspondence with Grand Lodge about this 
 period we learn the curious fact that in the last century the 
 registering fee for any brother made in the Lodge, was not paid 
 until he had been raised. This custom was pleaded as an 
 excuse for the non-payment of the fees in the case of a brother 
 who had been initiated in 1794, but who had left Shrewsbury 
 before he was a Master Mason. Needless to say Grand Lodge 
 did not recognize the validity of this excuse, and the fee was 
 duly paid. 
 
 A purchase of the "Antiquities of Freemasonry," by 
 
 1823. the Rev. G. Oliver, P.G. Chaplain for Lincoln, for the 
 use of the Lodge, is an instance recorded in this year 
 
 of the very commendable custom of our forefathers to keep the 
 Lodge well supplied with Masonic literature. The Freemason's 
 Pocket Book was always supplied to the Master, who was 
 required to bring it with him to Lodge. Preston's Illustrations 
 were bought when they first appeared, and many other like 
 instances might be recorded. In the minutes of 117 the dates 
 upon which books belonging to the Lodge were borrowed for 
 perusal by the members may frequently be noticed, and I have 
 little doubt that a similar method was adopted in 262. 
 
THE PEOVIKCK OP SHROPSHIRE. 157 
 
 After the consideration of an application for 
 relief received . from Hugh O'Neil, a prisoner in the 1823. 
 County Goal, for selling goods without a license, the 
 Secretary records — " The Lodge did not think him worthy, 
 having offended against the Laws of the Country." 
 
 Bro. Laurence presented the Lodge with a new set of 
 collars, and the " Execution of the Sun and Moon in stained 
 glass " was ordered. 
 
 In May it was discovered that a brother had 
 just been made the same evening as he had been 1824. 
 balloted for, contrary to the provisions of a by-law 
 passed a few years previously. The difficulty was, however, 
 disposed of by passing a resolution to the effect that " the 
 proceedings of this evening should not be deemed a precedent for 
 future initiations." 
 
 Bro. Evans, in August, was ordered to make "a new 
 Moon." The fate of the old Moon does not appear on the 
 minutes, but in a rough draft minute-book then kept by the 
 Secretary, it is stated to have been " made into Stars." This 
 remarkable astronomical occurrence is only intelligible when we 
 remember that stained glass was the chief ingredient in the 
 composition of the lunar orb referred to. 
 
 In this and the following year the Lodge subscribed to 
 the funds of " The Humane Society for the Recovery of drown'd 
 persons," founded in Shrewsbury at this period. From the 
 Chronicle we learn that the Society established a house on the 
 river bank containing life saving apparatus, and all the usual 
 appliances for restoring suspended animation. This Society must 
 have been rather circumscribed in its efforts, as the field open to 
 its operations was a rather limited one. 
 
 In November a deputation was sent to The Honble. H. G. 
 Bennett to know when he intended to be installed as Provincial 
 
l58 t^EEESiASOURY IlJ 
 
 Grand Master. This was not an unnatural proceeding, 
 1824. as five years had elaped since the date of his appoint- 
 ment. The P.G.M. expressed to the Deputation " a 
 wish to meet the Lodge if convenient to assemble on Friday the 
 12th Day of December 1824, and that the delay that had 
 occurred with resjDect to his installment arose from Domestic 
 circumstances which prevented him attending as he wished to do 
 to the Duties, but that it was his intention in the course of next 
 year to be installed with all the Pomp and Ceremony usual on 
 such occasions." The Lodge accordingly met on Nov. 12th, and 
 resolved that the P.G.M. should be received " in a manner 
 worthy of himself and worthy of the Salopian Lodge." Elaborate 
 arrangements were made for his entertainment, but the Secretary 
 while carefully recording these, unfortunately omits altogether to 
 mention whether or not the P.G.M. ultimately arrived on the 
 scene. 
 
 At last, after repeated applications, a letter was received 
 from the Grand Secretary, stating his " inability to inform when 
 the first part of the Book of Constitutions would be printed, 
 but when it did take place he would be sure to appr'ize the 
 Lodge.'' This entry is followed by three distinct notes of 
 interrogation, showing the opinion the brethren had upon the 
 subject. Subsequent events, as has been already noticed, fully 
 justified their incredulity, and the Lodge still waits for the 
 arrival of this long paid for volume. 
 
 About this period, the Secretary, much to his relief, I 
 should imagine, found himself provided with printed summonses. 
 
 The last event worth noting in the history of this year is 
 the purchase of gauntlets by the Lodge for the use of the 
 officers. A very long letter from a Bro. Whitney, P.P.G.W., 
 Somerset, who appears to have been asked for information on the 
 subject, has been preserved, and a portion of it may be here 
 quoted. He says i^^ 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 159 
 
 " It is usual with us, to have the gauntlets made out of the 
 same leather as the gloves for all members, the officers excepted, 1824. 
 according to this shape (diagram sketched showing glove and 
 gauntlet in one piece). This gauntlet is made simply of stout white leather. 
 The gauntlets worn by the officers, are with the Collars and Aprons furnished 
 at the expense of the Lodge, -and of course considered a part of its property. 
 It is detached from the glove in tlie following manner (diagram sketched 
 showing gauntlet and glove as now worn by Provincial Grand Officers). With 
 ns they are made of pasteboanl covered with sky blue silk to correspond in 
 colour with the apron and collar and edged with silver lace * * The 
 reason we have them unconnected with the glove is, that in case any officer 
 be absent, the Brother who officiates for hiui has only to slip the gauntlet 
 over his own gloves, without being obliged to wear gloves worn by other 
 )5rethren « « j highly approve of the Standing Order of your 
 Lodxe. Nothing gives so respectable an appearance to an assemblage of 
 Hrethren — as uniformity of dress, especially black * * I sincerely 
 hope you passed a pleasant day at the inauguration of your Prov. G. Master." 
 
 There is no record of any such sfcandmg order being made, 
 bub about this period some such regulation was being generally 
 adopted by the Lodges. On the subject of Masonic clothing, I 
 may mention that the Lodge now apparently bought aprons, and 
 sold them to the initiates at a profit. This letter is dated 
 Nov. 12th, so that Bro. Whitney (a relative of the then Lodge 
 Sacretary) was misinformed about the inauguration of the P.G.M. 
 on that day, as may be seen from what has been already said. 
 
 Bro. Sir Andrew Vincent Corbet was W.M. in 
 this year, and he seems to have made a vigorous effort 1825. 
 to get a Masonic Hall built. A lodge was held on 
 Jan. 31st to consider the question, and the sum of £320 was 
 then and there subscribed amongst the brethren in £10 shares. 
 The W.M. offered to supply the stone necessary for the purpose 
 from his quarry at Grinshill ; the P.G.M. was written to, and he 
 replied giving his approval to the scheme, and offering his 
 assistance to forward the same. Plans were ordered to be 
 prepared, and success seemed probable within a very short time, 
 but some brethren objected to the scheme on the mistaken 
 ground that the Lodge would be liable for the expense incurred, 
 and so the erection of the Hall was "made a private trans- 
 action,'' after which nothing more is heard about it. Other 
 subsequent efforts to secure such a building in Shrewsbury have 
 
160 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 proved abortive, and its absence, sometimes greatly 
 
 1825. felt, is a standing disgrace to the Masons of our 
 
 town. 
 
 A by-law, passed in 1820, enacted that no proposition 
 
 carried at one Lodge should have the force of a Law 
 
 until confirmed at the next meeting This practice, seems 
 
 at this period to have been strictly enforced. A motion 
 
 was duly carried in May "that two black beans and not one 
 
 should in future be necessary to exclude a candidate proposed for 
 
 initiation." When the motion came on in June for confirmation, 
 
 it was rejected after a full discussion. 
 
 The following entry (June 13th) illustrates another 
 practice of the Lodge which has now quite disappeared. 
 
 " Bro. Whitney propd. that Bro. Hodskinson be pass'd to 
 the degree of a Fellow Craft next Lodge night, which was seed, 
 by Bro. Davies. In consequence of the above proposition 
 considerable discussion took place, and it appeared evident that 
 it was considered in the Lodge an act of injustice to deviate 
 from the usual practice so far as to admit one to be pass'd on a 
 regular Lodge night, to the exclusion of others who may be 
 equally qualified. That the question may be set at rest Bro. 
 Whitney prop, that a by-law be made that in future no Br. 
 should be pass'd or raised on a regular Lodge night — That not 
 more than 3 Brs. should bs passed or raised on the same night — - 
 That no passing and raising should take place on the same night, 
 or in other words, that one brother should not be pass'd and 
 another raised on the same night, and that on such nights of 
 passing or raising, no business should be transacted in a lower 
 degree than for which the Lodge was specially summoned." This 
 was carried nem. con., and duly confirmed in July. It must be 
 clearly understood that the by-law thus cii-cied introduced no 
 innovation, but was merely a definite declaration of an ancient 
 Lodge custom legally founded on the 6 th by-law passed in 
 1788,(i) ijut which had been omitted from the by-laws passed in 
 
 (1) See Appendix C. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 161 
 
 1820. Breaches of the custom may indeed be noted, 
 but as a general rule the Lodge only worked the 1825. 
 ceremonies of the 2nd and 3rd degrees in Lodges of 
 Emergency, the expenses of which were borne by the brothers 
 who were passed or raised thereat. The unfairness alluded to in 
 the above entry is thus explained — for a brother passed or raised 
 on a regular Lodge night escaped the expense which had to be 
 borne by one passed or raised in a Lodge of Emergency. 
 
 A commendable instance of strictness may be noticed in 
 this year, as it is, I think, unique. On July 11th, "two brethren 
 proposed to be passed, were, on examination, found not qualified," 
 and two months elapsed before the degree was bestowed upon 
 them. 
 
 In October the brethren resolved to have oysters instead 
 of hot suppers in future ; for how long a period this practice 
 prevailed I cannot say. From this time, too, may be noted the 
 custom of guaranteeing the caterer payment for a definite number 
 of members, whether that number was actually present at the 
 banquet or not. 
 
 The Lodge was now for the first time illumin- 
 ated with gas. The pipes for this purpose were laid 1826. 
 down at the expense of the Lodge, but the gas was 
 supplied gratis by Bro. Jones, the landlord of the Crown Inn. 
 
 The following entry shows that the brethren used 
 sometimes to have their supper after Lodge was opened, and 
 resume work when supper was finished. — " Agreed, that no 
 brother who was in the Lodge previous to its being called oif to 
 supper, should leave the same immediately after supper, without 
 having previously to its being so called off, had the permission of 
 the W.M for that purpose " No instance of the performance of 
 these ceremonies of "Calling off" and "Calling on" has taken 
 place during recent years in the Salopian Lodge, except in 
 connection with the Installation Ceremony. 
 
162 
 
 rREEMASOSET IN 
 
 A serious domestic disturbance must now be recorded. 
 
 1826. In November the Inner Tyler was charged with an 
 attempt to carry away wine, on false pretences, on the 
 
 previous Festival of St. John, and with using gross impertinence 
 to the Steward because he was prevented from so doing. The 
 minute proceeds : — " N.B. — the pretence assigned was that the 
 girls asked for it — the impertinence was calling the Steward a 
 mischief-making meddling fellow, a shabby fellow, and many 
 other words of the same import.'' The Tyler's defence was that 
 " the girls (? waitresses) wanted some wine, and called the members 
 a shabby set of fellows for not allowing them anything to drink, 
 whereupon he had spoken to Bro. Thomas, who gave him two 
 glasses of negus for them,'' and that this was what the Steward 
 objected to. As Bro. Thomas vouched for the truth of this 
 statement, Bro. Mallard was exonerated from the charge of 
 stealing, but relations between the Steward and himself being 
 necessarily rather unpleasant after what had occurred, his 
 services were dispensed with for the future. Shortly afterwards 
 he was again elected Inner Tyler, and served the Lodge most 
 faithfully in that capacity for very many years. 
 
 The election of officers was now changed to the month of 
 November in each year. • 
 
 A correspondence with Grand Lodge about subscrip- 
 
 1827. tions to the Fund of Benevolence shows incidentally 
 that there were 32 subscribing members in this 
 
 year. 
 
 A cushion and flannel waistcoats were provided for the 
 comfort of initiates. 
 
 All record of Bro. Colley's initiation was omitted by the 
 Secretary, though he was duly proposed and accepted, and 
 subsequently passed and raised. 
 
 Owing to the increase of travellers at the Crown Inn, the 
 Lodge was obliged to change its quarters after a tenancy of 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 163 
 
 nearly 12 years. Once more it returned to the Fox. 
 To enable the landlord to accommodate them, the 1827. 
 Brethren advanced him £30 to build and fit up a room. 
 The situation of the room thus built was at the back of the Inn, 
 with an entrance from College Hill. After this move the Lodge 
 initiated the landlord, Edward Oliver, but as Bro. Oliver never 
 held any oflB.ce in the Lodge, his initiation was, by the Constitu- 
 tions of 1815, quite regular. Before the Union it would have 
 been irregular. An inventory of the furniture then taken has 
 not been preserved. 
 
 The Province was now once more without a P.GM.., and 
 the Lodge after obtaining a dispensation direct from Grand 
 Lodge to initiate a serving brother, wrote complaining of the 
 situation of the Province, and soliciting instructions on the 
 subject. 
 
 A copy of " the very elegant and appropriate speech " 
 made by the W.M., Bro. Samuel Johnson, at the first meeting of 
 the Lodge at the Fox, was, on Oct. 6th, ordered to be inserted in 
 the provincial papers. Expecting to derive some information 
 therefrom, I have searched the files of the Chronicle from that 
 date until the end of the year, but no trace of the speech is 
 visible anywhere. 
 
 The new Lodge room seems to have been built 
 in such a manner as to cause an interruption of the 1828. 
 access of light to the premises of a Mr. Wilding, who 
 forthwith issued a writ against Bros. Oliver and Groves, the 
 former as the owner of the Fox, and the latter as the builder of 
 the room. The Lodge decided to take the opinion of Counsel in 
 the matter, and a commmittee was appointed to draw up a case. 
 Mr. Wilding was, however, not acting in a very hostile manner, 
 and he shortly afterwards accepted the sum of £14 7s. 6d. in full 
 satisfaction of all his claims. 
 
 A silver tobacco box was in this year presented to 
 
164 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 Bro. Bassett " for his revered and esteemed services to 
 
 1828. the Salopian Lodge." He joined the Lodge in 1788, 
 and had been a subscribing member for 40 years. 
 
 During that period he had always been a most regular attendant, 
 and had filled the chair no less than six times. It was also 
 arranged at the same time that, when the funds of the Lodge 
 would allow of it, a similar compliment should be paid to Bros. 
 Taylor and Oarline, who were both initiated in 1790, and had 
 each also filled the chair six times. 
 
 In October we find the Lodge again stirring in the 
 matter of the appointment of a Provincial Grand Master. The 
 other Lodges in the' Province were written to and invited to join 
 the Salopian Lodge in their endeavours to get the ofiice filled up, 
 and to share in the expense incident to such endeavours. These 
 other Lodges were only three in number, viz. — 117 (whose 
 minutes for this period have been lost), the Lodge of Industry, 
 Bridgnorth, and the Mercian Lodge, Ludlow (which was finally 
 dissolved in this very month, after a long period of inaction.) 
 
 The money spent in building the new Lodge room, and 
 
 1829. the payment to Mr. Wilding to avoid legal proceedings, 
 seems to have exhausted the resources of the Lodge, 
 
 and a very quiet year was consequently spent. No meeting was 
 held from May 1st to Oct. 5th, and a strict determination not to 
 run into debt is evinced by the following resolution, which was 
 duly carried. Resolved — " That in future no proposition for the 
 expenditure of any portion of the funds of the Lodge be taken 
 into consideration until it has been ascertained that the Treas- 
 urer has actually money in hand to defray the expenses thereof, 
 exclusive of any arrears owing to the Lodge, and over and above 
 any debts owing by the Lodge, as also the expenses of the night 
 on which such proposition is made." Notwithstanding this rigid 
 rule, the Lodge ended up the year indebted to its Treasurer in 
 the sum of £9 5s. 8d. It is however quite evident, independently 
 of all questions of finance, that the Lodge was now going down 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHUOPSHIEE. 165 
 
 hill rcipidly. Its members were decreasing largely by 
 resignations, and few new members came forward to fill 1829. 
 the vacant places. The average attendance was only 
 about 9, and little or no work was done. 
 
 The new year brought no sign of amelioration — 
 the finances went from bad to worse, and work vanished 1830. 
 utterly. The minute-book contains nothing beyond a 
 bare list of the members present at Lodge, with the single 
 exception of a proposal to dissolve the Lodge " owing to the 
 inattention of several members to its duties." A Lodge of 
 Emergency was called to consider this proposal, and the fact that 
 only 9 members attended it, is in itself a proof of the low ebb to 
 which matters had come. These nine were, however, all good 
 men and true, and they unanimously resolved — "that the Lodge 
 should not be dissolved, and that each Brother will use every 
 means in his power to support it.'' 
 
