Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London wC2B 5AZ The Batham Royal Arch Lecture 2000

JMH/AJ/COMS/LGCBER Telephone 0171 831 9811 15 March, 2000

Fax 0171 831 6021

Dear Companion Beresiner,

As you will know, the Committee ofGeneral Purposes has recommended, and the Trustees
have agreed, that you should be appointed the next Batham Royal Arch Lecturer
Royal Arch:
The Lectureship takes date from the convocation ofSupreme Grand Chapter at which it is
announced Unlike the Prestonian Lecture in the Craft, the Batham Royal Arch Lecture is The Fourth Degree of the Grand Lodge of the Antients
notan annual appointment, the tendency has been to make an appointment twice in a five
year period Nor is there a distinction between ‘official’ and ‘unofficial’ deliveries, all
deliveries are deemed to be official In practical terms requests for deliveries are addressed
to the Grand Scribe E, will be acknowledged by him then passed to you to make a the
necessary arrangements for a delivery

As with the Prestonian Lecture it is usual for printed copies of the Lecture to be available for
sale, the profits going to a charity, or charities, of the Lecturer’s choice To enable that to be
done there is a facility for an interest free loan to cover the initial printing costs, the loan
being repaid as sales ofthe pr[nted lecture proceed Pievious Batham Lecturers have done an
initial print run of 2,000 copies

As the Lecture is sponsored by Grand Chapter when it is delivered it shou[d be the only
‘work’ ofthe meeting other than the usual administrative business ariived Out at Chapter
meetings The Lecturer should be the guest ofhonour and as a courtesy, regardless of his
rank, should be seated to the right ofthe Principals, excepting
a) in a Province the Grand Superintendent or his official representative takes
precedence by
b) in London a Group Chairman or VGO on an official visitation takes precedence Yasha Beresiner, LL.B., LGCR
At the Festvvc Board ~.gge~ted that a to ~ Leewier to tnabie him to PZ Universal Tree ofLife Chapter No 9324, Herts
return thanks PM Quatuor Coronati Lodge No 2076
Yours sincerely and fraternally PM Mount Sinai Lodge No 8993 &c &c

J M Hamill
Director of Communications
for Grand Scribe E

E Comp V Beresiner, LLB

43 Templars Ciescent
London N3 3QR

Privately Printed
4 London 2000
 © Yasha Beresiner, March 2000

CONTENTS

Page
Preface 4
Introduction 5
All profits from the sale of this publication will be donated to
The Keech Cottage Children ~ Hospice The Emergence of the Antients (1717-1750) 6
(Please see Appendix A for details)
Rise & Adoption of The Royal Arch (1744) 7
Morgan’s First Register (1752) 7
Antients’ Warrants (1752) 8
Copies of this booklet (~ 4.00 post paid) may be obtained from the author at
43 Templars Crescent, London N3 3QR Rules, Regulations and Bye-laws 9
(Tel 020 8349 2207; Fax 020 8346 9539; E-Mail [email protected]) Minutes of the Antients from February 1752 10
Ahiman Rezon 1st Edition (L756) 13
Three Distinct Knocks (1760) 15
Ahiman Rezon 2nd Edition (1764) 16
Grand Chapter (1766/1771) 17
Register ofMembers of The Royal Arch (Antients’) (1783) 18
Rules & Regulations (1794) 19
Conclusion 21
Bibliography & Acknowledgments 22
Appendix: The Keech Cottage Children’s Hospice Appeal 23
In Memoriam Cyril E K N Batham by John Hamill 28

Printed in Great Britain by About the Author Inside Back Cover

Richard Edward Limited
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 Introduction
PREFACE
Thts paper is concerned with the practice of the Royal Arch by the Brethren
of the Grand Lodge of the Antients, wtth particular emphasis on some
misconceptions about the Royal Arch, its timing and importance to the
Antients.

The Prestonian Lecture for 1981 by the late Bro Cyril N Batham is an
In the twelve years that I knew Cyril Batham, I found in him a mentor and extensive and authoritative treatise of the Antients entitled The Grand Lodge
colleague from whose knowledge and sense of humour in particular, I ofEnglandAccording to the Old Instituiions In his notes preceding the paper
derived much benefit and whose friendship I very much enjoyed. It is, Bro Batham states The Prestonian Lectures are concerned essentially with craft
therefote, with even greater pride that I feel I have been honoured in being freemasonty and so there is but passing reference in this paper to the Royal
appointed the Batham Royal Arch Lecturer. It was Cyril’s Prestonian Arch... There is, in fact, only scant material available on the Royal Arch as
Lecture for 1981 on The Grand Lodge of England According to the Old practiced by the Antients and a great number of myths and unanswered
Institutions that instigated me t~’o look into the Royal Arch activittes of the questions. Bro Batham himself stales, on page 63 of his Prestonian Lecture,
Antients. that the Antients had always contended that... Antient Freemasonty consisis
ofFour Degrees ofwhich RoyalArch was thefourth, a degree that was certainly
The lack of available material on the Antients and their treatment of the more august sublime and important than those which precede it, and is the
Royal Arch was almost suspect and I was soon to discover that not all that summit and perfection ofAntient Masonty. But at what stage during its sixty-
had so far been written on the subject was accurate. It has been a fascinating year history was the Royal Arch degree taken on board as a regular feature
and rewarding search. I remain responsible, of course, for the conclusions I of the working of the Antients? In this context it must seem surprising that
have reached and look forward to comments and differing viewpoints, which the first reference by the Antients to the Royal Arch as the 4th degree only
I trust will be addressed to me. occurs in their Rules and Regulations of 1794.
The Universal Brotherhood Chapter No 5785, consecrated on 12th July Contrary to the tradittonal view, it is my belief that the Antients did not
1945 sadly had to surrender its warrant in June 1999. We were fortunate to practtce the Royal Arch for the best part of the first two decades of their
attach ourselves to the Tree of Life Lodge No 9324 tn the friendly Province Grand Lodge. The Royal Arch was an important distinction between the
of Hertfordshite. It is for this reason that the proceeds from this publication Antients and the Moderns Grand Lodges and Laurence Dermott would have
will be very gladly applied to the charity currently being supported by our wished to capttalise on that difference tn particular, from the start. Whilst
Grand Superintendent Sidney E E Tuck, namely The Keech Cottage keeping the concept alive, however, Dermott may well have discouraged
Children’s Hospice, details of which are included as Appendix A to this Royal Arch activity. This is a reasonable assumption, considering the
booklet. Antients were, tn those early days, having considerable difficulty in finding
Brethren able to take the chair of a lodge and administer the Craft degrees.
I look forward to meeting many of you Companions, as the opportunity to
To administer activities of Royal Arch Chapters as well would have been an
deliver this lecture is given to me.
added burden and complication.

