we =| a | + Arse - @uatuor -@oronatorum BEING THE TRANSACTIONS oF THE QUATUOR CORONATI LODGE NO. 2076, LONDON. VOLUME LIV.228 Transactions of the Quatuor Corouati Ladge. _ THE TRACING BOARDS OF THE BRITANNIA LODGE No. 139. BY D. FLATHER. HEN the late Bro. E. H. Dring was preparing the matter for his classic Paper on he Bvolution and development of the the Tracing or Lodge Board (A.Q.C., vol. xxix, p. 243) he sent out a large number of very interesting circulars inviting Brethren and Lodges to report to him any old ‘Tracing Boards of which they had knowledge. ‘The result of this appeal was most gratifying to him, as it furnished him with a store of records which enabled him to make a complete and most valuable study of this very interesting branch of Masonic History. As my own contribution to the equiry I gave Bro. Dring details of the set of three Tracing Boards which are the property of the Britannia Lodge No. 139, Sheffield, and which are in regular use by all the other Lodges of Sheffield Bro. Dring’s comments on these boards will be found on page 294 (4.@.C., vol. xxix) and a photograph of the 3° board is given opposite page 297. “No, 139, Britannia, Sheffield. “The first and second boards are an early Harris type. The third board is earlier and is peculiar in having no inscription or letters either on the name-plate or elsewhere, while the figure 5 is represented three times by a pentalpha. On the reverse there ean be seen (beneath a coat of thick black varnish, which has defied all attempts made to dissolve it) the outlines of the emblems of the first two degrees, including a bechive. In the inventory of the Lodge, taken in 1810, ‘‘a tracing board’” is mentioned which might possibly be the same as the present third degree board.’” T am now in a position to give some further information than was known when Bro. Dring wrote his paper; and, although the information is far from complete, I hope it will be of some interest to the Brethren. Tt is a curious fact that in spite of a complete examination of the records of the Britannia Lodge T have not found any trace either of the purchase of any of the Tracing Boards or of the purchase of designs for copying by local artists. ‘There are references to the accounts of Bro. Cole and Bro. Harris, but these are for comparatively small amounts and were probably charges for printing forms for Lodge Summonses. The first of these was “Bro. Cole £1.5.0’7, dated 11th February, 1774. This would no doubt refer to Bro, William Cole; and it is, of course, possible that the charge of £1.5.0 might have been for the sale of designs. As T now know, the design of the triple board is certainly not similar to those published by John Cole in 1801. It is possible that William Cole at his death left many designs and drawings which would be of great value to his son, John, who tookArs Quarvor Cozonatorum, Tractxe Poarn—Barraysta Lopce.ATORUM Ars Quarvor Coron.PR remem rere eee eee ae ere se Tm gee oe eee ag aun aL aa eeeThe Tracing Boards of the Britannia Lodge. = ‘over the business. In May, 1771, there is an earlier reference to Cole—wie a payment of £2.10.0 for "‘ repairing the Lodge Plate”. Inventories, In 1810, in the Inventory of the Lodge property, “the Lodge Board” is recorded. ‘The Inventory of May, 1835, clearly shows that the Triple board was ie regular use on that date, as the following record shows:— “The Floor Board Painted in three degrees—in Mahogany Case’” As already stated, we have no record to show the date when this Tri Board was acquired; but, in the procession at the opening of the Infirmary in the year 1797, it is recorded that in the Masonic portion of the Procession the “Lodge covered with White Satin carried by four Muster Masons.” ‘This definitely describes a single board and not three boards. It is disappointing that it has not .been possible to fix the date upon which the old Triple Board was acquired by the Lodge. ‘The explanation of the absence of records in the minutes may be that it was customary in the Britannia Lodge for many years to look upon special requirements—such as (1) The decoration of the Lodge Room, (2) Purchase of Regalia and Furniture. and even (3) The cost of the Warrant and Frame—as being outside the needs of the ordinary Lodge finance, the expense being met by a private appeal to the members for contribution. In such cases it would not be considered necessary to make records in the minutes, Reverting now to Bro. Dring’s comments upon the photograph of the Britannia Lodge Tracing Boards, the second and third degree Boards were beyond doubt designed by Harris, and I am inclined to think that they were copied from Harris’ published Designs in or about the year 1843. It is very probable that they were the gift of Bro. M. M. de Bartolomé, who joined the Lodge in 1838 and who played a leading part in the restoration of Masonry in Sheffield. - Having in mind the