 The making of a solitary candidate in this year 
 was but the last flicker of the candle, and in March it 1831. 
 was proposed that " the Lodge do not meet again until 
 called together by the W.M. (Bro. W. J. Clement), requesting, 
 at the same time, that his Worship would endeavour to assemble 
 the Brethren in such numbers as formerly." The next meeting 
 was not held till November, and as it then appeared that many 
 brethren had abstained from attending Lodge owing to its being 
 held at the Fox Inn, a Committee was appointed to look out for 
 a more agreeable place of meeting, and report their opinion to 
 the next Lodge. This is the last entry in the Minute- 
 book until Nov. 23rd, 1836, and as the minute of the 1832-6 
 last mentioned date follows immediately after that of 
 Nov. 15th, 1831, there can, I think, be little doubt that the 
 Lodge did not meet during the interval. Sufficient vitality was 
 however left in it to enable it to keep up some connection with 
 Grand Lodge, and in 1838 when it applied for permission to 
 celebrate its Centenary, sufficient evidence of that continuing 
 connection was found in the Grand Lodge records, and the 
 
166 FUEEJIASONEY IN 
 
 permission sought for was duly granted. Until the 
 1832-6 recovery of the Treasurer's Account Book(i) for the 
 
 period 1788-1843, no records in the possession of the 
 Lodge threw the slightest light upon the darkness of this obscure 
 period in its history. In this book there are, however, several 
 entries which may be regarded as confirming the evidence 
 unearthed in Freemasons' Hall, and, as they are quite unknown 
 to any member of the Lodge, they are here given in extenso : — 
 
 Postages— 23d Septr. &. 9 Nov. 1831 <fe 29 Feby. and 
 
 6 Aug. 1832 3 4 
 
 „ 5 Sept. & 5 Deer. 1832. 6 Mar. 24 Apl. 
 
 1832 & 7 June 1832 4 2 
 
 October 33. Goolden 5d. 1833. Aug. 12 & 
 
 Dec. 4th 1833 2 1 
 
 Nov. 13. 1833 10 
 
 1833 
 
 Nov. 19. — Remitted to Grand Lodge subscription 
 from 18 Brethren to Fund of Ben- 
 evolence for 1831 ... ... ... 1 16 
 
 Do. Registering fees & certificate for 
 
 Wm. Heighway Jones ... ... 17 
 
 „ Subscription from 11 Brethren to 
 
 Fund of Benevolence for 1832 ... 12 
 
 Postages 
 
 1834 5 March 30 April 3 December 2 6 
 
 1835 23 March 29 April 2 Sept. & 2 Deer. ... 3 4 
 1836-7 27 April and March 1. 1837 18 
 
 1836 Nov. 23rd— Remitted to Grand Lodge for 
 
 8 Brethren to the Fund of Benevolence 
 
 for 3 years by payment of Bro Whitney 2 8 
 
 In my opinion this page of figures indicates to a nicety 
 the exact state of the case. The Lodge did not meet, but, though 
 always in arrear with its payments to Grand Lodge, managed to 
 pay sufficient to tide over the period when erasure must have 
 
 (1) This book together with another kept by the Steward, was in the yenr 1891 
 kindly entrusted to my care by Bro. G. J. Grroves, 117, for presentation to the 
 Lodge. It had doubtless been in the possession of his grandfather, who was 
 an old and valued member of the Lodge. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 167 
 
 been ever growing nearer, and, having escaped extinc- 
 tion, on its resumption of work paid off all arrears. 1832-6 
 The postages given in this list were undoubtedly paid 
 on the Quarterly Communications from Grand Lodge, and the 
 fact that the Treasurer paid them for live years is tolerably 
 conclusive evidence that he, at all events, did not regard the 
 Lodge as extinct by the mere fact of no meetings being held. 
 
168 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 Section III. (1836-1892). 
 
 It was in. the year 1833, during the period of inaction 
 
 1836. through which the Lodge passed, as mentioned at the 
 close of the preceding section, that its number was 
 
 changed to 328. At the same period The Salopian Lodge of 
 Charity became 135. 
 
 The first information we possess as to the resumption of 
 work by the Lodge is contained in a minute of the meeting 
 already referred to, which was held on Nov. 23rd, 1836. On 
 this occasion the brethren present were Sir A. V. Corbet, Bart., 
 William J. Clement, William Cooper, Junr., William Heighway 
 Jones, John Carline, James Whitney, Thomas Groves, and 
 Samuel Johnson. A communication having been read from 
 Grand Lodge requiring the Lodge to pay the arrears due from it 
 to the Fund of Benevolence, it was resolved that the Lodge 
 should resume its meetings. A Committee was appointed to 
 select a Lodge room, and in December the Raven Inn was 
 selected. The Raven Inn was situated on the present site of the 
 Raven Hotel. 
 
 The arrears due to Grand Lodge were duly paid, a few 
 
 1837. of the old members rejoined, and some candidates for 
 initiation came forward ; meetings were regularly held, 
 
 and the Lodge was soon placed on the firm footing which it has 
 ever since retained. The day of meeting was changed to the 
 second Monday in the month, and has never since been altered. 
 From this date the names of members of 13-5 are frequently 
 recorded as visitors, and on the Festival of St. John in December, 
 appears the first instance of an interchange of civilities between 
 the two Lodges, which continued to be practised in the same 
 form for many years. The minute runs as follows: — "Bros. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE, 169 
 
 Horsman and Teece were requested to visit the Lodge 
 No. 135, and oifer the brethren Brotherly Greeting. A 1837. 
 deputation consisting of Bros. Drinkwater, Lea, and 
 Owen from Lodge 135 visited us and gave Brotherly Greeting." 
 The entire minutes of this year are copied out a second time into 
 the Secretary's book, verbatim in all important particulars with 
 those immediately preceding. The solitary variation is that the 
 year is always written 1838 instead of 1837. As the minutes 
 for 1838 follow immediately in proper order, it is impossible to 
 explain how such a mistake could have been made. The Secretary 
 would have been better employed in noting the election of officers 
 for the following year, which he has omitted to do, 
 
 In July, 1838, Bro. Samuel Wood, then House 
 Surgeon at the Salop Infirmary, was initiated. His 1838. 
 name is still familiar to all Salopians. While still an 
 Entered Apprentice he was elected Secretary, but, notwithstand- 
 ing his inexperience, the minutes kept by him show a distinct 
 advance on those of many of his predecessors. The practice in 
 each Lodge of confirming the minutes of the preceding one was 
 now first adopted, and now also for the first time we find it 
 regularly recorded that the Lodge was " closed in form and 
 harmony," words which shortly afterwards were changed into 
 those with which we are now familiar. 
 
 The Lodge was again moved from the Raven to the Lion 
 Inn, and, as it now contained 21 subscribing members, the funds 
 permitted a resumption of the banquets, which since 1836 had 
 not been held regularly. It may be noticed that visitors at 
 these banquets were still required to pay their proper share of 
 the expenses, as if they had been full members. 
 
 The last instance in which the interference of the Lodge 
 was requested for the purpose of settling a quarrel between two 
 members is recorded in this year. As the quarrel was over a 
 disputed account, it is little wonder that the Lodge refused to 
 meddle in the matter. 
 
170 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 The Earl of Zetland, Pro. Grand Master, having died 
 1839. in this year, the Lodge went into mourning. The 
 
 Public Rooms in the Market Square, now known as the 
 Music Hall Buildings, were commenced in March. The Lodge 
 was invited to be present at the laying of the Foundation Stone 
 by the Honble. Thomas Kenyon, but refused the invitation on 
 the ground that the Constitutions of the Order did not allow 
 Masons to appear as such in an unmasonic ceremony. 
 
 In April the name of " Bro. Price (? initiated 1814) of 
 Salopian Lodge of St. John 328 " appears as a visitor. An old 
 member of the Lodge who was then not a subscribing member is 
 clearly referred to, but this is the only place in the whole records 
 of the Lodge where the words " of St. John " are added to its 
 original title — " The Salopian Lodge." I am, however, informed 
 by a very old member of the staff of the Shrewsbury Chronicle, 
 that when he first joined the office of that paper, circulars were 
 frequently printed for some Lodge of St. John, which was then 
 considered the premier Lodge in the Province. This could not 
 apply to the Lodge of St. John, Wellington, which was not 
 founded until 1852, and must refer to some page in the history 
 of the Salopian Lodge which is completely blotted out from its 
 ■records. 
 
 In May we find the brethren had invested in an organ 
 which cost nearly £22. As further evidence of increasing 
 luxury may be noticed the fact that the hour of meeting was 
 changed to 5 o'clock, and dinners instead of suppers were 
 regularly provided. Dinner seems to have been partaken of 
 before lodge was opened, for, in November, a discussion took 
 place as to whether it would be pleasant or advisable " that any 
 brother be allowed to bring a friend, not being a Mason, to dine 
 with the Brethren ; the Brother introducing him paying all his 
 expenses,'' and the conclusion arrived at was that as such a 
 visitor would have to leave immediately after dinner, " it could 
 not be pleasant to him, nor would it be agreeable to the Brethren." 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 171 
 
 A miaute of a lodge held on Dec. 9tli records 
 that " Bro. Grenville Jones presented an Antique ring 1839. 
 dug up in a Held near Haughmond Abbey, which 
 appears to have been a signet ring, and on which is the following 
 inscription surrounding a Death's Head and cross Bones above 
 which is an Hour Glass with a pair of wings, and on either side 
 a mattock and spade, supposed to have been a signet ring of one 
 of the Abbots of Haughmond Abbey. — To be worn by the W.M. 
 on all Lodge nights, and used as a signet ring by the Lodge. — 
 The ring has on the inside the letters W.L." A rough pen and 
 ink sketch is drawn in the minute book, which corresponds with 
 the above description. The inscription referred to is — qualis 
 VITA FINIS ITA. Bro. GrenviUe Jones is dead, and it has been 
 impossible to discover under what circumstances the ring was 
 found. In the " Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological 
 Society "(i) will be found an article by the Rev. W. A. Leighton 
 on " Three Ancient Rings found in Shropshire," one of which 
 was the ring in question. The account given by that learned 
 Antiquarian is as follows: — "Among the ruins of Haghmon 
 Abbey, Co. Salop, some years ago, was found a gold seal-ring, 
 massive, but of clumsy form, the broad rounded oblong face of 
 which bore in shallow incisions the following device. In the 
 centre a human skull, frontal view, below which was a thigh 
 bone lying horizontally, and on the right side a pick-axe and on 
 the left a shovel ; above the skull an hour glass with a candle- 
 stick and taper on either side and a pair of expanded wings ; 
 around the verge the motto qualis vita finis ita. Within the 
 hoop were the initials W.L. As the above emblems of mortality 
 and the motto were, identical with similar ones existing on the 
 monument of Sir William Leighton, Chief Justice of Worth 
 Wales in the time of Elizabeth, in the Chancel of Cardington 
 Church, Co. Salop, coupled with the initials, there could be no 
 doubt in appropriating it to the Judge. It was no doubt one of 
 the rings which it was the custom of those times for Barristers . 
 when raised to the rank of Serjeants-at-Law to present to each 
 
 . . : -^ 
 
 (I) Part 2 Vol. 2 pag6 2S0 (April 1878). 
 
172 PHEEMASONRY IN 
 
 of the Judges of that time, and this particular ring was 
 1839. probably that presented to his contemporary Richard 
 
 Barker, Recorder of Shrewsbury and Judge of North 
 Wales, whose family then resided at Haghmon Abbey, and 
 whose brother, Rowland Barker, of Haghmon, had married for 
 his second wife, Cecilia, daughter of Sir Edward Leighton, of 
 Wattlesborough." There seems no reason to doubt the substan- 
 tial accuracy of this passage, and the Lodge tradition pointing to 
 a monastic origin may be considered as untenable. Sir William 
 Leighton, it may be added, died in the year 1607, which date 
 gives an approximate idea of the age of the ring. In the 
 Volume from which the foregoing quotation is taken there are 
 two engravings of the ring, made from a wax impression obtained 
 by Mr. Leighton when it was exhibited in the Museum formed 
 by the Archaeological Institute, on their visit to Shrewsbury in 
 1855. A comparison of these engravings with the sketch in the 
 minute book shows several discrepancies. The latter omits the 
 candlesticks and tapers, and has two cross-bones instead of a 
 single horizontal one. Mr. Leighton asserts that from the wax 
 impression taken by him " an electrotype was made which is 
 now the only existing representative of the lost ring,'' but his 
 statement is inaccurate, as another impression in wax and a 
 sketch of the ring had been taken by Bro. S. Wood at the time 
 of its presentation. As some members of the Lodge may not be 
 aware of the fact, I may mention that during the Ceremony of 
 the Installation of our W.M. Elect, the I.P.M. takes a ring from 
 his finger and places it on the linger of the W.M. Elect, who, 
 during his year of office, should wear it on all Masonic occasions, 
 and use it as a signet ring on all Lodge business. The ring now 
 used in this ceremony is a copy of that presented by Bro. 
 Grenville Jones, the original having been unfortunately lost 
 during the Mastership of Bro. Niccolls in 1862. This copy was 
 made from the wax impression and sketch in the possession of 
 Bro. S. Wood. It differs from the engravings already referred 
 to in not showing the candlestick and taper on either side of the 
 hour glass. A similar remark applies to some impressiona 
 
The PBOVllfCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 173 
 
 in wax, presumably of the original ring, given to 
 
 Mr. H. "W. Adnitt of Shrewsbury by Mr. Leighton, 1839. 
 
 and it must, therefore, be a matter of considerable 
 
 doubt whether the engravings are accurate 
 in this respect. The accompanying woodcut 
 is a reproduction of the larger one contained 
 in the Transactions of the Shropshire 
 Archaeological Society. In one respect the 
 present ring is undoubtedly inaccurate ; at 
 the back of the seal the letters W.M. are 
 
 engraved, and these certainly ought to be W.L. 
 
 On April 13th Bro Joshua P. White was 
 initiated. The name of Bro. White is one that will 1840. 
 long be held in loving remembrance by the members of 
 the Salopian Lodge. Sprung from a Masonic family (both his 
 great uncle and uncle were, in their respective generations. 
 Grand Secretary), he early in life joined the Lodge, to which he 
 continued a subscribing member until the day of his death in 
 1890. He thus completed the Jubilee of his connection with 
 the Lodge before the G.A O.T.U called him away from our midst. 
 
 On the same evening as Bro. White was initiated 
 arrangements were made for sending a Committee to London to 
 try and obtain a Royal Arch Chapter in connection with the 
 Lodge. This Committee consisted of Bros. J. Carline, S.W., 
 Saml. Wood, J.W., T. Carline, W.M., C. B. Teece, and 
 J. Whitney. The result of their efforts will be noted later on. 
 
 The brethren were again dissatisfied with their accommo- 
 dation at the Lion, and eventually determined to meet for the 
 future in a room then situate on premises at the rear of the spot 
 upon which the New Fire Office in High Street is now being 
 built. This room was accordingly fitted up at considerable 
 expense. 
 
 The dissatisfaction felt by the Salopian Lodge about the 
 
174 FEEEMASONRY IN 
 
 non-appointment of a P.G.M. seems to have spread to 
 1840. the other Lodges in the County, as in September the 
 Anchor and Hope Lodge, Woore, 644, sent round a 
 memorial upon the subject. 
 
 In this year a subscription of one guinea was given to 
 the Testimonial to be presented to Bro. Robt. T. Crucifix, M.D., 
 P.J.G.D. Bro. Crucifix was the originator of the Asylum 
 Scheme for the assistance of aged Freemasons. 
 
 It is sad to relate that in December a brother resigned on 
 the ground of "want of leisure and inclination to penetrate 
 further into the mysteries of the Craft " ; he had been passed, 
 but not raised. No record of his rejoining the Lodge exists, but 
 he must have done so, as he acted as W.M. many years 
 afterwards. 
 
 From the Treasurer's accounts we find the Lodge paid for 
 the erection of a monument over the grave of Bro. Thomas who 
 had recently died. 
 
 Bro. J. P. White was secretary for the year though 
 184L only an Entered Apprentice. His duties were, however, 
 
 light, as nothing of interest took place, and no lodges 
 were held in the summer months. Two separate attempts were 
 made to found a Lodge of Instruction, but Shrewsbury was not 
 destined to possess such a valuable Institution for many years to 
 come. It is clear, however, that the Salopian Lodge had 
 recognized the utility of such a Lodge, without which work must 
 often be slovenly and inaccurate. 
 
 The Lodge now appears in the character of a Landlord; 
 1842. early in the year negotiations were entered into with 
 
 the Shrewsbury Glee Club for the use by its members 
 of one of the Lodge rooms. The terms offered were £5 per annum 
 for the lower room and £8 for the upper one. The Treasurer 
 received £4 for the "rent of cottage," but this sum was, I think, 
 rent for some small building attached to the Lodge rooms. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 175 
 
 Another purchase of gauntlets shows that the 
 officers still wore these appendages. The time when 1842, 
 they ceased to be worn is not recorded in the minute 
 books. 
 
 A proposal was carried in April that " a little ale be 
 procured on every regular Lodge night, for the refreshment of 
 the labouring brethren." This, it is presumed, meant for 
 consumption during the time lodge was open and work actually 
 in progress, for the refreshment department at the banquets 
 seems to have been conducted in the usual manner. 
 
 It is curious to note that on the Festival of St. John, 
 Bro. J. P. "White, who was unable to attend, sent Bro. Clement, 
 who was not then a subscribing member, to fill the post of Senior 
 Deacon. Bro. Clement apparently found this opportunity for 
 Masonic duty pleasant, as he immediately afterwards rejoined 
 the Lodge. 
 