This would explain, among other things, why the Antients’ warrants make no
mention of the Royal Arch and why there is no mention of the Royal Arch
in Morgan’s First Register of 1751, the earliest Antients document available.
Editions of Ahiman Rezon, the Constitutions of the Antients, only make
passing references to the Royal Arch. There are no substantive references to
the Royal Arch in the Antients’ Grand Lodge minutes and Three Distinct
Knocks, the exposure disclosing in detail theAntients’ working in 1760, does
Yasha Beresiner not include the Royal Arch as the fourth degtee.
London, March 2000
4 5
The Emergence of the Antients The Rise and Adoption ofThe Royal Arch
Organised freemasonry began on 24 June 1717, with the establishment by There is no definite evidence to indicate how and when Royal Arch masonry began.
four London lodges of the Society of Free and Accepted Masons of England Notwithstanding a number of early references to what may be interpreted as Royal Arch
and administered by the Grand Lodge of England. Although this was totally sources, the first evidence of the Royal Arch is to be found in [744. It is a reference to a
ignored by the contemporary press, subsequent newspaper reports and Masonic impostor in Dublin claiming to be a Royal Arch Mason from York. He was
discovered to be a fraud by a true Royal Arch Mason who had become a member of the
exposures in the early part of the 18th century had an important effect upon
Order in London. The pamphlet in which this reference appears isA Serious and Impartial
future events. By the [740s, things were not going particularly well for the
Enquny into the Cause ofthepresent Decay in Free Masonty in the Kingdom ofIreland written
new Grand Lodge. A series of anti-Masonic ~articles, particularly the by the Dublin based Dr Fifield Dassigny (1707-1744). A further reference is made to the
tepeated editions of Masonty Dissected first published in October 1730, an Royal Atch by Dassigny who states: lam informed in that City (referring to York) is held an
exposure written by Samuel Prichard, led to the clandestine making of assembly of Master Masons under the title of Royal Arch Masons, who as (per) their
masons who were enabled to apply for Masonic charity which caused qualification and excellencies are supenor to others. The implication here, that Royal Arch
mayhem in the corrtdors of Grand Lodge. The succession of Grand Masonry was being practiced in three distinct cities, London, York and Dublin is not
Secretaries charged with running Grand Lodge proved to be inadequate for supported by any additional references. There is no evidence, for instance, of any early
their duties. Not surprisingly, the appointed Grand Masters, acting as Royal Atch activity tn York or tn Ireland. In London, however, notwtthstanding the stance
effective figureheads during the first half of the 18th Century, were unable of the Premier Grand Lodge, membets of the Moderns appear to be practising Royal Arch
to attend Grand Lodge which, in any case, was not meeting regulatly. Masonry in craft lodges. It is this persistent reluctance of the Premier Grand Lodge to
Freemasonry was at its lowest ebb and the emergence of a new and recognise or even embrace the Royal Arch that Laurence Dermott capitalised on. It did,
competing Grand Lodge, that of the Antients, was not surprising. however, take a very long time, some 20 years, before the Antients propetly implemented
the degree.
On 17 July [751 five lodges, whose membership consisted exclusively of Irish
freemasons, met as a General Assembly at the Turks Head tavern in Greek ‘Morgan’s First Register’
Street, London and founded the Grand Lodge of England According to the
Old Institutions. This became known as the Grand Lodge of the Antients. The earliest avatlable document of the Antients is Morgan’s First Register. At the time of
(The mtnutes refer to this body as The Grand Committee, which remained the formation of the Grand Committee of the Antients on 17 July 1751, John Morgan was
until 27 December 1753, the date on which the first Grand Master, Robert appointed its Secretary. He remained in office for less than a year, having decided to take
Turner, was installed.). It can be categorically stated that this was not a up a career as a seaman. He resigned from the Antients to be succeeded by Lauience
Dermott. Morgan’s name will always be associated with theAntients because of what is now
schtsm or secession from the Premier Grand Lodge. Howevet, the Antients
known as Morgan’s First Register, discovered by Henry Sadler some time prior to 1887, The
were formed as a rival body to the existing Grand Lodge. Their strong Irtsh
Register is dated 17th of July 1751 and begins with an alphabetic index followed by the
origins led them to diverge to ritual and practice which was distinctly
different and quite innovative Rules and Orders! to be Observe’d/ By the Most Ancient and
Hon ‘ble Society of! Free and Accepted Masons.
Within a year of its establishment, the new Grand Lodge was under the
effective control of its second Giand Secretary, Laurence Dermott, a most The heading continues as follows:
extraordinary and accomplished Freemason. II appears that he genuinely
believed in the legitimacy of the Antients and his scorn for the Premier As agreed and settled by a Committee appointed by a GeneralAssembly
Grand Lodge, notwithstanding his occasional statements to the contrary, Held at the Turks Head in Greek Street Soho on Wednesday the
was unbounded. Meanwhile, the premier and earlier Grand Lodge of 1717 17th ofJuly 1751 And in the Year ofMASONRY575J
was dubbed ‘The Moderns’, a paradoxical term that has remained in
colloquial use to this day. It is signed: By Phil” McLoughlin, James Shee,
Sam1 Quay, Jfh Kelly,
Thus from July 1751 thete were two Grand Lodges in England. They co- & Jn0 Morgan, G Secrett.
existed and continued at logger heads right up to the moment which led to Viz.
the agreements from which, finally, the United Grand Lodge of England for the Grand
emerged triumphant in December of 1813.

6 7
This is followed by the 16 original rules, in John Morgan’s handwriting, as Thus every Irish lodge may confer any degree by the authority of its watrant,
formulated by the appointed committee on 17th July. Two additional rules having created the necessary rules and regulations in lodge. The close
by Laurence Dermott have been added and dated in the margin April 6th association of theAntients with the Grand Lodge of lreland might well have
and July 1st 1752, respectively. Two further resolutions passed on 14th led to the presumption that similar rights had been conferred from the start
Septemb~r are added, in Dermott’s writing, at the end. These are followed on lodges under the jurisdiction of theAntients Grand Lodge. It is, however,
by entries not of direct relevance to this paper. In the whole of this first, only with the rules and regulations of 1794 that official authority is given for
comprehensive and important document pertaining to the Grand Lodge of the first time to lodges to confer the Royal Arch degree.
the Antients there is no mention of the Royal Arch whatever.

Warrants of the Antients Rules, Regulations and Bye-laws

The minutes of the Quarterly Communication of the Antients Grand Lodge
It has always been understood that the Royal Arch (and, indeed, many other held on 1st April 1752 recoid a relevant discoid, not the first or last, between
orders beyond the Craft) was practiced in lodges under the authority of the Dermott and other parties. They state:
Grand Lodge of the Antients. There has never been a satisfactory
explanation as to where this authority emanated from. One would expect The Copy of the Byelawsfor pavate Lodges as Watten by the late G
such authority to be incorporated into the lodge warrants. On 14th
Secretaty J Morgan, was read and compared with Brother Lau: Dermott’s
September 1752 retroactive warrants dated 17th July 1751 were granted to Copy of the Byelaws of his former lodge Nb. 26 in the City ofDublin, and
the lodges numbered 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. In each instance, the text of the
the latter being deem ‘d the most correct. It was Unanimously Resolved that
wartants is identical. It begins with a declatation of the supposed sanction
the most Correct Copy should be received & acknowledged as the only
from the Constitutions granted in York by Prince Edwin in the year 924. It
continues with the statement that authority is given to admit enter and make Byelaws forprivate lodges in future. And public thanks given to Bro.
Masons according to the Ancient and honourable Custom of the Royal Craft. PhilipMcLoughlin and J Morgan for their good intentions, and trouble in
There are, in fact, no warrants emanating from the Grand Lodge of the drawing up the former byelaws.
Anuents authorising lodges to work the Royal Arch degree.
It is clear from these minutes that the twenty-five detailed regulations were
The earliest mtnute mentioning the Royal Arch is American dated 22nd
- intended to serve as bye-laws for all lodges. The original proof copy of these
December 1753 and refers to three Brethren being raised to the Degree of bye-laws, in our Grand Lodge library, are signed by Robert Leslie and are
Royal Arch Mason at what is now the Fredericksburg Lodge No 4 in Virginia identical to the earliest example in use, an example of which has survived in
USA and which was chartered by the Moderns’ Grand Lodge. In England the opening pages of the minutes of lodge No. 20. They are in the possession
the first such minute also relates to members of the Moderns Grand Lodge, of the Neptune Lodge now No. 22 and were reproduced in full in AOC 32
to be found in Bristol in 1758 where Brothers Gordon and John Thompson in 1919. Lodge No 20 was constituted in July 1753 and ceased meeting in
were raised to the degree of Royal Arch Mason. There are no minutes of any September 1756.
Antients Lodge that I have come across that show or hint at the Royal Atch
before 1764. The only reference to any such activity is the solitary mention If these bye-laws are to shed light on the possibility of some of the Antients
in the 1783 Register ofMembers ofthe RoyalArch that John McCormick, Past lodges enacting additional rules to confer the Royal Arch degree, those of
Master of Lodge No 6, was admitted into the Royal Arch in Lodge No. 27 lodge No 20 do not hint at any such intention or activity. Thus the authority
in London in the year 1754. to practice the Royal Atch in lodges did not emanate from the standard bye-
laws adopted by the Antients lodges in the period prior to 1771. The
A viable explanation as to the implied authoiity granted by the Antients
activities of Lodge No 20 are recorded in detailed minutes from July 9th
Grand Lodge to its subordinate lodges may be derived from the influence
1752 to the day of the last meeting of the lodge on Septembet 22nd 1756.
that Ireland had on the Antients Grand Lodge. The oldest Irish warrant
extant for a lodge to meet at Mitchelstown is dated 1st February 1731. The
- -
The Royal Arch is not mentioned in any context at all.
identical text, which has been used on all Irish warrants since, states:
All this evidence points not to a lack of authority to practice the Royal Arch
We do hereby give and grant (to the Lodge members) to make but an apparent absence of an awareness of the Royal Arch as a fourth,
such laws, Rules and Orders as ihey from Time to Time shall separate and additional degree among the rank and file of the Antients, in
think Proper and Convemenifor the well being and Ordering of the the formative years of their Grand Lodge.
said Lodge
8 9
Minutes of the Antients Thus the first mention of the Royal Arch in the available records of the
Antient in March of 1752 is of two men involved in the making of Royal Arch
The first minutes of the Antients, headed Transactions of the Grand
Masons without authority. There is one most striking aspect about thts report.
Committee of the Most Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Free and
It is the coincidence of the circumstances and wording of these minutes with
Accepted MASONS, are dated Feb 5th 1752. Morgan’s Register mentioned
those used by Dr Fifield Dassigny in his reference to the Royal Arch in 1744,
above, however, on the 17th July 1751 states in its very first rule:
the earliest available reference to the Order as a whole.
THAT the Masters and Wardens do meet on the first Wednesday ofevely In hisA Serious and Impartial En quay... Dassigny says:
Month...
some have been led away with ridiculous innovations by a certain propagator
• .

