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ernors of Britain: but though we know, that at this period the Fraternity were employed in erecting many magnificent fabrics, nothing is recorded concerning their lodges and conventions; and we have but a very imperfect account of the customs which prevailed in their assemblies.

For a long time the progress of masonry in Britain was obstructed by the frequent wars which took place; and it did not revive till the time of Carausius, by whom it was patronised. This general, who hoped to be the founder of a British empire, encouraged learning and learned men; collecting also the best artificers from many different countries, particularly masons, whom he held in great veneration, and appointing Albanus, his steward, the principal superintendant of their assemblies. Lodges, or conventions of the fraternity, began now to be introduced, and the business of masonry to be regularly carried on. The masons, through the influence of Albanus, obtained a charter from Carausius to hold a general council, at which Albanus himself sat president, and assisted at the reception of many new members. This Albanus was the celebrated St. Alban, the first who suffered martyrdom in Britain for the Christian faith. Mr. Preston quotes an old MS. destroyed with many others, said to have been in the possession of Nicholas Stone, a curious sculptor under Inigo Jones; from which we learn that St. Alban was a great friend to masons, and gave them two shillings per week, besides three pence for their cheer; while, before that time, they had no more than one penny per day, and their meat. He likewise obtained a charter from the king and his council, for them to hold a general council, which was named an assembly." The same circumstances are mentioned in a MS, written in the time of James II. only this increases the weekly salary of the masons to 3s. 6d. and 3d. per day for the bearers of burthens.

The progress of masonry was greatly obstructed by the departure of the Romans from Britain; and in a short time fell into absolute neglect. This was occasioned first by the furious irruptions of the Scots and Picts, which left no time for the cultivation of the arts; and afterwards by the ignorance of the Saxons, whom the ill-advised Britons called in as allies, but who soon became their masters. After the introduction of Christianity, however, the barbarity of these conquerors began to wear off, the arts received some encouragement, and masonry particularly began to flourish.

Lodges were now formed; but these being under the direction of foreigners, were seldom convened, and never attained to any degree of consideration or importance. In this situation it continued till the year 557, when St. Austin, with 40 more monks, among whom the sciences had been preserved, came into England. By these the principles of Christianity were propagated with such zeal, that all the kings of the heptarchy were converted; after which masonry was taken under the patronage of St. Austin, and the Gothic style of building was introduced into England by the numerous foreigners who resorted at this time to the kingdom. Austin himself appeared at the head of the fraternity in founding the old cathedral of Canterbury in 600; that of Rochester in 602; St. Paul's in London in 604; St. Peter's in Westminster in 605, as well as many others. The number of masons in England was thus greatly increased, as well as by his other buildings of castles, &c. throughout the kingdom.

In 640 a few expert brethren arrived from France, and formed themselves into a lodge under the direction of Bennet, abbot of Wirral; whom Kenred, king of Mercia, soon after appointed inspector of the lodges, and general superintendant of the masons. During the whole time of the heptarchy, however, masonry was in a low state, but began to revive in 856, under the patronage of St. Swithin, whom Ethelwolf employed to repair some religious houses; and from that time the art gradually improved till the year 872, when it found a zealous protector in Afred the Great. This prince was a most eminent patron of all kinds of arts and manufactures; and, with regard to masonry in particular, he appropriated a seventh part of his revenue for maintaining a number of workmen, whom he constantly employed in rebuilding the cities, castles, &c. ruined by the Danes. During the reign of his successor, Edward, the masons continued to hold their lodges under the sanction of Ethred, husband to the king's sister, and Ethelward, his brother, to whom the care of the fraternity was intrusted. The latter was a great architect, and founded the university of Cambridge.

The true re-establishment of masonry in England, however, is dated from the reign of king Athelstane; and there is still extant a grand lodge of masons at York, who trace their existence from this period. This lodge, the most ancient in England, was founded in 926, under the patronage

of Edwin, the king's brother, who obtained for them a charter from Athelstane, and became grand-master himself. By virtue of this charter, it is said that all the masons in the kingdom were convened at a general assembly in that city, where they established a general or grand lodge for their future government. Under the patronage and jurisdiction of this lodge, it is also alleged that the fraternity increased very considerably, and that kings, princes, and other eminent persons who had been initiated into the mysteries, paid due allegiance to the assembly. But as the times were yet turbulent and barbarous, the art of masonry was sometimes more, sometimes less patronised; and of course the assembly more or less respected, according to the respect which the art itself met with. The appellation of Ancient York Masons is well known both in Ireland and Scotland; and the general tradition is, that they originated at Auldby, near York; and as Auldby was a seat of Edwin, this tradition gives considerable confirmation to the above account. There is, indeed, great reason to believe that York was the original seat of masonic government, no other place having claimed it, and the whole fraternity having at various times owned allegiance to the authority there established; though we know not whether that allegiance be now given or not. Certain it is, that if such a lodge was once established there, of which there is no reason to doubt, we have no account of its being regularly moved from that place to any other part of the kingdom, with consent of its members. Many respectable meetings have, indeed, been held at different times in other parts of the kingdom, but there is no account of any other general meeting being held in another place than York, till very lately.