 Pecuniary difficulties were at this period very 
 great, and many Lodges of Emergency and various 1843. 
 Committee meetings were held to consider the matter. 
 The causes of this straitness of means are easily found, as the 
 Lodge had for two or three years been undoubtedly living far 
 beyond its income. The rent, coal, and taxes for the new Lodge 
 Room in High Street amounted to over £30 per annum, which 
 was nearly if not quite as much as the total amount subscribed 
 by the members, leaving no margin for charity, refreshment, and 
 incidental expenses. In addition, the cost of furnishing the Room 
 had been very great, and as a consequence at the end of the 
 year a balance of nearly £70 was due to the Treasurer. Under 
 these circumstances another move became essential, and the 
 Lodge returned to the Raven and Bell Inn. A subscription list, 
 which ultimately produced £18, was opened ; several brethren 
 forgave the Lodge small bills owed to them ; some articles of 
 non-masonic furniture were sold ; arrears were collected as far as 
 possible ; and a strict Course of economy was begun. It is 
 
176 FKEKMASONRY IN 
 
 pleasant to be able to record that these measures were 
 1843. effectual, and by the close of the year 1843 the debt 
 
 of £70 due to the Treasurer was converted into a 
 credit balance in his hands amounting to £1 12s. 9d. It is 
 evident from a study of the history of this period that the 
 brethren were deeply attached to the Lodge, and determined at all 
 costs to keep it in existence. In the many meetings held not a 
 single suggestion was ever made that it should be discontinued. 
 All worked together manfully and made the necessary pecuniary 
 sacrifices, and the difficulty was disposed of triumphantly. It 
 seems that apart from pecuniary questions the move was a wise 
 one. The rooms were very damp and unhealthy, and in 
 consequence many members refused to attend. The landlords, 
 too, recognized only one duty as incident to the ownership of 
 property, namely that of receiving their rent regularly. 
 
 On May 3rd the Lodge forwarded through Bro. Sir A. V. 
 Corbet, a letter of condolence to Grand Lodge on the death of 
 the Duke of Sussex, G.M. I have already indicated how 
 important a part this Royal Brother had played in the Union of 
 the rival Grand Lodges in 1813, and his efforts for the good of 
 the Craft fully deserved the recognition which they always 
 received from the hands of our Masonic ancestors. 
 
 Bro. Sir A. V. Corbet was at this time, as I have already 
 noticed, D.P.G.M. ; a week later he was asked by the Lodge if 
 he would accept the office of P. G.M. should he be appointed 
 thereto. At first he seemed inclined so allow himself to be 
 nominated, but ultimately changed his mind, and declined to act 
 even after his patent had been sent to him. 
 
 A Bro. Nash was in May paid £2 10s. for lectures ; what 
 the subject of these lectures was I cannot say, as the Secretary 
 passed them over in silence. Two of his best known lectures on 
 the "Ladder of Jacob" and "Mount Moriah" are mystical 
 harangues which scarcely repay perusal. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 177 
 
 About the same time the Lodge took a guinea 
 ticket in the Distribution of the Masonic Fair at Bath, 1843. 
 but was not successful in winning the magnificent 
 Masonic furniture, costly jewels, organ, &c. then drawn for, 
 which had originally been purchased at a cost of £645 15s. Od., 
 and used at the Consecration of the Royal Sussex Lodge. 
 
 The attempt to obtain a Royal Arch Chapter in connection 
 with the Lodge was now seriously undertaken and ultimately 
 proved successful. The Petitions to Grand Chapter then 
 prepared are full of information ; they are given verbatim, in 
 connection with the history of the Chapter, at a subsequent page. 
 
 Nothing of interest occurred in the year 1844, 
 being the second in succession in which the chair was 1844-5. 
 occupied by Bro. S. Wood. 
 
 In the beginning of 1845 the brethren went to Wenlock 
 to attend the funeral of Bro. Hinton. 
 
 A brother who applied for a recommendation to the 
 Benevolent Fund had to be refused as his subscription was in 
 arrear ; and, " having no further call upon their influence, the 
 votes and interest of the Lodge for the same fund were left in 
 the hands of the Grand Secretary.'' The same plan was 
 subsequently often adopted. 
 
 In March it was regularly proposed and carried " that 
 any Mason not a Member of the Lodge, may be passed or raised 
 in the Lodge after due notice, for the sum of £2 10s. Od." Two 
 instances at least might be given of this having been done in 
 previous years, although no by-law or regulation of the Lodge 
 allowed of it. The lease of the Old Lodge Room in High Street, 
 continued to be still a source of trouble, as the Landlords held 
 the Lodge liable for the rent. A committee appointed in 1844 
 to settle the matter having neglected to do so was reproached by 
 the Lodge for their lukewarmness, but eventually cleared them- 
 selves of this charge, and induced the landlords to cancel the 
 
 w 
 
178 FREEMASONHT IN 
 
 lease " on payment of £30 from those brethren who 
 1844-5. were members of the Lodge at the time the unfortunate 
 
 deed was executed, together with the further sum of 
 £Q 10s. derived from the sale of old furniture." Bro. H. T. 
 Wace, who was chosen as W.M. for the ensuing year, declined 
 the honour on the ground of illness, and Bro. J. P. White was 
 elected in his place. Bro. Wace was initiated in 1838, acted as 
 W.M. in 1847, was appointed P.G.S. of Works on the formation 
 of the Province in 1852, and is now the only living officer 
 appointed on that occasion. 
 
 A serious family squabble seems in this year to have 
 
 1846. upset the harmony of the Lodge. As a consequence 
 five resignations, three of which were contained in one 
 
 envelope, were received in one day. The cause of this disturb- 
 ance cannot be exactly described, even if it were desirable to do 
 so. This much, however, seems clear, that the dissension arose 
 because some members felt that transactions in public life of 
 which they did not approve, rendered those taking part in such 
 transactions unfit for Lodge honours. 
 
 A subscription was raised to present Bro. Thomas Groves, 
 who was then Mayor of Shrewsbury, with his portrait. The 
 portrait proved to be an excellent likeness, and after hanging 
 on the walls of the Lodge room for several years, was ultimately 
 presented to Bro. Groves, and it is now in the possession of his 
 family. 
 
 The minutes for several lodges held in this year contain 
 the names of visitors from the Roden Lodge, Wem, which had 
 just been warranted. This Lodge we know from other sources 
 had a very short active existence, and all mention of it ceases in 
 the same year, though it was not formally erased till 1859. 
 
 Contemporary history is illustrated by an entry which 
 
 1847. records the payment by the Lodge in February of a 
 subscription of one guinea towards " the relief of the 
 
 Irish and Scotch districts suffering from the scarcity of food." 
 
THE PROVINCE 01" SHROPSHIRE. iTi) 
 
 The failure of the potato crop, a fruitful source of 
 trouble in the Sister Isle, was in this year almost 1847. 
 complete, and great distress was the natural result. 
 
 The Lodge we learn incidentally was at this period in 
 possession of 48 votes for the Benevolent Fund, which, following 
 the precedent established in 1845, were left in the hands of the 
 Grand Secretary to use as he thought fit. 
 
 In December the Lodge wrote to the other Lodges in the 
 Province on the subject of the non-appointment of a P.G.M. 
 The entry relative to this matter has been fully considered in 
 the Provincial History, but I may here, perhaps, repeat that it is 
 chiefly interesting as showing that only three Lodges in all were 
 in working order at this date, viz. — 262, 117, and the Roden 
 Lodge, Wem. 
 
 Very little of any interest took place during this 
 period. Lodges were not held very regularly, and few 1848-50 
 members attended to their Masonic duties. In Jan., 
 1848, only three members and the Tyler attended ; the Lodge 
 was, nevertheless, opened in the 3rd degree, bnt no work was 
 done. 
 
 In 1849 the sum of £3 3s. Od. was voted towards a 
 testimonial to Bro. Wm. Henry White, G.S. Bro. White had 
 on several occasions placed the Lodge under great obligations to 
 him. He was most active in supporting the Petition for the 
 Chapter in 1843, and subsequently presented to the joint 
 Province of North Wales and Shropshire the handsome Sword 
 now in the possession of the Province of Shropshire. The Rev. 
 E. H. Dymock, afterwards for many years D.P.G.M., was elected 
 W.M. for the year 1851. 
 
 In February, 1851, occurs the first mention of 
 the name of the late R.W.P.G.M., Sir Watkin Williams 1851. 
 Wynn, Bart. In that month the Lodge invited him to 
 allow himself to be nominated for the ofiice he afterwards filled 
 
180 
 
 PEEEMASOIfRY IM 
 
 SO successfully, and, in December, when a visitor, 
 1851. an intimation was received from him that he would 
 accept the post if appointed. 
 
 In this year, also, was consummated a most curious incident 
 
 in the history of the Lodge, namely, the amalgamation with the 
 
 Salopian Lodge of Charity ; the joint Lodge thus formed 
 
 retaining both Warrants. The minute books of both Lodges are 
 
 strangely silent as to the reasons for and negotiations previous to 
 
 this amalgamation. It appears, however, that on the 5th of 
 
 May a meeting of the subscribing members of both Lodges was 
 
 held for the purpose of taking into consideration measures best 
 
 calculated to promote the speedy union of the two Lodges. At 
 
 this meeting Bro. J. N. Heathcote, W.M., 135, and Bro. E. H. 
 
 D3m!iock, 328, presided. A resolution having been carried that 
 
 the amalgamation would materially benefit Freemasonry in the 
 
 County, a series of regulations for the management of the joint 
 
 Lodge were made. Of these I may quote four — 
 
 l.st — "That the Salopian Lodge, 328, should have priority of number and 
 take precedence of the Salopian Lodge of Charity." 
 
 2nd — " That Bro. Dymock should continue in the chair until his year of 
 office should expire, and that Bro. Heathcote should succeed him." 
 
 3rd — " That after the proposed amalgamationi in the event of a distant dis- 
 solution, an Arbitrator should be chosen from among the Brethren 
 representing the interests of each Lodge to decide upon the meiits of 
 the evidence produced, whose decision should be considered iiual." 
 
 4th — " That an inventory of the property belonging to each Lodge should be 
 taken and numbered, and that such of the Lodge furniture of No. 
 133 should be used in the Amalgamated Lodge as should be 
 required ; that the remainder be safely put aside, with this under- 
 standing, that, in the event of a separation, each Lodge shouhl 
 claim and be allowed by the arbitrators its own furniture, and be 
 placed on exactly the same position regarding the Jewels and 
 Furniture as before the amalgamation." 
 
 Upon these terms the union took place, and took effect 
 from the October meeting of 328. Frotn that date the minute 
 books contain the names of brethren of 135 present at and 
 voting in the proceedings of the Salopian Lodge. The presence 
 of these names in such an informal way renders it very difficult 
 to obtain an absolutely correct list of the bona fide members of 
 the latter Lodge. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. I8l 
 
 In January a Committee of the two Lodges was 
 formed to consider new by-laws for the joint Lodge, but 1852. 
 it is doubtful if this Committee ever proceeded to work, 
 for in February we find the first traces of the dissolution of the 
 union. It was then proposed to hold a Lodge of Emergency at 
 the end of the month to consider the whole question of the 
 amalgamation. This was accordingly done, and a resolution 
 carried unanimously thereat " that the "Warrant of 135 be given 
 with a sufficiency of furniture for carrying on the said Lodge to 
 any number of Brethren not less than seven who may be 
 approved of by the Brethren of Lodge 328." The reason for this 
 sudden dissolution is stated in a pencil note at the end of the 
 minute book to have been due to a private communication from 
 the Grand Secretary, to the effect that the amalgamation was 
 illegal. Living witnesses of the event have, however, informed 
 me that the first steps towards separation were taken at the 
 instigation of Sir Watkin Wynn, who, in preparing, as he then 
 was, for the post of Provincial Grand Master, could not but 
 regret the loss of precedence to the Province involved in the 
 probable erasure of such a low number as 13-5 from the roll of 
 Lodges under his care. On the separation being effected, it is 
 clear that many of the former members of 135 preferred to 
 remain under the banner of 328, and, as a consequence, the former 
 Lodge was for some time in a precarious condition. At its first 
 meeting in March it was, however, intimated that several 
 members of 328 had joined it to help to keep it going until more 
 prosperous times set in. These joining members were welcomed 
 warmly and admitted for a very small subscription. In a very 
 few years No. 135 was in full working order again, and has ever 
 since continued to flourish. This amalgamation was, I believe, 
 the foundation of the real feeling of friendliness existing between 
 the two Lodges — a friendliness never disturbed by the petty 
 jealousies and squabbles so common between two Lodges in a 
 small town. 
 
 The establishment of the Provincial Grand Lodge of 
 
182 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 Shropshire and North Wales caused a great influx of 
 
 1852. joining members about this period. The Salopian 
 Lodge was evidently then regarded as the leading 
 
 Lodge, and the chief avenue leading to Provincial honours. 
 As a consequence it may be noted that the Lodge had for 
 the following few years more subscribing members than at 
 any other period of its existence. In 1852 there were at least 
 55 on the roll. The influence of the P.G.M. was soon apparent 
 in the higher social position of the new members of the Lodge. 
 During the period 1850 to 1870 it may safely be asserted that 
 scarcely one of the Shropshire County families was without a 
 representative belonging to the Craft. 
 
 On Dec. 29th the two Shrewsbury Lodges with the then 
 newly established Lodge at Admaston (now 601) joined in 
 celebrating the Festival of St. John. On this occasion 51 
 brethren attended the banquet. 
 
 The gift of two guineas from the Mayor of Shrewsbury 
 
 1853. to the Widows and Orphans Fund is worth recording, 
 as His Worship was not a member of the Craft. His 
 
 example in this respect is imitated more rarely than it deserves 
 to be. 
 
 The initiation fee was now raised to 5 guineas. 
 
 In April Bro. Walter Reginald Corbet, son of Sir A. V. 
 Corbet, was initiated just before he left England for the Crimea. 
 The next time he was heard of by the Lodge was when the sad 
 intelligence arrived that he had died on his way home again. 
 
 On October 26th was held the first Provincial Grand 
 Lodge meeting in Shrewsbury since the date of the installation 
 of the P.G.M. The Lodge worked two initiations and a passing, 
 so that with the Provincial business a heavy afternoon's work 
 was got through. In this and the previous years Grand Masonic 
 Balls were held in Shrewsbury, the attendance in both instances 
 being exceedingly large. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 183 
 
 When the Auditors had examined the Lodge 
 accounts for 1853, it was found that the Treasurer 1854. 
 had in his hands a balance of £108. Of this sum 10 
 guineas was sent to the Masonic Institution for Boys, and private 
 subscriptions amounting to 25 guineas were added thereto; £10 
 was also voted to the Patriotic Fund raised for our Crimean 
 Army. A considerable part of the balance was spent in laying 
 down wine for the use of the Lodge, a cellar to store it in, at the 
 Raven and Bell Inn, being provided only upon payment of a 
 heavy corkage fee. This was the beginning of the Lodge cellar. 
 It is evident from the report of the Wine Committee on this 
 occasion, that the Brethren then, as now, had a weakness for 
 Port. The Wine " Whip " at this time seems to have varied in 
 amount accovding to the quantity consumed. — No wine, it may 
 be noticed, was allowed to be taken from the cellar after 10 p.m. 
 
 Bro. Guise, in October, presented the Lodge with a floor 
 cloth prepared from a beautiful design by Bro. Randal. 
 
 Bro. Heathcote was presented with a P.M. jewel and 
 plate, with a suitable inscription, for his services to the Lodge. 
 
 Bro. Churchill the W.M. who had been seriously 
 ill for some time, died on Jan. 9th, during the time 1855. 
 the Lodge was at work. On his decease, Bro. Guise 
 was elected to fill the vacant chair, and at the next meeting the 
 Lodge appeared in Masonic mourning. The round bottomed 
 decanters now in the possession of the Lodge were a present 
 from Bro. Churchill. Bros. Chandler and Andrew, old and 
 respected members of the Lodge, also died on a Lodge night, as 
 many of my readers will doubtless remember. 
 
 The Lodge was again in mourning in October on account 
 of the death of Bro. Sir A. V. Corbet, who survived but a short 
 time the death of his son already noticed. Bro. Corbet had been 
 a subscribing member from his initiation in 1820, and had 
 always taken a keen interest in all that concerned the Craft. 
 
184 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 In August a great Masonic picnic was held on the 
 
 1855. Wrekin. Masonic festivities were at this time largely 
 patronized. 
 
 The following minute is a curious one — •" The Lodge being 
 in the 3rd degree it was then called back to the 1st degree in 
 order to elect a Master for the ensuing year, when the present 
 W.M. (Bro. Guise) was unanimously re-elected and received the 
 congratulations of the Brethren, and the Lodge being recalled to 
 its duties in the 3rd degree, the W.M. was installed and received 
 the usual honours. The Lodge was then closed down to the 1st 
 degree." The power vested in the W.M. of a Lodge to "call 
 back" into a lower degree, is, I think, rarely used in Shropshire. 
 
 In January, a P.M. jewel, purchased out of the Lodge 
 
 1856. funds, was presented to Bro. J. L. Rowland for his 
 valuable services as Secretary. The Brethren of the 
 
 Lodge may be interested to hear that Bro. Rowland in addition 
 to being a good Mason, was an excellent amateur wood carver, 
 and that to his skill and kindness they are indebted for the 
 handsome snuff box they now occasionally use. 
 
 In many Lodges held during the year lectures on the 
 tracing boards were given by the W.M. (Bro. Guise), in the 
 absence of any regular work — a practice which might well be 
 adopted more frequently in the present day. 
 
 The Festival of St. John in December was not celebrated 
 till the following month, when the R.W.P.G.M. and many of his 
 officers honoured the Lodge with their presence. 
 
 Bro. Dovaston was initiated in this year — he is now the 
 senior subscribing member of the Lodge. 
 
 The Lodge now again changed its quarters from the 
 
 1857. Raven and Bell Inn to the Lion Hotel. In March 
 Bro. Guise was presented with a P.M. jewel. He 
 
 thoroughly deserved this compliment as he had worked and 
 continued to work well for the Lodge and also for the Province. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 185 
 
 The Brethren seem about this thne to have lost 
 their taste for music, as they decided they had no 1857. 
 longer any use for the organ, and presented it to Bro. 
 Bloxam, who had for many years filled the post of Organist. 
 
