I have entitled this lecture, "Freemasonry in the 18th Century and the emergence of the Lion and Lamb Lodge" and by doing so, it will enable me to expand the subject to include how the Lion and Lamb Lodge developed in the context of Freemasonry around that time, and how Freemasonry developed - in small part due to the Lion and Lamb Lodge. I hope you will find it interesting and enlightening. So, let me first set the scene.

It is London 1789. George III, the "mad" King was on the throne. In April of that year, Fletcher Christian, and his crew, mutinied on the bounty. George Washington was inaugurated as the 1st President of the United States on April 30th; and in July, the French were revolting. On the 14th, the Paris mob sacked the Bastille and began the French Revolution.

John Wesley was wandering the country on horseback, preaching religion and prolifically writing hymns. William Wilberforce was fighting to abolish slavery.

The only means of travel in those days was by stage-coach. The mail coach from London to Bristol had only started five years earlier. Then, a journey from London to Birmingham took two and a half days. Dover was two days, dining at Rochester and sleeping at Canterbury. York was 4, Exeter 6, and Edinburgh was 10 days in summer and 12 in winter.
It was the age of Dick Turpin and other famous highwaymen.

In towns, the sedan chair and horse-drawn carriages were the mode of transport. The first bicycle, the "bone-shaker", was not to appear for another 20 years.

Robert Adam, the architect, was designing grand London houses. John Nash was designing grand London Squares. Capability Brown, the gardens; and Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Sheraton - the furniture.

Gentleman wore waisted coats with wide cuffs, and cravats. Wigs were tied behind and powdered on special occasions. Snuff boxes were in vogue, as smoking was considered a low habit - fit only for sailors and workmen.

The ladies wore heavy skirts, worn over hoops or whalebones; their hair in curls or ringlets, with little lace caps. Every lady of fashion carried a jewelled fan.

It was the age of Beethoven, Hayden and Mozart,. Mozart was currently working on The Magic Flute, a masonic opera.

The Times of London, "The Great Thunderer", was first published in the previous year.

It was amidst this that on 24th December 1789, Christmas Eve, Lodge Number 258 now the Lion & Lamb Lodge was consecrated, at the Sign of the Sun, in Gate Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields. If you leave this building of Freemasons Hall, turn right, then left up Kingsway, just before you get to Holborn Tube station, Gate Street is on your Right, although the tavern is not there today being replaced by Ladbrookes the Betting shop. (To enlarge the map and see a comparison with a modern day map, click on the picture or click here)

The only records we have are from Vol 1 of 'The Atholl Grand Lodgeand Stewards Minute Book' preserved here in Freemasons Hall. They read:

"24th December 1789. Constitution of Lodge No 258 at The Sun in Gate Street, Lincolns Inn Fields.
Grand Lodge met at 2.00 o'clock and opened in due form. The Right Worshipful James Perry Esq., Deputy Grand Master in the Chair; The Right Worshipful Thomas Harper Esq., Senior Grand Warden; The Right Worshipful James Agar Esq., Junion Grand Warden; The Right Worshipful John Feakins Esq., Grand Treasurer; The Worshipful John McCormick, Grand Secretary; who in the name of the Most Noble Marquis, Earl of Antrim, proclaimed the new Lodge No. 258 duly constituted. The Grand Lodge closed and adjourned from this day to Monday, 28th December, and to meet at the hour of 12.00 o'clock."

The Grand Secretary's charges to Lodge No. 258 for the petition, warrant, Grand Secretary's fees, Book of Constitution, Persuivant & Tyler, were £3/7/6. The warrant here displayed cost 10/6d.

It was thus, that the new Lodge number 258, now the Lion and Lamb Lodge as we know it, came into being and when consecrated it was in the company of 165 Lodges on the Roll of the Antients Grand Lodge and 174 on the Regular or Moderns Grand Lodge. In other words, there were only 340 Lodges on the Register of the two Grand Lodges at that time.

But already we have strayed into areas of strange terminology, especially to some of the Brethren. Antients, Moderns, Atholl Lodges. What do these all mean? To explain these further and how and where we as a Lodge fit in, we must go back in time to 1717 and see how Freemasonry developed during the 18th Century.

The date 1717 was the year of the formation of the First, or Premier Grand Lodge in England.

Prior to this date and during the preceeding century, although documented evidence is scanty, there are some references to people being made or accepted into Freemasonry. In 1646 we get our first recorded mention of Freemasonry in today's sense of the word, with the making of Elias Ashmole, Freemason at Warrington. Elias Ashmole, of course, went on to found the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford in 1677.

