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The 40th [2nd Somersetshire] Regiment of
Foot. The 40th relieved the 48th Regiment in 1824
and maintained its HQ at Hobart, Van Diemen’s Land. The 40th had an Irish
travel warrant, No.284, dated 1821. The Master was Pte Michael Dyer. SW, Pte
Edmond Kelsall and a civilian, Maurice Smith as JW It had forty-seven
other members, a mixture of army and civilians. No.284 petitioned for a warrant
to form a stationary lodge in Hobart, in March, 1827. It was not until the 6th
August, 1829 that the Grand Lodge ordered that warrant No.313 be forwarded to
Hobart. However, the warrant was not raised until the 3rd September, 1829 and
was not to arrive in Hobart until early 1831.
The actual date of the formation of No.313 is not known.. The foundation
master was John Wilson, ex 40th Regiment. John Eddington was SW. Francis
Barnes [Barns] was JW, and Maurice Smith was Secretary. This lodge
also had members who featured in the history of the colony. Robert William
Lapthrop Murray, he domineered masonry in the colony, a natural son of
George the III, convict, newspaper owner, journalist. Richard Cleburne,
business entrepreneur. James Ross, educationist, editor, printer. John
Lee Archer, Architect, police magistrate. Thomas James Lempriere,
commissary, painter of landscapes and portraits. Henry Saxeby Melville Wintle,
known as Henry Melville, newspaper owner, author, journalist. The
foregoing is an extremely brief history of early regular Freemasonry in
Australia. To appreciate the rich fabric woven through our Masonic history in
all its colonies/states, up until the formation of the Sovereign Grand Lodges,
and of the fraternity clubs in the SWPA during the second world war. The
publication "History of the Craft in Australia" as mentioned below,
gives a biographical record of all these members [and more] of their involvement
in the early Masonic history of Australia. It also gives a detailed
history of the first lodges that were formed and has illustrations of early rare
historical documents and images of the first Provincial/District Grand Masters
of the Irish, English & Scottish Constitutions. It is hoped that the
publication will be available in mid 2000. All profits will be donated to
the United Grand Lodge of Victoria's Public Charities Trust.
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