On 12th December, 1845, we have another letter from Samuel L. Corrigan, on which the seal is done with printer's ink. This is the first instance in which we have noticed the use of ink for this purpose. The impression is certainly an improvement on the smoke which was then generally used. It looks as fresh and clear to-day as if it had been affixed to the document yesterday, "Shall we give Samuel L. Corrigan of Belfast, credit for pointing the way to the rubber stamp and graph ink in use at the present day? Perhaps we may be allowed to defer answering meantime.
On 3rd March, 1846, James Hadden, Master of No. 2 Killyman, wrote to Grand Lodge thus:--
On 14th April, 1846, Brother William Black (Master) and other fifteen members of No. 28, received permission to revive the dormant Warrant, No. 27, in Belfast. This was owing to a dispute with Brother Irvine, Past Master of No. 28, who kept the warrant in his own possession and refused to give it up to the lodge. When he learned that No. 27 had been revived by the members of No. 28, he called on Brother Black and gave up the Warrant, which was duly returned to Grand Lodge. On 26th may, 1846, Brother Black informs us that he visited No. I. Tanderagee, on the 8th inst. On 7th July, 1856, a second Warrant was granted for Tanderagee. The number is not stated. This is the last we hear of George Whitten, Deputy Grand Master, and the Companions in Tanderagee. In this letter Brother Black refers to the time John Darby went away; by and bye we will find where he went to.
On 28th March, 1849, we find No. 2, working in Dublin. Their seal bears the words "Royal Black Lodge, of K. T. No. 2." On the date mentioned they forwarded an application for a Warrant on behalf of seven members of their lodge. The letter is signed "Henry Pollock, Master; John Moore, D. Master." In the body of the letter we have the following:--
On 22nd April we have Brother Cooper's acknowledgement of the receipt of the Warrant (No. I). The old Warrant and seal, the latter in pieces, were duly returned to Grand Lodge. On 25th April we have a letter from John Montgomery, D.M. of No. I, in which we are informed that
"ROBERT BLAIR, G.M.
ANDREW KEATING, D.G.M.
ROBERT STANTON, H.P.
RICHARD HALL, G.T.
JAMES SIMPSON, G.S.
THOMAS HERRON, G.P.M."
We are not so very particular about the lineal measurements, complexion, and colour of hair of our members now-a-days. We consider we have done our duty when we have given particular attention to their moral character and religious profession before admitting them into our Order, but we must confess that we pay no attention as to whether they are big or little, dark or fresh, and it is all the same to us whether their hair be black, white, blue, or yellow, or even drab; in that respect our mottos is "let em all come." But we suppose that Brother Pollock lived in the good old times when things were as they ought to be.
In this letter we have our first reference to the actual existence of the body now known as the Grand Black Chapter of Ireland, and a set of more deliberate liars it would be difficult to find anywhere. Bro. Pollock mentions T. John Johnston, Secretary of No. 55, upbraiding him for applying to Scotland for a Warrant and speaking rather disparagingly about the Grand Lodge of Scotland. He then goes on to say that--
We have gone into considerable detail in the foregoing Irish correspondence for the purpose of throwing as much light as possible on the state of the Order in Ireland prior to the formation of the Black Chapter, and we might be pardoned if we attempted to summarise the whole matter.
That the Order in Ireland has passed through a series of metamorphosis is made painfully plain. As previously stated the early connection with the Orange Institution is fully revealed. We have the "Grand Black Lodge of Orangemen" in 1814, the "Loyal Orange Association (new system): in 1816, and we have positive proof of the existence of the second Grand Lodge (the one instituted in 1643) in 1822, when they issued Warrant No. 16. How long it existed after this date we don't know, but it appears to have been dormant in 1825. Warrants not being obtainable at that date they had resource to the rather doubtful expedient of writing duplicates of Warrants held by those to whom they had been issued. These they used as Warrants under which men were initiated, in many cases "without obligation or cost."
