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                The First Schism in Freemasonry
                               
                              by
                               
                     Michael Jenkyns, MPS
                                
          
               When I joined the Fraternity of Ancient Free and
          Accepted Masons in 1989 I really had no idea of what it was
          about or what it would entail and found that at every "step" of
          the way I had many questions and few people to turn to for
          answers. Fortunately we had a reasonably stocked library in
          the Westboro Temple where Acacia Lodge, No. 561, GRC,
          shares premises with several other Lodges, and an even
          bigger library at Ottawa's main Masonic Temple on Walkley
          Road. Readings led me to write away for the course material
          for Ontario's College of Freemasons and to delve even deeper
          into our ancient and honourable organization.
          
               One of my frustrations with the history of our Craft is
          based on the impenetrable wall which seemed to exist before
          1717 when the Premier Grand Lodge was formed. Surely the
          four original Lodges must predate 1717? Were the references
          to "about 300 Lodges" existing in England, Ireland and
          Scotland by 1700, just somebody's assumption? Were they all
          the same or were some speculative and some operative? Why
          did "Antients" Masons in Quebec, for example, use the
          cabalistic initials "A.Y.M." (Ancient York Masons)?
          
               As I delved through our standard "history text" for
          Ontario (Whence Come We? Freemasonry in Ontario 1764-
          1980) it struck me that each succeeding Grand Lodge grew
          out of a schism with an earlier Grand Lodge. (I am using the
          term Grand Lodge here in a general sense and it equally
          means Provincial Grand Lodge under the early English
          system). We only have to look at Ontario to see this in reality -
          The Schismatic Grand Lodge of Niagara (1802-1822) and the
          Grand Lodge of Ontario (1835/36) as well as our own Grand
          Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario, were all formed
          from schisms with an earlier "parent" organization.
          
               So, back I went to looking at the London of 1717. The
          following are my preliminary "notes" on the Grand Lodge of
          York, also known as the Grand Lodge of All England and its
          schismatic offspring, the Grand Lodge of England South of the
          River Trent which appears to been the ancestor of the Premier
          Grand Lodge. For those readers wanting to followup these
          notes I found "History of Freemasonry in England from 1567
          to 1813", by Leo Hyneman, Worthington Co., 747 Broadway,
          New York, 1889, to be a good source document as well as a
          copy of Anderson's Constitutions of 1722. I would be pleased
          to hear from anyone who has further information on this
          interesting subject.
          
          
                   - - - - - - - -
                           
          
               By 1700 there were an estimated 300 craft lodges in
          England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales; most were operative
          lodges with speculatives in their membership, although some
          were entirely speculative masonic lodges. Evidence points to
          the existence of a Grand Lodge at York providing "leadership"
          over many other Lodges in England. With London the largest
          and fastest growing city in Europe, it is not surprising that the
          largest number of craft lodges were found here. It is evident
          from available information about the formation of the Premier
          Grand Lodge[1] in London, that the founding members knew
          each other and determined that they had common interests, if
          not common "ritual" and that they desired something to serve
          as a centre for all masons in the City (closer to them than
          York) which could be counted on to meet their needs. A such,
          they decided to sponsor themselves as a "Grand Lodge pro
          tempore in DUE FORM". It is interesting that these members
          did not originally call themselves the Grand Lodge of
          England. At first this Grand Lodge followed the unwritten laws
          and traditions, but as the number of member lodges increased
          there was a need for a body of written law. This was first
          prepared by Dr. James Anderson in 1722 and published. (A
          parenthetical note: By 1722, when the Premier Grand Lodge
          approved the draft Anderson's work, there were 20 Lodges in
          the jurisdiction.) Because there is no known surviving
          documentation on the first six years of assemblies of the
          Premier Grand Lodge, nor is there any definitive publication on
          the Grand Lodge of York, there has been speculation that the
          Premier Grand Lodge was the consequence of a rebellion by
          some London Lodges and their desire to be in control of their
          own governance, development and future goals, along the
          lines followed in both Ontario and Quebec at a later date.
          What is clear and unequivocal is that the Premier Grand
          Lodge was formed on June 24, 1717 and from it we can trace
          the development of Freemasonry across the globe.
           
