Falmouth Packet Archives 1688-1850 | home
Freemasonry
..Thanks of the Lodge to the right Worshipful William Lord Byron, Baron of Rochdale in the County of Lancaster ... he has been pleased to confer upon us in sending his Deputation to our Brother George Bell 
Esq., for Constituting us into a Regular Lodge.
June, 2001 will see the 250th anniversary of Freemasonry in Cornwall, that being the anniversary of the founding of Cornwall's first lodge, "Love & Honour" in Falmouth.
References to Freemasonry include Falmouth, The Post Office, Packet Captains and USA
Timeline:
1715: Ref to John Moore, port collector at Philadelphia (initiated in London, in 1704)
1717: Foundation of the Grand Lodge of England "the cohesion of Lodges already in being"
1726: Franklin started, in late 1726, a Society called the "Junto", or Leather-apron Club, in Philadelphia
1733: The first Lodge in N. America was founded in Boston
1734: Benjamin Franklin printed the first Masonic 'Bible' in America
1734: Benjamin Franklin appointed Grand Master (Philadelphia)
1737: Benjamin Franklin accepted the postmaster's job in Philadelphia
1751: Cornwall's first Lodge was formed, Love and Honour, No. 75, in Falmouth
1752: Provincial Grand Lodge of Cornwall formed (Capt. Joseph Sherburn, Provincial Grand Master)
1753: George Washington became a Master Mason
1753: Franklin & William Hunter, appointed Joint PMG's for N. American Colonies
1756: Packet service commences between Falmouth & New York
1759: George Washington and Martha Dandridge Custis marry.
1761: Franklin & John Foxcroft - appointed Joint PMG's N. America
1774: Franklin was dismissed by the British Post-office
1775: July 26, Franklin appointed Postmaster General, the first under the Continental Congress.
1785: Franklin Received the affiliation of the Lodge at Rouen (on his return to America)
Love & Honour
"The first Lodge in Cornwall"
Starting members 'going to form the Lodge' on 12 June 1751. (Facsimile of original handwritten minutes at Mason's Hall Library, Queen St. London WC2)
Joseph Sherburne (sic) [Sherburn]
Wm. Pye
* Son of Col. Joseph Bell ( Post-Office Comptroller-1743), and Henrietta (1712-1775), daughter of Stephen Banfield, Packet Agent 1723-47 (died 1756)
Some Extracts:-
Love & Honour (No. 75)
"By (sic) Laws Agreed unanimously by the Lodge this 12th day of June 1751."
This Lodge shall be held the 2nd and last Tuesday each month from Michaelmus to Lady-day from the hour of 5 to 10 and from the lady-day to Michaelmus from 6 to 10 in the evening.
£1. 1. 0. for being made an Entered Apprentice.
10/= each for being made a Fellow Craft
10/= each " Raised Master
11th. No Gaming
2. No Cursing or Swearing
...Thanks of the Lodge to the right Worshipful William Lord Byron, Baron of Rochdale in the County of Lancaster ... he has been pleased to confer upon us in sending his Deputation to our Brother George Bell Esq., for Constituting us into a Regular Lodge.
Resolved that this lodge shall be held at the house of Edward ___________, being the sign of the KING'S ARMS in Falmouth.
[Edward Snoxell ?]
History of Falmouth 'Love & Honour' Lodge (booklet) includes Packet figures;
Joseph Sherburne & George Bell
William Hill
(7) William Bluett Aug. 29, 1751 (entered, apprentice)
(23) Charles Kempthorn (sic)
William Bluett Jun. Oct. 26, 1752
Edward Sherburn (sic)
Stephen Bell (initiated 1762, Prov. Grand Master in 1771)
W.S. Sowell, (Master of Hanover (2) Packet) initiated July 28, 1780.
(p.29) Aug. 10th, 1785: Lodge met "to recommend a successor to the late R.W. Stephen Bell as Prov.G(rand) M(aster), and decided to forward the name of Sir John St. Aubyn, Bart." [installed Sept. 7th, 1785]
[states that Sir John did not appear to be a member of 'Love & Honour' Lodge.]
