Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants
by V.W.Bro. R. E. Parkinson, reproduced from The Lodge of Research Transactions, 1949-1957, pages 119-141, published 1959.
The actual paper only runs to some five pages, which can be found below this introduction, with the remainder comprising of a list of all the Travelling Warrants and there respective Regiments. The information given by Bro. Parkinson in regard to each Warrant is comprehensive and can be found in the .pdf copy of the paper which can be accessed by the "link" at the bottom of the page. [The footnotes have been added by Irish masonic history]
The actual paper only runs to some five pages, which can be found below this introduction, with the remainder comprising of a list of all the Travelling Warrants and there respective Regiments. The information given by Bro. Parkinson in regard to each Warrant is comprehensive and can be found in the .pdf copy of the paper which can be accessed by the "link" at the bottom of the page. [The footnotes have been added by Irish masonic history]
Many of us know by experience that war consists of long periods of boredom, interspersed by brief intervals of intense excitement and terror. Little wonder then, that, two hundred years ago, long before N.A.A.F.I. or E.N.S.A. had been dreamt of, the practice of Freemasonry solaced the soldier in out-of-the-way stations, and its principles lifted him above the weariness, and even sordidness of his lot. Within the lifetime of many of us, for a large section of the population, to" 'list for a soldier" was the last disgrace a lad could inflict on his family. Two world wars, when the bulk of the fit population was called upon to serve in the fighting forces have proved that the Queen's coat is not the badge of the failure, the ne'er-do-well or the blackguard.
It is not too much to claim that the work of the Military Lodges played some part in tempering the regiments of the British Army into the incomparable weapon they were, and are. Once within the portals of the Regimental Lodge, where all external distinctions of rank were laid aside, a man's self respect was fostered, and a mutual regard and even affection was encouraged between officer and man which built up the esprit de corps, the pride of every Regiment.
It was the Irish invention of the Warrant, which made the erection of travelling Lodges possible. There is little doubt that, to the soldier mason the Warrant of his Lodge held a place in his heart, second only to The Colours. The first of all, was one, later numbered 11, granted by the Grand Lodge of Ireland to the First Battalion, The Royal Scots(1), 7th November, 1732. The first issue by Scotland was in 1747, to the Duke of Norfolk's Lodge in the 12th Foot and in England, no regimental Lodge was warranted by either Modern or Ancient till 1755. Little wonder, then, that Ireland issued altogether more than two hundred Regimental Warrants, more than the combined total under the various Grand Lodges of England and Scotland.
But there were other reasons as well as the glamour of the Warrant, and being first in the field. During the century and a quarter between the Boyne and Waterloo, England was at war for more than half the time, and the uneasy intervals of peace were marked by shifting alliances, and hasty re-armament. Thus, for the whole of this period, it was a strategic necessity to maintain a strong garrison in Ireland, where, too, there was no lack of excellent recruits. In the days of sail, an invading force could not only establish a bridgehead, but could very well go far to overrunning the country before an expeditionary force could be assembled in England, while the transports might very well be held up for days and even weeks by adverse winds. It is often ignored that the Scottish resistance to William fizzled out after Killicrankie, with the death of Bonnie Dundee in the very moment of victory, while the Irish Jacobites fought on for over two years more till the Capitulation of Limerick.
It is one of the puzzles of history why Louis XIV failed to exploit the victory of his fleet under de Tourville off Beachy Head, 30th June, 1690, when the combined Dutch and English fleets were routed, leaving England wide open to invasion. The best of the English troops were in Ireland, leaving less than 10,000 men - many of doubtful loyalty to the new regime, while Louis had 20,000 mobilised and ready to embark - including a strong force of Irish. There is little doubt that had Louis seized the opportunity of invading, and blockading William in Ireland, the course of history would have been very different. William appreciated the situation accurately, and left Ireland again in September, having been less than three months in the country altogether.
Thus, there is hardly a unit of the British Army which has not served in Ireland, some for many years. They came in contact with the local Lodges, some formed Lodges of their own, and on the outbreak of each war, we find a spate of regimental Warrants issued as the units proceeded overseas.
