A letter from Robert F. Gould

This week's object is a letter from Robert F. Gould (1836-1915), a famous British Freemason and founder of the oldest research lodge, «Quatuor Coronati», bearing his signature. In the letter, dated with the year 1886, the scholar confirms his involvement with Bramstone Beach Lodge No. 2101.

Robert Freke Gould was a descendant of the local Devonshire nobility and early in his life he enlisted in the British Army. Alongside his service, he was admitted to the Royal Navy Masonic Lodge No. 429 in 1855. His army career allowed Gould to travel to many exotic countries, experience different cultures and broaden his horizons through first-hand exposure to different religions and traditions.

Robert Gould first found himself outside his native British Isles in 1855. It was a military expedition to Spain and he was later stationed at Gibraltar. Gould's army unit was then sent to the Mediterranean islands and later to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. From there, Gould was sent to India, where he studied local religious texts and the rich culture of Hinduism. Robert Gould's last stop was China, where he gained combat experience by participating in the Second Opium War (1856-1860). In addition to his service, Gould studied the ancient traditions of Confucianism and Buddhism. After completing his military service, Gould returned to England and began to work as a lawyer.

While still an officer, Gould developed a keen interest in military and Masonic literature. In 1877 he decided to devote his life fully to the study of Masonic history and an objective research of the roots of the fraternity. Already since his initiation into Freemasonry Gould took an active part in the works of many lodges, including foreign ones, which broadened his circle of contacts and allowed him to get acquainted with various theories concerning the history of the origin of the fraternity.

Robert Gould was sceptical of the many fantastic theories concerning the origin of Freemasonry and decided to research the subject with a strictly scientific approach. In 1883 he began to work on a book «History of Freemasonry» in three volumes, which was published in 1887 and in which the various theories of the origin of Freemasonry were analysed in detail, pointing out to the close connection of modern Freemasonry with the guilds of Medieval stonemasons and the intellectual heritage of the Renaissance.

It was for the objective study of Freemasonry that Gould and his associates founded the first research lodge in history, the «Quatuor Coronati», in London in 1886. The lodge is still active to this day and admits brothers who have attained the degree of a Master. At Robert Gould's insistence, the lodge adopted a policy of abstracting from earlier legendary theories and studying Freemasonry through reliable historical sources, subjecting them to critical analysis.

In fact, Robert Gould's approach can be considered an innovation in the context of his time. As a Worshipful Master of the «Quatuor Coronati», Gould introduced a scholarly approach in his publications on the history of Freemasonry that allowed the fraternity to be studied academically. This attracted many brothers, and during Gould's lifetime the lodge began publishing annual collections of articles on various topics in Masonic history, drawing on facts and specific historical sources. «Quatuor Coronati» is to this day the most authoritative research lodge, bringing together brothers with an in-depth interest in the true origins of Freemasonry, the formation of the various rites and other topics closely related to the fraternity.