How did Freemasonry come to Madras?

Freemasonry was introduced to Madras during the mid-eighteenth century under the authority of the Grand Lodge of England. The Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India states that Freemasonry arrived in Madras with the formation of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Madras in 1752, when the first unnamed lodge, No. 222 EC, was constituted. The District Grand Lodge of Madras records Captain Edmund Pascal as the first Provincial Grand Master appointed in 1752, though early encyclopedia records date the chartering of the first English lodge at Madras to 1755 and Captain Edmond Pascal's appointment to 1766 1.

Following its initial establishment, Masonic activity in Madras experienced periods of disruption and revival. Disagreements among local members following the political removal of Lord Pigot from the Government of Madras led to the temporary dissolution of the Provincial Grand Lodge at Madras, causing regular meetings to cease by late 1775 2. During this period, Lodge No. 152 in Madras maintained active operations and petitioned the Grand Lodge in London in 1778 for authority to constitute subordinate lodges along the Coromandel Coast 2.

A broader revival occurred in 1784 when military brethren stationed at Arcot, led by Terence Gahagan and supported by former Provincial Grand Master Brigadier-General Matthew Home, established the Carnatic Military Lodge 2. Gahagan had previously initiated Umdat-ul-Umara, the eldest son of the Nabob of the Carnatic, at Lodge No. 355 in Trichinopoly 2. By 1786, early Madras lodges were reorganized under the Coast of Coromandel framework, securing a permanent Masonic presence in the region 3.

Early Masonic lodges on the Coromandel Coast originated in the mid-eighteenth century, beginning with the establishment of the first lodge at Madras in 1752 1. As archive.org notes, many of these early bodies were travelling or military lodges attached to army regiments that moved across various bases. Detailed historical records of these early coastal lodges established under the English Constitution prior to the 1813 union were compiled by C.H. Malden, while Masonic activity and symbols on the coast trace back even earlier to 16th-century Dutch settlements at Pulicat, according to newindianexpress.com.

In Craft Masonry under the Athole jurisdiction, Lodge No. 152 at Madras exercised the authority of a Provincial Grand Lodge to issue warrants for new lodges along the coast 2. Following the local union of Athole and Regular Masons in 1786, several key lodges were placed on the official roll 2. These included the Stewards' Lodge and the Lodge of Perfect Unanimity No. 1 in Madras, Carnatic Military Lodge No. II in Vellore, Lodge of Perfect Harmony No. III at St. Thomas' Mount, and multiple lodges designated Social Friendship meeting at Madras, Trichinopoly, and St. Thomas' Mount 2.

Military engagements regularly reshaped the operations of these lodges. For example, Lodge Perfect Harmony No. III was associated with the 1st battalion artillery at St. Thomas' Mount; after being disrupted during the war with Tippu Sultan, its members reconstituted the lodge at Seringapatam in 1803 2. Additional lodges constituted in the late eighteenth century included Solid Friendship at Trichinopoly, Strength and Beauty at St. Thomas' Mount, Unity, Peace and Concord at Vellore, and St. Andrew's Union at Fort St. George, Madras 2. While these units primarily worked the Craft degrees, records from the Stewards' Lodge indicate that specific members were also identified as Royal Arch Masons 2.

Resolving the differences between the Antients and the Moderns in Madras occurred decades before the 1813 union in London 24. During the late eighteenth century, the divisions between the two groups had spread to India 2. The disunion caused severe practical difficulties for brethren in remote provinces, restricting free communication and joint charitable efforts 2. In a letter dated 17 July 1785, the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Antients (Lodge No. 152) addressed the Grand Lodge in London, expressing concern over the division into two sects, noting that their fundamental principles were identical, and advocating for a scheme of union to unite the Craft in universal harmony 2.

A formal reconciliation on the Coromandel Coast was effected through the intervention of Brigadier-General Home, who was appointed Provincial Grand Master under a patent from the Duke of Cumberland, according to archive.org and C. H. Malden 2. Mutual Articles of Union were agreed upon by representatives of both bodies, likely drawn up by Colonel Joseph Moorhouse and Ter Gahagan 2. Under these articles, Lodge No. 152 voluntarily surrendered its irregular warrant as Ancient York Masons and joined a regular lodge 2.

Following the agreement, their monetary assets were merged into a general fund, as archive.org notes, and Lodge Perfect Unanimity No. 1 was formed in 1787 to mark the Grand Union, according to madrasmusings.com. Brigadier-General Home requested the assistance of the brethren to form the first United Provincial Grand Lodge, appointing officers such as Ter Gahagan as Deputy Grand Master and Joseph Du Pre Porcher as Acting Grand Master 2.

A notable outcome of this local settlement was that although the Madras brethren entered into full communion with the Moderns, they continued to work according to the method of the Antients 2. This practice persisted in the region for years, occasionally leading later observers to mistake Madras Modern lodges for Athole lodges 23.