 A Provincial Grand Lodge was held in Shrewsbury on 
 August 8th, it was, as then usual, held in a Craft Lodge. The 
 method seems to have been this — The Craft Lodge having been 
 duly opened by its officers, the R.W.P.G.M. attended by his 
 Officers entered in procession. The P.G. Officers then assumed 
 the posts vacated by the Lodge Officers, and the P.G. Lodge was 
 duly opened — and, when its business was finished, duly closed. 
 The P.G. Officers then retired, and the Craft Lodge work was 
 resumed. 
 
 In October the Brethren assembled in mourning for Bro. 
 Rowland who had just died. 
 
 In January the following entry occurs : — " The 
 Lodge was then opened in the 2nd degree and almost 1858. 
 immediately afterwards was closed in that degree. 
 Bro. Riou Benson having answered the necessary questions then 
 retired and the Lodge again opened in the 2nd degree." This 
 indicates a small mistake in ritual which will be easily recognized. 
 
 Bro. Charles George "VVingfieldy whose recent death is so 
 universally regretted, joined the Lodge in this year, and remained 
 a subscribing member until his death. 
 
 On April 5th Wynnstay, the residence of the R.W.P.G.M , 
 was burnt to the ground, and on the 12th of the same month an 
 address of condolence was sent to him by the Lodge. The 
 following passage from this address sufficiently indicates the 
 feelings of the Brethren : — 
 
 " But one sentiment pervaded the hearts of all the Bretlu-en present, 
 and it showed itself by an unanimous desire to express to j-on Right Worship- 
 ful Sir our feelings of sincere sympathy, earnest condolence, and heartfelt 
 thankfulness ; sincere sympathy with you in having now to look upon the 
 ashes of that noble pile of building so dear to you from the earliest 
 
 X 
 
186 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 associations and ancient family recollections and so suddenly 
 
 1858. reduced to ashes by the ruthless flames— earnest condolence at the 
 enormous loss (yea in many things irreparable) of so vast an 
 
 amount of valuable property — and above all our heaitful thankfulness that 
 under God"s Good Providence you yourself and Lady Wynn and the guests 
 and inmates of your House, have been preserved alive amid the perils of that 
 fearful night." 
 
 In the following month this address was suitably 
 acknowledged by the R.W.P.G.M. 
 
 The by-law referring to the election of new members was 
 in this year altered — it being then finally settled, as is now the 
 law, that one blackball in ten should exclude any proposed 
 candidate. 
 
 An election to the post of Physician to the Salop 
 
 1859. Infirmary took place early in this year. The vote of 
 the Lodge was " left to the W.M. to vote as he may 
 
 think proper." 
 
 The Lodge, owing to the Lion being without a tenant, now 
 moved to the Raven Hotel. Considerable difficulty was 
 experienced as to the proper disposal of the Lodge wine, as the 
 Raven authorities refused to store it. Ultimately it was sold by 
 private auction amongst the members, and with part of the 
 proceeds a quantity of new furniture and jewels was purchased. 
 
 A new by-law was now added to those already existing. 
 It provided " that it shall be one of the duties of the W.M. 
 regularly to attend the Quarterly Communication of Grand 
 Lodge, or in his stead a P.M. or one of his Wardens as he may 
 deem fit to appoint. The travelling expenses being borne by the 
 Lodge Fund." 
 
 An old minute book, entrusted to Bro. Oakley for 
 
 1860. presentation to the Lodge, was gladly accepted. This 
 book cannot now be identified. 
 
 A Finance Committee sat in the latter part of the year, 
 but their report is not given by the Secretary. One result 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHEOPSHIRE. 187 
 
 of this report is, however, discernible in the fact 
 that the compulsory attendance of the W.M. at the 1860. 
 Quarterly Communications was now reduced to twice 
 in the year. 
 
 The R.W.P.G.M. honoured the Lodge with his presence 
 on the Festival of St. John in December. His attendance at the 
 Installation Ceremony was very constant. 
 
 On a further consideration of the new by-law 
 referring to the attendance of the W.M. at Grand 1861. 
 Lodge, it was entirely rescinded. 
 
 A vote for 15 years for the Royal Masonic Benevolent 
 Institution was purchased by the efforts of Bro. Onions, who 
 exerted himself to collect from the Brethren the sum necessary 
 for that purpose. The portrait of Bro. Groves already referred 
 to was now presented to him. 
 
 The costly and handsome set of mauls at present 
 used by the Lodge was in this year presented by Bro. 1862. 
 H. V. Jones, and a record of his kindness was entered 
 on the minutes. 
 
 Bro. Brightwell, who had for many years filled the post 
 of Treasurer in the most able manner, was voted an acknowledg- 
 ment of his services; a presentation was also made to him, but of 
 what nature is not recorded. The sum of £10 was also given to 
 the Lancashire Relief Pund. The old ring, presented by Bro. 
 Granville Jones in 1839, was lost by the W.M. whilst on a visit 
 to London, and a copy had to be procured as already mentioned, 
 but this was not done till 1865. 
 
 A Provincial Grand Lodge was held in the 
 Salopian Lodge in January. 1863. 
 
 From this year the meeting of the Lodge in May was 
 discontinued, and the present system of meeting only in the 
 months from October to April was adopted. 
 
188 FEEEMASONRY IN 
 
 The last formal renumbering of all the Lodges was now 
 
 1863. carried out by Grand Lodge. In this renumbering the 
 Salopian Lodge 328 became 262. 
 
 Bro. Wingfield was in this year W.M. At his installa- 
 
 1864. tion 43 subscribing members of the Lodge were present. 
 This is the largest number of subscribing brethren ever 
 
 present in the history of the Lodge. 
 
 A proposition that " members living more than ten miles 
 from Shi'ewsbury and who had been subscribers for ten years, 
 should only pay for the future a subscription of 5/- per annum, 
 and 5/- for each banquet attended by them," was almost 
 unanimously negatived. 
 
 From this date the dues were paid yearly instead of 
 quarterly. 
 
 Bro. Cureton, who was now a very old man, and had acted 
 as Tyler for many years, was granted an allowance of 31- a week 
 for the remainder of his life. He did not long enjoy the 
 allowance as he died in February, 1867. 
 
 These were three very prosperous years, during which 
 1865-6-7 plenty of work was done, and the average attendance 
 
 of members reached its maximum. From the point of 
 view of a historian they are, however, uninteresting, as little out 
 of the ordinary routine of Lodge life took place. A study of the 
 list of new members supplies practically the whole Lodge history. 
 I may, however, note that Bro. Randal, P.M. was presented with 
 a jewel for his valuable services, and that Bro. Guise, P.M. 
 failing to get a reversal of the decision of the Lodge, given in 
 1864, on the subject of a reduced subscription for old members, 
 even though he offered many different modifications of the 
 original proposition, resigned. 
 
 In March the sum of £2 2s. Od. was subscribed to the 
 
 1868. Palestine Exploration Fund ; and in December £10 
 
 was voted to the Zetland Memorial, The Earl of 
 
THE FUOVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 189 
 
 Zetland was D.G.M. in 1839, Pro. G.M. in 1840 
 under the Duke of Sussex, and G.M. from 1843 to 1871. 1868. 
 On his voluntary retirement in the latter year an 
 address was presented to him. " The address was supplemented 
 by a testimonial consisting of the sum of £2730, together with a 
 silver inkstand ; the latter passing into the possession of the 
 Earl, and the former constituting the ' Zetland Fund ' for the 
 relief of distinguished brethren who might become distressed — of 
 which the disposal was to rest with Lord Zetland, and after him 
 the Grand Master for the time being, "(i' 
 
 In this and for several years afterwards a curious mistake 
 was made by the respective secretaries in noting the installation 
 of the W.M. for the time being. This mistake is contained in 
 the following sentence, which occurs in the minutes for each 
 successive year. — " The Lodge was then opened in the third and 
 past masters' degree.'' At the Union in 1813 it was "declared 
 and pronounced, that pure Ancient 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 Royal Arch." Installation is therefore a 
 ceremony only and not a degree. 
 
 A most unpleasant incident occurred in this 
 year in the black balling of the son of an eminent 1869. 
 member of the Lodge when proposed for membership, a 
 dispensation having been obtained for his initiation, though 
 under age. The resignation of the father was, of course, 
 immediately given, but some explanation evidently took place, as 
 the minute referring to his resignation was not confirmed, and he 
 remained a member of the Lodge for some time afterwards. 
 
 For the first time in the history of the Lodge its 
 W.M. (Bro. G. W. Fisher) attended the Festival of the 1870. 
 Royal Masonic Institution for Boys, and took with him 
 a subscription of ten guineas. 
 
 (1) Gould vol. iii., p. 25. 
 
190 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 On October 10th the Lodge once more began to meet 
 
 1870. regularly at the Lion Hotel, being obliged to leave the 
 Raven Hotel through the " refusal of the proprietors 
 
 to comply with its not unreasonable requirements." 
 
 The sum of £/i was voted to the Widow of Bro. Boulter 
 Brearey, who had been initiated in the Lodge in the year 1820. 
 
 An elaborate report was in January presented by a 
 
 1871. Committee appointed to deal with the question of 
 arrears, no less a sum than £119 being then unpaid. 
 
 As a consequence of this report the names of several brethren 
 were erased, only about £16 being ultimately recovered. 
 
 Bro. Mallard died in this year ; he had been Tyler since 
 the year 1824, with one short interval caused by the bringing of 
 the unfounded charge of stealing wine against him. 
 
 The W.M. (Bro. Cecil Peele) presented the Lodge with 
 the handsome Ballot Box now in use. 
 
 The present system of considering the " Whip " paid after 
 the banquets as belonging exclusively to the Wine Fund, and 
 not to the General Fund of the Lodge, was at this time adopted. 
 
 1872. The by-laws were now once more raised. 
 
 In Nov. the present R.W.P.G.M., Sir Offley Wakeman, 
 Bart, was elected a joining member of the Lodge. He has held 
 in succession every office in the Lodge from I.G. to W.M , and in 
 each and all of these proved himself an excellent working mason. 
 The Lodge is proud to still number him amongst its subscribing 
 members. 
 
 Bro. R. M. Hickman died in this year, and a warm letter 
 of sympathy and regret was written to his family. 
 
 In April Bro. Alfred Salwey of Ludlow, late Chairman 
 
 1873. of the Quarter Sessions for the County of Salop, and 
 now Chairman of the County Council, was elected a 
 
 Joining member. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSIIIEE. 191 
 
 At the same meeting the account presented by 
 the Clerk of the Peace for the County for recording the 1873, 
 list of members of the Lodge was ordered to be paid. 
 This is the only reference in the Lodge books to the legal necessity, 
 still insisted on, of registering the names of all members of Lodges 
 in accordance with the provisions of the Secret Societies Act, 
 1799. Such registration was one of the conditions attached by 
 the Legislature to the exemption of Masonic Bodies from the 
 provisions of that Act. 
 
 With the view of dispensing casual relief upon an uniform 
 system, arrangements were now made with 117 that the Almoner 
 of that Lodge should also discharge the duties of that office for 
 262, the two Lodges to share the expense equally between them. 
 This arrangement still continues, and is certainly a most useful 
 one, as it prevents the indiscriminate distribution of Charity. 
 
 A donation of £10 10s. Od. to the Royal 
 Masonic Institution for Girls was voted in April, and 1874. 
 the sum of £5 to the sister of a deceased member 
 of 117 in October. 
 
 Bro. E. Cresswell Peele, W.M. presented the 
 Lodge with a Past Master's jewel, and received the 1875. 
 thanks of the Lodge therefor. 
 
 A donation of £10 10s. Od. was voted to the Royal 
 Masonic Institution for Boys in February. 
 
 New collars were provided for the use of the Officers. 
 
 In this year H.R.H. The Prince of Wales was installed 
 as Grand Master. The Lodge on this occasion was represented 
 by Bros. E. C. Peele, W.M., J. H. Redman, S.W„ E. M. 
 Wakeman, J.W., J. B. Cooper, J.D., Sir Offley Wakeman, 
 W. Blakeway, P.M., E. Andrew, P.M., and J. P. White, P.M. 
 
 The Lodge now began a regular Subscription 
 to the North Wales and Shropshire Charitable 1876. 
 Association. 
 
192 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 On May 5th a Lodge of Emergency was held ; it was 
 
 1876. attended by both Lodges in Shrewsbury, and addresses, 
 congratulating him on his recovery from his prolonged 
 
 illness, were presented to the R.W.P.G.M. Sir Watkin "Wynn. 
 One passage from that presented by 262 may be quoted : — "We 
 beg respectfully to offer you a most cordial welcome to the Province 
 on this our first Masonic gathering since your return, and unite 
 in an earnest hope that you may long be enable to fulfil those 
 high duties in the Craft which you have for so lengthened a 
 period discharged in the Province. Under your rule and 
 guidance the Craft has greatly prospered and extended in this 
 and neighbouring Counties, and we sincerely trust that for 
 many long years to come we may have the honour and pleasure 
 of working under a Provincial Grand Master so kind as you 
 have ever evinced yourself." This was more than language of 
 mere empty compKment, for it expressed the real feelings of 
 every thinking Mason in the Province. 
 
 1877. The W.M. Bro. E. M. Wakeman, presented the Lodge 
 with the dagger now used by the I.G. 
 
 Bro. John Nigel Heathcote, P.P.G.J.W., died after a 
 long and useful Masonic life. He was W.M. of 117 in the 
 year 1851, of 262 in the following year, in which year also he 
 was appointed the first P.G.J.W. of the then new Province of 
 North Wales and Shropshire. Few of our deceased brethren 
 were more industrious or better Masons. 
 
 The Lodge voted the sum of 20 guineas, to which another 
 5 guineas was added in following year, towards the Sir Watkin's 
 Presentation Pund, collected to celebrate the completion by the 
 R.W.P.G.M. of 25 years of Office in his exalted post. 
 
 This is the last year in which the rejection of a proposed 
 Candidate for initiation took place. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHKOPSHIRE. 193 
 
 Nothing of any interest is recorded in this year 
 in reference to the Lodge. It was, however, an eventful 1878. 
 year in the history of the Craft, as in it the difference 
 between the Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Orient 
 of France led to the final rupture between the two bodies. 
 The Grand Orient substituted absolute liberty of conscience, 
 instead of a belief in the existence of God, as its one fundamental 
 religious principle, and the Grand Lodge of England was 
 therefore forced to direct all its subordinate Lodges not to 
 admit to their meetings any brother, unless (1) he had been 
 duly initiated in a Lodge professing belief in the existence of 
 the G.A.O.T.U., and (2) himself professed that belief. Every 
 Lodge was ordered to insert such direction on its minutes, and 
 to see that it was carefully observed. 
 
 The transfer of £20 from the Lodge Fund to the 
 Wine Fund in this year shows that in 1879, as well 1879. 
 as in 1889, the Wine Whip was sometimes insufficient 
 to cover the expense of the quantity of wine consumed. In the 
 latter year, however, the difficulty was met in a different way. 
 
 The death of Bro. Samuel Wood severed another link 
 that bound the Lodge to the remote past. Bro. Wood, well- 
 known in Shrewsbury as an eminent Surgeon, was initiated in 
 1838, filled the chair in 1843 and the following year, and took 
 an active part in the foundation of the Salopian Chapter, 262. 
 He was P.G.A.D. of C. in 1852-3, and P.G.J. W. in 1856-7. 
 
 Sir Offley Wakeman, Bart., the W.M., presented 1880. 
 the Lodge with some new collars. 
 
 Once more the appointment of a Committee to deal with 
 the large number of Subscribers in arrear may be noted ; but, 
 like most of its predecessors for the same purpose, its efforts 
 were productive of little good. 
 
 At this time the Deacons took an inventory of the 
 
 Y 
 
194 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 Lodge furniture and effects, which has, however, not 
 
 1880. been preserved. Under the present by-laws that duty 
 now appertains to the office of the Junior "Warden. 
 
 Towards the end of the year the Lodge supported the 
 petition for the foundation of the Lodge at Newport, which was 
 consecrated in the following year, and named " The Audley 
 Lodge." It was the last Lodge in Shropshire founded in the 
 old joint Province. 
 
 For almost the last time we now read of the appoint- 
 
 1881. ment of a Committee to make inquiries about the 
 practicability of getting a Masonic Hall in Shrewsbury, 
 
 to be used chiefly for the purpose of the Craft. No report of 
 their labours in such a good cause is recorded, but the result 
 is evident, inasmuch as the Hall still remains unbuilt. Of the 
 utility of such a building there can be no doubt, and the 
 Brother, if any, who will in the future be mainly instrumental 
 in procuring its establishment, will lay the Masons of Shrewsbury 
 under an obligation, which no gratitude they can give him will 
 ever discharge. 
 
 An inventory of the old Lodge books was taken in this 
 year, but it, like all similar documents of prior date, has 
 disappeared. 
 
 A subscription of ten guineas was voted to the 
 
 1882. Institution for girls, and was placed on the list of the 
 R.W.P.G.M. who attended the festival as a steward. 
 
 1883. Bro. J. P. White for the second time filled the chair 
 in this year. 
 
 The great growth of the Craft in the Joint Province 
 now led to a general desire that it should be divided, 
 as it was found inconvenient to work so large a district 
 
THE PUOVINCE OF SHUOPSHIKE. 195 
 
 from one centre. However, tha Salopian Lodge in 
 answer to a letter from the Segontium Lodge, Carnar- 1883. 
 von, 606, replied — "That whilst the Lodge cordially 
 agrees with the desirability of separating the Province of North 
 Wales and Shropshire, they consider the present time in. 
 opportune, and would defer any discussion thereon, until our 
 respected P.G.M., Sir Watkin Wynn, Bart., P.G.M., is in a 
 better state of health." 
 
 The sum of ten guineas was voted to each of the three 
 Masonic charities for the purchase of permanent votes; the 
 harmonium now in use was also purchased at an expense 
 of £19. 
 
