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Peter
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Posts: 105
Location: Gosport, Hampshire
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 Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 6:58 am Post subject: Admiral Lord Nelson- Was he a Freemason? |
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On many forums the question of whether or not Nelson was a Freemason is discussed.
This book may help you decide:
John Webb, Horatio Lord Nelson - Was he a Freemason?
It is published by www.lewismasonic.com at a greatly reduced price of £2 so the postage will be more than the book (for Alex).
The reference number is L82184
PS Napolean was a Freemason! |
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PMarione
Site Admin
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 883
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:48 am Post subject: |
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If I remember well he concludes that HN was not a freemason.
In France Freemasonry played an important hidden role in the Revolution. |
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Redfish
Joined: 03 Dec 2007
Posts: 59
Location: Arnhem
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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| PMarione wrote: | | In France Freemasonry played an important hidden role in the Revolution. |
As far as I know, freemasonry originates from England and a lot of military men were freemasons. I presume this did not suddenly stop during the Revolutionary and the Napoleonic war. Were among these military men also (British) naval officers (and/or seamen)? And from what age were men allowed to join? |
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PMarione
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Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 883
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 6:53 pm Post subject: |
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I am not a specialist of Freemasonry nor a brother (or wathever the members are named) but I believe that if it originated in GB (or from King Salomon times), French Freemasonry was very different from the Anglo-saxon one.
I may be completely wrong but Anglo-saxon Freemasonry looks to me rather like the Rotary with a layer of philosophy or religion on top. There seems to be no incompatibility at being a freemason and a protestant and there is not much secrecy in it (except for the rites): you see meeting rooms in the streets clearly advertized as "Lodge ...".
In France (and in Belgium) you can't be a freemason and a catholic: freemasons are arch-anticlericals and devilish for the clergy. They are also very secret: nobody will ever advert that he is a member (there is a lot of boyscout-like secret recognition signs and other folklore).
During the 18th the French freemasonry was one of the main vector for the communication of the subversive ideas of the "philosophes" like Voltaire, Montesquieu, Diderot etc. Some authors even speak of the French Revolution as a vast freemasonic conspiration. Most of the famous revolutionaries like Danton, Cambaceres, Diderot, Dumouriez, Saint-Just, the infamous Philippe d'Orléans (Philippe Egalité) etc. were freemasons alongside adventurers like Cagliostro or Casanova.
Napoleon's brother, Jérome, Eugène de Beauharnais (the son of Joséphine) and Napoleon's marshalls like Ney, Grouchy (Napoleon's nemesis at Waterloo) were freemasons.
In the UK the most famous military one was Wellington and I suppose that RN officers were members.
Other members are certainly more competent than me on that subject.
@+P |
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