Although there must have been Lodges in England in the late 17th Century, we know little about them and this lack of information is tantalising, as less than 50 years later, 4 London lodges were forming themselves into a Grand Lodge, so by inference there must have been other lodges in existence.

We know for instance that Sir Christopher Wren was adopted as a Brother of the Fraternity in 1691.

Further evidence comes from a leaflet printed in London in 1698 which attacks Freemasons as being "a devlish sect of men, antichrist, evildoers, corrupt people, and its author thinks it needful to warn all Godly people in the City of London of the mischiefs and evils practiced in the sight of God by those called Freemasons. I say, take care, lest their ceremonies and secret swearing take hold of you and be wary that none cause you to err from Godliness." So you can see that the anti-Masonic feeling that abounds today is nothing new!

Returning to 1717, this was the year that the first Grand Lodge, the first in the world, was founded in London. 4 London lodges thought it "fit to cement under a Grand master as the centre of union and harmony. Why should they wish do this?

We may well suppose that the need was felt for a central Authority to which London Lodges could look, as without it, any considerable growth in the number of Lodges and their membership might bring about chaotic conditions, but it is possible that this motive was combined with a number of others.

One reason could also have been to restore or strengthen the old Guild system.

Most likely, it was to form a sort of club, as London clubs at that time were gaining much in popularity.

It could also have been as a sort of Friendly Society, to help and relieve other freemasons in need or in distressed circumstances.

It may even have been a forerunner of the 'Openness' that Grand Lodge are suggesting we should be adopting now, to counter the anti-masonic feeling of the time.

These are conjecture, but no doubt they came together to bring into existence a Masonic Centre, an Annual General Meeting, an annual assembly and an annual feast at the same time, having some authority over all London lodges and their members.

Their modest organisation extended from St. Paul's Churchyard in the East, to Channel Row, Westminster, in the West - less than 2 miles "as the crow flies".

Initially, their jurisdiction was only to London and Westminster Lodges. This was, in part, a tradition which was handed down from the London Company of Masons, whose jurisdiction itself only extended 7 miles from Guild Hall.

Travel was slow and news from around the country was sparse and the Lodges in London would probably only have been conscious of themselves working in London.

London, in those days, was very different to how we see it now. It did not exceed a total area of 5 square miles, ending in the NE at Shoreditch Church; in the North, Islington, Saddlers Wells and St Pancras; those in Bond Street would look to the West over open fields; and in the South West, the limit was Tothill Fields, adjoining Westminster; South of the River was Bermondsey, Rotherhithe and Southwark. Lambeth was only an uninhabited marsh.

Once the Grand Lodge was formed, however, they sat back - content. No evidence is there of any lodges joining them in the first few years. Probably, there was no mechanism so to do. However, there were other lodges in London, and in the country, who would have felt they were just as important and may well have viewed Grand Lodge with some derision. Grand Lodge, therefore, had to meet their opposition. This it quickly did and a means whereby other lodges could come under its banner was found and quite suddenly it began to grow, including both London and Country lodges. By 1725, it had 64 lodges under its banner, 50 of them in London.

This brought it to the attention of the learned and well-to-do in society who were eager to want to join this new esoteric club.

All was running smoothly, until about 1739, when there came into existence a rival Grand Lodge, although its official existence is said to be 1751, and from then on the history of Freemasonry was disfigured by a long and violent quarrel until reconciliation and Union in 1813. Although disfigured, it is true to say that had the rival lodge never been formed, Freemasonry today would be the poorer and not one of our craft degrees would be as it is. The installation ceremony may just have been simple chairing of the Master. We might have had Royal Arch, but no in so rich a form.

There were 2 main causes for the trouble :-

First, was the apathy and neglect of the Premier Grand Lodge and its apparent inability to rule the craft. For Instance, Lord Byron, the uncle of the famous poet, was Grand Master in 1747 but he only attended 3 meetings in 5 years. Grand Lodge itself only met 9 times during that period. Freemasonry as a result lost its vogue and became low in repute.

Secondly, was the difference in ritual and ceremonial that existed or developed in the early part of the century. This was an even more powerful factor. Grand Lodges in Scotland and Ireland had been formed and Freemasonry had quickly spread to the Continent and the Colonies, in part due to military lodges operating overseas. Freemasons from these countries were drifting into this country expecting admission into our Lodges but with ideas & differences that had not grown up on English soil. In the eyes of Grand Lodge, every one of these unaffilliated masons was irregular.
At the same time a series of Exposes were published in London and quickly distributed around the country and to America and the Continent. The most famous of these was 'A Masons Examination' published in The Flying Post, and Pritchard's 'Masonry Dissected'. As a consequence of these, irregular 'makings became common. Using these exposes as ritual books, although they were largely spurious, it was possible for a few men to get together and initiate anyone who was willing to pay them money. Taverns used to advertise on notice boards " Masons made here for 2/6.

