Ritual, Secrecy and Civil Society Vol. 7, No. 1, Fall, 2019 | Page 20

De Grasse-Tilly and the Early Supreme Council : 1786 – 1802

The ravages of time and several

subsequent fires in Charleston ,
South Carolina in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries have clouded our understanding concerning the formation and early years of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish

Rite . The known fragmentary evidence that remains has been recycled by many authors , with generally the same conclusions being reached and repeated . If one is to write anything new of value on this period , one must find new and external primary sources of information . In an effort to accomplish this task , one should consider sources concerning Comte de Grasse-Tilly , as he was made a Deputy Inspector General in Charleston in 1796 under the Order of the Royal Secret , and later became the primary actor in spreading the newly created Scottish Rite throughout Europe and the Caribbean . The focus of this research must be centred on the Charleston Lodge La Candeur itself to gain a more complete insight . Research conducted around this sphere of influence yields several new and exciting revelations and enriches our understanding of both de Grasse-Tilly as well as the genesis of the Rite .

De Grasse-Tilly : The Man and the Mason

Alexandre François Auguste de

Grasse-Tilly was born on February 14 , 1765 at the Palace of
Versailles and was the son of a naval hero of the American Revolution , Admiral François Joseph Paul de Grasse . Following in the footsteps of his father , he dedicated his professional career to military service , serving in the French Army . He was stationed in Saint Domingue in 1789 and his immediate family soon followed him there to escape the tumult of the French Revolution . There he married Anne-Sophie Delahogue the daughter of Jean-Baptiste Marie Delahogue in 1792 . He acquired a large plantation with some 200 slaves in Cap Français , yet his fortunes reversed after the British Royal Navy defeated the French fleet stationed there in 1793 , and was forced to resign his commission in the French Army and then fled the island with his immediate and extended families to Charleston , South Carolina .
Like his father , he joined the ranks of Freemasonry and was initiated in the Parisian lodge , Le Contract Social , on January 1 , 1783 . 1 It is unknown whether he joined a lodge while stationed in Saint Domingue , as there are scant records extant from Cap Français . It seems probable though , given he married Delahogue ’ s daughter and went on to found the French speaking Charleston Lodge La Candeur with his father-in-law , as the founding officers . 2 Incidentally , there were several brethren from La Vérité in Cap Français who were recognized by La Candeur , not to mention that his father-in-law was
1 “ Grandmaison De Loubert-Guidon .” Gallica . Accessed September 29 , 2019 . https :// gallica . bnf . fr / ark :/ 12148 / btv1b10000318s / f63 . image .
2 July 24 , 1796 . Minute book of La Candeur transcript . Archives of the Supreme Council , Southern Jurisdiction .
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