In 1812, there were 70 members on the roll.
1843, Jan 31, Sir Charles Lemon, Bart. M.P. became Worshipful Master of the Lodge.
1880: His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales
Kelly's Directory of Cornwall 1893
[The Royal Hotel] ...At the top of the house is the Masonic Lodge, erected for the purposes of a Freemasons' Lodge, established in 1751.
FP 1/5/1897: Freemasonry.
The official directory of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Cornwall (Freemasons) has just been issued by the P.G. Sec. Bro. E.D. Anderton. [Edward Dixon Anderton, of 'Oakroyd,' Falmouth, County Councilor for Penryn, nominated by John Bisson and William Bullmore (see FP 5/3/1898)]. It has been compiled by Bro. J.C.A. Crewes, and gives a great deal of information both of Craft, Arch, Mark and other advanced degrees. There is also a very interesting chapter on Annals of the Cornish Craft, 1751-1896." It was in the first-named year that the premier lodge [Love & Honour] was established in this town, being followed only one year later with lodges at Truro. [Penzance?]
The number of Freemasons in the county has for some years been progressive, there being now 1,868 subscribing members.
1898: Love & Honour obtained a Licence for dancing in the
Masonic Hall
(pdf) in Church Street.
FP 22/1/1898: Falmouth Bench and Dancing Licenses.
Mr. Robert Thomas, landlord of the Duke of Cornwall Hotel, High Street, applied on Monday for a dancing licence for a room connected with the premises. Mr. Carne, the owner of the property ( a quite separate room 80 ft x 22 ft 6 in x 18 ft high, with eight windows and one entrance) stated that another staircase and an extra facility would be provided immediately. Mr. W. Jenkins,[representing Mr. Thomas] understood that a similar application was to be made on behalf of the Masonic Hall, Church Street.
The aristocracy had the privilege of being able to dance at the Masonic Hall, and he asked that the same privilege be extended to the middle class people. A large number of people who visited Falmouth in the summer would not be admitted at the Masonic Hall. Mr. Thomas was paying £24 a year for this room, He promised that no liquors of any kind would be sold in the room or even taken there. Mr. Pill, builder of the room, explained a plan of the room to the Bench..Superintendent Beare said that if it had been an application from a dancing class, he would not have opposed it. Egress and ingress could only be made through licensed premises [the hotel] After a long absence from the Court, the Bench refused the application.
Mr. S. Tresidder, Jun., on behalf of the Letting Committee of the Masonic Lodge "Love and Honour," made a similar application in respect to the Masonic Hall, explaining that it was spacious, well ventilated, and had been built with a view to dancing being held there.
Dr. Moore: How many exits are there? - Mr. Tresidder: Three. There is a nice broad access, and every convenience, The Committee had some doubts whether there was any need for making the application. Superintendent Beare offered no objection and the request was acceded to.
American Freemasonry:
December 8, 1730 The Pennsylvania Gazette
[Then called The Pennsylvania Packet. and published by Benjamin Franklin, a freemason.]
".. there are several Lodges of FREE MASONS erected in this Province...
On 8 December 1730 Benjamin Franklin printed in his newspaper, the first documented notice about Freemasonry in North America, a general account of Freemasonry, was prefaced by the above statement.
Only two months elapsed between Benjamin Franklin's publication of this first notice and his initiation into the lodge of Freemasonry. Some say that his motive had been to threaten the Masons with exposure if they did not let him in. Soon thereafter, Franklin became the largest publisher in America, owning a chain of newspapers and printing-houses. His rise within the Brotherhood was accompanied by a generous measure of worldly success. Over the course of his long and illustrious career, Franklin was initiated into the highest covens of the Order, in Europe as well as in America. His mentors included members of the Royal Society and the notorious and sexually promiscuous “Hell-Fire” clubs in England, and also the Neuf Soeurs in France. He developed extensive contacts within both the Hanoverian and the Stewart-Jacobean branches of the Lodge, and thus Franklin's inside-knowledge became as profound as his influence. One is inclined to wonder how he ever managed to repay such a debt.