When the South Down Militia returned from South Africa in 1902, several of the Masons of the Regiment resolved that when next they went to war, they would take a Regimental Warrant with them. So times had not changed so much since Lieut. Knox of the 43rd (Monmouths) wrote from Nova Scotia in 1758 "...the time passes very wearily, and when the calendar does not furnish us with a loyal excuse for assembling in the evening, we have recourse to a Freemason's Lodge, where we work so hard it is inconceivable to think what a quantity of business of great importance is transacted in a very short space of time".
The South Downs never again went to war as a unit, but one of them was Founding Master of 420 in the 16th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles, which laboured in Ireland, England, and in Flanders within the very range of the German artillery, during the 1914-18 War.
Smith's List, in his " Pocket Companion " of 1735 includes, as well as No. 11 in the Royal Scots, four other Military Warrants, including No. 23 in Colonel Hamilton's Regiment, better known to us as the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, issued some time in 1733. On the outbreak of the " War of Jenkin's Ear" in 1739, the regiment was sent to Porto Bello and the Isthmus of Darien, six hundred strong; only nine returned, and in 1744 the Regiment was beating up for recruits in Yorkshire. Little wonder that nothing is known of Lodge 23, though it was not formally erased till 1801. Masonic enthusiasm was not dead in the Regiment, however, as in 1750, No. 205 was granted to them, but it was, in about 1785 transferred to the 35th Foot, now the 1st Battalion The Royal Sussex. Actually, an Irish regiment, raised in and around Belfast by the Earl of Donegall in 1701, it was named the " Sussex " in 1782. The Warrant was transferred to Moy, County Tyrone in 1790, doubtless left behind when the Regiment once more marched away to war.
No. 35, in Major General Price's Regiment, was issued some time between April and November, 1734. General Price, of Saintfield, County Down, succeeded Brigadier Barrell as Colonel, 25th August, 1730, and was succeeded by Philip Bragg, 10th October, 1734. The Regiment had served in Ireland from 1719 till 1743. So, service in Ireland, and an Irish commanding officer, explains why the regiment, nowadays the 1st Gloucesters, took out an Irish Warrant.
The explanation in the case of the 17th Leicesters, who were in garrison in Minorca 1723-1748, and who received No. 136 in 1743, is not clear. Possibly another unit in the garrison had an Irish Warrant, or some member of the regiment was an Irish mason. This was certainly the case of No. 714, 1st April, 1790 to the 68th Foot (1st D.L.I.) where the first Junior Warden was Henry Charles Sirr.
It is surprising to find the famous Black Watch receiving its first Warrant from Ireland, No. 195, 24th June, 1749, but it served in this country, 1747-54.
The 5th Dragoons were formed from the Enniskillen Forces by William III in 1689 as Heavy Dragoons; two Warrants were issued in rapid succession, 289, 1st November, 1757, and 297, 6th July, 1758, possibly to different squadrons. Four names only are registered under 289, in 1783, but 168 under 297. Although the Regiment was disbanded in 1799, No. 289 was transferred to the Antrim Militia, 1st December, 1796, but No. 297 was not cancelled till 2nd July, 1818! The Seton trouble, and the difficulty of keeping in touch with Military Lodges during the Napoleonic Wars may account for the delay. A new regiment of cavalry was raised in 1858, as the 5th Royal Irish Lancers; took out Warrant No. 595, 5th June, 1914: in the rush of mobilisation the Masonic equipment was left behind, but was taken out to France later, where Masonic labour was carried on. Fifty members were registered when the Warrant was surrendered, March, 1922.
A regiment of Light Dragoons was raised in Ireland in 1759 by the Marquis of Drogheda, and numbered 19th— changed to 18th in 1763 at the end of the Seven Years War. Two Warrants were granted to this Regiment, 2nd December, 1762, 388 to the 1st Squadron, and 389 to the 2nd. The first registered 41 members up to 1791, and was cancelled in 1813, while the second lasted till the Regiment was disbanded in 1821. registering 164 members. The present 18th (Queen Mary's Own) Royal Hussars was raised in 1858—and took over the battle honours won by the Marquis of Drogheda's!
The 8th Dragoons was raised in Ireland in 1693, became the King's Royal Irish Light Dragoons in 1776, and in 1822 was numbered 8; Warrant No. 280 was granted to them in 1757 and cancelled in 1815. Today, the Regiment has a flourishing Lodge No. 646, constituted in Freemasons' Hall, Farnborough, England, 13th May, 1932, by Lord Donoughmore, Grand Master, and the Grand Lodge of Ireland - the only occasion on record on which the Grand Lodge has met within the territory of England. The Regiment has also a Royal Arch Chapter, warranted in 1933.
