Page 28 - Amo Amass A-muse is some of the fruit of a lifetimes love of Freemasonry - the Lodge of Nine Muses No. 235

ThOmAS hARPER AND ThE NiNE muSES

S MOST OF YOU MUST CERTAINLY KNOW, Thomas Harper was a
famous Masonic Jeweller who became the Deputy Grand Master of the rival
AGrand Lodge of the Antients and, as such, he signed the Act of Union in 1813.
After the Union, he remained most active as a Past Deputy Grand Master until his death in
1832. How comes it then that he had anything to do with our Modern’s Lodge?
To start with, he and Ruspini were both initiated at Bristol in the same year; Ruspini
in the Bush Lodge No. 116 under the Premier Grand Lodge and Harper in Lodge No.
24 of the Antients at the Bull Inn. It is likely that they then met, being of the same level
in Society. We know that Thomas Harper was the Scribe who made out our Warrant in
1777 because in minute letters in the bottom right hand corner are the words “Thos.
Harper, Script”. Ruspini probably arranged this and I know of no other Warrants made
out by him.
It seems clear that the friendship between these two brothers, Ruspini and Harper,
grew. Both were disgusted by the antagonism between their two Grand Lodges and they
must have discussed how they could reduce the tension. Despite the Rules made by
both Grand Lodges to prevent intercourse, in 1787 Harper joined the Modern’s Lodge
of The Globe No. 23, became its Master several times and represented it as a Grand
Steward in our Grand Lodge. Several times he assisted the Committee of Charity and
when Ruspini instituted his Girls School, Thomas Harper supported him, becoming
a member of his House Committee in 1792 and his Finance Committee in 1794.
Meanwhile, Ruspini joined Harper’s own Lodge, the Grand Master’s Lodge No. 1 of
the Antients. About this time both joined the Modern’s Royal Arch Chapter of St. James,
No. 60.
He visited William Preston’s half of the Lodge of Antiquity No. 1, during his
exclusion from the Premier Grand Lodge and joined his Chapter of Harodim in which
he taught his ritual. When the two halves of the Lodge of Antiquity were reunited he
became Secretary of the Harodim Lodge and when that Lodge was itself amalgamated
with the Lodge of Antiquity, he then became the Treasurer. Meanwhile Ruspini, already
a member of the Lodge of Antiquity, became their Senior Warden. He had also joined
the Chapter of Harodim.