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Museum of Freemasonry
Blackerby was the most senior Freemason of the three. A member of the Horn Tavern lodge in Westminster, he was appointed a Grand Warden in 1727 and sat as Deputy Grand Master in each of the following two years. He was subsequently Grand Treasurer from 1729 until 1738.
Hawksmoor and Blackerby were friends and toured England together in the early 1730s, visiting Blenheim (on which Hawksmoor had worked with Edward Strong Jr and Sir John Vanbrugh), and Castle Howard, where Hawksmoor had worked again with Vanbrugh. The circle of leading architects in Britain was small and it was not a coincidence that both Vanbrugh and Sir Christopher Wren, with whom Hawksmoor had also worked, had been responsible for Hawksmoor’s appointment at the Commission for Building Fifty Churches.
In 1735, Blackerby married Elizabeth, Hawksmoor’s daughter, and when Hawksmoor died in March the following year, Blackerby wrote this obituary.
Thursday morning died, at this house on Mill-Bank, Westminster, in a very advanced age, the learned and ingenious Nicholas Hawksmoor, Esq, one of the greatest Architects this or the preceding Century has produc’d. His early skill in, and Genius for this noble science recommended him, when about 18 years of age, to the favour and esteem of his great master and predecessor, Sir Christopher Wren, under whom, during his life, and for himself since his death, he was concerned in the erecting more Publick Edifices, than any one life, among the moderns at least, can boast of. In King Charles II’s reign, he was employ’d under Sir Christopher Wren, in the stately buildings at Winchester; as he was likewise in all the other publick structures, Palaces &c, erected by that great Man, under whom he was assisting, from the Beginning to the Finishing of that grand and noble Edifice the cathedral of St. Paul’s, and of all the DIVINITY & DESIGN: HAWKSMOOR’S CHURCHES
St Alfege Church, Greenwich Hawksmoor was inspired by engravings of monuments of ancient Rome.
St George’s, Bloomsbury The typically grand portico is based on the Temple of Bacchus in Lebanon.
Christ Church, Spitalfields Hawksmoor incorporated tall spires to tower above non-conformist chapels.
St Georgein-the-East, Wapping Built from Portland stone and one of the few completely new churches.
St Mary Woolnoth, City of London Damaged by the Great Fire of 1666. Rebuilt by Hawksmoor to a compact design.
St Anne’s Limehouse The height of its Gothic tower is second only to the clock tower at the Houses of Parliament. churches rebuilt after the Fire of London. At the building of Chelsea-College he was Deputy-Surveyor, and Clerk of Works, under Sir Christopher Wren. At GreenwichHospital he was, from the Beginning ‘till a short time before his death, Clerk of Works. In the Reigns of King William and Queen Anne, he was Clerk of their Majesties Works at Kensington, and at Whitehall, St. James’s and Westminster. In the reign of King George I, he was first Surveyor of all the new Churches, and Surveyor of WestminsterAbbey, from the death of Sir Christopher Wren. He was chiefly concern’d in designing and building a great number of magnificent Nobleman’s Houses, and particularly (with Sir John Vanbrugh) those of Blenheim and Castle-Howard, at the latter of which he was at his Death, carrying on a Mausoleum in the most elegant and grand Style, not to mention many others… His numerous Publick Works at Oxford, perfected in his lifetime, and the design and model of Dr Ratcliff’s Library there, his design of a new Parliament-House, after the thought of Sir Christopher Wren; and, to mention no more, his noble Design for repairing the West-End of Westminster-Abbey, will all stand monuments to his great capacity, inexhaustible fancy, and solid judgement … He was bred a scholar and knew as well the learned as the modern tongues. He was a very skilful mathematician, geographer, and geometrician; and in drawing, which he practised to the last, though greatly afflicted with Chiragra, few excelled him. In his private life he was a tender husband, a loving father, a sincere friend, and a most agreeable companion; nor could the most poignant pains of Gout, which he for many years laboured under, ever ruffle or discompose his evenness of temper. And as his memory must always be dear to his Country, so the loss of so great and valuable man in sensibly, and in a more particular manner felt by those who had the pleasure of his personal acquaintance, and enjoy’d the happiness of his conversation.