and the evidence points at such meetings having in fact taken place even if of a false system under a pretence oJ being a Master of the Royal Arch his
. .

records were not kept. For instance, a note to the minutes of N September fallacious art was discovered by a Brother ojprobity and wisdom whereupon the
[752 states: Brethren. ordered him to be excluded from all benefits of the Craft
The minutes quoted above state:
Nor does Laurence Dermott the present Grand Secretaty think that Brother
John Morgan did keep any book of Transactions in this form, though there is (two) impostors in Masonry. pretended to teach the MasonicalArt by which
.

no certainty he did not any man could render himselfinvisible Macky had no idea or knowledge ofRoyal
Arch Masonry but inslead deceived the people with many absurdities equally
There is nothing to suggest, however, that discussions at these un-minuted foreign and ridiculous The Grand Committee ordered that neither be
meetings involved any subject not subsequently covered by minutes or added admitted into anyAncient Lodge during their natural lives
regulations. There is certainly no hint that the Royal Arch may have been
discussed at any such meeting. We come across the Royal Arch for the first The first mention of the Royal Arch in these two important and totally
time in the second minutes, the full text of which reads as follows: separate instances refer to extraordinanly similar circumstances.
In considering this comparison we need to bear in mind that the Antienis
Grand Committee at the Griffin Tavern Holborn, March 4. 1752
derived their inspiration from Ireland and that the minutes referred to above
Brother John Gaunt Master of No.5 in the Chair
were written by Dermott himself. Dermott had also subscribed to the 1744
edition of Dassigny’s Disquisition, and was himself made a Royal Arch Mason
The following Brethren viz Thomas Figg of No. 5. Laurence Folliot
Of the same Lodge, Samuel Quay of No. 2. Richard Price ofNo. 3 & Henty in Dublin in 1746. Furthermore Dassigny is quoted verbatim by Dermott in
Lewis of No. 4. Made formal complaints against Thomas Phealon and John Ahiman Rezon, the Constitutions of the Antients.
— Mackey, better known by the name of the leg ofMutton Masons In course
—
Thomas Phealon and John Mackey may well have pretended to have made
of the examination it appear’d that Phealon and Mackey had initiated many Royal-Archmen in addition to having initiated many persons for the mean
persons for the mean consideration ofa leg of Mutton for dinner or supper To consideration of a leg of Mutton for dinner or supper. After all, if an additional
the disgrace of theAncient Craft. That it was difficult to discover who assisted
fee could be charged for an additional degree, why not? The illicit making of
them if any. As seldom met twice in the same Alehouse. That Macky was an
Royal-Archmen, however, was only later discovered by Dermott personally,
Empinc in phisic; and both impostors in Masonty. That upon examining
after he had examined Mackey at the House of Mr James Duffy Tobacconist in
some brothers whom they pretended to have made Royal-Archmen, The
parties had the least Idea of the secret. That Dr Macky (for so he was called) East Smithfield who was not a Mason. We must remember that Dermott was a
pretended to teach the MasonicalArt by which any man could (in a moment) formidable, assertive and an enterprising man. The possibility, unlikely as it
render himselfInvisible. That the Grand Secretaty had examined Mackey at may seem, that Dermott actually invented that part of the incident relating to
the House of Mr James Duffy Tobacconist in East Smithfield who was not a the Royal Arch by embellishing an otherwise true event, must be given
Mason and that Macky appeard in capable ofMaking an Apprentice with consideration. By March 1752, Dermott will have reached a stage where it was
any degree ofproperty. Nor had Mackey the least idea or knowledge ofRoyal necessary to acknowledge the existence of the Royal Arch, in spite of its not
Arch Masonry. But instead thereof he had told the people whom he deceived, being practiced by his Grand Lodge, the Antients.
a long stoty about 12 white Marble stones &c &c and that the Rain Bow was
the Royal Arch with many other absurdities equallyforeign and Ridiculous.
The Grand Committee Unanimously agreed and ordered that neither
Thomas Phealon nor John Mackey be admitted into any Ancient Lodge
dunng their natural lives.
10 11
Here was an oppoitunity to record the existence of the additional degree in It now begins to become apparent, seven years into the activities of the
a seemingly harmless exaggeration. After all, what better example could Antients, that whilst the subject of the Royal Arch needed to be kept on the
there be to the first mention of the Royal Arch among the Antients than boil, so to speak, its practical implementation was far from being executed.
circumstances so strikingly similar to the first mention of the Royal Arch as Dermott kept emphasising the Royal Arch in the minutes he was writing.
a whole in t744? The coincidences are too many to be dismissed as being This was done in the knowledge that there was an insufficient number of
insignificant. The subsequent mentions of the Royal Arch support the qualified Royal Arch Masons and that attempts at organising any Royal
possibility that Dermott, wishing temporarily to repiess the Royal Arch Arch activity at this time would have been futile and inconvenient at best.
without losing its impetus, used every opportunity to mention the degree.
Thus the next record of the Royal Arch, in the September 2nd 1752 minutes The only further mention of the Royal Arch in the minutes up to the end of
of Grand Committee, is again in a negative context: the decade is a reference of an indirect nature, frequently quoted and
publicised. It appears as a footnote by Dermott to the minutes of the
Resolved that this Grand Committee shall be formed immediately into a emergency meeting of Grand Lodge on 16th December 1759. This footnote
Working Lodge of Master Masons in Order to hear a Lecture from the Grand follows the report in the minutes where a petition was heaid from one
Secretary Laurence Dermott The Lodge was Opened in Ancient form of Grand
William Carroll a Certified Sojourner in distress. Dermott’s memo, in the form
Lodge and every part of Realfreemasonry was traced and explained, except the
of a postscript to the minutes, states:
Royal Arch The Lecture ended, and the Lodge was Closed with the most
agreeable and harmonious humour The private collection made for Carroll above mention ‘d amounted to five
Guineas It appeared that William Carroll a Certified freemason of Dublin
Why the exclusion of the Royal Arch from the lecture? It may be that there
petitioned the Modern Masons (not knowing any difference) and that Mr
simply were not sufficient Royal Arch Masons present. Alternatively, the
lack of time may have not permitted the delivery of this part of the lecture. Spencer then Secretary to the Modern Society sent out the Answer to Carroll’s
It is also conceivable, albeit pure hypothesis, that there just had not been any petition in the following words viz ‘Your being and Ancient Mason, you are not
intention in the fiist place to give the part of the lecture pertaining to the entitled to any of our Charity the Antient Masons have a Lodge at thefive Bells
Royal Arch. This could have been, in Dermott’s eyes, an opportunity not to in the Strand, & their Secretary’s name is Dermott Our Society is neither Arch,
be missed to ieinforce the existence of the Royal Arch and remind the Royal Arch orAntient so thatyou have no Right to partake of our Charity The
Brethren that the degiee was there and alive. petitioner Carroll delivered the original paper Written by Mr Spencer to Mr
Dermott G S in whose custody it remains
There are no further references to the Royal Arch in the minutes until five
years later. On 2nd March 1757, following a lengthy report and discussion in This onginalpaper Written by Mr Spencer which was delivered to Mr Deimott
Grand Lodge about a slanderous attack on Dermott by one John Hamilton, by William Carroll is now lost. Clearly it has not been quoted in full in the
the following statement was made: minutes. Its exact content, considering Dermott’s attitude toward the
Order’s that a General meeting of Master Masons shall be held in this Room Moderns, may well reveal more than can be deduced from Dermott’s
On the 13th Inst. in Order to compare and regulate several things (relative to minutes or his quotation from the letter in the later editions of Ahiman
the Antient Cralt) which cannot be committed in writing Order’d the Masters Rezon. There are no further references to the Royal Arch in the extensive
of the Royal Arch shall also be Summon ‘d to meet in Order to regulate things and detailed minutes until those of 4th September 1771 twelve years [ater,
relative to that most valuable branch of the Craft when we can witness the commencement of Royal Arch activity in the Grand
Lodge of the Antients.
The requirement for Masters of theRoyalArch the Principals in the Chapter
-