June 28, 1733 The Pennsylvania Gazette. Philadelphia, June 28.
Monday last a Grand Lodge of the Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and accepted Masons in this Province, was held at the Tun Tavern in Water-Street, when Humphry Murray, Esq., was elected Grand Master for the Year ensuing, who appointed Mr. Thomas Hart his Deputy, and Mr. Peter Cuff and Mr. James Bingham were chosen Wardens. A very Elegant Entertainment was provided upon the Occasion, at which the Proprietor, the Governor, the Mayor of this City, and several other Persons of Distinction honour'd the Society with their Presence.
By the last Advices from England, we understand that the Sugar Bill was yet under Consideration... [here we go..towards independence, in 1776!]
“Between 1733 and 1737, the Grand Lodge of England warranted Provincial Grand Lodges in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. In Georgia, New Hampshire and other future states, there were one or more local lodges but no Provincial Grand Lodge. From Virginia, no records survive, but there are supposed to have been lodges warranted not by the Grand Lodge of England, but by the quasi-Jacobite Grand Lodge of York.”
“Between 1733 and 1737, the Grand Lodge of England warranted Provincial Grand Lodges in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. In Georgia, New Hampshire and other future states, there were one or more local lodges but no Provincial Grand Lodge. From Virginia, no records survive, but there are supposed to have been lodges warranted not by the Grand Lodge of England, but by the quasi-Jacobite Grand Lodge of York.”
“At the same time that Freemasonry -- almost entirely under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of England -- was spreading through the colonies, there occurred another development which was to have a much more profound effect on American history.
Since 1732, Freemasonry had also been spreading through the British Army in the form of regimental field lodges ... The first lodge in the British Army was created in the 1st Foot, later the Royal Scots, in 1732. By 1734, there were five such regimental lodges. By 1755, there were twenty-nine ... Of particular significance is the fact that these lodges were not chartered by the Grand Lodge of England. On the contrary, they were chartered by the Irish Grand Lodge, which offered the higher degrees characteristic of Jacobite Freemasonry ...
”... [in Massachusetts] Freemasonry had begun ... in 1733, when Henry Price, acting on authority from the Grand Lodge of England, became Grand Master of Massachusetts' own Provincial Grand Lodge, St. John's. His deputy Grand Master, as we have seen, was Andrew Belcher, son of the provincial governor. By 1750, there were two other lodges based in Boston. Both they and their parent lodge, St. John's, met at a tavern called the Bunch of Grapes, at the junction of what today are State and Kilby Streets; and British regiments with warrants from Grand Lodge also met on the premises. Subsequently, St. John's was to warrant more than forty lodges under its umbrella.
“... But in 1752, an 'irregular' lodge, without an official warrant, was found to be operating at another tavern, the Green Dragon -- renamed Freemasons' Hall in 1764. When the scandalised members of St. John's complained, the 'irregular' lodge duly applied for a warrant of its own -- not from the Grand Lodge of England, however, but from Grand Lodge of Scotland, which offered higher degrees. The warrant was not forthcoming until 1756, when British troops and their regimental field lodges, chartered by both Irish and Scottish Grand Lodge, began to arrive in America. The 'irregular' lodge was then warranted under the name of St. Andrew's. Soon, however, it began to warrant new lodges of its own and claimed for itself, therefore, the status of a Provincial Grand Lodge -- under the authority of Grand Lodge of Scotland. There were thus two rival Provincial Grand Lodges in Boston: St. John's, under the aegis of the Grand Lodge of England, and St. Andrew's, under the aegis of Grand Lodge of Scotland...