In 1834 the Grand Lodge of Scotland began to issue Warrants to Ireland. In 1844 the Grand Lodge of Ireland was resuscitated; this we will designate as Grand Lodge No. 3 of Ireland. Evidently Bro. O'Hara took a leading part in the resuscitation, but they appear never to have succeeded in gathering together the scattered fragments. In 1846 an agitation was commenced for the formation of a Grand Lodge that would unite all parties in the country: and looking back at their efforts from this distant date, we cannot but feel confident that had they acted honourably toward the Grand Lodge of Scotland, they would have succeeded equally as well as they otherwise did, and we would now have been one body, each Grand Lodge governing its own kingdom, whilst the members of each would have been united in the closest fraternity. To that act of fatuity mentioned in Bro. Pollock's letter of 11th May, 1849, we must ascribe our present divided and unsatisfactory condition. It is scarcely creditable that any body of men could pass such a resolution, yet there it is and there it still remains. A self-appointed body of men assembled at Arnagh, in 1849, not one of whom had received their degrees from the Grand Black Chapter of Ireland--for the simple reason it was then non-existent. Proceed, first--to constitute a Grand Lodge, afterwards called the Grand Black Chapter of Ireland without even consulting the Parent, or any other body, and therefore without authority of any kind; second--to excommunicate both the Parent Grand Lodge in Scotland, and its legitimate off-spring then working in Ireland. "No existing body or association professing to be of the Black Order can be recognised or countenanced as such, which is not within the pale of our communion, or not sitting under a Warrant of authority from the Grand Black Lodge."--The Black Chapter of course. One wonders how on earth they could "recognise or countenance" one another, seeing that none of them had any authority from the Grand Black Lodge, then existing, and not one of them had received a single degree within the pale of the communion of the Black Chapter. One thing worthy of notice is, that even in this most ridiculous resolution, they acknowledge the "existence of other bodies or associations professing to be of the Black Order." "Professing to be!" What arrogance! Who were the professors; those who held authority in an unbroken record from the year 1048, or those who arrogated to themselves authority in 1849? We leave our readers to judge for themselves. We simply claim that our Order was 801 years old when this illegitimate off-spring took to itself an existence, which has been a veritable bone of contention ever since, and that when they passed this absurd resolution even their assumed authority was scarce an hour hold. Professors indeed! Yes, there are those who profess to have authority and have none.
That some kind of constitutional authority was required in Ireland at this time will be admitted by all fair-minded men, but we cannot believe that unconstitutional methods are the best means of consolidating constitutional authority. The new organization discarded the degree of Knights of Malta; a degree which was most certainly conferred by Grand Lodge No. 2 of Ireland, from which the Black Chapter undoubtedly descended. From their code of rules we have already quoted the following:--"Whereas our Christian forefathers, the Knights of Malta, etc."
On Thursday, 11th April, 1850, Grand Lodge No. 3 met in Dublin. Amongst other business there was the report of a previously appointed committee to enquire into the status of the body calling itself the Grand Black Chapter of Ireland, and in their report they do not hesitate to describe it as "self-constituted" and "spurious." They say "the Chapter is entitled to some respect, but when it travels beyond its sphere of duty to attack an Order venerable for its antiquity, and esteemed for its scripturality, it cannot murmur if according to the laws of chivalry and just reprisal we presume respectfully to examine the quarters of its shield." In reference to their own origin they assert that "the Order never was dissolved, and we hold the chain of transmission which is perfect in all its links." In acknowledging their Scottish origin, they ask "what nobler ancestry than the Scottish Reformers and the French Protestants of the world furnish?" Unfortunately, this is the last we hear of Grand Lodge No. 3. When it actually succumbed we know not, but it has long since disappeared.
It is not our purpose here to write the history of the Black Chapter. The late Bro. William Johnston, M.P. (Of Ballykilbeg) was elected as their Grand Master (according to his own statement) in 1855, and he held that office until his death, 17th July, 1902. His successor has not been elected at the time of going to press.