as we know them now to be present as a separate entry in the minutes is

- Ahiman Rezon 1st Edition
curious and unnecessary. Since the pre.requisite for a Royal Arch Mason
was to be a Master Mason (and a Past Master), all Royal Arch Masons We now come to the source of the information available to us on both the
would have in any case been eligible and included in the first order without attitude of the Antients toward the Moderns as well as their approach to the
the need for a separate mention. [t is the additional words that most valuable Royal Arch: Ahiman Rezon, the Book of Constitutions of the Antients.
branch of the Craft that give us a clear hint as to the intended purpose of the Ahiman Rezon, a curious title that still defies definition, was first published
statement. It is simple publicity. Needless to say, the Royal Arch did not in September 1756. It is important to note, however, within the context of
feature in any way at all at the meeting on the 13th Inst. referred to above, theAntients’ attitude toward the Premier Grand Lodge and its treatment of
which is fully recorded in the minutes of Grand Lodge. the Royal Arch, that on 16th November 1754, almost two years before its
publication, the following advertisement appeared in the Public Advertiser:

12 13
 Now in the Press and speedily will be published AHIMAN REZON, or a The one additional aspect worthy of note in these first Constitutions of the
complete Pocket Companion for Free Masons, containing every Thing Antients is the continued association with York Freemasonry, already
necessary for the true regulation of Lodges and Behaviour of Free Masons to mentioned above in the context of the Antients’ warrants. Thus the
which is added the grandest Collection of Masons’ Songs, Prologues, and introduction to the Geneial Regulations states that .they have been
. .

Epilogues that ever were published by Brother Laurence Dermott, Secretary approved of and practiced by the ancient York-Masons in England since the
.. .

Year 1751. In the second edition of Ahiman Rezon, Dermott explains why the
The reasons for the long delay in publishing will certainly have been the Antients are referred to as York Masons. In a footnote on the subject he
need for the Antients’ Grand Lodge to find a suitably qualified member of states:
the nobility to head the fraternity. The in1plication of this early
They are called York-masons, because the first grand lodge in England was
announcement, however, is that all the policies apparent inAhiman Rezon congregated at York A D 926 by Prince Edwin who (at the same time)
were already formulated concepts of the Antients’ philosophies at least two
years before the publication of the Constitutions. purchased a free charterfrom king Athelstan, for the use of the fraternity.

Theie is surprisingly little material relating to the Royal Arch in the first or
several future editions ofAhiman Rezon. There are obvious opportunities to Three Distinct Knocks
mention the Royal Arch that are missed. The title page, for instance, is
crowded with details of content. It even mentions Prayers used in the An exposure may be defined as a spurious and unauthorised disclosure of
Jewish.. .Lodges, yet omitting mention of the Royal Arch. Dassigny’s Serious Masonic ritual, usually in the form of a catechism. The most important early
and Impartial Enquiiy is quoted at some length by Dermott with only a exposure was Samuel Prichard’s Masoniy Dissected first published on 20
single, brief and incomplete reference to the Royal Arch. There are Octobert730. Masoniy Dissected was so successful that there were no other
extensive and lengthy discourses, addresses, charges, prayers, rules and Masonic exposures published in England for the next three decades, by
regulations and songs in the 200 pages of the first edition of Ahiman Rezon which time the Antients and the Moderns were vying for attention. It is not
yet less than three pages in total are devoted to the Royal Arch. Even this surprising, therefore, that in 1760 and in 1762 we find two new exposures
meagre mention is negative but for the bracketed quote that Dermott anonymously published, purporting to show the ritual working of the two
believes the Royal Arch to be the root, heart, and marrow of masoniy. respective Grand Lodges. The ritual pertaining to the Premier Grand Lodge
The prayer entitled Ahabath Olam (Eternal Love) A prayer repeated in the
- -though not explicitly stating so was anonymouslypublished in March 1762
-

Royal-Arch Lodge in Jerusalem has only the title to link it to the Royal Arch. under the title of Jachin and Boaz; orAn Authentic Key to the Door ofFree.
It is after these 300 words that the oft-quoted statement, so closely linking Masoniy. Almost exactly two years earlier, in April of 1760 The Three
Dermott and the Antients to Royal Arch Masonry, is made: Distinct Knocks; or the Door of the Most Ancient Free-Masoniy, saw the light
of day. It claimed to be by W*** *0 * **V****n Member ofa Lodge in England
Having inserted this prayer, and mentioned that part of Masonry commonly at this Time. The introduction states that it is the ritual as practiced by the
called the RoyalArch (which Jfirmly believe to be the root, heart, and marrow lodges of the Antienis. The content of the bookiet is described in the title
of masonry) I cannot forbear giving a hint of a certain evil designer page:
The two and a half page disseitation that follows is of little consequence and The Three Distinct Knocks; or the Door of the Most Ancient Free-Masoniy
embodies a complaint of the abuse of the Royal Arch by an anonymous evil
Designer~ who has made a Trade thereof for some Time past. We are here
informed of the qualifications of a Royal Arch Mason. Those who had been
I Opening to All Men, Neither Naked nor Clothed, Bare-footed nor Shod, &c
beingAn Universal Description of all its Branches from Its First Rise to this
Present Time as it is delivered in all Lodges:
irregularly made were as in a routed Army, stumble first and then anotherfalls
upon (them)... till the whole Field comes to be but one Heap of Miscamages. Giving an exact account of all their Proceedings in the making of a Brother,
He continues: This is the case of all those who think themselves Royal Arch with the Three Obligations or Oaths belonging to the First, Second, and Third
Masons, without passing the Chair in regular Form according io the ancient Degrees of Masonry, viz The Entered-Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master-
Custom of the Craft. There follows a further 120-word quote lifted from the Mason, with the Obligation belonging to the Chair and the Gripe and Word
second half of Dassigny’s reference to the Royal Arch in his Senous and Also, full Descriptions (sic) of the Drawing upon the Floor of the lodge, with
Impartial Enquiiy. This is the total and limited mention of Royal Arch the Three Steps and a Prayer used at the making of a Brother, with Songs to
Masonry in the first edition of Ahiman Rezon (with the exception of a toast be sung after grave Business is done, and the Examination of a brother
dedicated to the memoiy of PHZ.L, after song No. 39 at the end of the whereby he may get Admittance into a Lodge, without going through the
volume). Obligations
14 15
I ____________________________ ________________________