fact that in the Inventory of 1835 the ‘Triple’ board was recorded and that the 1° and 2° Harris Boards were not acquired until about 1843, we are enabled to assume with almost absolute certainty that the Lodge decided to retain the 3° side of the Triple Board and obliterate the 1° and 2° sides by covering with black paint or varnish. Thus the Tracing Boards used by the Lodge from 1843 consisted of the 1° and 2° Harris Boards and the 3° side of the old Triple Board. About the year 1902 it was decided to ensure the safety of the old boards. Copies were made and presented to the Lodge, the originals being carefdlly preserved. While this work was in process I made a very careful study of the oldest (Triple Board), and to my delight I found on the two outer sides of the folding board, when examined in a strong oblique light, very clearly defined outlines of a number of masonic symbols which could be traced as being beneath the black varnish. Many attempts were made to remove the black varnish, but without suecess. At last, when all hope was abandoned, W.Bro. J. F. Horner, P.M, of King Egbert Lodge No. 4288, offered his services. Bro. Horner is an expert in dealing with and restoring paintings, and we gladly accepted his offer. After many months of patient and skilful work Bro, Horner succeeded in removing the black varnish completely, as will be seen from the photographs herewith. These however cannot show the wonderful colour values of the design, which are fresh and luminous, and there is a striking use of gilt in both boards. ‘It will be noticed that the design does not include any indented border on the 1° and 2 sides, and that on the 3° a Greek key pattern is used as a border, Also it should be noted that the 1° and 2° sides indicate the E. and230 Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge. the 3° the W. This certainly indicates that the Boards would, when in use, be placed upon the floor of the Lodge and not placed upright or vertical. After a very complete exemination of the copies of Tracing Boards given in Bro. Dring’s paper and of many other published designs I have come to the conclusion that this Triple Board is the work of a local artist and is to a great extent an original design, based, however, upon other known designs. ‘There are certain points in the arrangement of the symbols which coincide with Cole's design, though with a more “pictorial” execution. On the 2° design, the inclusion of an arched bridge with the waterfall is unique. It is this portion which in my first report to Bro. Dring I took to be a Beehive. By the way, it may be useful to point out how universal is the introduc- tion of the symbol of a Key into Tracing Board designs, and in doing so suggest that it should not be taken as being the symbol of money or of the office of Treasurer. Tt is no doubt the symbol of “ Secrecy.”” In regard to the substitution in the 3° design of three Pontalpha in place of three figures 5, this is unique and is in my view a confirmation as to the originality of the artist, who certainly was a Mason and a member of the Lodge In connection with the 3° it may be of interest to record that in 1817 the Lodge purchased the ‘‘Emblems of Mortality’, which it was, and still is, the custom in the Lodge to display on the floor at the N.E. corner of the Lodge during a raising. In the ceremony, after the address to the candidate, the W.M. explains the Tracing Board; then leads the candidate to the Emblems and continues the address. It will be seen that there is a secret allusion by which the candidate ean deduce that as he was received into Freemasonry at the N.E. corner, as his end is symbolized by the Emblems on the same spot Davip Framer ALTER HANCOX (1599).—In a paper on The we of the Word “Freemason” before 1717 (A.Q.C., xlviti, 1935, pp. 140-198) a note is included referring to Walter Hancox (1599), a Freemason (see page 254) In the Times of 22nd Nov:, 1939, page 2, is an article headed Shropshire Seat Sold. It is recorded that Condover Hall was built by Judge Thomas Owen in the last years of the sixteenth century. Judge Owen's monument is in Condover Church. He was a Justice of the Common Pleas, and his Tomb in Westminster Abbey was designed by Walter Hancock, who had supervised the building of Condover Hall. In the volume on Westminster Abbey. issued by the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England) references are made to the Tomb in Westminster Abbey. At page 56 is a key plan of South Aisle of Nave, E. half, which shows the position of that Tomb. On page 57a this is printed :— “(5) [Monument] of Thomas Owen, 1598, justice of the Common Pleas, combined altar:tomb and wall-monument, ulmost uniform with monument (19) in N. Aisle but without the recess in the front. ‘The effigy is in judicial robes.”” ‘These particulars supplement the record in the Transactions and seem worthy of noting. Ww. Ww ams.