Examples of Apotropaic Death: Including John Renie, The Odd Fellow, and Infinity

Examples of Apotropaic Death: Including John Renie, The Odd Fellow, and Infinity

by

Charles E S Fairey

August 2020

(Revised May 2021)

We usually see apotropaic devices, symbols or marks to ward off evil and protect living individuals, households or occupants of buildings, but there are also rare occurrences where the dead are protected from malevolent and evil forces preying upon them too, other than the protections upon churches themselves.

Some examples of the dead being protected appear below.

The Infinity of the Cross of Endlessness

The above Cross of Endlessness, which appears on a gravestone in St Bertoline’s Churchyard at Barthomley, in South Cheshire, symbolises eternity, but also protection. But in this case it is actually protecting the incumbent of the grave, the dead, rather than the living.

These types of infinite designs are called demon traps, because the lines are endless, and it is thought that any evil spirits / entities, in the past, would become transfixed upon the infinite design, as if it were a puzzle for the whole of time.

This demon trap also includes in its infinite line, hearts, which represent the life force, and may mean that even though the person inside the grave has left this life, the life of their soul is immortal and ever living?

Another aspect of this never-ending design, and why they are called ‘Crosses of Endlessness’, is because where the lines cross over one another, these points signify an undrawn cross, in this case, an upright cross between the hearts, and an ‘X’ or cross between the corner circles; and therefore are indicative of Christian and therefore God's protection, and invoke that protection within their design.

Infinity Watches Over You

On the above gravestone to be found in the Churchyard of Abbey Dore in Herefordshire, are to be found two symbols of Infinity, which again are never-ending lines, and indicative of a demon trap, which was presumed to entrap the enquiring mind of a demon forever.

They also may be indicative of two eyes looking from the left and the right, watching over the occupant(s) of the grave?

There’s also a Hexagon or six sided shape, to the centre (slightly eroded), which may also be used as a demon trap, and has been made into a group of six triangles, with a circle carved within. It is obviously telling us something to do with the sanctity of the number 6, with the hexagon having six sides, six triangles within, and six circles within them. This may mean that the occupant of the grave envisaged in its design to protect him up to and including the time of the Last Judgement, when his body would rise from its grave to be judged?

There are also two circles with a dot within, and two squares with a dot within, which add to the geometric design of the grave, but what they mean is again, odd to identify?

The Flower of Life Guards

Inside the church of Llansoy, in Monmouthshire, exists the 1741 gravestone of William Drack, which again has an apotropaic device or symbol to protect his everlasting soul from demonic attack.

Again the type of apotropaic device is a demon trap, and exists as a never-ending line, but it is also of a geometric design, sometimes known as a daisy wheel, or as a ‘hexfoil/hexafoil’, or as the ‘Flower of Life’.

This geometric apotropaic device is made up of seven interconnecting circles, creating a sixfold shape or hexafoil, or namely a ‘Flower of Life’.

The shape is made up of multiple evenly spaced and overlapping circles, which are arranged to form a flower petal like pattern with a sixfold symmetry. The hexafoil and its seven interconnecting circles represent the seven days it took God to create the world. Six and Seven are sacred numbers and have many more sacred attributes.

The Flower of Life was considered perfectly formed of equal proportion and harmonious, and thought to be a form of divine enlightenment, and used as a circle to contain or create. It was known throughout the world to stonemasons, architects, philosophers, alchemists, occultists and artists. The Jewish Kabbalistic tree and its mysticism is also thought to be derived from the Flower of Life.

It is also the basis of what is known as ‘Metatron’s Cube’, a geometric shape from which all life springs, which has been used to ward off evil and malevolent forces for millennia.

The Flower of Life as well as that of the five pointed star, pentangle or pentagram, in some forms of mysticism, are connected with the boundaries between the spiritual body to that of the physical form, enclosing the spirit into the body, in a 3D infinite like interwoven shell, and hence whilst in a state of trance these boundaries may be dissolved, much like when knocked unconscious, many people say they saw stars.

The gravestone also has a Fleur-de-Lis carved to both top corners, which is a symbol which represents the lily flower, and the name means ‘Flower of the Lily’. It has long been used as a decorative motif, as well as in heraldry, especially for the Royalty and Saints of the once Catholic France.