          
          The Grand Lodge of York and The Grand Lodge of
          England South of the River Trent[2]
                           
               York has always had a special place for the English and
          it is not surprising that it is also special to English
          Freemasons. It was an ancient fortified Roman city, was the
          location of the first Masonic Grand Assembly in 926 A.D.,
          became important as a "cathedral-city" and the centre of the
          rival "white-rose" Yorkists disputing the throne. From about
          1561 there is evidence of the existence of a Grand Lodge of
          York which provided "leadership" for many lodges in England.
          Occasionally this Grand Lodge came into conflict with the
          prevailing "government" of the day: Queen Elizabeth tried to
          break up the annual meeting of the York Grand Lodge on
          December 27, 1561.
          
               There is also reference to the selection of Francis
          Russel, Earl of Bedford, as "Grand Master in the North" in
          1567 on the resignation of Sir Thomas Sackville, Grand
          Master 1561-1567. Did "The North" mean York? Given the
          legends about the first assembly of stone-masons at York in
          926 A.D. and the development of the earliest of the "Old
          Charges", it is conceivable that a Grand Lodge of York
          provided a forum for the regulation of the affairs of English
          stone-masons and the Freemasonry as we know it spread
          southward. (Perhaps it was this which incurred the wrath of
          King Henry VI in 1425 [3].) As speculative masonry grew and
          the nature of the Lodges themselves changed, so too with the
          Grand Lodge of York, perhaps slowly evolving into a form of
          speculative Grand Lodge. After the English schism of 1751,
          Antients Freemasons did refer to themselves with the
          cabalistic initials "A.Y.M." standing for Ancient York Masons,
          and there are many records of Freemasons boasting of a
          connection with York.
          
               By 1567, the Grand Lodge of York moved to establish
          a Grand Master for the South of England (England South of
          the River Trent) - and one was appointed in the person of Sir
          Thomas Gresham, an eminent merchant - in response to the
          demands from a growing and increasingly independent
          London. Apparently the Grand Lodge of York retained for itself
          the title "Grand Lodge of All England" while the other was
          entitled "Grand Lodge of England". For over a century there is
          no indication of problems; what is surprising is that records
          dating from the time of James Anderson Constitutions of 1722
          indicate the existence of these two early Grand Lodges with
          the comment that neither one seems to have been active. For
          "inactive groups" they managed to attract the support and
          attention of some of the nobility[4]. Anderson's Constitutions
          have been criticised for not referring to any central
          organization prior to 1717 even though his "History" section
          summarizes the evolution of Freemasonry from Adam, being
          saved by Noah and his sons, and spreading across the Middle
          East and Europe.
          
               The "rebellion" which led to the formation of the Premier
          Grand Lodge sputtered throughout the period from 1587 until
          1714. The English Civil Wars disrupted the effective
          governance and functioning of the Grand Lodge from about
          1646 until 1663, when it was revived under the Patronage of
          Charles II, who had apparently been received into the Order
          during his French exile.. During the period following the Great
          Fire of London (1666) until 1717, Sir Christopher Wren held
          the Grand Mastership of the Grand Lodge of England South of
          the River Trent for the longest period (29 years). London
          Lodges accused him of having "little interest in the Craft",
          perhaps because they felt neglected. It is possible that there
          were Lodges in England (including London) and in Scotland
          who remained loyal to York throughout the 1717-1751 period,
          but who joined the fast growing Premier Grand Lodge. Were
          these Lodges instrumental in separating into the Antients,
          choosing that name to indicate that they were "more ancient"
          than the Moderns, who rose to prominence in 1717?
          
