A decorated chain with Masonic emblems was found amongst my Aunt’s belongings when she passed away. The chain was tucked away in a small box with a lady's watch that has now been passed to my aunt's daughter Andrea Buckley nee Todman.[i]
My Aunt had kept the chain safe for many years but had not shared or known who the original owner was. So my cousin and I began to ponder on the original owner's identity.
We identified the following possibilities:
- An ancestor of my Aunt [who I am related to by marriage] – As of 16 September 2024 no ancestor of Judith Flux has been identified as a Freemason.
- An ancestor of my Uncle who was a member of his local Camperdown Lodge in country Victoria. She may have become the default custodian of the piece when her husband entered a local nursing home before she died. Possible candidates are [ancestors of my Uncle] who are also been identified as Freemasons:
- his paternal grandfather Walter Todman who left a watch when he died (which I have discussed elsewhere) for which no anchoring chain or ribbon had ever been found, could this be the missing anchor?
- his maternal James Bassett, great grandfather, James Bassett born circa 1833 in Cornwall, England. See below as to why I think this may have belonged to James.
Close-up Detail
Figure 2 Photographer Sandra Williamson, Face of Square & Compass medallion, undated, 9ct Gold, 2017, digital image, personal collection
Figure 3 Photographer Sandra Williamson, Reverse of Square & Compass medallion, undated, 9ct Gold, 2017, digital image, personal collection
Figure 4 Photographer Sandra Williamson, Side 1 of Crimping bead, undated, 9ct Gold, 2017, digital image, personal collection
Figure 5 Photographer Sandra Williamson, Reverse side of Crimping bead, undated, 9ct Gold, 2017, digital image, personal collection
At the end of the triple chain is a crimp bead that holds the chains in place. The only marking to be found on the entire piece can be found on one side of this bead. The marking is “9ct”, the reverse side of the bead has no marking.
Figure 6 Photographer Sandra Williamson, Sliding bead on enclosing the three chains, undated, 9ct Gold, 2017, digital image, personal collection
Figure 7 Photographer Sandra Williamson, powder horn charm, undated, 9ct Gold, 2017, digital image, personal collection
The iconography on the bead and powder horn charm pictured above appear to be Masonic in nature, but not ceremonial, according to a (2017) Australian Lodge member; this jewellery piece “is not part of Lodge regalia but it could be something that members of the lodge may have made up for themselves and possibly used as a watch fob chain or to attach to keys.”
The Circumstantial Evidence
The Funeral notice of James Bassett identifies him as a
member of a Masonic Lodge.[ii]
"EAGLEHAWK MASONIC LODGE 1,203, E.G. THE Officers and
Members of the above and Sandhurst Lodges are requested to Attend a Meeting of
this Lodge, at three p.m. This Day, at the Masonic Hall, for the purpose of
proceeding to the internment of our late Brother JAMES BASSETT. H.E.TOLHURST,
Hon. Secretary. Eaglehawk, 22nd March 1879."
According to Lane's Masonic Records, the Eaglehawk Lodge was probably around as early as 15 June 1865 but was formally recognised in 1867, and was wound up on 5 June 1889 becoming part of the Grand Lodge of Victoria.[iii]
As a member of the Eaglehawk Lodge James Bassett would have attended meetings in the following locations[iv]
- 1865 Catherine Reef Hotel, Eaglehawk (Bendigo), Victoria, Australia
- 1869 Camp Hotel, Eaglehawk (Bendigo), Victoria, Australia
“At Eaglehawk
(Victoria) 16 of the ‘Contributing’ members of the Masonic Lodge, No 1203, in
its first six years, from 1865 to 1871 were miners, out of a total of 44.”[v] One of those miners would have been my 2x
great grandfather. According to the Eagle
Hawk Freemasonry Membership Register James Bassett was initiated on 4 January
1876 into the lodge at the age of 46, sadly only 3 years before he died on 20
March 1879.[vi][vii]
Useful links for background
WikiTree profile for
Related Posts:
- Locating the family through their children's baptisms talking about James' family of origin.
Blogpost Meta
Data
The URL for this post is: https://ancestralresearchjournal.blogspot.com/2024/10/masonic-jewellery.html originally published 5 October 2024.
Author 2024, Sandra Williamson
[i] Andrea
Buckley, in personal discussion with author, 2017
[ii] "Notices,"
Bendigo Advertiser, 22 March 1879, p. 3, col. 7; digital images, TROVE (http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88224693
: accessed 29 Aug 2017), Digitised
newspapers and more
[iii] ‘Eaglehawk
Lodge’, Lodge Number (1863): 1203; Lane's
Masonic Records, version 2.0 (<http://www.dhi.ac.uk/lane>, 2020). Published
by The Digital Humanities Institute, University of Sheffield: accessed 5
October 2024
[iv] ‘Eaglehawk
Lodge’, Lodge Number (1863): 1203; Lane's
Masonic Records, version 2.0 (<http://www.dhi.ac.uk/lane>, 2020). Published
by The Digital Humanities Institute, University of Sheffield: accessed 5
October 2024
[v] Bob
James of Newcastle, NSW, Creating Social Capital - Chapter 6 - Fraternal
Secrets. (2017). Fraternal Secrets. Retrieved 20 August 2017, from https://www.fraternalsecrets.org/they-call-each-other-brother/creating-social-capital-chapter-6/
Accessed 29 August 2017
[vi] Ancestry,
Membership record for James Bassett. Library and Museum of Freemasonry; London,
England; Freemasonry Membership Registers; Description: Register of
Contributions: Country and Foreign Lodges, 1121-1235. Accessed 16 September
2017 [The Eagle Hawk Lodge];
[vii]
Death Certificate James Bassett died 20 March 1879 Registry of Birth, Death and
Marriages, Victoria, Australia 1108/1879
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please feel free to leave a message