There were also lodges in London and around the country who did not recognise Grand Lodge, who hadn't been invited to join, and were therefore antagonistic towards it.

So, in 1730 Grand Lodge decided to take a serious step. This was to transpose the signs and modes of recognition in the first and second degrees to prevent any irregular masons attending their ceremonies as they would, of course, be unaware of the changes.

Grand Lodge made the alterations with the best of intentions, but in doing so was guilty of least a profound error in judgement and paid a dear price for its mistake. It was regarded by most as a wholly improper interference and many masons and lodges took severe exception to it. There were other alterations and differences which Grand Lodge made which equally had a similar opposition.

From 1730, therefore, bad feeling began to worsen.

Grand Lodges which had already been set up in Scotland and Ireland sympathised with the orthodox English masons who were opposed to the changes. They were happy to do this as they were already looked on with some condescension by the English Grand Lodge.

Many lodges were far removed from London and continued on as before.

And so we find 5 lodges, independent of a higher control, forming themselves into a body and assuming the style of a 'Grand Lodge of the Old Institution' . Thus, the Antients Grand Lodge was constituted on July 17th 1751. Antient because its proponents felt they practised a more antient and purer form of Freemasonry. At the same time, they dubbed those affiliated to the Premier Grand Lodge (formed decades earlier) the Moderns. These epithets stuck.

In the course of 20 years the Antients were presided over by many influential masons. In 1771and 1775 the third and fourth Dukes of Atholl were Grand Masters, both of whom had been Grand Masters of Scottish Freemasonry. It is because of them that Lodges holding aleigance to the Antients Grand Lodge are also known as Atholl Lodges.

It was Laurence Dermott, who was elected to the Grand Secretary in the second year of its existence, who coined the phrase "Antients and Moderns", since he realised there was a great deal to gain by having a war-cry or slogan. Similarly, by his choice of phrase it placed the earlier Grand Lodge, the Moderns, in a position of inferiority. The conflict between the two bodies continued, until the union in 1813.

It was under the banner of The Antients Grand Lodge, that the Domatic Lodge was founded on 7th February 1786.

The first minutes of the dispensation meeting for what was to become the Domatic Lodge are headed "The minutes of the dispensation granted by Brother Charles Fenwick to be held at Brother William Smith's. The Sign of the Ship in Little Turnstile - Holborn, for the purpose of making and forming a lodge of operative masons on December 21st 1785".
12 subsequent meetings were held and six weeks later, on February 7th 1786, Domatic Lodge No. 234 was constituted. The name Domatic being of Scottish derivation used to describe those engaged solely in the mason craft and not the general building fraternity. Domatic Lodge was therefore specifically set up to be an operative lodge and its first meeting place was the Ship Tavern, still surviving today just around the corner behind Holborn Tube Station. There is a plaque on the wall, which you can see on your way home tonight, which mentions that it was a centre of freemasonry and a lodge with the number 234 was consecrated there by the Grand Master, the Earl of Antrim, in 1786. This was Domatic Lodge.

To the effect that it was an operatives lodge, is shown in the minutes of a meeting of April 24th 1786, when two brethren were refused joining the lodge as they were not operative masons. This caused some considerable bad feeling in the lodge. Following an altercation with the landlord, the lodge then moved to the sign of The Sun in Gate Street, which was just opposite, on December 18th, 1787.

London, however, was still quite small and not the metropolis that we know today. Domatic were at the heart of the city and with so few lodges, exerted some influence on the Antients Grand Lodge, which was situated at the Crown and Anchor Inn in The Strand. For instance, Brother Charles Sinclair, one of the founders, had been voted Grand Secretary Elect in 1785 but subsequently withdrew for reasons unknown.

It is with this influence in mind that we now come to what must be acknowledged to be a unique event in the history of freemasonry - the founding of the Lion and Lamb Lodge.

It was not uncommon in the development and progress of the Antients Grand Lodge, for warrants to change hands quite officially, and for lodges seeking a more senior position on the register to purchase a redundant warrant with higher status. In other words, an earlier founding date and therefore lower number than their own. They would then assume the number and rank of the purchased Lodge, and then in turn sell their original warrant onwards. Lodges undertaking this therefore possessed 2 warrants, but only for a short time, before one was disposed off.

In the minutes, the Domatic Lodge dated 15th December 1789, it is written:

"The Worshipful Master proposed to add a new warrant for use of the members of this lodge, to be under the denomination of a working warrant, which proposal was agreed upon by the majority present.

