ABSTRACT
Between 1767 and his death in 1795, omas Dunckerley (c. 1720-95) served as Provincial Grand Master (Premier Grand Lodge) of eight masonic provinces, presided over Royal Arch Masonry in eleven counties, and commanded both the English Knights Templar and the recently formalized Royal Ark Masons. By the time Dunckerley delivered the following charge in September 1769, he was already a commanding gure in English provincial Masonry. As this address demonstrates, in the years since his initiation into the fraternity, Dunckerley polished his speaking skills and focused ever more sharply on two of his favourite themes: charity, and ameliorating Freemasonry’s o en questionable reputation amongst women.