 The Lodge now began its subscription of 2 guineas 
 to the Eye and Ear Hospital in Shrewsbury, and another 1884. 
 ten guineas was invested in the purchase of votes for 
 the Masonic Institution for Boys. To this Institution the 
 boy, France, an account of whose satisfactory progress was read 
 out at the P.G. Lodge held at Ludlow in September, 1891, was 
 shortly afterwards elected. He was a candidate earnestly 
 supported by the Salopian Lodge. 
 
 The W.M., Bro. R. A. Craig, P.P.G.R., and the 
 Stewards were appointed to act with a Committee 1885. 
 appointed by the Salopian Lodge of Charity 117, to 
 make arrangements for a joint Summer pic-nic. So far as 262 
 was concerned this pic-nic did not come off ; the Lodge never 
 appears to have cared for un-masonic festivities. 
 
 On the deeply regretted death of the R W.P.G.M., a 
 letter of condolence was sent to Lady Wynn and was warmly 
 acknowledged by her. 
 
 Bro. Thos. Sullock Stooke was W.M, but his jggg 
 year of office was a quiet and uneventful onei 
 
196 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 The sum of 25 guineas was voted to the Masonic 
 1887. Institution, for Girls. In this year the chair at the 
 Festival of the Institution was taken by the 
 R W.P.G.M. Sir Offley Wakeman, Bart, P.M. 
 
 Bros. Andrew and Chandler both old and valued 
 members of the Lodge died on the evening of a Lodge meeting. 
 The former was W.M. in the year 1874 and 1882, and was 
 P.G.D. in the years 1878-9. The latter was W.M. in 1861, 
 and acted as P.G.R. in the two following years. It will be 
 remembered that the same coincidence was noted with respect 
 to the death of Bro. Churchill in the year 1855. 
 
 The Lion Hotel being now closed the Lodge changed its 
 quarters to the Music Hall, but remained there only for a few 
 months and then again removed to the old Museum Rooms. 
 
 In this year the Lodge celebrated its Centenary. A 
 18S8. Committee was appointed to consider the best method 
 
 of celebrating that most interesting event, and decided 
 that, in addition to obtaining permission to wear the "Regulation 
 Centenary Medal," an Initiation Ceremony should be worked, and 
 a sketch of the Lodge History be read prior to the banquet. 
 To this banquet it was also decided to invite all living members 
 of the Lodge whether subscribers or not. The Warrant is dated 
 the 13th of May, 1788, and on the day following, 100 years 
 afterwards, the Centenary was celebrated. The programme 
 settled by the Committee was gone through, and Bro. Tredinnick 
 had the honour of being initiated on such a special occasion, in 
 the presence of nearly 60 brethren. The sketch of the Lodge 
 History was prepared and read by Bro. R. A. Craig, P.M., 
 P. P.G.R , and was most highly appreciated by the large and 
 interested audience It dealt chiefly with the social side of 
 the past life of the Lodge, and with those amusing entries 
 recorded by the successive Secretaries from time to time, ere 
 the close supervision of Provincial Grand Lodge had cramped 
 the development of individual eccentricities in this respect. 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 197 
 
 A copy of the Centenary Warrant will be found 
 amongst the Appendices. It is chiefly remarkable 1888. 
 from the fact that, doubtless through a desire for 
 brevity, no mention of the number 434 by which the Lodge 
 was called from 1792 to 1813 is inserted, and the terms of 
 the recital referring to the general renumberings in 1832 
 and 1863, do not disclose that the Lodge was once 
 numbered 328. The correspondence with the Grand Lodge 
 prior to the grant of this Warrant was carried out entirely by 
 Bro. W. E. Harding, P.M., P.P G.W. The only difficulty the 
 Lodge had to experience was in connection with the years 1831 
 to 1836. The semi-dormant condition of the Lodge at this 
 time has been already dealt with on a previous page. It will, 
 I think, be sufficient here to remark that from the books of 
 Grand Lodge sufficient evidence was produced to ensure the 
 grant of the Warrant so eagerly sought for. Such evidence 
 mainly consisted of entries of payments made by the Lodge 
 for the period in question. On the books of the Lodge being 
 placed in the hands of the Grand Secretary for inspection, that 
 official discovered that the names of many members on the 
 Lodge Roll had never been registered in Grand Lodge, this 
 being especially the case between the years 1800 and 1816. 
 He then suggested that the Lodge would probably like to make 
 the Register complete, but as the Secretary records : — " The 
 Brethren did now show that anxiety to have the Registry 
 complete, as it would mean a considerable payment to Grand 
 Lodge." 
 
 The Lodge was fortunate enough to receive a Centenary 
 birthday present from the R.W.P.G.M. in the shape of two 
 decanters, facsimilies of some old ones carefully preserved and 
 valued by the Lodge. 
 
 The W.M., Bro. P. M. Berkeley, PD.G., 
 presented the Lodge with an exceedingly handsome 1889. 
 banner desiged by himself, such presentation being 
 
198 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 intended as a memorial of his year of office. No 
 
 1889. gift could have been more acceptable to the Lodge, 
 as it had never previously possessed such a necessary 
 
 ornament. 
 
 The wine Fund being in an unsatisfactory state, various 
 proposals were considered for placing it on a better footing. 
 These proposals indicated considerable ingenuity on the part 
 of the brethren proposing them, but ultimately the simple plan 
 of increasing the wine whip was adopted, and has, I believe, 
 produced satisfactory results from the Treasurer's point of view. 
 
 The death of Bro. J. P. White in this year, though it 
 
 1890. was not unexpected, was a great blow to the Lodge. 
 On his death the last link that bound us to what may 
 
 be called our past history was severed ; the Lodge lost a true 
 hearted member and faithful Mason who had served it well ; 
 and all of us lost a brother who carried out in every action of 
 his life the dictates of true Masonic spirit. He was initiated 
 as we have already seen, in 1840, and was Master in 1846 and 
 again in 1883. He was also a member of 117, of which Lodge 
 he filled the chair in the years 1855 and 1857, after having 
 taken a very prominent part in re-establishing it after the 
 amalgamation in 1851-2. 
 
 He was appointed P.G. Treasurer of the Province of 
 North Wales and Shropshire in 1852, and continued in that 
 office till the separation of the joint Province in 1885, he also 
 occupied the chair of the Senior Warden of the Province in the 
 year 1883. He was always especially proud of the gold snuff box 
 presented to him by the Provincial Grand Lodge as already 
 mentioned, and it has many times circulated round the dinner 
 table of 262. He frequently expressed his intention of bequeathing 
 it to the Lodge on his death, but his final Will contained no 
 reference to the subject, and his representatives refused to 
 recognize an existing, but informal, expression of his wishes as 
 binding upon them. The snuff.box was accordingly sold by public 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 199 
 
 auction, and fetched the sum of £37, one quite beyond 
 the reach of the Lodge finances. In the closing year 1890. 
 of his life Bro. White was unable through illness to 
 accept an invitation from the two Shrewsbury Lodges to be 
 present at some celebration of the jubilee of his connection with 
 the Craft, and the celebration was according allowed to fall 
 through. Shortly afterwards he passed away to the Celestial 
 Grand Lodge, his funeral being attended by a large gathering 
 of Shropshire Masons. 
 
 The only other event in this year which I need record is 
 the gift by Bro. W. E. Harding, P.M., P.P.G.W. of a charity 
 box in the shape of a column standing on a pedestal. The 
 efforts of Bro. Harding in the cause of all the Masonic Charities 
 are unwearying, and he proves a most efficient and energetic 
 Charity Representative to the Lodge. The box is used for 
 collecting the donations of the brethren after the banquet, and 
 the sale of its contents by the "W.M., who acts in a truly 
 professional manner, is productive of much amusement and 
 keen competition, if not of profit to the pocket of the brother 
 who purchases them. 
 
 Early in this year the sum of £13 was voted to 
 pay for the panel placed by the Lodge in the window of 1891. 
 the Royal Masonic Institution for girls. This window 
 was erected to celebrate the Centenary of the Institution which, 
 like the Salopian Lodge, was founded in 1788. 
 
 The by-laws were again revised, and, for the first time for 
 many years, issued in a book form to the members. This book 
 also contains lists of the Officers, Past Masters, and Subscribing 
 Brethren of the Lodge. 
 
 Such, as best I can tell it, is the history of my mother 
 Lodge, 262. The history is, I think, full of interest, and 
 contains evidence of a century of quiet unobtrusive work. If 
 
200 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 my efforts have failed to do justice to my subjeat, that failure 
 is, the result of inability not of want of love for the task. 
 If, on the other hand, I have succeeded in any degree in 
 interesting my brethren, and arousing in them a feeling of 
 deeper affection for our Lodge, I shall feel that I am amply 
 rewarded. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 201 
 
 List op Masters. 
 
 1788— William Neale. 
 1789— 
 
 1 7<)0 / ^illi^Di Neale. 
 I Thomas Loxdale. 
 
 1791 — Thomas Loxdale. 
 
 1792— Samuel Jones (S.W. as W.M.) 
 
 1793 — Samuel Jones. 
 
 1794— Thomas Bassett. 
 
 1795— William Taylor. 
 
 1796— Richard Phillips. 
 
 1797 — John Carline. 
 
 1798— Richard Phillips. 
 
 179 9— Thomas Bassett. 
 
 1800— William Taylor. 
 
 , D^l f Thomas Bassett. 
 
 ) William Clement (elected, but never acted.) 
 
 1802— Richard Phillips. 
 1803— William Taylor. 
 1804— John Carline. 
 1805 — Thomas Bassett. 
 1806— William Taylor. 
 1807— William Hitchcock. 
 1808— Henry Linell. 
 1809 — Thomas Bassett. 
 1810— Richard Phillips. 
 1811 —William Taylor. 
 1812— John Carline. 
 1813— 
 1814— 
 
 -.r^-iR Richard Phillips. 
 '^^^^ John Carline. 
 
202 FREKMASOXRY IN 
 
 -John Carline. 
 —William Taylor. 
 -"William Bowley. 
 —Thomas Bassett. 
 —"William Cooper. 
 -"William Barnes. 
 -George Morris. 
 
 ~~ )) 
 
 -Thomas Groves. 
 
 -Sir Andrew Vincent Corbet, Bart., P.P.G.S."W. 
 
 —John Carline, Junr. 
 
 -Samuel Johnson. 
 
 -James Lawrence. 
 
 -John Whitney. 
 
 -James Moore. 
 
 -William James Clement, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 I No records. The Lodge 
 
 probably did not meet, and 
 the officers elected in 1831 
 
 ' remained in office till 1836. 
 
 -William James Clement, P.P.G.S.W. 
 -William Cooper. 
 -Thomas Groves. 
 -Charles Bowen Teece. 
 -Thomas Carline. 
 -William Henry Cooper. 
 -Henry Bloxam, P.P.G.R. 
 -Samuel Wood, P.P.G.J.W. 
 
 -William Wood. 
 
 -Joshua Pugh White, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 -Henry T. Wace, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 
 ~ J) 
 
 -William Brightwell, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 -William Burr, P.P.G.J.W. 
 
 -Rev. Edward H. Dymock, P.D.P.G.M. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SIIROPSHIllE. 203 
 
 1852— John Nigel Heatlicote, P.P.G.J.W. 
 
 1853— John Broughall, P.P.GR. 
 
 1854— George Gordon, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 
 1855— Benjamin Churchill, P.P.G.D. of C. 
 
 1856— Rev. George C. Guise, P.P.G.C. 
 
 1857— William Harley Bayley, P.P.G.J.W. 
 
 1858— John Lawrence Randal, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1859— Rev. John Hinton Bluck, P.P.G.C. 
 
 I860— Rev. WlUiam Elliot, P.P.G.D. of 0. 
 
 1861— Charles Chandler, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1862— Robert Niccolls, P.P.G.P. 
 
 1863— Rev. W. B. H, Bulkeley-Owen, P.P.G.J.W. 
 
 1864— Charles George Wingfield, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1865— Charles Oakley, P.P.G. Swd. B. 
 
 1866— Edward Tipton, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1867— Thomas K. Gardner. 
 
 1868— R. Jasper More, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
 1869— WilUam Eddowes. 
 
 1870— Rev. George W. Fisher, P.P.G.C. 
 
 1871— Cecil Peele. 
 
 1872— William Blakeway, P.P.G.J.W. 
 
 1873— John Davies Harries, P.P.G. Std. B. 
 
 1874— Edwyn Andrew, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1875— Edmund Cresswell Peele, P.P.G.J.W. 
 
 1876— Joseph H. Redman, P.P.G.J.W. 
 
 1877— Edward M. Wakeman, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1878— Henry Newman, P.P.G. Steward. 
 
 1879— Henry Charles Clarke, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1880— Sir Oifley Wakeman, Bart., R.W.P.G.M. 
 
 1881— W. E. Stuart, P.P.G.S.D. 
 
 1882— Edwyn Andrew, P.P.G.J.W. 
 
 1883— Joshua Pugh White, P.P.G.S.W. 
 
 1884— William Edward Harding, P.P.G.J.W. 
 
 1885— Robert A. Craig, P.P.G.R. 
 
 1886— Thomas S. Stooke. 
 
201 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 1887— Arthur Lowcock, P.P.G.S. of W. 
 1888— John Avery, P.P.G.J.W. 
 1889— Paul Maurice Berkeley, P.G.S.D. 
 1890— Arthur E. Lloyd Oswell, P.G.S. of W. 
 1891— Wyndham Deedes, P.G. Steward. 
 1892— James Edward Smith. 
 
THE PllOVINCE OF SHROPSHIUE. 205 
 
 THE SALOPIAN CHAPTER, 262. 
 
 The Charter for this Chapter, working in connection with 
 the Salopian Lodge, was granted on May 17th, 1843. The 
 history of the Royal Arch in Shrewsbury is set out very clearly 
 in the Petitions forwarded to Grand Chapter before the Charter 
 was granted. These Petitions are inserted in the minutes of the 
 Lodge for May 8th, and are as follows : — 
 
 " The Petition of the members of the Salopian Lodge No. 328. 
 
 To the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of 
 
 England 
 
 Sheweth 
 
 That your petitioners have 
 existed as a Lodge of Craft Masons since July 1788. That in 
 1797 the brethren determined to hold a Royal Arch Chapter 
 which for a few years regularly met. Circumstances with which 
 we need not trouble the Grand Chapter caused its discontinuance. 
 In the year 1820 the companions of the Chapter, including 
 several who had been companions at its commencement, resumed 
 it, and continued to meet until 1830, without being aware that 
 they were in the slightest degree infringing any of the statutes 
 of the Order. The impression on the minds of the so constituted 
 companions being that they had a right to exalt any members of 
 the Salopian Lodge. Upon hearing to the contrary their 
 meetings ceased. We name this to show that any infringement 
 of the constitutions was inadvertent on their parts. Our humble 
 prayer therefore is that the Supreme Grand Chapter will allow 
 all the companions exalted in such Chapter attached to the 
 Salopian Lodge, who are now alive, to be duly registered on their 
 paying the usual fees to the Supreme Chapter. In consequence 
 of there being no regularly registered Royal Arch Mason in 
 Shrewsbury, with the exception of two of the members of this 
 
206 FEEEMASONHY IN 
 
 Lodge who were exalted in London for the purpose of obtaining 
 a Chapter, and also from the circumstance of the Agenorian 
 Chapter No. 398 Bridgnorth having, as we are informed, ceased 
 to exist, your petitioners have been induced to adopt the only 
 course which appears open to them, and which we humbly hope 
 will be sanctioned by the Supreme Grand Chapter. We your 
 petitioners firmly believe that Shrewsbury being the county 
 town, and from other and various causes, that, should the 
 Supreme Grand Chapter grant our prayer, it will tend greatly to 
 the advancement of the Craft in the County of Salop." 
 
 " To the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons 
 of England — 
 
 "We the undersigned being Royal Arch Masons are 
 desirous of establishing a regular Chapter to be holden in 
 conformity with the laws and regulations of the Supreme Grand 
 Chapter of the Order, and, for the convenience of our dwelling, 
 do pray for a Charter enabling us to meet at the Masonic 
 Rooms in the Town of Shrewsbury on the 3rd Wednesday in the 
 months of Octr., Janr., April, & July, to be attached to the 
 Salopian Lodge No. 328, and we also nominate and recommend 
 Thos. Groves to be the first Principal Z., Comp. Wm. Cooper to 
 be the first Principal H., & Comp John Carline to be the first 
 Principal J. 
 
 The prayer of this petition being granted, we promise 
 strict obedience to the laws of the Grand Chapter and a strict 
 observance of the ancient Rites and Ceremonies of the Order. 
 
 Signed 
 
 W. H. White, G.S.E., London. 
 Wm. Cooper, Shrewsbury. 
 Thomas Groves 
 John Carline 
 Chas. B. Teece 
 Wm. Wood 
 Thos. Carline 
 James Whitney 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 207 
 
 The date of the introduction of the Royal Arch into 
 England cannot be definitely stated, approximately it is placed 
 by Bro. Hughan about the period 1737-1740. The "Ancients" 
 were acustomed to- work the Ceremony in their ordinary Craft 
 Lodges, whereas the "Moderns" early separated it from Craft 
 Masony, and worked in it Chapters holding Charters for that 
 purpose from a Grand Chapter. 
 