The Fleur-de-Lis is basically a lily composed of three petals which are bound together near to their bases, however it is essentially also a type of triskelion or triskele, a symbol consisting of three spiral like forms, which exhibit symmetry. As such it represents the number three, and therefore the Holy Trinity, i.e. the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

As well as the Holy Trinity, the Fleur-de-Lis was symbolic of the Christ, with it appearing in paintings of him, but slowly it instead became symbolic of the Virgin Mary, and associated with the ‘lily among thorns’ from the Song of Solomon, and hence invokes her protection. The Lily and its white flowers also symbolised the Virgin’s purity and chastity.

John Renie, the Odd Fellow, and Infinity

In the churchyard of St Mary’s Priory Church of Monmouth, in south-east Wales, stands the very odd gravestone of John Renie.

It includes the inscription of “HERE LIES JOHN RENIE” [in a word puzzle square] followed by “WHO DIED MAY 31. 1832. / AGED 33 YEARS. / ALSO / JOHN, SON OF THE ABOVE / WHO DIED MARCH 24, 1823. / AGED 1 YEAR 9 MONTHS. / AND IN MEMORY OF / HIS WIFE, SARAH HOWELLS, WHO DIED / MAY 5, 1873, INTERRED IN FULHAM CEMETERY. / HIS ELDEST SON JAMES RENNIE, / OF CLAPTON LONDON / WHO DIED AUGUST 1, 1903, AGED 83.

It is situated at the east end of the churchyard, and it stands upright, however this was not always the case.

According to a photograph which appeared in the ‘Western Mail, Saturday 5th May 1928, Page 14’, the gravestone originally laid flat on the ground and was surrounded by iron railings, and actually did mark the last resting place of its occupants.

The words in that newspaper article, below the historic photograph tell us that:-

“A TOMBSTONE CURIO. Monmouth Churchyard contains one of the most extraordinary tombstones in the world, a similar one being at the Church of San Salvador, Oviendo, Spain. The stone is a huge square one upon which a large angular frame containing an enigmatical series of 285 letters is graven. By beginning at the centre the stone may be read in 270 different ways, each meaning “Here lies John Renie.” The lettering upon the Spanish stone, which was erected by Prince Silo, is H S E S S T T L, the initial letters of the Latin epitaph “Hic situs est Silo, sit tibi terra levis.” Which means “Here lies Silo, may the earth lie lightly upon thee.”

In another historic newspaper article, in the same newspaper, but dating to 1953, i.e. in the ‘Western Mail, 1st December 1953, Page 4’ appears:-

“BEFORE his death in 1832 John Renie prepared an unusual tombstone for his grave in St. Mary’s Church, Monmouth. He divided a large stone into a number of squares. In the centre of the squares was the letter “H.” Reading from any direction this letter starts the epitaph “Here lies John Renie.”

And if we search for ‘John Renie’s Gravestone’ on the internet, we find hundreds of articles and photographs of this very unusual memorial, never mind the puzzle grave appearing in many local and national newspapers for its curious and interesting nature.

It is said from varying sources that the 285 letter gravestone is actually an ‘acrostic puzzle’, meaning that it is a hybrid type of a cryptogram and crossword puzzle, which reveals a hidden phrase when read correctly, and that phrase is “HERE LIES JOHN RENIE.”

The inscription however may be read in many directions from starting at the central letter ‘H’, and ending at one of the four corners, at one of the four letter ‘E’s’.

The central letter ‘H’ and the first letters of John and Renie, are all carved larger than the rest of the letters on the acrostic puzzle square board.

It may only be read from following an up, down or across direction, i.e. vertically and/or horizontally, it does not work diagonally.

It is said from different sources that the phrase “HERE LIES JOHN RENIE” may be read in a total number of combinations of different squares upon the 285 letter square board, going in differing horizontal and vertical ways: 270; 46,000; or more specifically 45,760; times. The last figure Leo Reynolds includes on his description of a photograph of the grave on Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/5618749964). In the comments on the Flickr page, Tom Magliery verifies that 45,760 is the number of combinations in which the phrase may be read, and that it is only necessary to count the different paths of the phrase in one of the four quadrants, because they are all the same, as well as that the form of the counting problem is very well known and is called a “Staircase Walk”, and includes a link to the problem @ https://mathworld.wolfram.com/StaircaseWalk.html.