There is no mention of the Royal Arch. This work, published nine years after Grand Chapter
the formation of the Grand Lodge of theAntients, is an accurate account of
the working of the Antients at the time of its publication. It gives detail of the Our present Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of England had
ritual working of the three degrees and the installation ceremony. There is its formal beginnings at a meeting at the Turk’s Head in London on the 12
no reason for the exclusion of the Royal Arch from Three Distinct Knocks, June 1765 when Companions of the E G & R C commonly called The Royal
unless the author was unaware of the existence of the degree because it was Arch (met) in full Chapter assembled. A year later, in July t766, Lord
simply not being practiced. This is the only viable explanation to what would Blayney, then Giand Master of the Piemier Grand Lodge, entered into a
otherwise be an extraordinary omission and is further evidence that the Charter of Compact with a number of brethren of his own Grand Lodge, the
degree was not functional inAntienis lodges at the time. Moderns, to form the Society ofRoyalArch Masons under the Excellent Grand
and Royal Chapter
Ahiman Rezon 2nd Edition
With the establishment of this Grand Chapter by members of the Moderns
The second edition of Ahiman Rezon published in 1764 has one element of Grand Lodge, Dermott would have clearly been disconcerted at the
immediate consequence to Royal Arch Masonry. It is the appearance for the initiative of the Royal Arch being taken away from him. The subsequent
first time, in the frontispiece to the Constitutions, of the Armorial Bearings need for enhanced Royal Arch activity among the Antients finally led to that
adopted by the Antients Grand Lodge. The composition is familiar today to great anomaly in oui Masonic history, the supposed formation in 1771 of a
every Royal Arch Mason and depicts the Lion, Ox, Man and Eagle. The separate Antients Giand Chapter. Such a body never existed nor could it
composer’s name, Jacob Jehuda Leon, is mentioned in the first edition of have done. After all, to the Antients, the Royal Arch was part of Craft
Ahiman Rezon. He is referred to as Mr Lyon in the listing of the Masonic Masonry, the fourth degree implemented in Craft Lodges. There was no
authorities used by Dermott in compiling his own Constitutions. such concept as separate Chapters among the Antients. How could then
This choice of Arms by Dermott has been interpreted as implying that the there be a Grand Chapter? It was, however, necessary for Dermott to
Royal Arch was an integral part of the Antients Masonic Order. It is, challenge the establishment of the Modern’s new Supreme Grand Chapter
however, in Dermott’s own words that we can interpret the meaning of the and the only way to do that was to give a semblance of the existence of a
Arms. In an extended note on page xxxiv of the Constitutions, he gives us an separateAntients Grand Chapter.
explanation of the circumstances of the adoption of the Coat of Arms by the The Committee of Grand Lodge of the Antients took on the responsibilities
Antienis. They were found in the collection of the famous and learned of a Grand Chapter with limited power authorised by the Grand Lodge
hebrewist, architect and brother Rabi Jacob Jehudah Leon After giving the itself. It was at the meeting of the Antients Giand Lodge on 4th December
technical specifications Dermott concludes: 1771 that significant resolutions were adopted with regard to the conduct of
as these were the arms of the masons that built the tabernacle and the the Royal Arch and these were referied for confirmation to the General
temple, there is not the least doubt of their being the proper arms of the Chapter. Laurence Deimott, now Deputy Grand Master, expressed his
most ancient and honourable fraternity offree and accepted masons, seiious concern, as he had done in the first Book of Constitutions, at
and the continual practice, formalities and tradition, in all regular Brethien still being passed through the chair irregularly to enable them to
lodges, from the lowest degree to the most high i.e. THE HOLY ROYAL become Royal Arch Masons. The minutes record this as being necessary for
ARCH, confirms the truth hereof Brethren, for instance, who were at sea and the resolutions that followed
took such instances into account. No person was to be made a Royal Arch
The Arms weie not intended to emphasise the Royal Arch. The whole Coat
mason except as a representative of his lodge. Masons previously irregularly
of Arms of the Antients is now incorporated in the Armorial Bearings of the
United Grand Lodge of England. In the Royal Arch we have merely ‘lifted’ exalted would now be remade gratis. At the next Communication on 27th
part of the design to adopt it for our four piincipal banners displayed in December, these resolutions were again raised and confirmed and they were
every Royal Arch Chapter. formally decided upon at the General Chapter meeting held on 3rd January
1772. These several references to General Chapter and Antients Grand
Otherwise, the one main difference between these Constitutions, from the Chapter have been misleading at best.
first edition of eight years earlier, is that now Dermott’s antagonism toward
the Premier Grand Lodge is overtly displayed. The two Grand Lodges are On 5th November 1783 the resolutions of the Antients Grand Lodge of 1771
compared for the first time. This is done by way of a number of questions relating to the Royal Arch were confirmed at a special meeting of Royal
and answers, dispersed with extended footnotes of which only one is relevant Arch Masons. The introductory pages of the minutes begin with the opening
to the Royal Arch. The 7th question is Whether it is possible to initiate or statement thatA General Chapter or Grand Lodge ofRoyalArch Masons was
introduce a modern mason into the royal arch lodge (the veiy Essence of held in the Chamber or Room of No 5 (the fifth Lodge upon Record). These
masoniy) without making him go through the ancient ceremonies. The answer are followed by a re-iteration of the earlier resolutions of Grand Lodge in
is a simple No. From the Royal Arch point of view there is no more of 1771 and 1772 and the passing of nine new resolutions for the government
consequence to be found here in the second edition of Ahiman Rezon than of the Order. The 8th of these resolutions is of particular interest in this
there was in the first in 1756. context.
16 17
It confirms the absence of any superior Grand Chapter body in stating that The Union Waterloo Lodge in West Kent Province, now No. 13, had its
a copy of the resolutions adopted at this meeting will be Respectfully laid before original Warrant as Lodge No 7, purchased by Lodge No. 86 on 4 June 1788
the General Grand Lodge upon the first Wednesday in December 1783. These at which time returns for the Royal Arch exaltations were made. They were
were in fact approved at the meeting of the Grand Lodge on 3rd December the only ones for that year. As another example, the Lodge of Tranquillity
1783. No 244, now No 185, made its first Royal Arch returns in 1793, with 6 other
An Antients Grand Chapter as such never existed. Grand Chapter Officers Lodges for that year. This was six years after it was presented with its
were never appointed nor were there any separate finances nor was a warrant together with the Lodge Book in December 1787. The warrant of
separate Grand Tieasurer appointed for the Royal Arch. the Lodge of Tranquillity, as expected, does not make any mention of the
Royal Arch. The Lodge Book, however, sets out details of the certificates to
Register of Members ofthe Royal Arch (Antienis’) be issued both to MasierMasons and to a Master Mason who has been admitted
to the Holy RoyalArch. Fuithermore, the Lodge minutes on October 15th
These quoted minutes and regulations are recorded in the Register of 1792, record that it was proposed and agreed To call a RoyalArch Chapter
Members of the RoyalArch (Antients’). The fifth page of this Register gives a for the purpose ofInitiating the several Past Masters of the Lodge to the sublime
listing of members of the Royal Arch in 1783. There are a total of only 37 degree of Royal Arch Masons The return made a year later reflects the
names listed covering the period from 1746 to 1783. Five columns are inaccuracies in the dates recorded in the Register.
headed: Time/Names/No.!Where Admitted/Remarks. The first entry is dated
1746 for Laurence Dermott, D G M, admitted in Lodge No 26, Dublin and Similarly the minutes of the Lodge of Isiael No 280, now No. 205,
under Remarks it states Dead. It also states Dead for the next earliest entry,
that of John McCormick, a Past Master of Lodge No 6, who was admitted in consecrated in May [793, record that on 11 July 1795 Bio I H Fano passed
1754 in Lodge No 27 in London. There are also entries for John Richardson the chair. This is complemented by a further report on 13 January 1796 when
and Thomas Self. These four are the only Royal Arch members recorded for the Lodge proceeded with the Installation of Officers when the followingBrs
the peiiod leading up to 1765. Thereaftei and up to 1783, 33 additional passed the Chairprevious to their being made RoyalArch viz. Brs Spyers. &c. . .