 The Salopian Lodge cannot, I think, in 1797, have 
 adopted the practice of the "Ancients," for not a trace of it 
 appears in the records, nor, on the other hand, did it follow 
 the custom of the "Moderns" by working the degree, (as it 
 was then called), by virtue of a legal constitution from Grand 
 Chapter; a middle course seems to have been adopted, namely 
 that of working the Ceremony apart from the Craft Lodge under 
 the mistaken notion that the Craft Warrant legalized such 
 working. The fact that only one brother is recorded to have 
 passed the chair, and this so early as 1790, seems to show that 
 only the past masters of the Lodge could have been present at 
 such private working. It may, perhaps, be only a coincidence 
 that the only visitor described as being a Royal Arch Mason 
 (G. Bott. 37 St. Pauls, R.A.M.) visited the Lodge twice in 
 November, 1796, whether or not his presence had anything to 
 do with the introduction of the Royal Arch into Shrewsbury 
 in the following year, I cannot say. As at this date Grand 
 Chapter was not formally recognized by Grand Lodge, the 
 Salopian Lodge by its working the Royal Arch above mentioned, 
 did not violate the Laws of the Grand Lodge in any way, but, 
 in the year 1820, when, according to the first Petition above 
 quoted, work was resumed, the Grand Chapter had been 
 formally recognized by the Grand Lodge, and working the 
 Ceremony without a Charter was clearly irregular. The 
 minute books contains no reference to the subject, but on the 
 back cover of an old Steward's book the following is scribbled 
 in pencil : — " Parcel to London Royal Arch book, 2/6. Same 
 returned June 4th, 1823, 2/6." I can make no guess what 
 
208 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 this book contained, or to whom it was sent, but the entry 
 supports the statement, made in the Petition, that between 
 the years 1820 and 1830, the Royal Arch was worked in 
 Shrewsbury, 
 
 From the minute book of 117 it may be seen, as already 
 noticed, that two members of that Lodge went to Bridgnorth 
 to be exalted in the year 1834.(i) These brethren were not 
 however, subscribing members of their Mother Lodge, and as 
 the Agenorian Chapter had in the latter year ceased working, 
 there can be little doubt that the statement contained in the 
 Petition that there was then no regular registered Royal Arch 
 Mason in Shrewsbury, was correct. 
 
 The founders according to the Charter, were Thomas 
 Groves, Z ; William Cooper, H ; John Carline, J ; William 
 Clement, W. H. White, G. Scribe, E ; C. B. Teece, William 
 Wood, Thomas Carline, and James Whitney. The first 
 minute book is not now in the possession of the Chapter, and 
 little is known of its working until the year, 1862. From an 
 old letter(2) dated 17th August, 1843, addressed to Comp. 
 J. P. White by Comp. W. H. White, I gather, however, that 
 the first meeting was held on August 12th, 1843, and that 
 Comp. W. H. White acted as Z on that occasion. Two 
 brethren were then exalted. The progress of the Chapter has 
 been sure and steady, but quiet work, rather than a participation 
 in notable events, has been its chief characteristic. In 1875 
 its possessed over 30 members, since which date little variation 
 in its numbers has taken place. 
 
 List of P.Z's. 
 
 1862— W. Brightwell. 
 1863-4-T Onions. 
 1865— S. Wood. 
 
 (1) See ante p. 77 The date, 1843, after the name of Bros. Powis and Dodd is 
 
 a mis-print for 1834. 
 
 (2) This letter, with other Masonic remains of Bro. Onions, P.M., 117, has been 
 
 kindly placed in my bands by Bro. E, Urry, of Shrewsbury. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 209 
 
 1866-7-T. Phillips. 
 
 1868— C. G. Wingfield. 
 
 1873— J. P. White. 
 
 1873— T. Onions. 
 
 1873_\V. Brightwell. 
 
 1874 — J. Loxdale Warren. 
 
 1875— C. Chandler 
 
 1876— G. Gordon Warren. 
 
 1877 — E. Andrew. 
 
 1878— E. 0. Peele. 
 
 1879— J. B. Boucher. 
 
 1880— E. M. Wakeman. 
 
 1881— J. H. Redman. 
 
 1882— E. M. Wakeman. 
 
 1883— Sir Offley Wakeman, Bart. 
 
 1884— T. W. Thompson. 
 
 1885— V. 0. L. Crump. 
 
 1886— J. Blockley. 
 
 1887— W. E. Harding. 
 
 1888— R. G. Venables. 
 
 1889— W. Belton. 
 
 1890— T. Whitefoot, Junior. 
 
 1891^J. H. Parsons. 
 
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THE PEOVINCE OF SHEOPSHIRE. 213 
 
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214 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 [Appendix C] 
 
 BYE LAWS FOR THE GOOD RULE AND 
 
 GOVERISrMElsrT OF THE SALOPIAN LODGE OF FREE 
 
 AND ACCEPTED MASONS, No. 525, 
 
 Adopted August 20th, 1788. 
 
 1st 
 
 Tliis Lodge shall be held at Fox Inn in Shrewsbury from whence it 
 cannot be removed by any one or more of the Member's of their own accord, 
 but any one or more may mention to the Master the rea.son of their dislike 
 to meet there any more of which ho is to acquaint the Lodge when a 
 majority of the members present at that time on the List may determine 
 whether it is to continue there or to be removed. 
 
 2nd 
 
 The Lodge is to meet on the first Tuseday in every Month in the 
 year in the Months of March, April, May, June, July, August and September 
 at Eight o'clock and close at Ten and in all the other Months at Six and 
 close at Nine and no Brother shall remain in the Lodge-Room on a 
 Lodge-Night after Eleven o'Clock under the penalty of Two Shillings and 
 Sixpence for each offence. 
 
 3rd 
 
 This Lodge is to have according to ancient custom a Master and officers 
 (viz) two Wardens, two Deacons, a Steward a Secretary, a Treasurer, a 
 grand and deputy Tyler, also subscribing and honorary Members, the Officers 
 shall be chosen annually on the lodge night preceding Saint John the 
 Evangelist, the Master to be elected out of such of the subscribing Master 
 Masons who shall have served the Office of Wardens, the lodge to elect the 
 two Wardens and Treasurer and the Master to appoint the other Officers, 
 the Master and Officers to be installed and enter upon their respective 
 Offices on the day of Saint John the Evangelist. 
 
 4th 
 
 The Master shall £;overn and regulate the lodge in a Mason like 
 manner agreeable to the Book of Constitutions set forth and authorized 
 by the Grand Lodge of England from time to time and it ' is strictly 
 recommended to all the Members of this lodge to pay the greatest attention 
 to the Worshipful Master and duly to observe the Senior and Junior 
 Wardens, therefore at the Master's request every one must submit to 
 order, and no more than one must speak at a time, that thej' address 
 the master and not continue more than five minutes speaking with out his 
 permission, in case two or more shall rise to' speak the Master shall appoint 
 who is to speak first, and all the others shall submit to order under the 
 penalty of two Shillings and Sixpence. 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE 215 
 
 5th 
 
 The Master when the business and welfare of the lodge I'equires it 
 shall appoint out of the subscribing Members a Committee to enquire into 
 sueli business which shall at some short convenient time make snch enquires 
 and collect such information as may be ottered and applicable thereto, 
 and report the same at the grand lodge Night next afterwards for their 
 consideration, the expencea of which Committee shall be paid out of the 
 fund of the Lodge. 
 
 6th 
 
 The Master on request shall call Lodges of Emergency And shall 
 cause the business to be inserted in the Summonses the expence of which 
 shall be borne by the person requesting such lodge to be callol, unless when 
 the Master shall call it on some particular business of the Lodge and then 
 it shall be defrayed out of the fund of the Lodge. 
 
 7th 
 
 The Master shall not neglect to set his men to work and to instruct 
 them by Seasonable Lectures in the grand principles of Masonry under such 
 penalties as the Wardens and Brethren shall think proper. 
 
 8th 
 
 The Wardens and ofiGcers of the Lodge shall duly attend each lodge 
 Night under such penalty as the Master and Brethren shall think proper 
 for each neglect. 
 
 9th 
 
 In case of the absence of any of the officers the Master shall appoint 
 out of the subscribing Master Masons another or others in the room of 
 Absentee or Absentees for that Night only. 
 
 10th 
 
 In the absence of the Master the Senior Warden shall officiate as 
 Master, in his absence the Junior Warden and in the absence of the Junior 
 Warden the past Master or oldest Master Mason shall officiate as Master. 
 
 nth 
 
 Upon the election of officers and in all other cases when the Master 
 shall direct a poll to be taken and the Votes shall be equal, the Master shall 
 have a casting Vote. 
 
 12th 
 
 The Master shall fine any brother who shall enter the Lodge disguised 
 In liquor in the sum of one Shilling and order him to depart the Lodge for 
 that Night and he shall severely reprimand any Brother who shall curse, 
 swear or make nse of any prophane, obscene, or indecent language in the 
 lodwe and fine him in the sum of one Shilling for the first oifence and for the 
 second he shall expel him the Lodge. 
 
216 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 13th 
 
 The Master upon such Bfotlier making due submission and paying 
 ,five shillings to the fund of the Lodge shall cause a Ballot to be taken by 
 the Senior Deacon aud if it appear that two thirds of the Members then 
 present shall be for his readmission he shall be readmitted but if otherwise 
 
 he shall not and shall have the live shillings returned. 
 
 i 
 
 14th 
 
 The Secretary shall enter the proceedings of each Night in the Lodge 
 Book shall mention in what degree of Masonry the Lodge was opened, and 
 shall read the proceedings of the general lodge Night next preceding, and 
 likewise such proceedings if any, as shall have been entered in the Book 
 subsequent thereto. He shall send Summonses to the subcribing Members 
 oue day at least before any general lodge Night. He shall obey the master 
 in sending summonses for a lodge of emergency and specify tlierein the 
 particular business of such Lodge. 
 
 15th 
 
 The Treasurer shall receive and pay all sums of money that shall be 
 received and paid by or on account of the Lodge and enter the sanje in a 
 Book or Books to be kept for that purpose, which shall be open on general 
 Lodge Nights for the inspection of the Members of the Lodge. He shall pay 
 no Bills on account of the Lodge but such as shall have beeu signed by the 
 Master. He shall give np to the Master and Lodge at the end of the year 
 for which he hath been chosen Treasurer or on another Treasurer having 
 been chosen in his room, a fair, just and true account of monies received 
 and paid by him, also Vouchers for such sums of money as he shall have 
 paid together with the said Books of Accounts and pay over to the succeeding 
 Treasurer such balance as appear to be due to the Lodge on settling such 
 accounts, such accounts shall be allowed by the Lodge and signed by the 
 Master and Wardens and any other of the members of the Lodge. 
 
 16th 
 All Ballots and Polls shall be taken by the Senior Deacon. 
 
 17th 
 
 The grand Tyler shall attend within the Lodge each Lodge nigbt 
 likewise at the Festivals and on Lodges of emergency. The deputy Tyler 
 shall deliver out all such Summonses as shall be delivered him by the Master 
 or Secretary, and attend the Lodge each Lodge night as before. 
 
 18th 
 
 The qualifications of those who are desirous of being made Masons 
 or of becoming Members of this Lodge must be such as the ancient 
 Constitutions and Laws prescribe. 
 
 19th 
 
 A person desirous of being made a Mason must be proposed to the 
 Lodge by a Member on a general Lodge Night. Which proposal must be 
 seconded by another Member or not admitted, a Member proposing a person 
 to be made a Mason in this Lodge shall at the time he proposes him present a 
 
THK PROVINCE OP SHUOPSHIEE. 217 
 
 petition from such person, praying to be made a Mason and shall likewise 
 pay half-a-Giiinea to the Treasurer which in ease of the non-appearance of 
 the person to be made on the Lodge appointed for his being made, shall be 
 forfeit unless m, satisfactory cause be made for him in which case another 
 Night shall be appointed, of which he shall have six days notice at least 
 from the Lodge and if he shall not attend within three Montlis from the 
 time first appointed the half Guinea shall be forfeit and applied to the fund 
 of ;he Lodge. 
 
 20th 
 
 The petition of such person so proposed to bo made a Mason shall be 
 taken into consideration the general Lodge Night next after his having been 
 proposed, and the Members then present shall Ballot for him by black and 
 white Beans, if on taking such Ballot there shall be one black Bean 
 against him he shall not be made, and the half Guinea shall be returned. 
 
 21st 
 
 Any person being made a ilason in this Lodge shall pay Two Pounds 
 fifteen Shillings including the half Guinea five Shillings of which shall be 
 for registering Two Shillings and Sixpence for the Secretary one Shilling 
 and Sixpence for the Deputy Tyler and the residue shall be applied to the 
 fund of the Lodge. On a Brother being passed to a fellow Craft he shall 
 pay ten shilings and sixpence and on being raised to a Master Mason the 
 like sum of Ten Shillings and Sixpence which shall be respectively applied to 
 the fund of the Lodge. 
 
 22nd 
 
 If a Brother is desirous of becoming a member of this Lodge he shall in 
 like manner be proposed on a General Lodge Night, and if upon taking 
 such Ballot it shall appear that two thirds of the Members then piesent be 
 for his admission, he shall be admitted otherwise he shall not be admitted 
 nor again proposed a Member of this Lodge and for his admission he shall 
 pay half-a-Guinea, and which shall be applied to the fund of the Lodge. No 
 person who shall have been proposed to be made a Mason in this Lodge and 
 rejected, .shall be admitted a Member of this Lodge unless he shall in like 
 manner be balloted for, and if upon taking such Ballot there shall be one 
 Black Bean against him he shall not be admitted. 
 
 23rd 
 
 If any Brother demands a Certificate of his having been regularly 
 admitted a Mason in this Lodge, or of his having taken any degree of 
 masonry, the Master shall direct the Secretary to make out the same, it 
 shall be sealed with the Seal of the Lodge signed by the Master and Wardens 
 and contersigned by the Secretary, and for which such person shall pay five 
 Shillings one half of which shall go to the fund of the Lodge and the other 
 to the Secretary. 
 
 24th 
 
 Every Member of this Lodge shall pay One Shilling a Month 
 which shall be collected by the Treasurer three Months in advance and 
 applied to the fund of the Lodge. Every subscribing Member of this Lodge 
 shall pay One Shilling and Sixpence per month for the expences of the 
 Night which shall likewise be collected by the treasurer three Months in 
 advance and no brother shall be peimitted to be an honorary Member if his 
 usual place of residence is within five miles of Shrewsbury. 
 
 BB 
 
218 PREEMASONEY IN 
 
 25th 
 
 A Brotlier visiting this Lodge shall have his name entered in the 
 Book containing these Hye-laws also in what degree of Masonry he stands, 
 the name of the Lodge to which he belongs and be admitted the first Night 
 of visiting free of expence ho shall afterwards pay One Shilling and Sixpence 
 for the Nights expences and One Shilling to the fund of the Lodge except 
 such brother shall be a subscribing Member to some other Lodge in which 
 case he shall pay the Nights expences only. 
 
 26th 
 
 No member shall have a property in the Jewels and Furniture of this 
 Lodge until he shall have subscribed and paid to the fund of the Lodge 
 three years. 
 
 27ai 
 
 If any member neglect or refuse to attend the Lodge or pay his 
 Monthly dues, he shall be written to and admonished for the first three 
 Months, and if he pays no regard to that, at the end of six months he shall 
 be expelled, as the arrears of the Lodge must all be settled in that time. 
 
 28th 
 
 It shall be at all times lawful for the Officers with the consent oi the 
 subscribing Members to repeal, alter, amend or add to these Bye Laws in 
 such manner as shall seem most expedient to promote the Interest and 
 strengthen the Cement of this Lodge. But such repeal, amendment, or addition 
 shall be proposed on one general Lodge Night taken into consideration the 
 second and confirmed on the third and all the subscribing members then 
 on the List shall bo apprised of the nature of the business in the Summonses 
 for each Night. 
 
 29th 
 
 These Bye Laws shall be read by the Secretary on the admission ot 
 every new made Mason and Member, to which each Member shall subscribe 
 his name under the following obligation :— 
 
 We the subscribing members of this Lodge do most sincerely declare 
 that it shall be our study to ob.sorve a strict obedience to these Bye Laws, 
 Kules Orders, and Regulations before mentioned and will always confoim 
 to such well advised Charges and Constitutions as the free and accepted 
 of all Ages have chearfully submitted to from time immemorial. 
 
 In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our Names, d) 
 
 (1) Here following the Signatures of 78 Brethren, the last of whom was initiated 
 in 1814. 
 
THE PKOVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 219 
 
 [Appendix D.] 
 
 LIST OP MEMBERS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 SALOPIAN LODGE, 
 
 262. 
 
 Name. 
 
 Original Members. 
 
 tWilliam Neale 
 +Thomas Barkley 
 tWilliam Cottom 
 tJohn Beck 
 
 +Jolin Brackley 
 
 Pritchard 
 t John Hall 
 tEdward Innys 
 Alexander Keate 
 
 *E. T. Smith 
 *Thomas Telford 
 +*John Gellion 
 *John Greene 
 
 * Thomas Sanders 
 *Thomas Gray 
 t*J. Watkis 
 
 * Thomas Bassett 
 John Hodges 
 Thomas Loxdale 
 Thomas Lloyd 
 James Trehearn 
 George Bowdler 
 Thomas Jellicoe 
 
 George Holland 
 Richard Durnell 
 Philip Williams 
 William Tunstall 
 John Podmore 
 
 Profession 
 
 or 
 Occupation. 
 
 Hosier 
 
 )j 
 Innkeeper 
 Banker and Wine 
 Merchant 
 
 Painter 
 Draper 
 
 Working Jeweller 
 Tea Dealer 
 
 Royal Navy 
 
 Surveyor 
 
 Carrier 
 
 Dyer 
 
 Engraver 
 
 Mercer 
 
 Wire Worker 
 
 Upholsterer 
 
 Attorney 
 
 )) 
 Innkeeper 
 Merchant Tailor 
 Gent. Farmer 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Steward 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Ensign 47th Reat. 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 Chester 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 Loton Park, 
 
 Salop 
 
 Condover 
 Pitchford 
 Stoke Castle 
 
 Year o£ 
 admis- 
 sion. 
 
 1788 
 
220 
 
 FEEEMASONEY IN 
 
 
 
 Name. 
 