However I don’t believe that that was the true intention, and that the exact number of times it may be read, was actually not supposed to be fixed, but actually symbolic of infinity itself and of Jacob’s Ladder. See later.

* * * * * * *

So Who Was John Renie?

John Renie was born on 17th March 1800 and was baptised at St Mary’s (Priory) Church on 13th October 1801, and was the son of James and Ann Renie of Monmouth.

According to James Renie’s marriage record, he married Ann Evans, at St Mary’s Church in Monmouth, on 4th June 1799. The record also tells that the witnesses to their marriage were Eliza, Robert and Thomas Evans.

According to a 1798 and an 1800 Apprenticeship Register, John’s father, James Renie, was a Glazier, and lived in Monmouth, and taught Thomas Walkins and John Evans his trade, respectively. John Evans may be a relative of James Renie’s wife, who was an Evans by birth.

James was also a painter, as well as a glazier; we know this because according to the ‘Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian, Glamorgan, Monmouth, and Brecon Gazette, 27th June 1835, Page 3’, “DIED. ..., On Tuesday, 23d instant, at Monmouth, aged 58, Ann, relict of Mr James Renie, painter and glazier.”

His wife Anne’s death and the mode of such, is also recorded in the ‘Hereford Journal, 1st July 1835, Page 3’, “DIED. - ..., On the 23d ult, aged 58, after a lingering illness, borne with christian patience and resignation, Anne, widow of the late Mr. J. Renie, of Monmouth.”

And according to St Mary’s Church Parish Registers, his son, John Renie, was also a Painter, so most likely followed his father’s trade when young.

John Renie’s Family Tree is as follows:-

1. James Renie (Born 1774) (Buried 13.10.1813, age 39)

Wife: Ann Renie (Evans) (Married 04.06.1799 by Licence (St Mary’s, Monmouth (St.M.M.))) (Died 23.06.1835) Buried 26.06.1835, age 58 (St.M.M.))

2. Esther Renie (Died 18.06.1844, age 47)

2. John Renie (Born 17.03.1800) (Baptised 13.10.1801 (same day as his sister Ann Renie) (St.M.M.)) (Died 31.05.1832) (Buried 05.06.1832, age 32 (St.M.M.))

Wife: Sarah Renie (Howells) (Died 05.05.1873) (Buried Fulham Cemetery, London)

(Daughter of James & Mary Howells)

3. James Renie (Born 16.02.1820) (Baptised 02.04.1820 (Wesleyan Methodist Chapel)) (Died 01.08.1903, age 83, Clapton, London)

3. John Renie (Born 22.06.1821) (Baptised 08.07.1821 (Wesleyan Methodist Chapel)) (Died 24.03.1823 age 1 year, 9 months (St.M.M.))

3. Ann Renie (Born 03.05.1828) (Baptised 18.05.1828 (St.M.M.))

2. Ann Renie (Baptised 13.10.1801 (same day as her brother John Renie) (St.M.M.))

2. Frances (Born 02.08.1802) (Baptised 14.01.1806 (same day as her brother James Renie) (St.M.M.)) (Buried 20.02.1820, age 19 (St.M.M.))

2. James Renie (Born 27.07.1803) (Baptised 14.01.1806 (same day as his sister Frances Renie) (St.M.M.))

2. Robert Alexander Renie (Born 08.10.1804) (Baptised 14.01.1806 St.M.M.)) (Buried 20.04.1824, age 20 (St.M.M.))

2. Elizabeth Renie (Baptised 09.12.1806 (St.M.M.)) (Buried 12.01.1808 (St.M.M.))

2. Randolph Renie (Baptised 29.03.1808 (St.M.M.))

2. Charles Renie (Born 27.08.1809) (Baptised 19.09.1809 (St.M.M.))

2. Emma Renie (Baptised 17.10.1813 (St.M.M.))

Husband: Thomas Haddock (Married 12.03.1838)

2. Ellen Renie (Baptised 06.01.1814 (St.M.M.)) (Buried 15.09.1835, age 21 (St.M.M.))

John married Sarah Howells, the daughter of James and Mary Howells, according to some of the baptismal records of his children.

John died on the 31st May 1832, and was buried on the 5th June 1832, age 32.

However, according to his gravestone he was aged 33, but this is incorrect, because we know he was born on the 17th March 1800, and baptised on the 13th October 1801, and therefore was actually aged 32, when he died.