Curiously enough, there is no record of an Irish Lodge in the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons, but it held, at different times, Warrants from both Grand Lodges of England, and one from the Grand Lodge of All England at York. This Regiment is now linked with the 5th Princess Charlotte of Wales' Dragoon Guards as the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. Raised as the 7th Horse in 1685, during Monmouth's Rebellion, their facings were changed in 1714 from buff to green, hence the "Green Horse"; placed on the Irish Establishment in 1746. it was known as the 2nd Irish or Green Horse; it received Warrant 277 in 1757, which was transferred to Cork in 1783: No. 570 in 1780, which, after many vicissitudes, and periods of dormancy, still labours zealously in the Regiment at this day, now the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.
Many units were raised to meet the need for expansion of the army during wars - to be disbanded with the usual indecent haste on the conclusion of peace. Thus, a Regiment numbered 77 was raised in 1775 at the cost of the Duke of Atholl, and known as the 77th (Highland) Regiment of Foot, or Atholl Highlanders: its service was confined to Ireland, and it was disbanded at Berwick-on-Tweed in 1783. So, although the Duke was at the time Grand Master of the "Antients", the Regiment took out Warrant No. 578 from the Grand Lodge of Ireland, 5th October, 1780 and it was not formally cancelled till 1818! A second battalion of the 66th was formed at Gosport in 1803, and sent to Ireland; sent to Portugal in 1809, and before leaving took out No. 656 from Seton. The unit was amalgamated with the 1st Battalion at St. Helena in 1817, now the 2nd Royal Berkshires. The Seton issue was not confirmed by Grand Lodge.
Thus, there are many reasons why the Military Lodges under the Grand Lodge of Ireland outnumber those of any other Constitution and the only five still active are borne on our Roll.
We can look back with pride on their record: in spite of a few defaulters, their record as soldiers and Masons is a worthy one. They carried the light of Freemasonry to all quarters of the globe, and with it the distinctive Irish usages. As soldiers, the principles inculcated in their Lodges helped them to endure their lot, always hard and often perilous, like men of probity and zeal.
It is not too much to claim that the work of the Military Lodges played some part in tempering the regiments of the British Army into the incomparable weapon they were, and are. Once within the portals of the Regimental Lodge, where all external distinctions of rank were laid aside, a man's self respect was fostered, and a mutual regard and even affection was encouraged between officer and man which built up the esprit de corps, the pride of every Regiment.
It was the Irish invention of the Warrant, which made the erection of travelling Lodges possible. There is little doubt that, to the soldier mason the Warrant of his Lodge held a place in his heart, second only to The Colours. The first of all, was one, later numbered 11, granted by the Grand Lodge of Ireland to the First Battalion, The Royal Scots(1), 7th November, 1732. The first issue by Scotland was in 1747, to the Duke of Norfolk's Lodge in the 12th Foot and in England, no regimental Lodge was warranted by either Modern or Ancient till 1755. Little wonder, then, that Ireland issued altogether more than two hundred Regimental Warrants, more than the combined total under the various Grand Lodges of England and Scotland.
But there were other reasons as well as the glamour of the Warrant, and being first in the field. During the century and a quarter between the Boyne and Waterloo, England was at war for more than half the time, and the uneasy intervals of peace were marked by shifting alliances, and hasty re-armament. Thus, for the whole of this period, it was a strategic necessity to maintain a strong garrison in Ireland, where, too, there was no lack of excellent recruits. In the days of sail, an invading force could not only establish a bridgehead, but could very well go far to overrunning the country before an expeditionary force could be assembled in England, while the transports might very well be held up for days and even weeks by adverse winds. It is often ignored that the Scottish resistance to William fizzled out after Killicrankie, with the death of Bonnie Dundee in the very moment of victory, while the Irish Jacobites fought on for over two years more till the Capitulation of Limerick.
