FREEMASONS AND THE ROYAL SOCIETY Alphabetical List of ...

Fellows of the Royal Society who are or were Freemasons, listed alphabetically
Twice married, he died at The Maples, and was bur in St Boniface’s Churchyard, Bonchurch, under an immense
obelisk tomb near the gate. 315
Initiated, 28 Mar 1835, St Mary’s L. No. 76, now No. 63, London, remaining a member until the end of 1839.
Joined 2 London Ls.: Dec 1836, L. of Amity No. 200, now No. 171, WM 1839; 21 Jun 1839, Prince of Wales’s L.
No. 324, now No. 259, WM, 1854; GStwd, 1842, representing Prince of Wales’s L. 316
Exalted into RA Msonry, 3 Jun 1836, Prince of Wales’s Chapter No. 324, now No. 259. Joined, aged 36, 20 Jan
1837, Chapter of Fidelity No. 3, London, but he never became 1stPrinc of either Chapter.
Installed, 16 Dec 1836, as KT in Cross of Christ Encampment, now Preceptory of St George No. 6, London.
Joined, 1838, Faith and Fidelity Preceptory No. 26; PGCapt of Lines, 1847, GConclave, now Gt Priory.
Perfected, 5 May 1837, into Rose Croix Masonry and took Ne Plus Ultra, in Cross of Christ Encampment.
Elected to Supreme Council 33°, A & A R, Apr 1846; GMC 1846; LtGCdr, 1850–51; SovGCdr, 1851–68. From a
well-known source, 317 the following is an extract:
We quote from a letter of the late Ill. Bro. Dr. Henry Beaumont Leeson, the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme
Council of England and Wales and their Dependencies, to the Grand Commander of the Southern Supreme Council of the
United States, written at London in 1860, in which he says: “Our own Council is now in a flourishing condition, nearly all
of the elite of Masonry in England being ranged under our banners; although we are distinct from Grand L., who
acknowledge only the first 3 degrees, and the Royal Arch, and Grand Conclave, governing the Knights Templars. These
two last degrees are in this country, perfectly different and distinct from any of the Ancient and Accepted Degrees, and of
very modern origin, neither having existed previous to the middle of the last century. The Knt Templar Degree was
concocted in France and I possess the actual Minutes and other records of the French Convent. The Royal Arch
(Dermott’s) was concocted by Ramsay, and modernized by a Chaplain (G. Brown [sic; recte: The Revd George Adam
Browne] 318 ) of the late Duke of Sussex.” (Grand Master.)
Lemon, Charles, MP, FRS [23 May 1822], later [11 Dec 1824] Sir Charles, 2 nd and last Bt (30 Sep 1784–13 Feb
1868), of Carclew, Cornwall, and 30 Albemarle Street, London, W, 3 rd and only surviving son of Sir William Lemon,
1 st Bt (†1824), MP, Penryn, later of Cornwall for fifty years, becoming Father of the HC, whose title had been
created, 24 May 1774.
His paternal great-grandfather, William Lemon, had a wide experience and ‘to whose knowledge of mining and
spirited exertions, the working of the Cornish mines may, in great measure, be attributed’, 319 and Charles was later
described as a man ‘ who had inherited the liberal principles of his father as well as his fortune’, which had been
developed through the mining and commercial ventures of his ancestors. 320 MP: Penryn, Cornwall, 1809–12 and
1830–31; Cornwall, 1831–32; West Cornwall, 1832–41 and 1842–57. DL, Cornwall and Special Dep Warden of the
Stannaries.
2nd Pres, 1836–38, embryo Royal Statistical Socy. Member, Committee of Management, South Western Railway,
1836. Pres: Royal Geological Socy of Cornwall, 1840–56; Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Socy from foundation until
his death; and Falmouth Board of Guardians, 1837 until his death. A Mining School for Cornwall, which he
sponsored, was opened at Truro, 1839.
Although he married, 5 Dec 1810, to Charlotte Anne Fox-Strangways (†1826), 4 th dau of Henry Thomas Fox-
Strangways, 2 nd Earl of Ilchester (1747–1802), he left no surviving issue, for his last remaining child, Charles
William, had unfortunately been drowned while bathing at Harrow, 18 Apr 1826, aged 12, a son and a daughter
having also died young, so that on his death the Btcy expired. At his funeral there were 65 carriages in the procession
in the 4 miles between Carclew and Mulor Church, and he was bur beside his wife in the Carclew aisle.
Initiated, 1840, L. of Love and Honour No. 89, now No. 75, Falmouth, SW, 1842, WM, 1843. Described as ‘A
distinguished member of the masonic fraternity’. 5 th ProvGM, Cornwall, 26 Jan 1843, being installed at Falmouth,
Apr 1844, by Bro John Ellis, when the St Aubyn Vase was used during the ceremony; resignrd 1863.
316
But never joined the GStwds’ L.
317
Albert G. Mackey 33°, The History of Freemasonry Vol. 7, Part 4 – Symbolism of Freemasonry [Internet website: http://www.phoenix
masonry.org/mackeys_history_volume_7.htm]
318
Fellow, Trinity Coll, Cambridge. SGD, UGLE, 1814–16; GChap, UGLE, 1814–17, ProvGM, Cambridgeshire, 1825–43; GSupt,
Cambridgeshire, 10 May 1810–43; GOrator, SCGE, May 1813–43. Appointed to a Committee by SGCE, Feb 1834, together with the 3 GPrins
[The Duke of Sussex, Lawrence, 2 nd Lord Dundas (later [1838] 1 st Earl of Zetland), and John Ramsbottom, MP] and 5 other ‘distinguished
companions’, to take into consideration the ceremonies for the Installation of Prins as well as various other ceremonies of the Order. The
Committee duly reported to SGCE, Nov 1834, the result of their labours. A special Chapter of Promulgation was convened on 4 Feb 1835, for 6
months only, to demonstrate the new ritual and to ensure uniformity of practice throughout the Order. The standardized ritual is often referred to as
the Sussex ritual and still compares favourably with the various modern rituals, such as ‘Perfect’, ‘Complete’, ‘Aldersgate’, ‘Standard’, Domatic’,
&c [Bermard E. Jones (rev. Harry Carr and A. R. Hewitt), Freemasons’ Book of the Royal Arch (London: Harrap: 1957; reprinted 1965; reprinted
with corrections 1969, 1970; reprinted 1972, 1975), 170–1].
319
BP, 1867, 676.
320
Thread of Gold: Celebrating the unbroken history of 2540 years of Freemasonry in the Province of Cornwall, 1752–2002, 32.
72