 Profession or 
 Occupation. 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Tear of 
 admis- 
 sion. 
 
 James Matthews 
 
 Reverend 
 
 The Schools, 
 
 1788 
 
 Thomas Lloyd 
 Thomas Cooke 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Malster 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 J) 
 
 Richard Dansey 
 *William Bourlay 
 John Warren 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Dancing Master 
 Accountant 
 
 Little, Hereford 
 Shrewsbury 
 J) 
 
 1789 
 
 Richard Oliver 
 
 Grocer 
 
 J) 
 
 J) 
 
 Robert John 
 
 
 
 
 Cartwright 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Manchester 
 
 )j 
 
 Richard Jenkins 
 Samuel Jones 
 John Samuel Meire 
 
 Esquii-e 
 
 Oil Case Maker 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Bicton, Salop 
 Shrewsbury 
 J, 
 
 
 Sacheveral Harwood 
 
 Printer 
 
 J, 
 
 
 Richard GoiF 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 
 
 AVilliam Hazledine 
 
 Millwright 
 
 — 
 
 
 Robert Jones 
 
 Organist 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 }} 
 
 Henry Podmore 
 William Bowley 
 Wythen Evans 
 John Lewis 
 
 Captain 
 Engraver 
 Esquire 
 Gentleman 
 
 Calcott 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 Machynlleth 
 
 J) 
 )J 
 
 J) 
 
 William Evans 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 
 *tBennett Dorsett 
 
 Reverend 
 
 
 
 1790 
 
 William Heighway 
 John Salisbury Dod 
 Thomas Hodges 
 
 Esquire 
 Surgeon 
 Farmer 
 
 — 
 
 
 John Niccolls 
 
 Farmer 
 
 — 
 
 • ) 
 
 Edward Lewis 
 
 Reverend 
 
 — 
 
 J) 
 
 Edward Kyffin 
 Thomas Lowe 
 Paul Wilkinson 
 
 Waiter 
 
 Land Surveyor 
 
 Tea Dealer 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 
 tThomas Colley 
 John Carline 
 James James 
 
 Architect 
 Gentleman 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 J) 
 
 William Simes 
 William Taylor 
 
 Attorney 
 Malster 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 J) 
 
 *Richard Phillips 
 John Jones 
 Jacob Jones 
 *John King 
 f Carter 
 
 Attorney 
 Esquire 
 Innkeeper 
 Organist 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 Machynlleth 
 Aberystwith 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1791 
 1792 
 
 t John Heighway 
 tJoseph Hodges 
 John Jaundrel 
 Thomas Whitney 
 
 Wine Merchant 
 
 Schoolmaster 
 
 Waiter 
 
 Eereford 
 
 Pontesbury 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 
THE 
 
 PROVINCE OF SHKOPSHIRE. 
 
 221 
 
 Name. 
 
 Profession or 
 Occupation. 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Year of 
 admis- 
 sion. 
 
 Myttoii Skrymsher 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Pontesbury 
 
 1792 
 
 John Lawrence, Jun. 
 
 Esquire 
 
 The Mines, Salop 
 
 )) 
 
 Benjamin Partridge 
 
 Bookbinder 
 
 — 
 
 jj 
 
 ^■'t William Hamilton 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 1793 
 
 William Clement 
 
 Apothecary 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 J) 
 
 f John Jones 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Pontesbury 
 
 )> 
 
 -HCharles Shirreff 
 
 Major 
 
 Whitchurch 
 
 1794 
 
 *+ — • — Driver 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 
 +John Nash 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 
 +John Rawlins 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 )) 
 
 Bythell 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 1795 
 
 John Sheppai'd 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 J) 
 
 James Uley Harris 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 )> 
 
 William Chrees 
 
 — 
 
 Wolverhampton 
 
 )J 
 
 Henry Tiinell 
 
 Mason 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1796 
 
 *trrancis Careswell 
 
 — 
 
 )> 
 
 1797 
 
 John Long 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 
 J) 
 
 Samuel Griffiths 
 
 Shopkeeper 
 
 Made gratis for 
 Tyler 
 
 JJ 
 
 James Bryan 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 — 
 
 )) 
 
 Henry Bowdler 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 — 
 
 1798 
 
 John Jenks 
 
 Currier 
 
 Broseley 
 
 J» 
 
 *t Lewis 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Worcester 
 
 1800 
 
 *tJ. Garthside 
 
 Lieutenant 21st 
 
 Dragoons 
 
 — 
 
 )J 
 
 *+J. G. Whitaker 
 
 Serjeant-Major ,, 
 
 — 
 
 )) 
 
 *t William Hackett 
 
 Quarter-Master ,, 
 
 — 
 
 )) 
 
 *+Thomas Wilkinson 
 
 jj J) 
 
 — 
 
 )3 
 
 *+Edward Wall 
 
 Private (?) „ 
 
 — 
 
 77 
 
 tPhilip Jones 
 
 — 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1801 
 
 +John Kent 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 3J 
 
 * William Roberts 
 
 Shoemaker 
 
 — 
 
 1802 
 
 *tCamel Hinkley 
 
 (? Campbell) — 
 
 — 
 
 3J 
 
 William Hitchcock 
 
 Land Surveyor 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 >> 
 
 William Garden 
 
 Builder 
 
 J) 
 
 ») 
 
 *tThomas Whealan 
 
 Reverend 
 
 
 1803 
 
 George Grant 
 
 Gardener 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 J) 
 
 t William Macaulay 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 1807 
 
 tThomas Kenyon 
 
 Serjeant 53 Regt. 
 
 . — 
 
 1812 
 
 *tDavid Dear Seygil 
 
 — 
 
 ■ — 
 
 )) 
 
 *Peter Horsman 
 
 Clerk 
 
 — 
 
 1813 
 
 *+Richard Davies 
 
 . — . 
 
 — 
 
 J) 
 
 *John Straphen 
 
 Architect 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1814 
 
 *t James Phillips 
 
 — 
 
 ■ — 
 
 JJ 
 
 •Sir John Hill 
 
 Baronet 
 
 Hawkstone 
 
 J) 
 
'Zi-1 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 
 Name. 
 
 Profession or 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Year of 
 admis- 
 
 
 Occupation. 
 
 
 sion. 
 
 William Barnes 
 
 Whitesmith 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1814 
 
 Charles Bigg 
 
 Seedsman 
 
 J) 
 
 JJ 
 
 William Hams 
 
 Carpenter 
 
 •? 
 
 JJ 
 
 + William Studley 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 JJ 
 
 +Thomas Turner 
 
 
 
 
 Shelton 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 JJ 
 
 +George Thornton 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 JJ 
 
 John Davies 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 JJ 
 
 George Osmond Quick 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 JJ 
 
 James Anderson 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Samuel Johnson 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 
 Joseph Whitford 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 3J 
 
 f Richard Jenkins 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 
 James Sandford 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 
 tWilliam Wilding 
 
 Hatter 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 JJ 
 
 James Price 
 
 — . 
 
 . 
 
 
 Thomas L. Watkinson 
 
 Actor 
 
 — 
 
 
 *t— Duck 
 
 — 
 
 . — 
 
 18J5 
 
 *t Robert Atkinson 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 
 Richard Loxdale 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 
 tJames Barnaby 
 
 Mercer 
 
 )) 
 
 JJ 
 
 William Thomas 
 
 
 
 
 
 tEdward Davies 
 
 — 
 
 Welshpool 
 
 1816 
 
 t William A. Pro vis 
 
 Civil Engineer 
 
 Ellesmere 
 
 
 +George Sharpies 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 JJ 
 
 Richard Broughall 
 
 Grocer 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 JJ 
 
 Thomas Groves 
 
 Builder 
 
 
 
 Roger Beckett 
 
 
 
 
 
 Thomas Dawson 
 
 Parmer 
 
 
 
 Edward Jones 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 )j 
 
 J} 
 
 William Millington 
 
 Joiner 
 
 
 
 tJohn Stanton 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 *Richard Bratton 
 
 Broker 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1817 
 
 William Griffiths 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 
 
 William Cooper 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 jj 
 
 
 George Morris 
 
 Bookseller 
 
 " 
 
 
 Simon Barber 
 
 Mercer 
 
 
 
 *James Ryan 
 
 Director of Mines 
 
 
 
 1818 
 
 John Denstone 
 
 
 
 
 Shepherd 
 
 Mercer 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1819 
 
 George Hanley 
 
 Seedsman 
 
 )) 
 
 }) 
 
 John Edgerley, Junr. 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 )) 
 
 
 James. Pughe 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 
 1820 
 
 Hugh Boulter 
 
 Commercial 
 
 
 
 
 
 Traveller 
 
 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 223 
 
 Name. 
 
 William Griffiths 
 Sir Andrew Vincent 
 Corbet 
 Thomas Hancorn 
 William Samuel Hill 
 John Carline, Junr. 
 John Cartwrii:;ht 
 David Evans 
 Thomas Lawrence 
 Thomas Goldsboro 
 George Harper 
 *John Jobson 
 William Carline 
 James Whitney 
 James Moore 
 Philip Corbett 
 Thomas Carline 
 George Ernest 
 
 Hamilton 
 Americus Hitchcock 
 Charles Lloyd 
 Richard Hodskinson 
 John Wood 
 Wilham J. Clement 
 John Jones 
 Thomas Seed 
 Charles Lloyd 
 Richard Corbett 
 *John Goolden 
 Robert Turner 
 Charles Bowen Teece 
 Nathan Hubbersty 
 John Colley 
 Edward Steedman 
 Edward Oliver 
 William Jones 
 Thomas Colley 
 John Lawrence 
 
 Gardener 
 Henry Bloxam 
 David Birds 
 Francis K. Leighton 
 William Heigh way 
 
 Jones 
 *+ More 
 
 Profession or 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Tear of 
 admis- 
 
 Occupation. 
 
 
 sion. 
 
 Painter 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1820 
 
 Bart. 
 
 Acton Reynald 
 
 >> 
 
 Ironmonger 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1821 
 
 Distiller 
 
 
 )) 
 
 Architect 
 
 jj 
 
 1822 
 
 Ironmonger 
 
 )) 
 
 
 Glazier 
 
 )> 
 
 JJ 
 
 Tailor 
 
 jj 
 
 JJ 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Welshpool 
 
 )J 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Whitchurch 
 
 1823 
 
 — 
 
 Birmingham 
 
 1824 
 
 Ironmonger 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )) 
 
 Chemist 
 
 )> 
 
 )) 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 J) 
 
 JJ 
 
 Artist 
 
 J) 
 
 1825 
 
 Sculptor 
 
 )) 
 
 JJ 
 
 Surveyor 
 
 jj 
 
 J) 
 
 Silk Mercer 
 
 
 JJ 
 JJ 
 
 Esquire 
 
 jj 
 
 JJ 
 
 Tanner 
 
 )j 
 
 JJ 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 )> 
 
 JJ 
 
 Cooper 
 
 — 
 
 ij 
 
 Merchant 
 
 Liverpool 
 
 JJ 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Adderley, Salop 
 
 JJ 
 JJ 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 1827 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )J 
 
 School Master 
 
 )j 
 
 JJ 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Astley 
 
 JJ 
 
 Gentleman Farmer 
 
 High Ercall 
 
 JJ 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 JJ 
 
 Shoemaker 
 
 » 
 
 JJ 
 
 Tailor 
 
 ?j 
 
 JJ 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 )j 
 
 1828 
 
 Attorney 
 
 Ellesmere 
 
 JJ 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Penley 
 
 JJ 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Cardiston 
 
 1829 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Pontesbury 
 
 1831 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Larden 
 
 1837 
 
224 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 Name. 
 
 Robert Phillips 
 Samuel Scoltock 
 George Brittain 
 
 Peplow 
 William Pickin 
 * William Wood 
 Henry Keate 
 Henry T. Wace 
 Grenville Jones 
 George Matthews 
 Samuel Wood 
 *Robert Skelton 
 
 Mackenzie 
 *Lord Dungannon 
 John Hinton 
 Harry Collins Jeffreys 
 Robert Plowden 
 
 Weston 
 George Gordon 
 Joshua Pugh White 
 J. J. Barlow 
 J. Nigel Heathcote 
 William Brightwell 
 Thomas Jones Drury 
 Thomas Onions 
 James Bratton 
 John Hawley ' 
 
 Edwards 
 Abraham Woolrich 
 
 *Charles P. Baker 
 E. H. Dymock 
 Samuel Betton 
 
 Gwynne 
 Georffe Tomline 
 William Burr 
 *John Leche 
 
 Rowland 
 "tSamuel Hayward 
 ■'John Watton 
 John Broughall 
 John Harris 
 George E. Hay 
 William Henry 
 
 Cooper 
 
 Profession or 
 Occupation. 
 
 Esquire 
 Grocer 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Dentist 
 
 Printer 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 L.L.D. 
 
 Surgeon 
 Solicitor 
 Cabinet Maker 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Schoolmaster 
 
 M.D. 
 
 Tax Collector 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Solicitor 
 Refreshment 
 
 Contractor 
 Solicitor 
 Reverend 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 M.P. 
 
 Lead Merchant 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Innkeeper 
 
 Publisher 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Merchant 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 Wellington 
 
 Liverpool 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 Tear of 
 admis- 
 sion. 
 
 1837 
 
 1838 
 
 1840 
 
 Wenlock 
 
 Wellington 
 Shrewsbury 
 J) 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1841 
 1843 
 
 1844 
 
 Wem 
 Oswestry 
 
 Wem 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1845 
 
 1849 
 
 1850 
 
THE PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 225 
 
 Name. 
 
 Profession or 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Tear o£ 
 admis- 
 
 
 Occupation. 
 
 
 sion. 
 
 Edward Mostyn 
 
 
 
 
 Owen 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Yeaton 
 
 1851 
 
 Joseph Henry Lee 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Redbrook, Flint 
 
 )' 
 
 Charles Sparlinj; 
 
 Captain 
 
 Petton 
 
 J) 
 
 William John Beach 
 
 — 
 
 Admaston 
 
 J) 
 
 J William Henry 
 
 
 
 
 NicoUs 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Newnham 
 
 J» 
 
 J William Patchett 
 
 Station Master 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )) 
 
 JJohn W. Towers 
 
 Post Master 
 
 J) 
 
 -"? 
 
 JBenjamin Churchill 
 
 H.M. Civil Service 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 J? 
 
 JCharles Thomas 
 
 
 
 
 Woosnam 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Newtown 
 
 )J 
 
 JRobert Moorson 
 
 
 
 
 Scarth 
 
 j> 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )> 
 
 JCharles Heathcote 
 
 
 Warrington 
 
 )> 
 
 JHenry Dubbs 
 
 Ironfounder 
 
 jj 
 
 3) 
 
 JRobert Haycock 
 
 Builder 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 t) 
 
 1 George S. Barnett 
 
 Jeweller 
 
 )> 
 
 J» 
 
 JLewis Meredith 
 
 Grocer 
 
 )) 
 
 13 
 
 Isaac Taylor 
 
 Coach Proprietor 
 
 j> 
 
 33 
 
 *Peter George 
 
 
 
 
 Bentley 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Ellesmere 
 
 J> 
 
 tHenry Shaw 
 
 Fishing Tackle 
 
 Maker 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 JJ 
 
 *Sir Watkin W. 
 
 
 
 
 Wynn 
 
 Baronet 
 
 Wynnstay 
 
 1852 
 
 *J. Hinton Bluck 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Shrawardine 
 
 3) 
 
 *G. C. Guise 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Pulverbatch 
 
 33 
 
 *Charles Wigan 
 
 — 
 
 Ruabon 
 
 53 
 
 *+Augustus Dillon 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 J) 
 
 *Gabriel Rollings 
 
 Adjutant 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 53 
 
 Sir Henry George 
 
 
 
 
 Harnage 
 
 Bart. 
 
 Belswardine 
 
 )3 
 
 Robert D. Newill 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Wellington 
 
 53 
 
 William Anslow 
 
 Farmer 
 
 Eyton 
 
 33 
 
 Thomas C. Eyton 
 
 Esquire 
 
 The Vineyard 
 
 33 
 
 + William Smith 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Chirk 
 
 53 
 
 Christopher R 
 
 
 
 
 Soulsby 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Wrexham 
 
 33 
 
 George Knox 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 3) 
 
 Isaac Knowles 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Wellington 
 
 53 
 
 Edward Jeffreys 
 
 Civil Engineer 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 5) 
 
 D. Glynne Mytton 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 53 
 
 William M. Rowlanc 
 
 Miller 
 
 Mytton Mill 
 
 1853 
 
 William Paddock 
 
 — 
 
 Ellesmere 
 
 33 
 
 cc 
 
226 
 
 FREEMA SONET IN 
 
 
 
 Name. 
 
 Profession or 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Year of 
 admis- 
 
 
 Occupation. 
 
 
 sion. 
 