“... Ignoring the strictures against it, St. Andrew's continued to meet and to gain recruits -- sometimes, indeed, pilfering them from St. John's. And on 28 August 1769, St. Andrew's conferred, for the first time anywhere in the world, a new Freemasonic Degree -- specifically called the Knight Templar Degree ... But [this] was not to be St. Andrew's sole claim to distinction. By 1773, it had assumed a position in the vanguard of what were now rapidly escalating events. At that time, its Grand Master was Joseph Warren, whom Grand Lodge of Scotland had appointed Grand Master for the whole of North America. Among the other members of the lodge were John Hancock and Paul Revere.
“... Contrary to some subsequent claims and legends, the '[Boston] Tea Party' does not appear to have been planned at St. Andrew's lodge. In fact, it appears to have been planned by Samuel Adams and the 'Sons of Liberty'. But there is no question that at least twelve members of the lodge were involved in the 'Party'. Not only that. Twelve other participants afterwards became members of St. Andrew's.
Myth: All, or almost all, Signers of the Articles of Confederation, Signers of the Declaration of Independence, and Signers of the Constitution were Freemasons.
Fact: Ten of the signers of the Articles, nine signers of the Declaration, and thirteen signers of the Constitution -- and only this number -- were, or would become, Freemasons.
It should be noted that Edmund Randolph, governor and Grand Master of Virginia, although an important participant in the Constitutional Convention, didn't sign the document. He did, however, fight for its ratification. It should also be noted that four Presidents of the Continental Congresses were Freemasons: Peyton Randolph of Virginia, John Hancock of Massachusetts, Henry Laurens of South Carolina, and Arthur St. Clair of Pennsylvania. (For further study see Masonic Membership of the Founding Fathers, The Masonic Service Association, 8120 Fenton St., Silver Spring, MD 20910,) [qf. Northern Light]
“... On 22 April [1775], the Third Provincial Congress of Massachusetts convened, with Joseph Warren, The Grand Lodge of Scotland's Grand Master for North America, as president. Warren authorised the mobilisation of 30,000 men ... on 10 May 1775, the Second Continental Congress convened -- first under the presidency of Peyton Randolph, then, when he died, under John Hancock of St. Andrew's lodge -- and authorised the raising of a full-fledged army. George Washington, a prominent Freemason under the Virginia Grand Mastership of Randolph, was appointed commander-in-chief.
“... On 9 November [1775], a special committee -- the Committee of Congress for Secret Correspondence -- was appointed to establish a network of contacts among 'our friends abroad'. This committee consisted of Robert Morris, John Jay, Benjamin Harrison, John Dickinson and Benjamin Franklin. It was to operate extensively through Freemasonic channels and to lead to the creation of an elaborate spy network. At the same time, and quite coincidentally, it was to overlap a British spy network which ran parallel to it and also operated through Freemasonic channels. Both networks were to be based primarily in Paris, which became the center for a vast web of espionage, intrigue and shifting allegiances.
“... On 11 June 1776, Congress appointed a committee to draft a declaration of independence. Of the five men on this committee, two -- Franklin and Richard Montgomery's father-in-law, Robert Livingston -- were Freemasons, and one, Roger Sherman, is believed, though not confirmed, to have been. The other two -- Thomas Jefferson and John Adams -- were not, despite subsequent claims to the contrary. The text of the declaration was composed by Jefferson. It was submitted to Congress and accepted on 4 July 1776. The nine signatories who can now be established as proven Freemasons, and the ten who were probably so, included such influential figures as Washington, Franklin and, of course, the president of the Congress, John Hancock. The army, moreover, remained almost entirely in Freemasonic hands.
“Franklin, as we have seen, was a Freemason of long standing, having been initiated nearly a half century before, in 1731. In 1734 and again in 1749, he had been Grand Master of Pennsylvania. In 1756, he had been inducted into the Royal Society, still at that time strongly oriented towards Freemasonry. Between 1757 and 1762, and again between 1764 and 1775, he had spent considerable time abroad, in England and in France. In 1776, as the conflict in the colonies became a full-fledged war for independence, Franklin became, in effect, the American ambassador to France, and was to serve in this capacity until 1785. In 1778, in Paris, he was to become a member of a particularly important French lodge, Neuf Soeurs or “Nine Sisters”, which was also to include such luminaries as John Paul Jones (first initiated in Scotland in 1770) and Voltaire. A year later, on 21 May 1779, Franklin became Master of Neuf Soeurs, a post to which he was reelected in 1780. In 1782, he became a member of a more elusive and mysterious Freemasonic conclave, the Royal Lodge des Commandeurs du Temple a l'Ouest de Carcassonne (“Royal Lodge of Commanders of the Temple West of Carcassonne”).”
Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh
The Temple and the Lodge
John Trumbull 1756-1843, artist, (published in 1876 by Cole & Co. Brooklyn, NY) (uslc 3a07200r)
"The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America"
signed by 13 freemasons,
the significance of which appears visible in New Hampshire's Lodge No. 1
NH Lodge No.1 - Flag representing the 13 States
Church bells rang out over Philadelphia on July 4, 1776....signalling that the Declaration of Independence was approved and officially adopted by the Continental Congress.
A month earlier Congress had appointed a Committee of Five to draft a statement to the world presenting the colonies' case for independence. The committee consisted of John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. The committee assigned Jefferson the task of writing the original document. [He later said "Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the American mind." [by Deists?]
By 1784, Fifteen Lodges of the Order of the Illuminati had been established in the 13 Colonies. This was before the Colonies were united and the Constitution adopted.
In 1785 the Columbian Lodge of the Order of the Illuminati was established in New York City. Its members included Governor DeWitt Clinton, Clinton Roosevelt, and Horace Greeley. There was a Lodge in Virginia also that was identified with Thomas Jefferson ... [Introduction to John Robison's Proof of a Conspiracy ]
Numerous researchers have suggested that the Constitution of the United States had actually been an Illuminist-initiated document; that the Constitutional Convention had been foisted on the states by the Marquis de LaFayette and his cronies: Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, John Jay and James Madison -- all of them Freemasons -- in order to establish a federal entity that would guarantee repayment of the states' war-debt to their European financiers and allies ... the Hofjuden.
"A little-known US document signed by President Adams proclaims America's Government is secular "
by Jim Walker
Some people today assert that the United States government came from Christian foundations. They argue that our political system represents a Christian ideal form of government and that Jefferson, Madison, et al, had simply expressed Christian values while framing the Constitution. If this proved true, then we should have a wealth of evidence to support it, yet just the opposite proves the case.
Although, indeed, many of America's colonial statesmen practiced Christianity, our most influential Founding Fathers broke away from traditional religious thinking. The ideas of the Great Enlightenment that began in Europe had begun to sever the chains of monarchical theocracy. .... [For a complete review of the above, go to www.earlyamerica.com and then search for "Deist" and open Little-Known U.S. Document - The Early America Review, Summer 1997
Excerpt:
"The Founding Fathers, also, rarely practiced Christian orthodoxy. Although they supported the free exercise of any religion, they understood the dangers of religion. Most of them believed in deism and attended Freemasonry lodges. According to John J. Robinson, "Freemasonry had been a powerful force for religious freedom." Freemasons took seriously the principle that men should worship according to their own conscious. Masonry welcomed anyone from any religion or non-religion, as long as they believed in a Supreme Being. Washington, Franklin, Hancock, Hamilton, Lafayette, and many others accepted Freemasonry. "
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin; [circa 1727]:
"It may be well to let you know the then state of my mind with regard to my principles and morals, that you may see how far those influenc'd the future events of my life. My parents had early given me religious impressions, and brought me through my childhood piously in the Dissenting way. But I was scarce fifteen, when, after doubting by turns of several points, as I found them disputed in the different books I read, I began to doubt of Revelation itself.
Some books against Deism fell into my hands; they were said to be the substance of sermons preached at Boyle's Lectures. It happened that they wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough Deist
I grew convinc'd that truth, sincerity and integrity in dealings between man and man were of the utmost importance to the felicity of life; and I form'd written resolutions, which still remain in my journal book, to practice them ever while I lived. "
Interesting reading, includes:
Faith of Our Founding Fathers, By Tim LaHaye
"Dr. LaHaye details the religious beliefs of more than thirty-eight of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Offering compelling evidence that those who worked to produce what Catherine Bowen called "The Miracle at Philadelphia," were men who would be considered faithful Christians."
