What were the significant events in the history of Freemasonry in Madras?

Freemasonry in Madras began with the English chartering of a lodge in 1755, followed by the appointment of Captain Edmond Pascal as Provincial Grand Master in 1766 2. Following the early organization of the Provincial Grand Lodge under Matthew Home and Terence Gahagan, Josias Du Pre Porcher was appointed Acting Grand Master of the Presidency, and Lodge Perfect Unanimity No. 1 was formed alongside the Stewards' Lodge 1. Ameer-ul-Omrah Bahadur, second son of the Nabob of the Carnatic, was admitted as a Mason during this period 1. In 1791, war with Tippu Sultan interrupted lodge operations and charitable remittances as many military brethren were called into the field 1.

In 1837, members of the city's Armenian colony established Lodge Armenia 1. Lord Elphinstone, Governor of Madras, laid the foundation stone for a new Masonic Temple built by Lodge Perfect Unanimity on the beach near Cappers in 1839, and was installed as Provincial Grand Master there in March 1841 1.

Following a period of decay in the mid-1840s, a second major revival took place in 1847, led by brethren of Lodge Social Friendship 1. In April 1847, Brother J. G. Laurence established an independent Masonic Benefit Fund for Southern India and published the first issue of The Madras Freemasons' Herald 1. At that time, three active Craft lodges were operating in Madras—Perfect Unanimity, Social Friendship, and the revived Universal Charity 1. Attached to these Craft lodges were additional bodies working higher degrees, including the Royal Arch, Knights Templar, Rose Croix, Mark Masters, and Royal Ark Mariners 1.