Brethren were made Royal Arch Masons in 12 Lodges.

Rules & Regulations 1794
Whilst too much emphasis should not be placed on the completeness of this
first page of the listing, the overall indication remains apparent, namely that There is evidence, as of 1771, of more Royal Arch activity prevalent in the
in 1783, when the Register was began, there were a significantly limited
Antients’ Grand Lodge. These culminate at a meeting of the General Giand
number of Royal Arch Masons.
Chapter held at the Crown and Anchor Tavern on 1st October 1794, At this
In considering Royal Arch activities within individual Antients’ Lodges, we meeting the new Rules and Regulations, confirmed by Grand Lodge on 3rd
need to bear in mind again that the exaltation ceremony took place in Craft December 1794, are introduced. The full title reads:
Lodges as a fourth degree and was not worked in independent separate
Chapters. Rules and Regulations /for the /Introduction to and Government/of the /Holy
Thus recoids of exaltations should be as available, or unavailable, as those Royal Arch Chapters, /under the protection and supported by /The Ancient
of individual initiations, passings and raisings. The Register ofMembers of the Grand Lodge of England, /made at several times. /Revised and Corrected at a
RoyalArch records the names of Royal Arch Masons taken from the returns General Grand Chapter, held at the Crown and Anchor /Tavern, in the Strand,
made by the various Craft Lodges. The dates in the Register reflect that of London, October 1, 5794. /Conflrmed in Grand Lodge, December 3, 1794
the return and not necessarily that of the exaltation of the individual Mason. The first two clauses state:
The Register cannot be regarded to be comprehensive and there are obvious
errors and omissions. Nonetheless, the Registel shows that nearly 170 ANCIENT MASONRY consists of Four Degrees The Three first of which
Antients Lodges made returns relevant to the Royal Arch between 1784 and are, that of The APPRENTICE, The FELLOW CRAF7 and the Sublime
the time of the Union in 1813. The increasing frequency of Royal Arch Degree of MASTER, and a Brother being well versed in these Degrees, and
activity is reflected in the returns submitted from 1779 onward when one or having discharged the Offices of his Lodge, particularly that of IVlaster, and
more Lodges report on the Royal Arch almost every year up to 1813. The fulfilled the Duties thereofwith the Approbation of the Brethren ofhis Lodge, is
returns for 1797, for instance, record 13 Lodges and those for 1802 record eligible, if found worthy, to be admitted to the Fourth Degree, The HOLY
11. On several occasions, Lodges cease their Royal Arch activities and ROYAL ARCH
resume them at a later date.
More practical information is to be found in Lodge histories and the minutes It follows, therefore, of course, that every regular Warranted Lodge possesses
of individual Lodges and a few examples will be relevant. the Power offorming and holding Lodges in each of those several Degrees, the
last ofwhich, from its Pre-eminence, is denominated among Masons a Chapter
18 19
These two statements, are here promulgated for the very first time in 1794, Antient Freemasonry consists offour Degrees The threefirst of which are, that
—

as the policy of theAntients Grand Lodge. There is no earlier mention of the ofApprentice, the fellow Craft and the sublime degree of Master, and a Brother
Royal Arch until the publication of these rules and regulations. being well versed in these degrees and otherwise qualified is eligible to be
admitted to the fourth degree, the Holy Royal Arch
Attention should be drawn, however, to the instance of a Royal Arch
exaltation in York at a much earlier date. Although the event was not Thus, from 1807 onward, the requirement by theAntients Grand Lodge that
associated in any way with the Antients Grand Lodge, it may be seen as the a Royal Arch Mason must be a duly installed Past Master is disposed of.
cause of some misunderstandings. As shown above, Dermott did all he could There is an element of irony in that so many aspects of the Royal Arch which
to associate the Antients with York Freemasonry in an endeavour to give his Laurence Dermott emphasised and many others which were attributed to
Grand Lodge a semblance of antiquity. In 1725 a time immemorial lodge in him, only materialised as formal, written policy of the Antients in their Rules
York assumed the standing of a Grand Lodge and became known as the and Regulations published so many years aftei his death.
York Grand Lodge. It was effectively inactive from about 1740 but it
renewed its Grand Lodge status in 1761. During the period of its revival, a Conclusion
new Lodge was warranted in York, meeting at the Sign of the Punch Bowl in
Stonegate. The first minutes of this lodge, dated 7th February 1762, record There is no evidence to support the view that theAntients adopted the Royal
the presence of the four candidates (John Burton, John Palmer, John Tasker Arch from the start of their Grand Lodge in 1751. The earliest date we can
and John Dodgson), who apply is the publication date of the first edition of Ahiman Rezon in 1756,
when Dermott states that the Royal Arch is the root, heart, and marrow of
petition’d to be raised to the 4th Degree of Masonry Commonly call’d the Most masoniy. Even so, the available evidence indicates that the degree was not
Sublime or Royal Arch taken seriously by the Antients until at least 1766 and probably only from
The minute book further records that the candidates were duly made and December 1771. In the intervening period, Laurence Dermott kept the
paid 11/6 for advancement to the 4th degree. This early mention of the 4th Royal Arch active almost smgle.handed.
degree cannot be attributed to the Antients, though the misleading
Early documents of theintients, such as Morgan’s Register, the Giand Lodge
association between theAntients and the Grand Lodge at York may have led Minutes and Ahiman Rezon, make minor, if any, reference to the Royal
to such wrong conclusions. Arch. Laurence Dermott found in the Royal Arch an excellent tool to use
By now several more editions of Ahiman Rezon had been published against the Moderns. He did not, however, implement the Order until the
following on the second one in 1764. The 4th edition in 1787 was the last to establishment of the Supreme Grand Chapter by members of the Moderns,
be published during Dermott’s lifetime. In the 1800 edition of Ahiman which took the Royal Arch initiative away from him. With the publication of
Rezon, the 1794 rules and regulations appeared verbatim. It is significant, the Rules and Regulations in 1794, the Royal Arch was established on a firm
however, that in the next 7th edition published in 1807, both the heading and footing as the 4th degree in Freemasonry and formal authority was now
opening clauses have been altered. The title now states: given, albeit retroactively, for Craft lodges to hold Royal Arch Chapters.
Laws and Regulations /for the /lnstruction and Government/of the/Holy Royal In the latter part of the 18th century, as the possibility of a union was
Arch Chapters,/Under Sanction of the Grand Lodge of England, /according to beginning to become apparent, Royal Arch activity increased and began to
the old Constitutions /His Grace the Duke of Atholl, Grand Master /Revised, take a greater significance. The Antients were vindicated with regard to the
approved and amended in General Grand Chapte; / at the Crown and Anchor importance they had finally placed on the Royal Arch, by the time of the
Tavern, Strand, /London, 1st April 1807 Union in December 1813. On their sole insistence, the oft-quoted opening
paragraph to our General Laws and Regulations was inserted, as follows:
and the opening clause has the following words omitted: and having discharged the
Offices ofhis Lodge, particularly that ofMastei and fulfilled the Duties thereof with By the solemn Act of Union between the two Grand Lodges of Free-Masons of
the approbation of the Brethren of his Lodge. It reads: England in December 1813, it was ‘declared and pronounced that pure Antient
Masonry consists of three degrees and no more viz, those of the entered
Apprentice, the Fellow Craft, and the Master Mason, including the Supreme
Order of the Holy RoyalArch’