According to John Renie’s Death Duty Register, his brother Charles Renie, was his Executor.

According to the 1871 Census, John Renie’s widow, Sarah Rennie is living on Shouldham Street in St Marylebone, London, aged 72, living on or her own means or as stated ‘Independently’, with a visitor, Annie Cooper, age 43, with both recorded as being born in Monmouth.

* * * * * * *

A great deal of information relating to the life of John Renie may be found in historic newspaper articles, magazines, and journals:-

The Painter and Glazier

According to the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 18th July 1829, Page 3’, John Renie was advertising his painting, glazing, and plumbing business:-

“MONNOW-STREET, MONMOUTH.

JOHN RENIE, DECORATIVE PAINTER, GLAZIER, AND PLUMBER,

EMBRACES the opportunity which the establishment of a County Newspaper presents, of returning his grateful acknowledgments for the liberal patronage he has received since his commencement in business, and to assure his Friends he shall not relax his exertions in endeavouring to merit a continuance of that support which his parents and himself have experienced for upwards of thirty years.

The chemical discoveries, and consequent improvement in the manufacture of Colours, aided by active personal experience for many years in the operative part, enables J. R. to produce imitations of the British and Foreign Woods, with all the varieties of Devonshire, Egyptian, and Italian Marbles, in a superior style. Every branch incidental to the business of an Ornamental Painter, as Bronzing, Gilding, Furniture and Sign Painting, Silk Banners, Window Blinds, Decoration of Churches and Public Buildings, attended to.

A Box of Patterns, with specimens of Mahogany, Oak, Rose, Satin, Coral, Maple, and other Woods Sienna, Verd Antique, Porphyry, Black and Gold, Egyptian Green, Dove, and other Marbles; together with Cards of Tints for Rooms, will be forwarded on request, and orders from any distance punctually obeyed.

Varnishes, Oil, and Colours prepared for use.”

Also according to the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 27th March 1830, Page 3’, John Renie was advertising for an Apprentice, to the Painting and Glazing Business, for “AN active YOUTH, from fourteen to sixteen years of age, who will have an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the best branches of the business. / Apply to John Renie, Decorative Painter, Monnow-street, Monmouth.”

These adverts tell us that he was in the same business as his father James, who was also recorded as a Painter and Glazier, who had also taken on apprentices.

These adverts also tell us that he had been in business for over thirty years.

In this case being the owner of a ‘Painting and Glazing Business’ and then as part of his title and address, describes himself as a ‘Decorative Painter’, this means he most likely paints shopfronts, signs, and like on old commercial premises glazed windows, messages for the customers, as advertisements, as well as installing windows and their glass.

The adverts also records that John lived on Monnow Street in the town of Monmouth.

* * * * * * *

The Politician

The first of many sources which give us an impression of John Renie’s invaluable political life, is a petition to give clemency to a man convicted and sentenced to transportation, at the ‘Brecon Summer Assizes of 1828’.

We are told in a document housed at the National Archives at Kew, in London (Ref: HO 17/68/9), dated 1st September to 25th October 1828, that Richard Lewis, Magistrate, John Renie of Monmouth, and 77 people from Monmouth, had petitioned for ‘grounds of clemency’ to be shown to Thomas Jones. Thomas was a Soldier with the 23rd Regiment of Foot, and had committed the crime of housebreaking, stealing two silver watches from the Kings Head Public House, in Kensington, Brecon, which were the property of his comrades. He had been sentenced to Death, which had been commuted to transportation for life.

The Petition asked for clemency because he was a youth, and had committed the crime whilst intoxicated, and had been led astray by others. They also claimed he was of a good character, and had been an apprentice [stone]mason, but in 1826 was made unemployed and due to the scarcity of work, had enlisted. He was from a respectable family, and his mother, Mary Jones, was the daughter of the highly respected James Edwards of the Grange House, in Monmouthshire, and due to an imprudent marriage, had lost her father’s friendship and protection, and was 64 years of age, and had ten children, and was in great distress at the loss of her youngest son, Thomas. Thomas also had a report of good conduct in the army.

* * * * * * *

According to the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 11th July 1829, Page 3’, John Renie took on an anonymous writer going by the name of ‘Scrutator’, who was attacking the governing of Monmouth Grammar School, and of the trustees, the Company of Haberdashers.