The reason for this strange proposition was not necessarily to improve the ranking of the lodge, but to get round the self imposed restriction of admitting only operative masons, a problem which, as we have heard, reared its head 3 years earlier. Also, it may have been felt that the restriction produced a sense of inhibition and that a second warrant with open membership may bring them some social advantage from the new members it might attract. This is the reason given in the Bi-centenary History by John Curtis. In that he states with some exclamation, that the warrant was obtained in 9 days and the Lodge Number 256, now the Lion and Lamb Lodge, was constituted on 24th December.

By anybody's standards, that seems to be extraordinarily quick and I think there may be an explanation. It involves none other than the first Master of the Lion and Lamb Lodge, Sir Watkin Lewis.

Sir Watkin Lewis was a very influential and important man. He was M.P. for the City of London, an Alderman, and former Lord Mayor of London. He was initiated on 5th November 1781 in the Lodge of Emulation No. 12 on the register of the Premier Grand Lodge, (i.e. the Moderns.) On 20th June 1788, he was described as "modern remade in Lodge No. 1" which was the Antients Grand Masters Lodge No. 1. His transfer of alegience, as well as his high standing probably accounted for his rapid promotion and he became Junion Grand Warden Elect in 1789. At his remaking as an Antient the year previously, the three degrees were conferred upon him in one meeting, but he had never been installed as a Master of a Lodge. The Antients Grand Lodge must have valued his high standing enough to appoint him Junion Grand Warden Elect but the problem they encountered was that he had not served in the office of master of a Lodge.
So by resolution of Grand Lodge he was to be "Passed to the Chair unless in the meantime he was installed Master of a Lodge". I must explain here that the ceremony of "Passing to the Chair" was much practiced in the late 18th and early 19th century. A necessary qualification for Royal Arch membership in those days under the Antients Grand Lodge, was to have been installed as Master of a Craft Lodge (nowadays it is Master Mason, and Past Master only to take the chair of the principal officers). 'Passing the chair' conferred the necessary qualification without having to serve one's time as master of a lodge. In Sir Watkin Lewis' case, it was needed for him to attain his Grand Lodge honours. All round, it would have been preferable to have been installed Master instead of the somewhat lesser ceremony of passing the chair. This fact, coupled with the fact that Domatic were after a second warrant, and also that the members of Domatic held considerable favour and influence with the Antients Grand Lodge, that the solution to everyone's problems was obvious, and so, with some nepotism and intrigue, a second warrant for the Domatic Lodge was produced in 9 days, and Sir Watkin Lewis installed in the chair on 24th December 1789.

The paucity of records for Lodge 258 is most regrettable, but it would seem that the two separate warrants were worked simultaneously for 6 years by Domatic Lodge, the members of 258 also being members of Domatic. It was this simultaneous working of the two warrants for such a long time that makes the founding of the Lion & Lamb Lodge unique. It was obviously intended to be a Master Masons Lodge as the early minutes make no mention of any initiations, passing, or raisings, only lectures that were conducted. There is, however, an entry on 9th February 1792 - "John Bayliss and Thomas Harper proposed by the Worshipful Master", which was for their election as joining or honorary members. Remember that Thomas Harper was Senior Grand Warden at the time of the constitution of the Lodge.

The simultaneous working of two warrants obviously became burdensome and at an emergency meeting on Friday, October 30th 1795 "the Worshipful Master informed the Lodge, that he had ordered the Secretary to summons the Brothers for this evening to take into consideration the disposal of the warrant of Lodge 258 as it being found that the members were not attending to the support of the two warrants; it being found that the Lodge 258 by this means was become burdensome; it being thought best to dispose of it as an application had been made by a respectable company of gentlemen, when a committee was appointed to have full power to dispose of the same in such a manner as they think meet for the good of the Lodge.

The warrant was sold for 1 guinea and in the minutes of the Domatic Lodge meeting of 26th January 1796, "Brother Wight presented the Lodge with the sum of 1 pound 1 from Brother Clark of 244 for having purchased the warrant of 258"

The matter was finalised in April 1796 when it was stated "Brother Wight informed the Lodge that the Committee appointed for the disposal of the warrant 258 had disposed of the same and to be moved to the Bear and Wheat-sheaf in Lower Thames Street".

The Lion and Lamb Lodge had finally fledged its wings and left the security of its mother lodge (or should that be sister lodge) to determine its own future.

