By
the early 1730s Exeter
was becoming a prosperous city, the canal had been widened in 1714,
trade was increasing and ships were now arriving from Holland,
Portugal, Spain and Italy.
In 1732 George the Second
was on the Throne, George Washington was born and the Witchcraft laws
wouldn't be abolished for another 4 years (the last women to have
been burnt as a witch was in Scotland in 1722).
Several Brethren residing
in and about the City of Exeter, petitioned the then relatively new
Grand Lodge of England (formed in 1717) for permission to constitute
into a regular Lodge. A deputation was duly granted, by the then
Grand Master, Anthony Brown, Lord Viscount Montaque, dated the 11th
July 1732 and signed by the Grand Secretary Will Reid, the Deputy
Grand Master Thomas Batson and the two Grand Wardens, Geo. Rooke and
Ja. Smythe. This document which bears no number or name states;
Whereas a petition
has been presented to us and signed by several Brethren residing in
and about the City of Exeter humbly praying that they may be
constituted into a regular Lodge”.
These are therefore to empower and authorise our Rt Worshipful and
welbeloved Brethren
John Bury esq. and Mr Thomas Jeffreys or either of them to convene
our Brethren at Exeter aforesaid who have signed the said petition
and that the said John Bury esq. and Mr Thomas Jeffreys do in our
place and stead constitute a regular Lodge in due form (they the said
John Bury esq. and Mr Thomas Jeffreys taking special care that they
and every of them have been regularly made Masons) with like
privileges as all other regular Lodges do enjoy”.
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| Original
Banner - Age Unknown (numerals altered to XXXIX - 39) |
Lodge
Banner presented on 13th November 1838 |
Commemoration
of Visit of Quatuor Coronati Lodge on 14th June 1928 |
So starts our Deputation, for our Lodge pre-dates the issue of warrants. The very fact that “several Brethren residing in and about the city of Exeter” presented such a petition would suggest presumptive evidence that our lodge was probably in “irregular” existence before the petition was made and that it was desired to have it constituted in due form. The mention on the Deputation of “our Rt Worshipful and welbeloved Brethren” and the further mention of “our Brethren at Exeter” would seem to suggest that our Lodge is indeed older than its Deputation.
It is certainly the
oldest, continuous, provincial Lodge in England, all the Lodges
chartered in the provinces before 39s advent in July 1732 having
ceased to work.
There are, we understand, only four remaining English
constitution deputation’s, St
John The Baptist 39, Anchor of Hope Bolton No 37 (constituted 23rd
October 1732) Royal Cumberland at Bath No 41 and Relief Lodge, Bury
No 42, out of the forty seven such documents recorded in the 1738
Book of Constitutions as issued.
This would make our deputation the oldest in English Freemasonry and the second oldest in the world, we understand the oldest is Warrant No 1, issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland on the 1st February 1731 to the Freemasons of Mitchelstown, Co. Cork.
Lord
Viscount Montaque or Montacute was proclaimed Grand Master on the 19th
April 1732. Thomas Batson had been appointed Deputy Grand Master on
27th March 1731, having previously been a Grand Warden, he held this
office
until 30th March 1734. George Rook and James Moor Smyth, whose
signatures like
the Grand Master's vary in spelling were appointed Grand
Wardens on 19th April 1732.
William Reid was appointed Grand Secretary on 27th
December 1727 and continued to hold office until March 1734.