Knight Templar certificate issued to Richard S. Spofford, Jr. by the Grand Commandery for Massachusetts, 1856

Item — Folder: 1

Identifier: A1987-028-001

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Scope and Contents

A Knight Templar certificate issued by the Grand Commandery for Massachusetts to Richard S. Spofford and dated 1856. Imprint at bottom of certificate reads, "Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1841, by Chas. W. Moore, John B. Hammatt, & John J. Loring (Committee) in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. Published under the sanction of the Grand Encampment of Mass. & R. Island." At the top of the certificate is a Christian cross. On the left and right sides of the certificate are columns with flags and human statues. On the left edge are attached three cloth ribbons colored black, red and blue joined together by a seal with the cross of Malta. Between the two columns and at the bottom is a depiction of a man lying on his back on a coffin-like structure.

Dates

Creation: 1856

Creator

Knights Templar (Masonic order). Grand Commandery (Mass. and R.I.) (Organization)
Spofford, Richard S., Jr. (Richard Smith), 1833-1888 (Recipient, Person)
Billings, Hammatt, 1818-1874 (Designer, Person)
Smith, George Girdler, 1795-1878 (Engraver, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Materials in this collection may be governed by copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Please contact the Archivist regarding permission to publish material.

Extent

1 item/s ; overall: 16-5/8" x 19-1/8"; 42 x 49 cm.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A.

Exhibition Label

Exhibition label from exhibition title, "Signed and Sealed: Masonic Certificates" located in the corridor, part two, on August 2017

Richard S. Spofford, Jr., joined St. John's Masonic lodge in Newburyport when he was just twenty-one. Two years later, in 1856, he became a Knight Templar and received this certificate. Encampment officers' signatures verified Spofford's membership. The signature of the state level Grand Recorder, or secretary, attested to the legitimacy of the Newburyport group.