THE OLD CHARGES OF BRITISH FREEMASONS.
62
with mathematical precision, and the mistake in reading
one
five for
verse of the 1st chapter of
may
be accounted for in
John
the reverse of the scroll occurs the
first
wiU endeavour
me God "), in Dunckerley's handwriting
EoU as an ardent Eoyal Arch Mason.
to observe, so help
surmised what use he made of the
-5. "York, No. 1."
Published in Hughan's
"
of the
five of
*17tli Century.
senior
is
ways.
On
so
(it is said),
that
it
may
be
I
easily
The "York" Lodge, No. 236, York.
"
of the effects
Charges," and Masonic Magazine" (August 1873). In an inventory
"
"
"
England (extinct), held at York, six copies of the Old Charges were catalogued,
"
Lodge. They were numbered one to six without
the first is certainly the oldest, the second is the junior of the
though
"
No. 1.
thus described in the Inventory of a.d. 1779
parchment roll in three
respect to their relative antic^uity, for
The
many
"Whose sacred and universal law
" Old
Grand Lodge of all
" York
which are now carefuUy treasured by the
series.
("
—
A
the constitutions of masonry, and by an endorsement appears to have been found in
slips, containing
It was
Pontefract Castle at the demolition, and given to the Grand Lodge by Brother Drake" (1736).
used as
a
measuring about 7
roll,
feet in length
and 5 inches in width.
Francis
Drake, F.R.S., was a
native of Pontefract, of which place both his father and grandfather had been in turn the vicar.
grandfather, prior to his ordination,
was a Koyalist
ofllicer,
and
his diary of the siege has lately
His great-
been published
"
by the Surtees Society." The history of this MS. and that of the last on the inventory, after the Grand Lodge
at York died out, has been a singular one.
They had been lost sight of by the York brethren for several years.
whose sight is preternaturally keen when masonic MSS. are being searched for, at last identified the
Hughan,
" wanderers " at Freemasons'
Hall, London, through their description in the inventory, and having announced
members of the " York " Lodge, who had become possessed of the bulk of the archives
formerly appertaining to the Grand Lodge of that city, they made application to the then Grand Master, the
his discovery to the
Earl of Zetland, for the two Rolls. His Lordship willingly acceded to the petition, and they were restored to the
custody of their rightful owners in 1877. During its absence from York this MS. was transcribed (circa 1830),
and a second copy afterwards made by ilr Robert Lemon, Deputy-Keeper of State Papers (in consequence of some
imperfection in the first one), which was presented to H.E.H. the Duke of Sussex, the then Grand Master.
When
the rolls were examined
Lemon, dated September
9,
by Hughan the two
transcripts
were tied up with them, also a
1830, suggesting a collation of the original Roll with the one
letter
Mr
from
owned by the lodge
of
"
Antiquity." The date of the MS. is partly determined from internal evidence, and partly from a consideration
of the date when Pontefract Castle surrendered to the Parliamentary Forces (March 25, 1649). The demolition
began during the following month.' The Roll seems to have formed the text for at least three of the other
York MSS.
6
&
"
7.
Wilson, Nos. 1
&
2."
* 17th
Century.
Thirlestane House, Cheltenham.
Published in "Masonic Magazine," 1876, and in Kenmings' "ArchsBological Library," 1879. The earliest
reference to this MS. occurs in the " Manifesto of tlie Right Worshipful Lodge of Antiquity, 1778," as
" 0. MS. in the hands of Mr
follows
Wilson, of Broomhead, near Sheffield, Yorkshire, written in the reign
of K. Henry VIII." ^
Until, however, quite recently, all attempts to trace the actual MS. resulted in failure.
known
:
A
clue being at length obtained, the Rev. A. F. A. Woodford (and others assisting) ultimately succeeded in
The search elicited the fact that there existed " a duplicate copy. Both seem
obtaining an exact transcript.
about the same age, and are verlatim,
et literatim." ^
They were sold to Sir Thomas Phillips (a great collector
and are now in the possession of his son-in-law, the Rev. J. E. A. Fenmck, of
Wilson,
Tlie MSS. are written on vellum, and certain
Cheltenham, who kindly permitted a transcript to be made.
words are rubricated.
By some authorities, their orighi is placed early in the seventeenth century, although
of
MSS.) by Mr
instead of 1583
transcribed
1
its
although, as the learned compiler informs me, he was aware of the correct date of the MS., having
Hargrove, in his History of York, vol.
presented by
*
;
entire contents.
Mr
Drake,"
The Manifesto
ilanmcriiit.
is
ii.
(1818), mentions this
MS.
as being in possession of
"the Lodge
.
.
.
etc.
printed in exienso iu Hughan's "Masonic Sketches," pp. 102-108.
3
Freemason (Loudon), July
O.MS, stands
26, 1879.
for Original