 Charles James Lloyd 
 
 — 
 
 Machynlleth 
 
 1853 
 
 Edward Oswell 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 iJ 
 
 Walter Reginald 
 
 
 
 
 Corbet 
 
 Lieutenant 
 
 Acton Reynald 
 
 >) 
 
 David Lloyd 
 
 — 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 J) 
 
 tSamuel D. Hoole 
 
 Miller 
 
 Chirk 
 
 J) 
 
 tP. Buckley Williams 
 
 Major 
 
 Pennant 
 
 J) 
 
 James Herbert Preme 
 
 79th Highlanders' 
 
 — 
 
 )j 
 
 William Harley 
 
 
 
 
 Bayley 
 
 Banker 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 JJ 
 
 t*Edward Lloyd 
 
 
 
 
 Hunt 
 
 — 
 
 jy 
 
 )j 
 
 +*J. Andrews 
 
 . — 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 )J 
 
 * Joseph W. Smith 
 
 Wharfinger 
 
 Wellington 
 
 )> 
 
 *John Hamer 
 
 Esquire- 
 
 Glanrafon 
 
 )» 
 
 * William Elliot 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1854 
 
 *Robert Hornby 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Lythwood Hall 
 
 )) 
 
 Henry Alfred Jones 
 
 Auctioneer 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 JJ 
 
 Charles Chandler 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 )j 
 
 J) 
 
 Henry Davies 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 JJ 
 
 Francis Peter Roberts 
 
 Bank Manager 
 
 )) 
 
 JJ 
 
 Gr. J. Saunders 
 
 Chemist 
 
 J) 
 
 J) 
 
 *Rowland Hunt 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Boreatton 
 
 1855 
 
 *John Lawrence 
 
 
 
 
 Randal 
 
 Architect 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 JJ 
 
 * William 
 
 
 
 
 Majoribanks 
 
 Wine Merchant 
 
 Leamington 
 
 >J 
 
 *Henry Greenwood 
 
 Schoolmaster 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 JJ 
 
 Thomas Savin 
 
 Draper 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 JJ 
 
 James Lyndon Pedley 
 
 Architect 
 
 Birmingham 
 
 JJ 
 
 John Dovaston 
 
 Esquire 
 
 West Felton 
 
 1856 
 
 Robert Phibbs Dod 
 
 Captain, Shropshire 
 Militia 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 « " 
 
 *Robert Nicolls 
 
 Wine Merchant 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1857 
 
 *tWilliam Ackerman 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Hereford 
 
 ij 
 
 Riou George Benson 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Lutwyche Hall 
 
 JJ 
 
 William Jellicorse 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Clunbury 
 
 JJ 
 
 Richard S. Prance 
 
 Railway Contractor 
 
 Sibberscote 
 
 JJ 
 
 Walter Blythe 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Dulwich 
 
 JJ 
 
 Richard Scott Deane 
 
 Esquire 
 
 jj 
 
 
 William Thomas 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )J 
 
 »W. E. Curtis 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Caynham Court, 
 Ludlow 
 
 JJ 
 
 *Ralph A. Benson 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Lutwyche Hall 
 
 JJ 
 
 "B.H.BulkeleyOwen 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Tedsmere Hall 
 
 
THE 
 
 PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 227 
 
 Name. 
 
 Occupation or 
 Profession. 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Year of 
 
 admis- 
 
 Bion. 
 
 *Charles G. Wingfield 
 
 Colonel 
 
 Onslow 
 
 1858 
 
 J. Caple Cholmon- 
 
 
 
 
 deley 
 
 Major 
 
 Condover 
 
 )J 
 
 Charles Oakley- 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )> 
 
 Sir Thomas Meyrick 
 
 Bart. 
 
 Bush, Pembroke 
 
 
 Henry Sheridan 
 
 
 
 
 ■Rlliott 
 
 . — 
 
 — 
 
 
 George Owen 
 
 Engineer 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 1859 
 
 Gustaf Tornourd 
 
 — , 
 
 Finland 
 
 
 Edward Tipton, Junr. 
 
 Manager, Fire Office 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )) 
 
 ■\\illiam John Hope 
 
 
 
 
 Edwardes 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Netley Hall 
 
 n 
 
 R. Jasper More 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Linley 
 
 )) 
 
 +Offley Wakeman 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Oxford 
 
 n 
 
 Richard Banner 
 
 
 
 
 Oakley 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 n 
 
 Sir Baldwin Leighton 
 
 Bart. 
 
 Loton Park 
 
 )) 
 
 *Robert Hanson 
 
 
 
 
 Coldwell 
 
 Major 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 I860 
 
 *Robert Forrest 
 
 Professor of Music 
 
 )) 
 
 )> 
 
 *Thomas Kynnersley 
 
 
 
 
 Gardner 
 
 Captain 
 
 Leighton House 
 
 >) 
 
 Joseph Tomlinson 
 
 
 -- 
 
 
 Barlow 
 
 Commercial 
 
 Traveller 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )) 
 
 +Thomas Owen 
 
 Major 
 
 Condover 
 
 (?) 
 
 Spencer Cosby Price 
 
 Captain 
 
 — 
 
 5J 
 
 William Lees Berry 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 1861 
 
 *Edward Burd 
 
 M.D. 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 5) 
 
 P M. Crampton 
 
 Captain — Chief 
 
 Constable 
 
 ii 
 
 )J 
 
 Walter Thursby 
 
 
 
 
 Pelham 
 
 Captain 
 
 Cound 
 
 )) 
 
 Francis Thursby 
 
 
 
 
 Pelham 
 
 Esquire 
 
 )) 
 
 )> 
 
 George F. B. Willing 
 
 M.D. 
 
 Cressage 
 
 J) 
 
 William Blakeway 
 
 Miller 
 
 Hanwood 
 
 1862 
 
 George Juckes 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )J 
 
 H. V. Jones 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Ruchley 
 
 J> 
 
 Walter Moseley 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Buildwas 
 
 )) 
 
 Robert Sloman 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Welshpool 
 
 1863 
 
 WilUam Eddowes 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )) 
 
 William Ash 
 
 Reverend 
 
 West Felton 
 
 )) 
 
 *William Clarke 
 
 Civil Engineer 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )) 
 
 *Philip Whitcombe 
 
 Reverend 
 
 11 
 
 )) 
 
228 
 
 FREEMASONKY IN 
 
 
 Name. 
 
 Profession or 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Year of 
 admis- 
 
 
 Occupation. 
 
 
 sion. 
 
 *Walter Whitmore 
 
 Captain 
 
 Apley Park 
 
 1863 
 
 *"Williain Minton 
 
 
 
 
 Beddoes 
 
 Physician 
 
 Ludlow 
 
 1864 
 
 *Richard Chambers 
 
 
 
 
 Roberts 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Ruabon 
 
 JJ 
 
 *W. J. Lane 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Bishop's Castle 
 
 J) 
 
 Charles G. Wade 
 
 Merchant 
 
 London 
 
 J) 
 
 George W. Fisher 
 
 Reverend 
 
 The Schools, 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 J) 
 
 Thomas Jobson 
 
 Corn Merchant 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 
 W. J. Ward 
 
 Reverend 
 
 )) 
 
 J) 
 
 G. T. Archer 
 
 Esquire 
 
 London 
 
 
 Francis Needham 
 
 Bank Manager 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 
 Cecil Peele 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 JJ 
 
 
 Robert Charles 
 
 
 
 
 Webster 
 
 Civil Engineer 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 5» 
 
 Andrew Good 
 
 
 
 
 Brookes 
 
 Physician 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1865 
 
 Richard Palin 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 JJ 
 
 
 Scarlet Lloyd Parry 
 
 a 
 
 JJ 
 
 )) 
 
 W. Bryan Bryan 
 
 Reverend 
 
 )j 
 
 J) 
 
 John Davies Harries 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 >j 
 
 J] 
 
 Charles L. Heathcote 
 
 jj 
 
 JJ 
 
 
 *Edwyn Andrew 
 
 Physician 
 
 JJ 
 
 1866 
 
 *John Barber 
 
 Auctioneer 
 
 Wellington 
 
 
 *John H. Slaney 
 
 Wine Merchant 
 
 J) 
 
 J) 
 
 *Lord E. Hill Trevor 
 
 — 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 J) 
 
 Thomas Fenn 
 
 — 
 
 Downton 
 
 
 *J. Ralph Ormsby 
 
 Esquire(afterwards 
 
 
 
 Gore 
 
 Lord Harlech) 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 1867 
 
 Thomas Griffiths 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Bishop's Castle 
 
 JJ 
 
 John Maguire 
 
 Tyler 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 
 George Terry West 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Bishop's Castle 
 
 ,, 
 
 *F.B.WyndhamQuin 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Market Drayton 
 
 1868 
 
 *Anthony Gardner 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Leighton 
 
 JJ 
 
 *Charles H. Corbett 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Edmund Cresswell 
 
 
 
 
 Peele 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )) 
 
 *t — Greenwood 
 
 Reverend 
 
 JJ 
 
 1869 
 
 (Hon. Mem.) 
 
 
 
 
 John Edward Stainer 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Uppington 
 
 J) 
 
 *G. C. Nottley 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Ratlinghope 
 
 1870 
 
 *Edward M. 
 
 
 
 
 Wakeman 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Coton Hall, 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 J) 
 
THE 
 
 PROVINCE OP SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 229 
 
 Name. 
 
 Profession or 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Tear o£ 
 admiB- 
 
 
 Occupation. 
 
 
 sion. 
 
 *Henry Newman 
 
 Inland Revenue 
 
 Officer 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1870 
 
 *C. J. S. Churchill 
 
 Rev., The Schools 
 
 jj 
 
 jj 
 
 John Thomas Jones 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Llanfyllin 
 
 )) 
 
 Richard M. Hickman 
 
 )> 
 
 Newport 
 
 )J 
 
 Thomas Hickman 
 
 Land Agent 
 
 Leaton 
 
 JJ. 
 
 John Taylor 
 
 Miller 
 
 Wellington 
 
 )> 
 
 Richard W. Owen 
 
 
 
 
 Withers 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )> 
 
 John Bucknall Cooper 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 J) 
 
 )J 
 
 Joseph H. Redman 
 
 Barrister-at-Law 
 
 J) 
 
 J) 
 
 John Ernest Frail 
 
 Esquire 
 
 )) 
 
 )J 
 
 *Montague Hulton 
 
 
 
 
 Harrop 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Lythwood 
 
 1871 
 
 Arthur George Brooke 
 
 Clerk 
 
 Astley 
 
 )) 
 
 J. Harley Bayley 
 
 
 
 
 Crawford 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )) 
 
 *Sir Oflley Wakeman 
 
 Bart. 
 
 Cound Hall 
 
 1872 
 
 *John Bodenham 
 
 Banker 
 
 Newport 
 
 )J 
 
 William Thomas 
 
 Serving Brother 
 
 J) 
 
 3) 
 
 Herbert L. Snow 
 
 M.D. 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 J) 
 
 Thomas Charles 
 
 
 
 
 Marsh 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 jj 
 
 >) 
 
 William Scarlett Price 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 TJ 
 
 )) 
 
 Charles C. T. Fagan 
 
 Reverend 
 
 >) 
 
 3J 
 
 *Henry Charles 
 
 
 
 
 Clarke 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 )J 
 
 1873 
 
 *Charles H. 
 
 
 
 
 Drinkwater 
 
 Reverend 
 
 )) 
 
 3J 
 
 *John James Saville 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 )J 
 
 >) 
 
 ♦Arthur John Peele 
 
 Civil Engineer 
 
 J) 
 
 >3 
 
 *Henry Offley 
 
 
 
 
 Wakeman 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Oxford 
 
 J) 
 
 ''Alfred Salwey 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Ludlow 
 
 )) 
 
 *Charles B. H. Soame 
 
 Surgeon, — Baronet 
 
 Dawley 
 
 )> 
 
 * Henry Woolner 
 
 Artist 
 
 Coalbrookdale 
 
 )J 
 
 * John Bishop Boucher 
 
 Professor of Music 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 3> 
 
 Algernon G-. B. 
 
 
 
 
 Whitmore 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Stockton, Salop 
 
 J) 
 
 Samuel Pountney 
 
 
 
 
 Smith 
 
 Architect 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1874 
 
 Benjamin Newnes 
 
 Tyler 
 
 n 
 
 3) 
 
 James Ouston Smith 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 )) 
 
 1876 
 
 Arthur Lowcock 
 
 Engineer 
 
 » 
 
 )> 
 
 *W. E. Stuart 
 
 Major 
 
 Betton Strange 
 
 )> 
 
230 
 
 FREEMASONRY IN 
 
 
 
 Name. 
 
 Profession or 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Tear of 
 admis- 
 
 
 Occupation. 
 
 
 sion. 
 
 *Jolm Sides Davies 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 1876 
 
 *Johri Barr 
 
 Bank Manager 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 J) 
 
 Sydney Freme 
 
 
 
 
 Clemenl 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 
 1877 
 
 * Arthur Henry 
 
 
 
 
 Downes 
 
 J) 
 
 jj 
 
 J) 
 
 * John Briscoe Bagnal] 
 
 Gentleman 
 
 )j 
 
 ;; 
 
 Joseph Parry Jones 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 1878 
 
 John T. Wills 
 
 — 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )J 
 
 Charles Shea Thomas 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 )j 
 
 
 William Edward 
 
 
 
 
 Harding 
 
 Surgeon Dentist 
 
 J) 
 
 
 William Lewis Meyer 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Oakengates 
 
 )J 
 
 * Edward Acherley 
 
 
 
 
 Phillips 
 
 Banker 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 J) 
 
 *R. E. Warren 
 
 Reverend 
 
 )) 
 
 
 Robert A. Craig 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 ** J) 
 
 1879 
 
 Herbert Coupland 
 
 
 
 
 Tayloi 
 
 lM.B. 
 
 )> 
 
 J) 
 
 Henry F. Elliott 
 
 burgeon 
 
 Ruyton-IX- 
 
 Towns 
 
 >J 
 
 John Avery 
 
 Wine Merchant 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 J) 
 
 ■^John Minor Kilvert 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Grinshill 
 
 
 Herbert G. Wakefield 
 
 Chaplain H.M S. 
 
 Prison 
 Surgeon 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1880 
 
 *W. Herbert Packer 
 
 Cressage 
 
 
 John Wynne 
 
 
 
 
 Jeudwine 
 
 Barrister-at-Law 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1881 
 
 William Aylmer 
 
 
 
 
 Lewis 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Oswestry 
 
 J) 
 
 Paul Maurice 
 
 
 
 
 Berkeley 
 
 H.M. Civil Service 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )} 
 
 Thomas Slaney Eyton 
 
 Banker 
 
 jj 
 
 
 *Thomas Sullock 
 
 
 
 " 
 
 Stooke 
 
 Civil Engineer 
 
 }) 
 
 
 *Arthur E. Lloyd 
 
 
 
 
 Oswell 
 
 Architect 
 
 
 
 Adolphus Dovaston 
 
 >j 
 
 )) 
 
 1882 
 
 Wyndham Deedes 
 
 Private School 
 
 Master 
 
 3) 
 
 1883 
 
 James E. Parson 
 
 
 
 
 Smith 
 
 Merchant 
 
 
 1884 
 
 John Downes 
 
 
 
 
 Southam 
 
 Wine Merchant 
 
 
 1885 
 
 John Gray 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 >1 
 
 )i 
 
THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 231 
 
 Name. 
 
 Profession or 
 Occupation. 
 
 Residence. 
 
 Tear of 
 admis- 
 sion. 
 
 *"W. Tiascelles 
 
 
 
 
 Southwell 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Bridgnorth 
 
 1885 
 
 Henry Ponting Cox 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Wem 
 
 
 G, Middleton 
 
 
 
 
 Ashdown 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Ruabon 
 
 1886 
 
 Henry Mansell James 
 
 H.M. Civil Service Shrewsbury 
 
 )) 
 
 Samuel Clement 
 
 
 
 
 Southam 
 
 Wine Merchant 
 
 )j 
 
 J) 
 
 James Allan Bratton 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 )? 
 
 JJ 
 
 John Frail Harries 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 J) 
 
 1887 
 
 Arthur T. M. Wood 
 
 Esquire 
 
 Wem 
 
 jj 
 
 Alexander Graham 
 
 Barrister-at-Law 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 )) 
 
 Ernest Tredinnick 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Craven Arms 
 
 1888 
 
 William C. Clement 
 
 
 
 
 Peele 
 
 Solicitor 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1889 
 
 Francis Salisbury 
 
 H.M. Civil Service 
 
 )> 
 
 J) 
 
 William Hugh Sprott 
 
 Coffee Planter 
 
 Mercara, India 
 
 ;> 
 
 ^Frederick Knollys 
 
 
 
 
 Pigott 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 
 Cecil Anthony P. 
 
 
 
 
 Osburne 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Church Stretton 
 
 1890 
 
 *Percy Emson 
 
 Reverend 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 1891 
 
 *G. C. P. Williams 
 
 Captain-Chief 
 
 
 
 Freeman 
 
 Constable 
 
 jj 
 
 )J 
 
 George Gainwell 
 
 Serving Brother 
 
 ?> 
 
 JJ 
 
 Alfred T. Davis 
 
 Civil Engineer 
 
 jj 
 
 )J 
 
 C. W. Campbell 
 
 
 
 
 Hyslop 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Church Stretton 
 
 )J 
 
 The List of Members originally compiled from the Minute-books was 
 carefully compared with the Register of Grand Lodge. In many cases 
 differences and discrepancies were discovered ; these, however, were in the 
 majority of instances clearly due to inaccuracies in the Register. 
 
 The Minute-books are in places so badly kept, and the Register in 
 Grand Lodge was often so irregular, that even from both sources combined, 
 a perfectly accurate list cannot be obtained. It is hoped, however, that the 
 list given above is substantially correct. 
 
 Names marked * are those of joining members. 
 
 Names marked t are those of members who were never registered in 
 Grand Lodge. 
 
 Names marked X a'e those of members who joined without election 
 at the amalgamation of the two Shrewsbury Lodges in 1851. 
 
232 FREEMASONRY IN THE PROVINCE OF SHROPSHIRE. 
 
 In former days liiembers seem to have constantly resigned the Lodge 
 ami afterwards rejoined it. No notice is taken in the above list of such 
 transactions, even when on such rejoining a fresh registration in Grand 
 Lodge was made. It is thought that one entry of a member's name will 
 supply all that would be either interesting or useful. 
 
 No attempt has been made to any change of residence. The addresses 
 given are those at the time of admission. 
 
 ADNITT AND NAUNTON, PRINTERS, THE SQUARE, SHREWSBURY.