The early Eighteenth-century Masonic connections of Mathematical Instrument-maker Jonathan Sisson (1692-1747) and his legacy to Modern Freemasonry.
A paper presented to Temple of Athene Lodge No 9541, Harrow by W. Bro Steve Smith LGR PPJGD (Essex) LGCR on Thursday 24th October 2024
The paper provided a more comprehensive portrait of Jonathan Sisson (baptised 19th May 1692), and the times in which he lived, than had previously been available through the work of a number of modern historians. The importance of his contribution to the scientific revolution of the first half of the eighteenth century and his involvement in organised Freemasonry in the same period has only come to be better appreciated in recent years. His legacy up till then rested in a number of the mathematical and surveying instruments that bear his and his son, Jeremiah’s, trademark which are held in various observatories and museums throughout the world, and the fact that in April 1729, at a time that it is known he was a Freemason, he was appointed Mathematical Instrument-Maker to Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707-1751), who also became a Freemason.
Sisson’s legacy to Freemasonry rests solely in the Past Master’s jewel known as the ‘Sisson Jewel’ (dated to c.1738 but probably made much earlier) which resides in the Museum of the United Grand Lodge of England in London. The jewel consists of a square plate engraved with the symbol of the 47th proposition of the first book of Euclid, suspended from a square. This is an under-estimated early example of not only an important Masonic symbol of the time but also of an important Masonic jewel which has survived to the present day and continues to be an important Masonic symbol.
Sisson The Inventor
What is now known about Sisson is that he was not only a mathematical (scientific, navigational, surveying and astronomical) instrument-maker, but also an inventor, engraver, publisher, bookseller, maker of thermometers, barometers and sundials; a general retailer of surveying instruments and globes, as well as a provider of accommodation addresses for his business contacts and associates. There is evidence that he may also have been a purveyor of Masonic artefacts and a manufacturer of Masonic jewels. In short, from his humble beginnings in Lincolnshire, he arose to a respected status in the London society and economic life of the first half of the eighteenth century in which organised Freemasonry had its naissance. This was no mean feat, given the times, his personal circumstances, and his social standing.
The presentation then concentrated on Sisson’s Masonic connections. These were various and numerous, and in some cases surprising, incorporating the upper echelons of society, the landed gentry, and the scientific innovators of the day, some of whom were members of the Royal Society. The extent to which Sisson’s Masonic connections may have assisted his rise to prominence was discussed, and unknown details provided of his involvement in the manufacture of Masonic jewels and artefacts.
Steve Smith has had articles published in Freemasonry Today, The Square, and Gmagazine (Romania) and also in the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodges of London and Romania. He has regularly presented papers to Masonic audiences both Craft and Chapter and has spoken at various academic conferences. He sits on several Masonic speaking panels.