20 21
 APPENDIX A -

Bibliography and Sources:

Adams, Cecil Ahiman Rezon, the Book of ConstitutionsAQC 46, 1936

Batham, Cyril N The Grand Lodge of EnglandAccording to the Old
Constitutions The Prestonian Lecture for 1981
Burford, D 0 The Anomalies ofthe RoyfllArch Craft Connection Batham
-
3 George’s Wood Road,
Royal Arch Lecture, 1993 Brookmans Park.
Bywater, William Mathew Notes on Lau: Dermott G.S. and his Work London Hens,
AL9 7UL
1884
Dashwood, J R (Ed) Early Records of the Grand Lodge ofEngland According relephone 01707 653320
to the Old Institutions Quatuor Coronatorum Antigrapha Masonic
— SIDNEYE E TUCK
Reprints of the Quatuo r Coronati Lodge, No 2076, London Volume XI M E Grand Superiniendeni
Gould, Robert Freke,A Concise History of Freemasonry London 1903 4th March 2000
Hughan W J Ongins of the English Rite ofFreemasonry London 1884 Yasha Beresiner LLB
Johnson, G Y The York Grand Chapter~ Or Grand Chapter ofAll England 43, Templars Crescent,
AQCS7 1944 London,
N3 3QR
Jones, Beinard E Freemason’s Book ofthe RoyalArch London 1957
Kelly, W Redfem The Advent of RoyalArch Masonry AQC 30, 1917 Dear Bro Yasha,
Lane, John Masonic Records 1717-1894 2nd Edition London 1895
Mendoza, Gerald The Lodge of Tranquillity No 185 1787-1987 Plymouth Thank you for your letier in respeci of ihe Charity iobe nominaied to receive funds from
1987 your Batham Leciure, bui lei me fist congratulate you on your being selected as ihe Lecturer, and
wish you much success thereby
Ough, Anthony The Origin and Development of RoyalArch Masonry—A Short
History ofthe Evolution of the Organisaiion, Government and Ritual of the It is noi only a great honour for you, bui as you point oui ihe faci thai you are now a member
Holy RoyalArch The Batham Lecture for 1991, AQC 108, 1995 ofmy Province, ills likewise an honoui for this Province to have you join us, and should you, after
Parkinson, R E History of the Grand Lodge ofFree and Accepted Masons of due consideration of ihe details ofihe Charity wish to proceed with adoption of it, then it would be a
Ireland Dublin 1957 further honour
Sadler, Henry Masonic Facts & Fictions, London 1887 (Reprinted 1985)
I believe Alan Ward has sent some details ofihe Charity, and I enclose a copy of ihe booklet
Shaftesley, John M The Lodge of Israel No 205 1 793-1968 London 1968 we are distributing in the Province, the contents of which you may use in any way you wish
Smyth, FrederickA Reference Book for Freemasons QCCC Ltd London 1998
We are about to write an arlicle in the I-tertfordshire Newsletter in which we shall be calling
for support of the Charity, and if you could confirm to me your adoption of it, we will add this
information to the article

Acknowledgments With all good wishes in your endeavours,

My sincere appreciation is extended to Bro. Walter Goldsmith for his Yours sincerely and fraternally,
encouragement, Bro. John Hamill for his ready accessibility and invaluable
guidance and to Bros. Brent Morris, Douglas Burford, Neville Barker-Cryer
and Aubrey Newman for their many useful comments and amendments.
And, as ever, to the helpful and friendly members of staff at our Grand
Lodge Library and Museum.

22
 KEECH COTTAGE CHILDREN’S HOSPICE Who will Keech Cottage care for?
VVhy is it called Keech Cottage? Keech Cottage will care for and support families with a child or young
The Children’s Hospice has been named after Dennis and Shirley Keech person under eighteen years of age, who has a life limiting illness and lives
in Bedfordshire or Herforshire..
whose donation of one million pounds began the hospice appeal in April
1998. What will the hospice do?
Dennis has lived and worked in Luton for 45 yeats and is involved in several The hospice will support families from when They are given the awful news
major businesses in the town. that their child has an incurable condition, to the time when their child dies
Shirley is involved in the local amateur music scene and is responsible for and afterwards for as long as necessary, to help them through their grief and
recognising the need and sowing the original seed for the creation of a local the healing process. Sometimes this can take many year’s.This assistance can
Hospice for children. With the help of businesses, the community and be given in the family home or at The Hospice, and is flexible to meet the family’s
friends of the existing adult hospice, she will see this seed become a reality changing needs over the years they are with us.
in 1999. The hospice will be a source of expertise for the families They will be able to
.

get expert help and advice twenty-four hours a day from a sensitive and multi
Why is it needed? disciplinary team of nurses, carers, doctors, physiotherapisets, play therapists,
Studies suggest there could be more Than three hundred children living in music therapists, social workers and bereavement councillors who are up to date
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire (the area to be covered by the children’s and understand their specific circumstances.
hospice) who have a life limiting condition1. Families want to provide as much care as they can themselves and keep the
At the moment these children have to travel to Cambridge or Oxford to use number of strangers coming into their home as few as possible. They want their
a children’s hospice a difficult journey for a family with a sick child.
- child to have as normal a lifestyle as possible, to enjoy life to The full and to avoid
hospital admissions where possible.
These days, the death of a child has become a taboo subject and is not
discussed. There are now fewer professionals, friends and family who have Families need information to do this about theirchild’s condition, what is going
-

to happen as the condition worsens, what will their child’s death be like, will they
the necessary experience and expertise to support bereaved families and this
be in pain? And wbat services and resources are available to help them.
only serves to heighten the anguish of parents who lose their child.
The Hospice building will be used for three main purposes:
The needs of these families (the sick child, parents, siblings and other
involved family members) are special. They require a network of services 1) Planned Respite There will be five beds in the Hospice that families can
-

use for respite care either leaving their child alone, safe in the knowledge that
-
and support which transcends the health and social service boundaries.
they will be well cared for exactly as they are at home, or the whole family can
Because their needs are neither wholly health nor social, the families are
come and stay to relax in the pleasant and comfortable surroundings of the
often left in the gap in between, wiTh very little that is appropriate to them.
Hospice.
There are also considerable regional variations in the type, availability and
quality of services and support for these families. 2) ‘Emergency’ Care Parents may use the hospice during a family crisis or if
-

the child’s care becomes too intense to cope with at home. We recognise the
family must have absolute confidence in our ability to care for thier child before
Life limiting conditions are those where there is no reasonable hope of cure and from which rhe child will die they will leave him/her with us. Will will work very hard to achieve this before
the need arises.