So far I have explained the origins of the Lodge, but not the origin of the name. It was not until November 1835 that the words "Lion and Lamb Lodge" appear on the minutes instead of London, comma, Lodge No.258 and from the research done by Brother Botley, it would seem that the name arose as a direct consequence of the union of the two Grand Lodges and the part that this Lodge was to play in bringing that about.

Towards the end of the period of the strife between the Moderns and the Antients, a spirit of toleration developed and in some districts it would appear that the forms of the ritual of some Moderns had so approximated themselves to that of the Antients, that there was little difference.

On both sides, moderate men realised that reconciliation and union were essential to the fraternity and were doing their utmost to bring this about.

With this in mind the Dukes of Kent and Sussex were approached by senior and influential Masons from both sides and after much discussion the foundations of the Union were laid.

For the Moderns, the Prince of Wales, later to become George IV, resigned, and was succeeded by Augustus Frederick, the Duke of Sussex. In the Antients Grand Lodge, the Duke of Atholl similarly resigned and was succeeded by Edward, Duke of Kent.

The Articles of the Union were drawn up and signed on December 27th 1813 by both Grand Masters, and also Thomas Harper whose name appeared as Grand Senior Warden.

The Union of the two Lodges in December was a grand affair and it was decided that a draw would be taken and whichever Grand Lodge won the draw, that Grand Lodge No. 1 would be first on the new Register and the others then would fall in alternately. The Antients won the draw and the Lion and Lamb Lodge became No. 325 (which incidentally is a lower number than its founding date should have conferred). Subsequent closing up of the register in 1832 and 1863 now gives us the number 192.

It was also part of the Articles of Union that the Lodge of Reconciliation be formed, which was entrusted "To promulgate and enjoin the pure and unsullied system, that perfect reconciliation, unity of obligation, law, working, language and dress may be happily restored to the English Craft". The Lodge of Reconciliation was formed by the two Grand Secretaries of each of the Antients and Moderns Lodge, and nine Brethren from each body.

A James McCann, from the Lion and Lamb Lodge, was elected as a representative on that Committee; as was Thomas Harper junior, son of Thomas Harper, Senior Grand Warden.

It is also recorded in the minute book, that a Brother Palmer was voted £5.00 on September 1st 1814 to remunerate the expenses necessarily incurred in attending Grand Lodge respecting the Union and solely on this Lodge account. In what way he was involved remains unknown.

So we have at least three members of this Lodge that were influential in the actual mechanics of the union.

And so to the name. One of the directives of the new Grand Lodge was that all lodges were to have a name as well as a number. Prior to this, the Lion and Lamb Lodge was just known as Lodge 258. The name Lion and Lamb is unique in itself and researchers looking for an explanation for the Centenary History were frustrated. It was Brother Botley in March 1966 who came up with a very plausible explanation.

When lodges were first named, it was usual or customary for them to be named after places, associations, or masonic characteristics etc, even from the taverns where they met, but there are no records of any meeting places of the Lodge where the name Lion and Lamb appears.
Following the Lodge's part in promoting the union, it does not take a great stretch of the imagination to imagine the Brethren debating a name for the Lodge which would reflect their part in the union.

The answer would appear to lie in heraldry. The lion was self evident to the members of the Lodge at the time. It was the lion rampant of Scotland, one of the emblems of the Antients Grand Lodge, which arms have also been adopted in their entirety by our Lodge and appear on our banner. The lion also appeared on the armorial bearings of the Duke of Kent, the Grand Master of the Antients Grand Lodge; whilst the lamb appears on the Coat of Arms of the Duke of Sussex, Grand Master of the Moderns Lodge.

Thus the name Lion and Lamb was adopted by the Lodge at the time of the formation of the Union of the Grand Lodges as it symbolised the merging of the Antients, represented by the lion, with the Moderns, represented by the lamb. There is also reflection of the Old Testament quotation:- "The lion and lamb shall lie down together" indicating a final peaceful resolution between the two warring factions.

That, Brethren, is how The Lion and Lamb Lodge started out, all those years ago. The rest, as they say, is history.

W.Bro Simon Marner. LGR. DC.

REFERENCES:
The Illustrated History of the Lion & Lamb Lodge and Chapter: W.Bro George Kenning.
'Lion & Lamb' The origin of the Name: Bro. C. McColl Botley.
Lion & Lamb Lodge No 192. Bi-centenary History: W.Bro. John Curtis.
Freemasonry in London from 1785 (seen through the eyes of Domatic Lodge No 177 and its associates): W.Bro Roy Wells.
Freemasons' Guide and Compendium: W.Bro. Bernard Jones.
The Freemasons: Eugen Lenhoff.
Freemasonry Today Issue 10: Article by Donald Lee & Tobias Churton.
Looking at History: RJ Unstead.