While prince Edwin lived, the masons were employed as formerly in building churches, monasteries, &c. and repairing those which had suffered by the ravages of the Danes; and after his death the order was patronised by king Athelstane himself; but on his decease, the masons were dispersed, and remained in an unsettled state till the reign of Edgar in 960. They were now collected by St. Dunstan, who employed them in works of the same kind: but as no permanent encouragement was given them, their lodges soon declined, and masonry remained in a low state for upwards of 50 years. It revived, however, in 1041, under Edward the Confessor, who superintended the exe

cution of several great works. By the assistance of Leofrick, earl of Coventry, he rebuilt Westminster Abbey, the earl being appointed superintendant of the masons; and by this architect many other magnificent structures were likewise erected. After the Conquest, in 1066, Gundulph, bishop of Rochester, and Roger de Montgomery, earl of Shrewsbury, both of them excellent architects, became joint patrons of the masons; and under their auspices the Tower of London was begun, though finished only in the reign of William Rufus, who likewise rebuilt London bridge with wood, and in 1087, first constructed the palace and hall of Westminster.

The masons now continued to be patronised by the sovereigns of England in succession. The lodges assembled during the reign of Henry I. and during that of Stephen the society were employed in building a chapel at Westminster, now the house of commons, and several other works; the president of the lodges being now Gilbert de Clare, the marquis of Pembroke. During the reign of Henry II. the lodges were superintended by the grand-master of the Knights Templars, who employed them in building their temple in Flect-street, in the year 1155. Masonry continued under the patronage of this order till the year 1199, when John succeeded Richard I. in the throne of England, and Peter de Colechurch was then appointed grand-master. He began to rebuild London bridge with stone, which was afterwards finished by William Alemain in 1209. Pcter de Rupibus succeeded Peter de Colechurch in the office of grand-master, and Geoffrey Fitz-Peter, chief surveyor of the king's works, acted as deputy under him; masonry continued also to flourish under the auspices of these two artists during this and the following reign. On the accession of Edward I. in 1272, the superintendance of the masons was intrusted to Walter Giffard, archbishop of York, Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester, and Ralph, lord of Mount Hermer, the progenitor of the family of the Montagues; and by these architects the abbey of Westminster was finished, after having been begun in 1220, during the minority of Henry II. During the reign of Edward II. the fraternity were employed in building Exeter and Oriel colleges in Oxford, Clare-hall in Cambridge, &c. under the auspices of Walter Stapleton, bishop of Exeter, who had been appointed grand-master of the masons in 1307.

Edward III. was a great encourager of learning in gencral, and not only patronised the masons, but applied very assiduously to the constitutions of the order, revised and meliorated the ancient charges, and added several useful regulations to the original code by which the fraternity had been governed. He patronised the lodges, and appointed five deputies under him to inspect their proceedings; and at this period it appears from some old records that the lodges were numerous, and that the fraternity held communications under the protection of the civil magistrates. William a Wykeham was continued grand-master on the accession of Richard II. and by him both the New College in Oxford, and Winchester College, were founded at his own expense. After the accession of Henry IV. Thomas Fitz-Allan, earl of Surrey, was appointed grandmaster, who, after the engagement at Shrewsbury, founded Battle-abbey and Fotheringay; the Guildhall at London, being also built in this reign. On the accession of Henry V. the fraternity were directed by Henry Chichely, archbishop of Canterbury, under whom the lodges and communications of the fraternity were frequent. In 1425, however, during the reign of Henry VI. an act was made against the mecting of the chapters and congregations of masons, because it was said that by such meetings "the good course and effect of the statutes of labourers were openly violated and broken, in subversion of the law, and to the great damage of all the commons." But this act was not put in force, nor did the fraternity cease to meet, as usual, under the protection of archbishop Chichely, whostill continued to preside over them. The reason of this extraordinary edict is said to have been as follows: The duke of Bedford, at that time regent of the kingdom, being in France, the regal power was vested in his brother Humphrey, duke of. Gloucester, who was styled protector and guardian of the kingdom. The care of the young king's person and education, was intrusted to Henry Beaufort, bishop of Winchester, the duke's uncle. This prelate being of an ambitious disposition, and aspiring at the sole government, had continual disputes with his nephew, the protector; and, by reason of the violent temper of that prince, gained frequent advantages over him. This animosity increased to such a degree, that the parliament was at length obliged to interpose. On the meeting of that assembly, in the month of April, 1425, however, the servants and followers of the

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