24 25
3) Terminal Care ~vLost
- families want their child to die at home surrounded How much will it cost?
by their family and friends in a familiar environment, alternatively, the child can There is no charge for the service. Keech Cottage Children’s Hospice is
be brought to the Hospice. In either case, the hospice will provide expert nursing supported entirely by charitable donations.
support at the time of death, to ensure the child’s symptoms are controlled and
Why is the adult hospice involved?
the child is comfortable.
The adult hospice is an established and well known charity in Luton and
An important part of hospice work is building u~p a trusting and supportive South Bedfordshire. By incorporating the Children’s Hospice into this
relationship with The family so that they feel able to approach us for advice and charity, savings can be made on administration and fundraising so that
support on any topic. A Keyworker will be appointed by the hospice to be the more can be spent on caring for families. The adult Hospice also has a
point of contact for the family and to be someone the family can develop a close wealth of experience in charity management that is being used to ensure
the success of the new service. There are also advantages to having two
tie with. There will be parent groups and a special club for siblings to meet other
medical facilities on one site. The proximity allows flexibility and
children of smiilar age and in similar circumstances. The Hospice will keep in
continuity of service. If the children’s service is no longer appropriate for
regular contact with families through telephone calls, cards on special days, the young person then the adult service is close by. Many of the supporting
letters and visits. services can be shared so saving on cost.

When will it open? Why has the adult hospice changed its name?

It is hoped the hospice will be built, equipped and staffed by the end of 1999. In The adult hospice was formerly called The Luton and South Bedfordshire
Hospice. It was felt That this geographical description of the service could
the meantime, a team of Children’s nurses has been set up by Keech Cottage to
be confusing to users of the children’s hospice, which will cover
support families at home prior to the opening of the hospice. This team is called
Bedforshire and Hertfordshire. The emblem of the charity has always been
the Pasque Commumty Team (further information available in a separate
the Pasque Flower2. It was therefore decided to take this name for the
leaflet) aid is working in partnership with the NI-IS Community Children’s charity and call it The Pasque Hospice. Keech Cottage (the children’s
Nursing Teams. The Pasque Team will continue its work after the hospice opens. hospice) and Betty Robinson House (the adult hospice) are sub divisions
of The Pasque Hospice charity (Registered No. 1035089).
How are families referred?
How do I get more information?
Referrals can be made by anyone involved with the family using the forms
provided by the Hospice. team will request a medical summary from the If you would like more information, do not hesitate to contact the Pasque
Hospice on telephone number (01582) 492339 or by writing to us at:
child’s GP and consultant, and if appropriate, the hospice community
nurse (the Pasque Nurse) will make an assessment. This information is The Pasque Hospice
Great Bramingham Lane
then considered by senior members of the hospice team, and if the family
LUTON
meets the hospice criteria, They will be accepted for care and support, All
LU3 3NT
involved in the referral process will be informed of the panel’s decision.
2 Pasque Flower (Puisatilla vulgaris)- This rare perennial, a close relative of the anemone, is found on chalky slopes,

mostly in eastern England The attraiAive flowers appear tiaditionally at Easter, hence the name Pash or Pasque
Flower They are followed hy attractive seed headswith fruits which have long, silky trails

26 27
 In Memoriam About the Author

Cyril Erncst Kila Northwood BATHAM W Bro Yasha Beresiner was initiated in London in the Lodge of FaiTh &
1909 - 1996
Friendship No 7326 in 1975. He received London Grand Rank in 1991. He
Brother Cyril Batham was born at Sutton Coldlield on 29 June 1909. He was was invited to become a full member of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge
educated at Bishop Vesey’s School and was later to take great delight in the faci
that one of its other old boys had been Rev. Dr J.T Desaguliers, Grand Master No 2076 in 1992 and served as Master of this Premier Lodge of Masonic
of the premier Grand Lodge in 1719. lie entered the insurance profession,
becoming an Insurance Broker and Company Direclor in the City of London. Research in 1998/9.
He was initiated into Freemasonry in the Jerusalem Lodge No. 686, Bristol, in
1955, rising to the ranl of PJGD and PAGSoj. His profession led to him spending
much time in Paris where he became much involved in the National Grand Lodge
of France (being Assistani Grand Secretary 1965-68 and promoied to PJGW in In the Royal Arch Bro Yasha received his LGCR in 1999 and is a PZ of the Life
1972) and the Grand Chapter of France(being Assistant Grand Scribe E 1965-71 of Thee Universal Brotherhood Chapter No 5973 (Herts) He addressed
and the Grand Scribe E 1971-76).
Supteme Grand Chapter at the Convocation held on 14 February 1998 and in
Brother Batham was also very involved in the Additional Degrees and Orders but February 2000 was appointed the Batham Royal Arch Lecturet
his great love was masonic rcsearch. He joined the Correspondence Circle of
Ouatuor Coronati Lodge No 2076 in 1966 and was elected a full member of thc
Lodge in 1969. He was installed as its Master in 1972 and succeeded the late Bro.
Roy Wells as its Secretary and Editor of its Transactions in 1975, Important posts
that he was to hold for more than a decade He holds Grand Rank (PAGDC) in the Mark and has been through the
chair of many orders beyond the Craft. He has been made an honourary
His great contribution came through the Secretaryship and Editorship of Ouaiuor
Cotonati Lodge Taking his duties very seriously, no paper submitted was ever member of Lodges in Belgium, Israel (Hebrew and Spanish speaking), Italy
simply rejected. Each was carefully read and if it were not quite up to the standard and the USA, where he has lectured on Freemasonry in the language of the
of AOC or its author had missed significant material he would receive a very
detailed letter from Cyril as to how the paper could be improved and expended. respective Countries.

One of his great loves was the Royal Arch and to stimulate research in that
area, and to match the Prestonian Lecture in the Craft, Cyril donatedfunds so
that Supreme Grand Chapter could Sponsor an official Royal Arch Lecture.. He is a founder member and Past Master of the Montefiore Lodge of
Although unusual to commemorate one still living Supreme Grand Chapter in
1985 instituted the Batham Royal Arch Lecture, which will keep his name alive Installed Masters No 78 under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the
as long as the Royal Arch continues. State of Israel and a Grand Officer (PAGDC) of the Regular Grand Lodge
A man possessed of enormous Masonic knowledge, great warmth and a very dry of Italy.
sense ot humour, Brother Batham’s last years wete marred by personal sadness.
His wife pre-deceased him by almost thirty years. They had had no children but
adopted a daughter who was a great support to him His life was shattered some
three years ago when she was savagely murdered, a murder, which has yet to be Born in Turkey in 1940 and a Law Graduate of The Hebrew University in
explained or solved. Cyril never really recovered from the shock and his health
gradually deteriorated He moved back to his native Warwickshire early in 1996 Jerusalem, Yasha married his sergeant Zmira, whilst serving in the
and died there after a shori illness on 10 October. parachute regiment in the Israel army! He moved to England in 1969. After
He is mourned and much missed in Masonic research circles ihroughout the an extended carecr as a legal consultant with various organisations, in 1978
world lie had an international reputation both as Secretary and Editor of he was appointed a Director of Stanley Gibbons Lid, the stamp magnates.
Ouatuor Coronati Lodge and as a lecturer both at home and abroad, where he was
regularly invited to speak No journey was too long at the age of 84 he undertook
- In 1985 he set up his own company, InterCol, where he still trades in various
a 10 week tour which covered East and South Africa, ihe Far East, Australia and collectables from the Camden Passage Antique Market in Islington,
New Zealand an exhausting itinerary for a man half his age.
-

We will all miss his friendship, his knowledge, his wise advice and his great delight London.
in pursuing and sharing his Masonic research..
John Hamill
AQC 109 (1996)
28 29