Call to alms
Assistant Archivist Louise Pichel turns detective to throw some light on the Museum of Freemasonry’s summons to attend meetings. The results give a fascinating insight into the history of these masonic lodge events
At the end of the Museum of Freemasonry’s North Gallery, where we attempt to fit the 300-year history of Freemasonry into one room, sits a display case we call ‘suitcase stories’.
Stacked at the bottom of it are 18 cases, and among the usual regalia are a number of items of ephemera. The most recognisable of these is the summons to attend meetings. They may not look like much, but as these examples from our collections show, you’d be surprised what they can reveal if you’re willing to do a bit of detective work.
My first summons (above) presented a bit of a puzzle. Instead of the name and number of the lodge, as you would expect to see today, there was only the request to attend a lodge night at ‘Mr Forrester’s at the One Tunn in the Strand’. This was common in the early years of Freemasonry as before lodge names were formalised they were referred to by the tavern they happened to be meeting in at the time.
Interestingly, it’s obvious that ‘the One Tunn in the Strand’ was not the regular meeting place of the lodge which produced this summons. Reading through the correction, it looks like this particular lodge usually met at ‘the Bunch of Grapes in St Martins Lane’.
It is possible to find details of lodge meeting places by using Lane’s Masonic Records (www.dhi.ac.uk/lane). This helpful online resource allows users to search for particular lodges by name, number, where they met and general location. However, the Georgian tendency for vague address locations often makes things a bit tricky. More on that shortly.
The crossing out suggests these summonses were being printed in large quantities and used over an extended period of time, possibly years, given that
Far left: Summons for the lodge at the One Tunn in the Strand, c1734 Left: Summons for Gastvrijheid Lodge, 1915
the summons itself doesn’t specify a date. In an effort to pin one down, I searched a website of historical calendars to narrow the field to years where 9 September fell on a Monday. I knew the date had to fall within the lifetime of the printer, Benjamin Cole (whose name appears at the bottom of the summons), and the website identified several possible years, including 1734, 1745, 1751, 1754 and 1765. Based on what the gentlemen on the summons are wearing, and after consulting colleagues, I concluded that 1734 was the most likely choice.
With that in mind, I was able to go back to Lane’s to investigate whether any lodges were meeting in the One Tunn in the Strand or the Bunch of Grapes in St Martins Lane in the 1730s. Results were mixed. I couldn’t find any lodges recorded as meeting regularly at the One Tunn in the Strand at that time, but I did find a record of St Alban’s Lodge meeting at the Bunch of Grapes, Drury Lane, in 1736 which, given the proximity to St Martin’s Lane, made it a likely candidate.
My second example (above), while not as visually appealing, certainly has something to say about the tenacity of Freemasons and their desire to meet, whatever the situation.
It’s a summons for Gastvrijheid Lodge, formed in an internment camp in the Netherlands during World War I. Internee Commodore Wilfred Henderson, a member of Royal Naval Lodge in England, took advantage of the relaxed conditions and asked the local Dutch lodge for permission to meet in their temple. They met for the first time in May 1915.
The real story of this summons is that it represents how important Freemasonry was to these interned members.
This particular example was sent to Edward Stanley Harding, summoning him to attend a meeting to initiate him as a member of the lodge. In a rather charming nod to attention to detail, Edward’s standing as an initiate is recognised in the alternation of the printed greeting from ‘Bro’ to ‘Mr’. To me, its survival is testament to how much his Freemasonry meant to him.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of different examples of summonses, each with its own story. What I hope I’ve managed to illustrate, is just how much information you can glean from these small, often discarded fragments of a lodge’s history. Where they have been retained, they provide a tantalising glimpse back in time, through the lens of the masonic lodge and its members.
Visit www.museumfreemasonry.org.uk. You can search our online catalogue, register as a reader to view the collections and sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with what we’re working on.
