FREEMASONS AND THE ROYAL SOCIETY Alphabetical List of ...

Fellows of the Royal Society who are or were Freemasons, listed alphabetically
Member 1730, unnamed L. No. 63, at Three Kings, Spitalfields, London, 51 now St George’s and Corner Stone L.
No. 5.
Brandenburg-Ansbach 52 (3 Aug 1757) and Bayreuth (1769), HSH (Christian Frederick) Charles Alexander, 53
Margrave of, FRS [10 Feb 1780] (24 Feb 1736–5 Jan 1806), 54 younger, but only surviving, son of Charles, Margrave
of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1712–1757), and his wife, Frederica Louise (1714–1784), 55 2 nd dau of Frederick William I,
King of Prussia, 1713–40 (1688–1740) and his wife, Sophia Dorothea (1687–1757), dau of George I, King of Great
Britain, 1714–27 (1660–1727).
Married twice: (1), 22 Nov 1754, Frederica Caroline (24 Jun 1735–18 Feb 1791), 4 th and youngest, but younger
surviving, dau of Francis Josias, Duke of Saxony-Coburg-Saalfeld (25 Oct 1697–16 Sep 1764); (2) 30 Oct 1791, as
her 2 nd husband, Elizabeth (17 Dec 1750–13 Jan 1828), elder dau of Augustus Berkeley, 4 th Earl of Berkeley, KT
(1716–1755), and widow of William Craven, 6 th Baron Craven (11 Sep 1738–26 Sep 1791), and they had, with other
issue, 2 sons and 2 daus.
Initiated, 1754; in 1766 signed the Act of Strict Observance in favour of unknown superiors. 56 After 1769,
transferred the L. Zur Sonne from Bayreuth to Ansbach.
Bree, Robert FRS [11 Feb 1808] (13 Sep 1758–6 Oct 1839), physician.
Baptized in Solihull, the eldest of 9 children of Robert Bree, a surgeon apothecary. Educ at school in Coventry,
Univ Coll, Oxford, and then studied medicine at Edinburgh. Established his practice in Leicester where he was Chmn
of the Govrs of Leicester Infirmary. One of 4 honorary physicians at Birmingham Gen Hospital, 1801–06. In 1806
moved to London where he attended The Duke of Sussex, a fellow asthmatic.
Joined, 22 May 1806, Shakespear L. No. 99, London, from an unknown L., resigning 23 Feb 1809.
Bridges, John, FRS [7 Apr 1708], FSA [1718; V-PSA 1723 & 1724] (1666–16 Mar 1724), Northamptonshire-born
county historian, enthusiastic antiquary and topographer.
Educ at Trinity Coll, Oxford, 1683–4, but left without taking a degree; admitted, 23 April 1684, to the Middle
Temple and called to the Bar, 22 May 1691; moved to Lincoln’s Inn, 1716, Bencher, 1719, his address being 6 New
Square. On 8 Aug 1605 became Agent and Solicitor to the Customs; from 11 Jan 1711, Commissioner of Customs
and 24 Nov 1714 to 14 Nov 1715, Receiver-Gen of Excise. Inherited the Barton Seagrave Estate on the death of his
father, 1712, so from 1713 had both a London and a Northamptonshire house. The Barton Estate brought in £460 a
year, enough to make him financially independent and able to resign from a position he found increasingly onerous.
In 1712 and 1715 voted on the Council of the RS. Collected fine books and in the summer 1718 engaged in serious
study into the history of Northamptonshire.
When he died at Lincoln’s Inn, the 49 volumes and portfolios of notes and transcripts for the History together with
plans and drawings were to be kept by his eldest brother, William Bridges, but it was not until 1735 that the project
was revived, but with many problems, the work did not appear until 1791, but was still the only complete history of
the county to have been published by the end of the twentieth century.
Ostensibly, member of L. at Bear and Harrow, Butcher Row, Temple Bar, London; 57 but none of the 3 Ls. listed
as meeting there 58 was formed before 1730, 6 years after his death.
Bridgman, William, FRS [15 Mar 1821] (c.1764–6 Dec 1847), of Bishopsgate Street, gentleman.
Initiated 6 Mar 1787, London L. No. 163, now No. 108. Joined 2 London Ls.: 25 May 1792, aged 28, of St Mary
Axe, Merchant, Prince of Wales’s L. No. 503, now No. 259, WM 1795; and 1796, Grand Stewards’ L., resigning
1798; GStwd, 11 May 1796, representing his mother L. 59
51
Warranted or constituted 26 Feb or 25 Mar 1730, named 1773 Corner Stone L.; after amalgamation, 6 Dec 1843, with St George’s L. No. 5
(No. 3, AGL, of 2 Aug 1756) [Lane, 35].
52
As given in Isenburg, Wilhelm Karl Prinz von (compiler), Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten (Europäische
Stammtafeln) (2 vols.) (Verlag von J.A. Stargardt, Marburg, 1960) – cited as Stammtafeln, Vol. I, Table 66, and the RS’s List of Fellows on its
website, but as Anspach in William R. Denslow’s 10,000 Famous Freemasons – cited as Denslow.
53
Denslow, Vol. II, 5, gives him the Christian names of Karl Wilhelm Friedrich, anglicized as Charles William Frederick; Stammtafeln, Vol. I,
Table 66, gives Karl Alexander (Charles Alexander), whereas the RS’s List of Fellows on its website quotes them Christian Friedrich Karl
Alexander (Christian Frederick Charles Alexander), from which one could deduce that the last was his full name, but that he was usually known by
the last two only. If William was indeed one of his names, then it may generally have been ignored, though Denslow has transposed Frederick and
Charles and may perhaps be regarded as the least reliable of the 3 sources quoted, though provided the Masonic background.
54
Included in Denslow.
55
2nd sister of Frederick II (‘The Great’), King of Prussia (1740–86) (1712–86), who was a Freemason, composer and musician.
56
As did HSH Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, KG (1721–1792), the victor of the Battles of Crefeld in 1757 and Minden in 1759,
who had been initiated 21 Dec 1740 in the L. of the Three Globes, his Proposer being his brother-in-law Prince (Augustus) William of Prussia.
Became a Master Mason in Breslau, 1743 and ‘Protektor of the L. St Charles of the indissoluble Fraternity in Brunswick’, 1764. Appointed
ProvGM, Brunswick, by the PGL, his Patent being dated 5 Jul 1768. The Provincial Grand L. was never erected, for whilst the Patent was on the
way, he closed all 3 Ls. under his jurisdiction and constituted new ones in their stead. Probably before the end of 1770, but perhaps in Jan 1771, the
Duke had signed the Act of the Strict Observance.
57
As recorded in Clarke, 117, 118, and Stewart, 146, 166
58 Lane, 54, 56, 64 & 494.
59 Dyer, 95, and list of pre-1815 [G]Stwds.
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