Faith of our Founding Fathers, By Tim LaHaye, Brentwood, Tennessee: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers Inc., 1987. 258 p.p., notes, hard cover, ISBN 0-943497-00-0 [qf.Review page at Early America]
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“On 4 February 1789, Washington was elected first president of the United States and John Adams his vice-president. The inauguration was on 30 April. The oath was administered by Robert Livingston, Grand Master of New York's Grand Lodge and father-in-law of the dead General Richard Montgomery. The marshal of the day was another Freemason, General Jacob Morton. Yet another Freemason, General Morgan Lewis, was Washington's escort. The bible used for the oath was that of St. John's Lodge No. 1 of New York.
Washington himself at the time was Master of Alexandria Lodge No. 22, Virginia.
“On 18 September 1793, the cornerstone of the Capitol was officially laid. Grand Lodge of Maryland presided over the ceremony and Washington was asked to serve as Master. The affiliated lodges under Maryland's jurisdiction were in attendance, as was Washington's own lodge from Alexandria, Virginia. There was a great procession, which included a company of artillery. Then came a band, followed by Washington himself, attended by all officers and members of the lodges in full regalia.
“When he reached the trench in which the southeast cornerstone was laid, Washington was presented with a silver plate commemorating the event and inscribed with the designations of the lodges in attendance. The artillery fired a volley. Washington then descended into the trench and placed the plate on the stone. Around it, he placed containers of corn, wine and oil -- standard symbolic accoutrements of Freemasonic ritual. All present joined in prayer and Masonic chanting, and the artillery fired another volley.
“Washington and his entourage then moved to the east of the cornerstone, where the president, standing on a traditionally Masonic three-stepped rostrum, delivered an oration. More Masonic chanting followed, and a final volley from the artillery.
“The gavel, the silver trowel, the square and the level used by Washington for the ceremony are today held by Potomac Lodge No. 5 of the District of Columbia. The apron and the sash he wore are held by his own lodge, Alexandria No. 22.”
Original documents at the Library of Congress (uslc) written to or by Washington, (transcribed below), which demonstrate George Washington's close ties to Freemasonry;
Boston Decem. 27. A.D. 1792.
An Address to the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, To their honored and Illustrious Brother -- George Washington. December 27, 1792 (Accompanied with gift of Masonic "Book of Constitutions" probably modeled upon the "Constitutions," the Masonic bible printed in 1734 by Benjamin Franklin and the first Masonic book published in America)
[Locally] - of great Masonic interest , the "Washington" Bible, lies in the Regimental Museum of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, at the Barracks in Bodmin.
The history of the Lodge of Fortitude is bound up with the regiment. A Warrant was granted to the Lodge by the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1752, the Regiment then being stationed in Ireland. Subsequently, the Regiment, in 1756 Sailed from Cork to Nova Scotia, taking part in the conquest of Canada, 1761 Barbados, 1762 Havana, 1764 America, 1767 Returned to Ireland, 1776 Staten Island, America.
During the winter of 1777-78 the 46th Regiment of Foot was stationed in Philadelphia, where the Lodge [of Fortitude, No. 131] resumed regular working. During the campaigns the Lodge Chest, a bullock trunk, accompanied the regiment or followed it in the baggage train. On one of the occasions the chest was captured by [George] Washington, but returned by him under a flag of truce accompanied by a guard of honour.
[qf. Vincent, V.S., A Record of Freemasonry in the Province of Cornwall 1751-1959, (p.80). 300 copies were printed in 1960.
Not to be outdone..
