Females in Freemasonry
Of course, we have a problem, haven't we; to try to explain that. My predecessors would not try to explain this; they were too male oriented. The fact remains that, there it is, in an ancient document of a 17th century date. That this could have been the case seems all the more likely as that in 1696 two widows are named as members in the Operative masons Court. Away in the South of England, we read in 1714 that's before the Grand Lodge of England of Mary Bannister, the daughter of a barber in the town of Barking, being apprenticed as a Mason for 7 years with a fee of 5/- which she paid to the Company.
------------------------------
Women Freemasons
by Bro. Dudley Wright
The Builder, August 1920: England
Although the Antient Charges forbid the admission or initiation of women into the Order of Free and Accepted Masons, there are known instances where as the result of accident or sometimes design the rule has been broken and women have been duly initiated. The most prominent instance is that of the Hon. Elizabeth St. Leger, or, as she afterwards became, on marriage, the Hon. Mrs. Aldworth, who is referred to sometimes, though erroneously, as the "only woman who over obtained the honour of initiation into the sublime mysteries of Freemasonry." The Hon. Elizabeth St. Leger was a daughter of the first Viscount Doneraile, a resident of Cork. Her father was a very zealous Freemason and, as was the custom in his time the early part of the eighteenth century - held an occasional lodge in his own house, when he was assisted by members of his own family and any brethren in the immediate neighbourhood and visitors to Doneraile House. This lodge was duly warranted and held the number 150 on the Register of the Grand Lodge of Ireland. The story runs that one evening previous to the initiation of a gentleman named Coppinger, Miss St. Leger hid herself in the room adjoining the one used as a lodgeroom. This room was at that time undergoing some alterations and Miss St. Leger is said to have removed a brick from the partition with her scissors and through the aperture thus created witnessed the ceremony of initiation. What she saw appears to have disturbed her so thoroughly that she at once determined upon making her escape, but failed to elude the vigilance of the tyler, who, armed with a sword stood barring her exit. Her shrieks alarmed the members of the lodge, who came rushing to the spot, when they learned that she had witnessed the whole of the ceremony which had just been enacted. After a considerable discussion and yielding to the entreaties of her brother it was decided to admit her into the Order and she was duly initiated, and, in course of time, became the Master of the lodge. --------------------
The Order was created by Rob Morris in 1850 when, while confined by illness, he set down the principles of the order in his Rosary of the Eastern Star. By 1855, he had organized a "Supreme Constellation" in New York, which chartered chapters throughout the United States.
In 1866, Dr. Morris started working with Robert Macoy, and handed the Order over to him while Morris was travelling in the Holy Land. Macoy organized the current system of Chapters, and modified Dr. Morris' Rosary into a Ritual.
The "General Grand Chapter" was formed in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 6, 1876. Committees formed at that time created the Ritual of the Order of the Eastern Star in more or less its current form.
The emblem of the Order is a five-pointed star representing the Star of Bethlehem with the white ray of the star pointing downwards towards the manger.[4]. In the Chapter room, the downward-pointing white ray points to the West. The character-building lessons taught in the Order are stories inspired by Biblical figures:
-------------------
Sisters:
In R.H. Baxter's translation of the Regius Poem or Halliwell MS, (said to be the oldest of the Old Constitutions, c.1390), we find:
1. An exhortation to improve each others' knowledge of the craft, 'And so each one shall teach the other, And love together as sister and brother' (Martin, v.1, p.6);
2. A prohibition against displacement when a job has already commenced, 'There shall no master supplant another, But be together as sister and brother' (ibid., p.,13);
3. And an injunction to take turns at being stewards, 'Amiably to serve each other, As though they were sister and brother' (ibid., p.19).
-------------------
Dame Masons:
According to Rev. Cryer (p.22): 'In the records of the Corpus Christi Guild at York in 1408 it is noted that an Apprentice had to swear to obey "the Master, or Dame, or any other Freemason"...' Likewise, Professors Rich and Reyes (p.6) report, ' a record from 1408 where newly initiated Masons swore to obey "the Master, or Dame, or any other ruling Freemason".' Moreover, A.F.A. Woodford has reported the word 'Dame' appeared in each Apprentice Charge in the Old Manuscript Constitutions (p.146). For example, we read:
1. 'He shall be true to God and the Holy Church, his prince, his master and dame whom he shall serve.' (Cox, pp.97/8)
2. 'He shall not steal or pack away his master's or dame's goods, nor absent himself from their service, nor go from them about his own pleasure by day or by night, without their consent.'(ibid.)
3. 'You shall not maintain any disobedient argument with your Master, Dame or any Free-Mason.' (Gould, v.I, p.75)
Medieval illustrations depict women involved in the building trades.
- At Wurzburg building sites, women formed a consistent majority of the low skilled workers between 1428 and 1524, (the over all ratio exceeded three to one).
- Other records show women joining masons' guilds at Basel and Strasbough, (e.g., Sabina).
- In England, around 1389, over 99 % of more than 500 surviving returns from 'brotherhoods', show both women and men as members (the guilds of priests and those of scholars presumably accounting for the remaining 1%).
- Every clause in the 1389 Certificate of the Guild of Masons at Lincoln referred to both brothers and sisters. Carpenters admitted women, and stonemasons often combined with them the other artisans. The 'Old Charges' referred to 'brothers and sisters', 'Masters and Dames' and to "...he or she that is to bee made a mason..."
Bill McElligott [PM] [PZ]
www.lodgeroomuk.com
www.lodgeroomuk.com/forum/
Lodge No. 3907 Prov. Essex. UGLE
posted by Bill McElligott at
8:18 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home