The Albury MS. THE AMALGAMATED GUILD OF ... - RoseCroix.org.au

denomination of "Ancient Masons," but afterwards called the "York
Masons," while their opponents termed them "Modern Masons."
Consequently on the 24th of June, 1742, an order was made by Grand
Lodge forbidding the printing of proceedings or the names of persons
present at Grand Lodge, without order of the Grand Master (Lord
Ward, of Birmingham, holding that office), under pain of
excommunication and incapacity for office, and three lodges were
erased for not sending representatives.
On the 20th of March, 1755, at a Grand Lodge held under the
presidency of Manningham, the question between the two branches of
Masons was discussed by an assembly of sixty lodges, when it was
resolved that the so-called "Ancient Masons" should be discouraged,
and on the 24th of July following, it was resolved that the lodge 94,
meeting at the Ben Jonson's Head, in Pelham Street, Spitalfields,
should be erased and the brethren excommunicated. The war thus
declared, raged with intensity. In 1777 these excommunicate Masons
appear to have again attracted attention, and a still stronger minute
passed with reference to these Masons described as under the
protection. The feud continued until 1790, when, by arrangement, the
Duke of Kent became Grand Master of the excommunicate Masons,
and the Duke of Sussex of the legitimate branch. Articles of union
were drawn up, the two Royal Grand Masters sitting on either side of
the throne. The articles were then signed by either on behalf of the
bodies they respectively represented; and being received by
acclamation, the Duke of Kent resigned the Grand Mastership of the
Ancient Masons, and the Duke of Sussex was installed Grand Master of
the united body. This was termed the Lodge of Reconciliation.
After declaring that pure and ancient masonry consisted of three
degrees and no more, including the Royal Arch, the following proviso is
appended:-"But this article is not intended to prevent any lodge or
chapter from holding a meeting in any of the degrees of the orders of
chivalry according to the constitution of the said orders." This article,
therefore, is antagonistic to the assumption of the title or prefix
masonic, which is confined to the three above-mentioned degrees; at
the same time it implies that a masonic qualification is required for
such orders.
The quotation above given does not appear in the printed book of the
constitutions of Grand Lodge, and is said to have been omitted by the
influence of the Grand Master, who being a Unitarian was anxious to
ignore the Trinitarian element of the Temple and of the Rose Croix
degrees, and having become the head of all the degrees, used his