Napoleon was initiated, passed and raised into an Army Philadelphe Lodge of the-Ecossais-Primitive Rite of Narbonne between 1795 and 1798.(qf. Albert G. Mackey, Encyclopedia of Freemasonry. Richmond, Virginia: Macoy Publishing, 1966. p. 698)
===============
Local References - post 1850
FP 14/1/1871: Refers to "brother Michell's Green Bank Hotel"
Henry VIII granted a charter to the already existing Trinity House, London to ensure the safe regulation of shipping on the River Thames on 20 May 1514. Prior to that Trinity House had been an Association of Shipmen and Mariners of a semi-religious character and with benevolent objectives.
FP 29/5/1897: Mr. Passmore Edwards at Truro.
Mr. Passmore Edwards on Tuesday [25th] laid the foundation stone of the Cornwall Technical Schools at Truro. It being erected as a memorial to Sir Charles Lemon, (who was for many years the Provincial Grand Master of Cornwall) and the stone was laid in Masonic form by the donor. A procession was formed from the Town Hall and marched to the site. Before that the Provincial Grand Lodge of Cornwall met at the Concert Hall, under a special dispensation of the Grand Master, the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, who was unable to attend because of his absence abroad. Brother E. D. Anderton, the Provincial Grand Secretary, officiated in his absence, and the Freemasons formed their own procession. Which joined that of the county and civic authorities at the Town Hall. At the head of it was band, and it included the local lodges of Oddfellows, Foresters, and Rechabites…..
FP 5/6/1897: Masonic Installation. [Falmouth]
At the Masonic Hall on Thursday evening, the annual meeting of lodge "Love and Honour," No. 94, of Mark Master Masons, was held, when Bro. W.W. Sharpe S.W., was installed W.M. by Bro. J. M. Carne.
The W. M. invested his officers as follows:- Bros.
Bruce Gregg, S.W.
E.J.K. Nicholls, J.W.
J.M. Blamey, J.O.
W. C. Wickett S.O.
T. G. Holder, J.O.
W, Bro. S. Tresidder, treasurer
G. Carter, register of marks
W. Gundry, secretary;
Aaron Smith, S.D.
J.H. Peters, J. D.
W.H. Rowe, D.C.
E.J. Head, I.G.
J.N. Francis , Tyler,
A banquet was subsequently held at the Royal Hotel.
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Deity:
The Rights of Man : Footnotes
THOMAS PAINE AUTHORS NOTES
When in any country we see extraordinary circumstances taking place, they naturally lead any man who has a talent for observation and investigation, to enquire into the causes. The manufacturers of Manchester, Birmingham, and Sheffield, are the principal manufacturers in England. From whence did this arise? A little observation will explain the case. The principal, and the generality of the inhabitants of those places, are not of what is called in England, the church established by law: and they, or their fathers, (for it is within but a few years) withdrew from the persecution of the chartered towns, where test-laws more particularly operate, and established a sort of asylum for themselves in those places. It was the only asylum that then offered, for the rest of Europe was worse.- But the case is now changing. France and America bid all comers welcome, and initiate them into all the rights of citizenship. Policy and interest, therefore, will, but perhaps too late, dictate in England, what reason and justice could not. Those manufacturers are withdrawing, and arising in other places. There is now erecting in Passey, three miles from Paris, a large cotton manufactory, and several are already erected in America. Soon after the rejecting the Bill for repealing the test-law, one of the richest manufacturers in England said in my hearing, "England, Sir, is not a country for a dissenter to live in,- we must go to France." These are truths, and it is doing justice to both parties to tell them. It is chiefly the dissenters that have carried English manufactures to the height they are now at, and the same men have it in their power to carry them away; and though those manufactures would afterwards continue in those places, the foreign market will be lost. There frequently appear in the London Gazette, extracts from certain acts to prevent machines and persons, as far as they can extend to persons, from going out of the country. It appears from these that the ill effects of the test-laws and church-establishment begin to be much suspected; but the remedy of force can never supply the remedy of reason. In the progress of less than a century, all the unrepresented part of England, of all denominations, which is at least a hundred times the most numerous, may begin to feel the necessity of a constitution, and then all those matters will come regularly before them.