It is one of the puzzles of history why Louis XIV failed to exploit the victory of his fleet under de Tourville off Beachy Head, 30th June, 1690, when the combined Dutch and English fleets were routed, leaving England wide open to invasion. The best of the English troops were in Ireland, leaving less than 10,000 men - many of doubtful loyalty to the new regime, while Louis had 20,000 mobilised and ready to embark - including a strong force of Irish. There is little doubt that had Louis seized the opportunity of invading, and blockading William in Ireland, the course of history would have been very different. William appreciated the situation accurately, and left Ireland again in September, having been less than three months in the country altogether.
Thus, there is hardly a unit of the British Army which has not served in Ireland, some for many years. They came in contact with the local Lodges, some formed Lodges of their own, and on the outbreak of each war, we find a spate of regimental Warrants issued as the units proceeded overseas.
When the South Down Militia returned from South Africa in 1902, several of the Masons of the Regiment resolved that when next they went to war, they would take a Regimental Warrant with them. So times had not changed so much since Lieut. Knox of the 43rd (Monmouths) wrote from Nova Scotia in 1758 "...the time passes very wearily, and when the calendar does not furnish us with a loyal excuse for assembling in the evening, we have recourse to a Freemason's Lodge, where we work so hard it is inconceivable to think what a quantity of business of great importance is transacted in a very short space of time".
The South Downs never again went to war as a unit, but one of them was Founding Master of 420 in the 16th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles, which laboured in Ireland, England, and in Flanders within the very range of the German artillery, during the 1914-18 War.
Smith's List, in his " Pocket Companion " of 1735 includes, as well as No. 11 in the Royal Scots, four other Military Warrants, including No. 23 in Colonel Hamilton's Regiment, better known to us as the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, issued some time in 1733. On the outbreak of the " War of Jenkin's Ear" in 1739, the regiment was sent to Porto Bello and the Isthmus of Darien, six hundred strong; only nine returned, and in 1744 the Regiment was beating up for recruits in Yorkshire. Little wonder that nothing is known of Lodge 23, though it was not formally erased till 1801. Masonic enthusiasm was not dead in the Regiment, however, as in 1750, No. 205 was granted to them, but it was, in about 1785 transferred to the 35th Foot, now the 1st Battalion The Royal Sussex. Actually, an Irish regiment, raised in and around Belfast by the Earl of Donegall in 1701, it was named the " Sussex " in 1782. The Warrant was transferred to Moy, County Tyrone in 1790, doubtless left behind when the Regiment once more marched away to war.
No. 35, in Major General Price's Regiment, was issued some time between April and November, 1734. General Price, of Saintfield, County Down, succeeded Brigadier Barrell as Colonel, 25th August, 1730, and was succeeded by Philip Bragg, 10th October, 1734. The Regiment had served in Ireland from 1719 till 1743. So, service in Ireland, and an Irish commanding officer, explains why the regiment, nowadays the 1st Gloucesters, took out an Irish Warrant.
The explanation in the case of the 17th Leicesters, who were in garrison in Minorca 1723-1748, and who received No. 136 in 1743, is not clear. Possibly another unit in the garrison had an Irish Warrant, or some member of the regiment was an Irish mason. This was certainly the case of No. 714, 1st April, 1790 to the 68th Foot (1st D.L.I.) where the first Junior Warden was Henry Charles Sirr.
It is surprising to find the famous Black Watch receiving its first Warrant from Ireland, No. 195, 24th June, 1749, but it served in this country, 1747-54.
The 5th Dragoons were formed from the Enniskillen Forces by William III in 1689 as Heavy Dragoons; two Warrants were issued in rapid succession, 289, 1st November, 1757, and 297, 6th July, 1758, possibly to different squadrons. Four names only are registered under 289, in 1783, but 168 under 297. Although the Regiment was disbanded in 1799, No. 289 was transferred to the Antrim Militia, 1st December, 1796, but No. 297 was not cancelled till 2nd July, 1818! The Seton trouble, and the difficulty of keeping in touch with Military Lodges during the Napoleonic Wars may account for the delay. A new regiment of cavalry was raised in 1858, as the 5th Royal Irish Lancers; took out Warrant No. 595, 5th June, 1914: in the rush of mobilisation the Masonic equipment was left behind, but was taken out to France later, where Masonic labour was carried on. Fifty members were registered when the Warrant was surrendered, March, 1922.