Scrutator, according to John had written: “a direct attack on the Company of Haberdashers (who are the trustees), and also the opinion of the writer respecting the change in the government of the school.”

John said “this letter has caused much discus­sion among the parents of many of the children who are now being educated there; and knowing that I am in possession of several documents relative to the institution, they have requested me to undertake a reply. This I do with the greater pleasure, because the reformation of the school was an object near to my father's heart, because I was educated there myself, and because I have a son about to enjoy the advantages which the change has placed within his reach.”

This inclusion, tells us that John was educated at the Monmouth Grammar School, and also that his son, James, was then able to attend too, after the changes at the school, the anonymous writer had attacked.

John goes on to say that Scrutator may be “one of those individuals who would attempt to impede the progress of education in this age of “intense and universal energy.””

John goes on to defend the Grammar School with further evidence, far too long to include here, but relative to this article, John’s ideas on the age in which he lived must be included, because it is important to state his words, and his thoughts on Education, and the perfection of the human psyche, and the importance of equality amongst society, and why they are important will become clear later in this article:-

“As regards the moral world, (if we should seek some general expression by which to designate the character of the period in which we live,) we should term it one of intense and universal energy. The great progress of human intelligence has commenced, and it cannot be arrested. Thousands, heretofore intent only on finding the means of supporting physical existence, are now pressing forward to profit by the advantages of education, which the enlightened liberality of their superiors has happily placed within their grasp. The toe of the peasant comes near the heel of the courtier. Nor is it to the lower orders alone that the benefits resulting from this change are confined; already the higher classes feel the necessity of extending the sphere of their own knowledge, in order to preserve the relative superiority of their station. In science, in art, – even where ultimate perfection, the ne plus ultra [the perfect or most extreme example of its kind; the ultimate] of knowledge, seemed to have been already attained, - discovery is but the precursor of discovery, and invention but the stepping-stone to invention. Opinions which have remained for ages unquestioned – institutions which have hitherto been deemed perfect, are now compelled to undergo the strict ordeal of criticising reason, and the rigid scrutiny of scientific inquiry.”

After John Renie had written his reply to Scrutator, and his thoughts had been included in the Monmouthshire Merlin, another anonymous writer, this time by the handle of ‘Giraldus Cambrensis’, defends Scrutator, and replies to John Renie, (‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 18th July 1829, Page 2’), saying that:-

“One would imagine, from the style of assumption adopted by your correspondent, Mr. John Renie, that he was the oracle of Monmouth, - the literary mouth-piece through which all its inhabitants were content to trumpet forth their united opinions. As one of such inhabitants, I must confess that I see no reason for applauding the conduct of the Haberdashers’ Company, with respect to the above charity. I think the property has been mismanaged, and the true interests of the school neglected.”

Giraldus Cambrensis agrees to what Scrutator had said, but how do we know if this anonymous writer, who goes on to argue against John, isn’t Scrutator again, just under another pen name?

And according to the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 25th July 1829, Page 3’, John Renie thought that too, because he writes a reply to ‘Giraldus’, which is far too long to repeat, for the needs of this article, but includes: “Anonymous communications ought to be, and generally are, beneath the notice of any individual, however humble his situation in life; and Scrutator would have remained unanswered, his lucubrations would have gone to the “tomb of the Capulets,” had it not been for the entreaties of several friends, who thought that the gross misrepresentations contained therein ought not to pass unnoticed, hence my letter of the 9th in reply thereto, and if the whole of that communication had been inserted, it is probable I should not be again compelled to address you, or intrude myself on the notice of the public; and first I would presume that you, Mr. Editor, are well acquainted with the fact that Scrutator and Geraldus Cambrensis is one and the same personage. This you cannot deny; for however diversified may be the talents of a writer, if he praises the benefits of general education one week, and the next deprecates the idea of giving the lower classes the advantage to be derived therefrom; if he quotes a “most beautifully poetical sentiment” in support of an hypothesis one month, and the next depicts the miseries of a scholar’s life, calculated to discourage exertion by an apposite quotation, the style of writing can be detected, however disguised the signature of the writer, whether it be a single letter, that of a learned Bishop renowned for historical research, the remains of whose residence attracts the antiquarian’s attention in a neighbouring county town, let it be the editorial “we” or a Latinized appellation, still there is a je ne scais quoi [je ne sais quoi – something that cannot be adequately described or expressed] kind of evidence, which justifies me in asserting, and I am careless of being charged with “style of assumption,” that Scrutator and Geraldus Cambrensis is one and the same personage.”