We agree with Grand Lodge No. 3 of Ireland--"The Chapter is entitled to some respect"--but we arrive at that conclusion by viewing it from a different standpoint. Whatever their origin was, something was necessary. Grand Lodge No. 3 was in our opinion a feeble, half-hearted concern, that had spent five years of valuable time without having done anything worthy of notice in the way of consolidating the Order in Ireland; and the Imperial Grand was handicapped by nationality, and therefore unable to carry out the task of consolidation. "Desperate diseases require drastic remedies" and desperate is an inadequate description of the state of the Order in Ireland at that time. The Chapter as they call it has succeeded in bringing order out of chaos, and we respect them for it. Our only regret is that they thought it necessary to renounce the Parent that gave them birth, and the ancient title of Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. They have assumed the title of "Ancient Black Knights of Ireland," but as we are convinced that the search would be a fruitless one, we do not recommend our readers to take the trouble of searching the ancient history of Ireland for these so-called "Ancient Black Knights of Ireland." They were unknown to the Ancients. History knows nothing of such a Knighthood; it is a bogus title and a very modern one; and as if to add the last straw to the patient camel's load of absurdities, they have the bare-faced impertinence to style their chief officer the "Sovereign Grand Master."
Seeing there is apparently something ancient about the concern, we may be pardoned for asking who were the late Bro. Johnston's predecessors in office as Sovereign Grand Master? From what Sovereign body did their receive their Sovereign authority?
Who was the duly qualified and legally appointed installing officer, who transmitted to them this Sovereign office?
From what Constitution, or Language, did he hold his commission? To each and all of these questions there is only one answer possible, and that answer--nobody.
We might also ask "How ancient are the Black Knights of Ireland, and in what ancient history can we find mention of them? As a matter of fact the only ancient thing about the whole business is their orthography of "antient." Much has been said and written about a reconciliation of the two bodies, i.e, the Imperial Parent Grand Black Encampment of the Universe and the Grand Black Chapter of Ireland, but so far as we have noticed, no feasible scheme has been put forward; nor do we believe a reunion possible at the present time, but we would suggest as a basis of reunion at a future time, that both parties return to the state of affairs which existed immediately prior to the formation of the Black Chapter--minus the chaos. We desire order, and would be the last to suggest anything that would disturb it. We feel assured that on this basis a reunion honourable to both parties could be brought about, and an end put to the unseemly rivalry at present existing, which is certainly detrimental to both. We leave the matter ad referendum.
The Grand Lodge of Scotland continued to shed the light of our ancient order in Ireland, and an application from the companions of Dublin, for a Provincial Grand Warrant was read at the meeting of Grand Lodge, on 20th June, 1861, Sir Charles Lusk O'Brien to be the first P.G.M. The granting of the Warrant was sanctioned, but the order appears not to have been executed till 16th December, 1861, when the Grand Master, Sir Henry Marshall, and the D.G.M., Sir Adam Thompson, went to Dublin and installed the Provincial Grand Lodge, with Sir George Hall as Provincial Grand Master. We have before us Warrant No. I issued by the Provincial, it is dated 11th June, 1863. A renewal of the Provincial Warrant was granted on the 2nd December, 1866. This Warrant we also have before us.
The Provincial Grand Lodge of Ulster was granted to William Stewart of Belfast, on the 28th September, 1867. These were superseded on the 20th June, 1874, when a Kingdom Warrant was granted to James Ledgerwood of Belfast. Thus commenced the Grand Black Lodge of Knights of Malta in Ireland, being the fourth legitimate Grand Lodge which has been established in that island. We are pleased to note that it continues in a healthy condition, and that the chapter has so far been unable to crush out of existence the legitimate off-spring of the Parent Grand Lodge, and that there are still a goodly number of men in Ireland who are not ashamed of our ancient designation--the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, otherwise Knights of Malta. During the year 1901, Companion Ledgerwood was stricken with ill health, and at the annual meeting of the Grand Encampment of Ireland, in 1902, Sir John Stuart was elected Grand Master.