A regiment of Light Dragoons was raised in Ireland in 1759 by the Marquis of Drogheda, and numbered 19th— changed to 18th in 1763 at the end of the Seven Years War. Two Warrants were granted to this Regiment, 2nd December, 1762, 388 to the 1st Squadron, and 389 to the 2nd. The first registered 41 members up to 1791, and was cancelled in 1813, while the second lasted till the Regiment was disbanded in 1821. registering 164 members. The present 18th (Queen Mary's Own) Royal Hussars was raised in 1858—and took over the battle honours won by the Marquis of Drogheda's!
The 8th Dragoons was raised in Ireland in 1693, became the King's Royal Irish Light Dragoons in 1776, and in 1822 was numbered 8; Warrant No. 280 was granted to them in 1757 and cancelled in 1815. Today, the Regiment has a flourishing Lodge No. 646, constituted in Freemasons' Hall, Farnborough, England, 13th May, 1932, by Lord Donoughmore, Grand Master, and the Grand Lodge of Ireland - the only occasion on record on which the Grand Lodge has met within the territory of England. The Regiment has also a Royal Arch Chapter, warranted in 1933.
Curiously enough, there is no record of an Irish Lodge in the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons, but it held, at different times, Warrants from both Grand Lodges of England, and one from the Grand Lodge of All England at York. This Regiment is now linked with the 5th Princess Charlotte of Wales' Dragoon Guards as the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. Raised as the 7th Horse in 1685, during Monmouth's Rebellion, their facings were changed in 1714 from buff to green, hence the "Green Horse"; placed on the Irish Establishment in 1746. it was known as the 2nd Irish or Green Horse; it received Warrant 277 in 1757, which was transferred to Cork in 1783: No. 570 in 1780, which, after many vicissitudes, and periods of dormancy, still labours zealously in the Regiment at this day, now the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.
Many units were raised to meet the need for expansion of the army during wars - to be disbanded with the usual indecent haste on the conclusion of peace. Thus, a Regiment numbered 77 was raised in 1775 at the cost of the Duke of Atholl, and known as the 77th (Highland) Regiment of Foot, or Atholl Highlanders: its service was confined to Ireland, and it was disbanded at Berwick-on-Tweed in 1783. So, although the Duke was at the time Grand Master of the "Antients", the Regiment took out Warrant No. 578 from the Grand Lodge of Ireland, 5th October, 1780 and it was not formally cancelled till 1818! A second battalion of the 66th was formed at Gosport in 1803, and sent to Ireland; sent to Portugal in 1809, and before leaving took out No. 656 from Seton. The unit was amalgamated with the 1st Battalion at St. Helena in 1817, now the 2nd Royal Berkshires. The Seton issue was not confirmed by Grand Lodge.
Thus, there are many reasons why the Military Lodges under the Grand Lodge of Ireland outnumber those of any other Constitution and the only five still active are borne on our Roll.
We can look back with pride on their record: in spite of a few defaulters, their record as soldiers and Masons is a worthy one. They carried the light of Freemasonry to all quarters of the globe, and with it the distinctive Irish usages. As soldiers, the principles inculcated in their Lodges helped them to endure their lot, always hard and often perilous, like men of probity and zeal.
Footnotes:
(1) The Regiment was first raised in 1633 as the Royal Regiment of Foot. Its association with Ireland commenced when it was first posted to Ireland in 1679. The First and Second Battalions of the Royal Regiment of Foot were the only regiment of the army to remain loyal to James in the "Glorious Revolution". The Regiment were on service in Ireland from 1715 to 1742 which is why they applied for an Irish Warrant. In 1732 the Regiment would have been known as "His Majesty's Royal Regiment of Foot".
(1) The Regiment was first raised in 1633 as the Royal Regiment of Foot. Its association with Ireland commenced when it was first posted to Ireland in 1679. The First and Second Battalions of the Royal Regiment of Foot were the only regiment of the army to remain loyal to James in the "Glorious Revolution". The Regiment were on service in Ireland from 1715 to 1742 which is why they applied for an Irish Warrant. In 1732 the Regiment would have been known as "His Majesty's Royal Regiment of Foot".
A .pdf copy of the above Paper can be accessed through the following link ~ "Some Notes on Irish Military Warrants by V.W.Bro. R. E. Parkinson". This .pdf copy includes the above text, together with a comprehensive list of all Military Warrants.