4 85 
MASONR Y. 
year 1588 i when George Hading*, earl of Huntingdon, 
was chofen grand-mafter, and remained in the office till 
the deceafe of the queen in 1603. 
On the acceffion of James I. (the Scottiffi king) to the 
crown of England, mafonry flouriffied, and lodges were 
held, in both kingdoms. A number of gentlemen re¬ 
turned from their travels, with curious drawings of the 
old Greek and Roman architecture, as well as a Itrong in¬ 
clination to revive the knowledge of it. Among thefe was 
the celebrated Inigo Jones, who was appointed general 
furveyor to the king. He was named Grand Matter of 
England, and was deputed by the king to prefide over 
the lodges. Several learned men were now initiated into 
the mytteries of mafonry ; and the fociety increased con- 
fiderably in reputation and confequence. Ingenious ar- 
tifts reforted to England in great numbers ; lodges were 
conftituted as feminaries of inttruftion in the fciencesand 
polite arts, after the model of the Italian lehools; the 
communications of the fraternity were eftablifhed, and 
the annual fettivals regularly obferved. Under the direc¬ 
tion of this accompliffied architeft, many magnificent 
ftruftures were railed ; and among the reft, he was em¬ 
ployed, by command of the fovereign, to plan a new pa¬ 
lace at Whitehall, worthy of the relidence of the kings 
of England. This was executed; but, for want of a 
parliamentary fund, no more of the plan was ever finifhed 
than the banqueting-houle. Inigo Jones continued in 
the office of grand matter till the year 1618, when he was 
fucceeded by the earl of Pembroke. 
After Charles I. afcended the throne, lofd Pembroke 
was continued in his office til! the year 1630, when he 
refigned in favour of Henry Danvers, earl ofDanby. This 
nobleman was lucceeded, in 1633, by Thomas Howard, 
earl of Arundel, the anceftor of the Norfolk family. In 
1635, Francis Ruffe!, earl of Bedford, accepted the go¬ 
vernment of the fociety; but, Inigo Jones having con¬ 
tinued to patronife the lodges during his lordffiip’s ad- 
miniftration, he was re-elected the following year, and 
continued in office till the year of his death, 1646. The 
progrefs of mafonry, however, was for fometime obltruft- 
ed by the breaking out of the civil wars ; but it began to 
revive under the patronage of Charles II. who had been 
received into the order during his exile. On the 27th of 
December, 1663, a general affembly was held, where Henry 
Jennyn, earl of St. Alban’s, was elefted grand matter ; who 
appointed fir John Denham his deputy,and Mr. Chriftopher 
Wren (afterwards the celebrated fir Chriftopher) and John 
Webb his wardens. At this affembly feveral uteful regu¬ 
lations were made for the better government of the lodges; 
and the greateft harmony prevailed among the whole fra¬ 
ternity. The earl of St. Alban’s was fucceeded in his of¬ 
fice of grand matter by earl Rivers, in the year 1666 ; when 
fir Chriftopher Wren was appointed deputy, and diftin- 
guiffied himfelf beyond any of his predeceffors in pro¬ 
moting the profperity of the lodges which remained at 
that time ; particularly that of St. Paul’s (now the Lodge 
of Antiquity), which he patronifed upwards of eighteen 
years. At this time he attended the meetings regularly ; 
and during his prefidency made a prefent to the lodge of 
three mahogany candletticks, which at that time were 
very valuable. They are Hill preferved, and highly va¬ 
lued as a teftimony of the elteem of the donor. 
During the re-building of the city, after its deftruc- 
tion by fire in 1666, lodges were held by the fraternity 
in different places, and many new ones conftituted, to 
which the heft architefts reforted. In 1674, earl Rivers 
refigned the office of grand matter in favour of George 
Villiers, duke of Buckingham, who left the care of the 
fraternity to his wardens, and fir Chriftopher Wren, who 
ftill continued to aft as deputy. In 1679, r h e duke re- 
figned in favour of Henry Bennet, earl of Arlington ; 
but this nobleman was too deeply engaged in ftate-affairs 
to attend to his duty as a mafon3 though the lodges con¬ 
tinued to meet under his fanftion, and many refpeftable 
gentlemen joined the fraternity. During the fliort reign 
Vol.XIV. No. 989. 
of James II. the mafons were much neglefted. Tn 1685, 
fir Chriftopher Wren was elected to the office of grand- 
mafter, who appointed Gabriel Cibber and Mr. Edward 
Strong his wardens; yet, notvvithffanding the great repu¬ 
tation and abilities of this celebrated architect, mafonry 
continued in a declining way for many years, and only a 
few lodges were held occafionally in different parts of the 
kingdom. 
