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At an emergency meeting held on 25 November 1813 at
Freemasons’ Hall, London, Soane was Initiated, Passed and
Raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason during the
course of the same evening. Two other candidates, Jonathan
Parker and Hymen Cohen Junior, were also bestowed the
three Degrees at that meeting.
The first Masonic meeting that Soane attended as a new
member, was a rather important one. On 1 December 1813,
in anticipation of the election of the new Grand Master of
the Antients Grand Lodge, the Duke of Sussex became an
"Antient" Mason, thus allowing him to attend the installation
of his brother, the Duke of Kent. The ceremony included
several members of the Duke’s entourage of Grand Officers,
which was later to facilitate the ceremony of the Union that
took place later in the month.
His meteoric rise in the ranks of Freemasonry continued. It
was undoubtedly induced by the Duke, who involved himself
in all aspects of the running of Grand Lodge. The Grand
Master-elect met Soane personally in August of the same year
when the latter’s Initiation, Passing and Raising, as well as his
Grand Rank may well have been discussed and agreed upon.
By courtesy of the Trustees of Sir John Soane’s Museum
A pen and watercolour drawing
of the earlier Freemasons’ Hall,
designed by Soane, drawn by
Joseph Gandy in 1831. The building
was destroyed by fire in May 1883
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Copyright 2002-2007
MQ Magazine
Web site created by Mark Griffin
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