               The Grand Lodge of York and its sister Grand Lodge of
          All England did not immediately expire in 1717. The General
          Assembly of 1705 was held under the direction of Sir George
          Tempest, Bart., then Grand Master and continued until at least
          the 1750's. By 1738, correspondence between the Grand
          Lodge of York and the Premier Grand Lodge ceased.
          Relations between York and London had been deteriorating
          over important issues such as:
          
          -    brethren of a York Lodge seceding and obtaining a new
                         Warrant from London in 1738 (perhaps they had been
                         expelled from the Grand Lodge of York);
          
          -    changes in the modes of recognition and examination
                         which was interpreted as intending to exclude York
                         Masons from southern Lodges (which changes might
                         have been considered "modernistic" in nature); and
          
          -    the south's establishment of a Provincial Grand Lodge
                         in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
          
          This last action must have been seen as a final indignity and
          interference in the jurisdiction of York. By 1772, there are
          references in the minutes of the Grand Lodge of England
          (Moderns) that, although there was no communication with
          Antients Lodges, this prohibition did not apply to the Grand
          Lodge in York; or to any Lodges thereunder, nor to the Grand
          Lodges of Ireland or Scotland. In 1790, the Lodge of Antiquity
          severed its relationship with Grand Lodge (Antients) and allied
          itself with the "Grand Lodge at York", although it was quickly
          reinstated within English mainstream Masonic activities. The
          Grand Lodge at York appears to have ceased functioning as
          a major Masonic player between 1790 and 1813, during the
          union of the Antients and Moderns into the United Grand
          Lodge of Ancient Freemasons of England.
          
               Several important considerations arise:
          
          (a)  did the Premier Grand Lodge grow and take control of
                         the governance of Freemasonry, worldwide, in order to
                         displace and destroy the earlier control of the Grand
                         Lodge of York?;
          
          (b)  such documentation as exists on the events leading up
                         to, and immediately after the 1717 formation of the
                         Premier Grand Lodge, were written several years
                         afterwards (1722). Certainly Anderson's Constitutions
                         makes no reference at all to any Grand Lodge in
                         existence before 1717. Is this possibly a rewriting of
                         history to suit the conditions?; and
          
          (c)  Did the Grand Lodge of York and its original members
                         become the schismatics of 1751 who called themselves
                         "Antients"?
          
          At various times in North America some Antients Lodges
          referred to themselves as "A.Y.M." or "Ancient York Masons",
          perhaps wishing to link themselves with York and its historical
          position in English history. There is no proof of any definitive
          linkage. The present American and Canadian custom of
          referring to "the York Rite", as distinct from the Scottish Rite,
          has no proven connection with York, the Grand Lodge of York,
          the Grand Lodge of All England or "A.Y.M.". The title of "York
          Rite" was fabricated at a time when our present systems of
          degrees in the Craft Lodge, Royal Arch Chapter (including the
          Mark degree), Council of Royal and Select Masters, and
          Knights Templars Encampment/Preceptory was being
          developed and modified.
                    Reference               Notes
                           
          
          1    Care must be taken when referring to Grand Lodges
                         during the period 1717 to 1813. There were:
               -    Grand Lodge. As it was the first of several Grand
                         Lodges, it became known as the                              Premier
                         Grand Lodge. It was followed by:
               -    Grand Lodge of Ireland,
               -    Grand Lodge of Scotland,
               -    Moderns Grand Lodge, sometimes confusingly
          referred to as
                    Grand Lodge, and
               -    Antients Grand Lodge.
               After unification in 1813, Grand Lodge was officially
                         entitled the United Grand Lodge, which title it retains to
                         this day.
          
          
          2    The Act of 1425 is included in Anderson's Constitutions
          in its entirety.
          
                * Tertio Henrici Sexti, Cap. I. An. Dom. 1425.
               Title.  Masons shall not confederate themselves in
          Chapters and Congregations.
               " Whereas by yearly Congregations and Confederacies,
          made by the
               " Masons in their General Assemblies, the good Course
          and Effect of the
               " Statutes for Labourers be openly violated and broke,
          in Subversion
               " of the Law, and to the great Damage of all the
          Commons, our said
               " Sovereign Lord the King, willing in this Case to
          provide a Remedy, by
               " the Advice and Asset aforesaid, and at the special
          Request of the
               " Commons, hath ordained and established, that such
          Chapters and Con-
               " gregations shall not be hereafter holden; and if any
          such be made,
               " they that cause such Chapters and Congregations to
          be assembled and
               " holden, if they thereof be convict, shall be judged for
          Felons, and that
               " the other Masons that come to such Chapters and
          Congregations be
               " punish'd by Imprisonment of their Bodies, and make
          Fine and Ransome
               " at the King's Will.                   Co. Inst. 3. p.
          99.
          
