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LIBRARY & MUSEUM NEWS
Recent library acquisitions
At a recent auction the Library and Museum acquired five Masonic jewels and an important Masonic certificate. The funds for these purchases came from donations raised by the Friends of the Library
and Museum.
The certificate is in manuscript form on vellum with a wax seal, largely intact. It measures eight and a half inches by four and a half inches (31 cm x 11.5 cm) and is dated 1767. It records that a Brother
Thomas Stelfox was a member of Lodge No. 25
in Liverpool, and is signed by the Master and both Wardens and the Lodge secretary.
The format is similar to other certificates in the Library and Museum collection
identified in an article by T 0 Haunch English Craft Certificates in
AOC Vol. 82 (1969), and is one of the
earliest certificates in the collection.
According to
Lane's Masonic
Records, Lodge No. 25 was an Antients Lodge, which was granted a warrant in 1764, and seems to have lapsed before 1782. The only details of its members in Grand Lodge records are
from the early days of the Lodge in 1764. However, none of the names of the certificate correspond to
those listed in the records.
Intriguingly, in the same auction, another lot
not purchased by the
Library and Museum comprised papers relating to commissions held by Lieutenant Thomas Stelfox, who was commissioned Ensign in 1760 and a Lieutenant in 1762 of the 70th Regiment of Foot.
The jewels are all fine quality examples in enamel
and silver gilt from the early part of the 20th century. They are all on display, together with other recent donations.
Richard Carlile - the devil's freemason
The latest event for the Friends ofthe Library and Museum was a talk held at
Freemasonry at the University of Sheffield.
Freemasons' Hall, London on the early 19th century radical and author, Richard Carlile.
The talk was given by Dr Andrew Prescott, director of the Centre for Research into
Carlile's book, The Manual of Freemasonry, was first published in 1825 as a volume of his journal, The Republican. It was reprinted shortly afterwards as a separate publication and has remained
in print ever since. Dr Prescott related Carlile's life story, his links to other radicals of the day and suggested how, even today, political protest owes much to Carlile's approach.
The next Friends event will
be a talk on Trench Art in Edgbaston in September. This
will be followed by a talk about the Royal Masonic
Institution for Girls in
December in London.
For more details of these events or on how to join the Friends contact the Director, Mrs Diane Clements on;
0207 831 9811.
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Copyright 2002-2007
MQ Magazine
Web site created by Mark Griffin
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