Page 15 - The Early History of The Lodge of Nine Muses No. 235. UGLE

VOTES IN GRAND LODGE AND THE IMPORTANCE
OF GRAND STEWARDS

HE BATTLE FOR ‘incorporation’ within the Premier Grand Lodge
necessitated voting power. Only Grand Officers, Past Grand Officers and
TMasters and Wardens of Private Lodges had a vote but the Grand Stewards’
Lodge, to which all past Grand Stewards had to belong, had nine additional votes
besides those of its Master and Wardens.
In those days, there were only six Grand Officers, namely the Deputy Grand
Master, the Grand Wardens, a Treasurer, a Secretary and the Grand Sword Bearer.
Of these, only the Wardens were changed annually, but no one could be appointed
a Grand Officer unless he had first served as a Grand Steward. This limited the field
from which all Grand Officers were selected.
Twelve Grand Stewards were appointed annually and each selected and presented
his own successor. In default, for any reason, it was the responsibility of the Board
of Grand Stewards for that year to replace casualties. As can be seen, this system for
the provision of Grand Stewards ran itself and was entirely independent of Private
Lodges. However, one can understand the temptation for Lodges to influence
these selections, and hence arose the growth of what were termed ‘Red Apron
Lodges’, which demanded that members who became Grand Stewards should hand
over their Grand Stewardship to a nominee of that Lodge. The growth of Red
Apron Lodges can be seen in the Appendix and it is important to note how their
growth coincided with the disagreement over ‘Incorporation’, prior to which only
two Lodges can be traced as having maintained a continuous sequence of Grand
Stewards.
Ruspini and his friend James Bottomley had already started the retention of a
Grand Stewardship by the St. Alban’s Lodge in 1772, and Ruspini was able to obtain
the nomination of no less than two Grand Stewardships for the Lodge of the Nine
Muses immediately upon its foundation. One was brought over by the founding
Senior Warden, and the following year Ruspini, who was Right Worshipful Master
of the Royal Lodge, arranged with the President of the Board of Grand Stewards
for a defaulter to be replaced by a member of the Lodge of the Nine Muses. 15

15 Both President and Defaulter being also members of the Royal Lodge.