At the revolution, the fociety was in Rich a low ftate 
in the fouth of England, that only feven regular lodges 
were held in London and its fuburbs; and of thefe only' 
two, viz. that of St. Paul’s, and one at St. Thomas’s hof- 
pital, Southwark, were of any confequence. The old 
Lodge of St. Paul, now named the Lodge of Antiquity, 
formerly held at the Goofe and Gridiron, St. Paul’s- 
church-yard, ftill holds its meetings regularly, at the 
Freemafons’ Tavern, Great Queen- ftreet. It is in a higlily- 
flourilhing ftate ; has the Grand Matter, H. R. H. the 
duke of Suffex, for its mafter; and pofleffes fome valuable 
records, and curious ancient relics. 
In the year 1695, king William, having been initiated 
into the mytteries, honoured the lodges with his prefence, 
particularly one at Hampton-court; at which he is faid 
to have frequently prefuied during the time that the new 
part of his palace was building. Many of the nobility 
alfo were prefent at a general affembly and feaft held in 
1697 ; particularly Charles duke of Richmond and Lenox, 
who was elefted grand mafter for that year; but in 1698, 
refigned his office to fir Chriftopher Wren, who continued 
at the head of the fraternity till king William’s death in 
1702. 
During the reign of queen Anne, mafonry made no 
confiderable progrefs. Sir Chriftopher’s age and infirmi¬ 
ties drew off his attention from the duties of his office ; 
the annual fettivals thence became entirely neglefted, and 
the number of mafons confiderably diminiihed. It was 
therefore determined, that the privileges of mafonry 
ffiould no longer be confined to operative mafons; but- 
that people of all profeffions ffiould be admitted to parti¬ 
cipate in them, provided they were duly prepofed and 
approved, and regularly initiated into the order. 
Thus the fociety once more rofe into notice and 
efteem ; and on the acceffion of George I. the mafons, 
now deprived of fir Chriftopher Wren, relolved to unite 
again under a grand matter, and revive the annual fefti- 
vals. With this view, the members of the only four 
lodges at that time exilting in London, met at the Ap¬ 
ple-tree tavern, in Charles-ttreet, Covent-garden ; (Feb. 
1717.) and, having voted the oldett mafter-mafon then 
prefent into the chair, conftituted themfelves a grand 
lodge pro tempore. It was now refolved to renew the quar¬ 
terly communications among the brethren; and at an an¬ 
nual meeting held on the 24th of June the fame year, Mr. 
Anthony Sayer was elefted grand matter, invefted by the 
oldeft mafter-mafon there prefc-nt, in Hailed by the mafter 
of the oldeft lodge (that of St. Paul’s, now the Lodge of 
Antiquity), and had due homage paid him by the frater¬ 
nity. Before this time, a fufficient number of mafons, 
met together within a certain dilirift, had ample power to 
make mafons without a warrant of conftitution ; but it 
was now determined, that the privilege of affembling as 
mafons fhould be velted in certain lodges or affemblies of 
mafons convened in certain places ; and that every lodge 
to be afterwards convened, excepting the four old lodges 
then exilting, ffiould be authorized to aft by a warrant 
from the grand mafter for the time being, granted by pe¬ 
tition from certain individuals, with the confent and ap¬ 
probation of the grand lodge in communication; and 
that, without fuch warrant, no lodge ffiould hereafter be 
deemed regular or conftitutional. The former privileges, 
however, were ftill allowed to remain to the four old lodges 
then extant. In confequence of this, the old mafons in, 
the metropolis vetted all their inherent privileges, as in¬ 
dividuals, in the four old lodges, in trull that they never 
would fuffer the ancient charges and land marks tobein- 
6 H fringed* 