          
          3    Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of York included:
          
                    Sir Thomas Sackville                         1561-
                                                                           1567
                    Francis Russel, Earl of Bedford              1567-
                                                                           ????
                    Sir George Tempest, Bart.                    1705
                    Rt. Hon. Robert Benson (Lord Mayor of York)  
                                                                           1706-????
                    Sir William Robinson, Bart.                  ????-
                                                                           ????
                    Sir Walter Hawkesworth, Bart.           ????-
                                                                      1713
                    Sir George Tempest, Bart.                    1714-
                                                                           ????
                    Charles Fairfax Esq.                         ????-
                                                                           ????
                    Sir Walter Hawkesworth, Bart.           ????-
                                                                      ????
                    Edward Bell, Esq.                       ????-
                                                                      ????
                    Charles Bathurst, Esq.                  ????-
                                                                      ????
                    Edward Thompson, Esq., M.P.             ????-
                                                                      ????
                    John Johnson, M.D.                      ????-
                                                                      ????
                    John Marsden, Esq.                      ????-
                                                                      1725
                         
          and for the Grand Lodge of England South of the River
          Trent
          
                    Thomas Gresham                     1567-
                                                                 ????
                    Charles Howard, Lord of Effingham            ????-
                                                                           1588
                    George Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon          1588-
                                                                           Mar
                                                                           24,
                                                                           1603
                    Inigo Jones                             1603-
                                                                      ????
                    William, Earl of Pembroke                    ????-
                                                                           1630
                    Henry Danvers, Earl of Danby            1630-
                                                                      1633
                    Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel               1633-
                                                                           1635
                    Francis Russel, Earl of Bedford              1635-
                                                                           1636
                    Inigo Jones                             1636-
                                                                      1646
                    D i s r u p t e d  by  Civil  War            1646-
                                                                           1663
                    Henry Jermyn, Earl of St. Albans        Dec
                                                                      27,
                                                                      1663-
                                                                      1666
                    Thomas Savage, Earl of Rivers      Jun
                                                                 24,
                                                                 1666-
                                                                 1674
                    George Villers, Duke of Buckinghamshire      1674-
                                                                           1679
                    Henry Bennett, Earl of Arlington             1679-
                                                                           1685
                    Sir Christopher Wren                         1685-
                                                                           1695
                    Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond*       1695-
                                                                      1698
                    Sir Christopher Wren                         1698-
                                                                           1717
          
                    * Freemasonry often runs in families. The second
          line of the Dukes of Richmond date           from Charles
          Lennox, son of Charles II and the Duchess of Portsmouth.
          Charles        Lennox was born in 1672 and in 1675 was
          created Duke of Richmond. This 1st Duke           of
          Richmond was Master of a working Lodge in Chichester,
          Sussex in 1692; the 2nd       Duke was Master of the
          Rummer and Grapes Tavern Lodge, Channel Row,      
               Westminster (and one of the original Lodges which
          formed the Premier Grand Lodge          of England);
          and the 8th Duke was Grand Master of the Premier Grand
          Lodge in       1724. The 4th Duke of Richmond was
          appointed Provincial Grand Master of Sussex       from
          1814 until his death in 1819. The 4th Duke was appointed as
          Governor       General of the Canadas in 1818, a
          position which he held until his death in         August
          1819, from the bite of a rabid fox at Fort William Henry (now
          Sorel,         Quebec). He is buried beneath the Altar
          of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in           Quebec City.
          