In the same article, the Editor of the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin’ went on to defend anonymous letters, and that they had only included ‘Giraldus Cambrensis’, in reply, but there was another under the name of ‘Alpha’, which they omitted, but also that the Editor didn’t like the fact that Mr. Renie had complained about the paper publishing anonymous letters, or not revealing the name of their writers, if petitioned, and his letters to them, being altered, and the Editor replied that “[you] will see that we have inserted his present letter word for word. His insinuations with regard to the Editor make it imperative upon us to request of Scrutator and Giraldus Cambrensis, that we may be permitted to disclose their real names, though we certainly think that Mr. Renie is not entitled to require it.” He went on to defend themselves [the paper], and later included that “Mr. Renie accuses us of having omitted some material parts of his former letter. With his permission we did correct a few inaccuracies, and we also struck out some expressions, which it appeared to us would rather detract from, than add weight to, his arguments. The following errata will shew what those omissions were, and how far his complaint is well founded. ..., After the words “which I have no doubt will be done in a manner little expected by Scrutator,” read “when he can be ferreted from his native obscurity.” After the words “distinguished for conduct and ability, or one of those” read “heartless individuals,” &c. At the end of the letter, as printed, read the following sentence:- “The venom of such anonymous enemies as Scrutator will only revert to the source from whence it emanated, and the poisonless shaft will be harmless. If Scrutator thinks proper to reply to this communication, let him do so in his proper person, and then he will be worthy of attack; otherwise he will for the future, be too coatemptible for the notice of even the humble individual, who subscribes himself, Sir, &c.””

Another anonymous reply to John Renie, then appears in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 8th August 1829, Page 3’, under ‘An Observer’, about the Grammar School, and its change in governance.

Again, this anonymous writer may be the same as the three we have heard about above, Scrutator, Giraldus Cambrensis and Alpha. If they are not the same person, then it seems that John Renie was surely being attacked for his views:-

“SIR, - In your prospective to the Merlin you very properly say, that for the editor of a newspaper, in any county where there is but one, to lay down positions which may not express the sentiments of all, is to exercise a dictatorial tyranny, and to assume the palm of triumph without having incurred the perils of contention: but what is your practice in the following instance? A favourite, under the signature of Scrutator, arraigns the reform or alteration that has lately been made in the management of the Grammar School founded by Mr. Jones. Mr. Renie, a tradesman of Monmouth, replies to Scrutator. In two days afterwards another person, under the signature of Alpha, enter the lists, but you reject his sentiments, on the score, as appears by your notice to correspondents, of inapplicability; the controversy having, as you say, assumed a new form, in consequence of a communication, under the signature of Giraldus Cambrensis, received before Alpha’s. Alpha again addresses you, and insinuates that Scrutator, Cambrensis, and yourself are one and the same person; and requests that you will admit his first communication in your next paper; this you decline to do on new grounds, but nevertheless you offer to insert it with the omission of one paragraph, or some better substitute. Mr. Renie addresses you again, and the whole of his letter is admitted, word for word, and also part of a former letter which had very properly been left out, particularly as it was with his consent. In your notice to correspondents you evidently allude to Alpha, when you say that, “by endeavouring to spare the feelings of a correspondent whose communication was rejected for incapacity, we have been exposed to the charge of partiality and dissimulation.” How do you reconcile, with consistency and fairness, the different reasons you have given for rejecting the communication of Alpha, who (without meaning any offence to Mr. Renie) is evidently a superior writer to him, and whom Scrutator and Cambrensis would not as willingly encounter?”

The anonymous writer carries on in his praise of his other anonymous friends, and carries on to attack the governing changes to Monmouth Grammar School, and goes on about the incorrect opinions of Mr Renie, and even states in relation to the anonymous writer, Giraldus Cambrensis, and his thoughts that too much knowledge is dangerous, with the following: “the modern Cambrensis, with true eastern wisdom, has discovered that too much learning is a dangerous thing.

Too much of any thing cannot, I suppose, be good, but I used to hear it said-

“A little learning is a dangerous thing,

Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.””

Yet then the anonymous observer, goes on to reiterate John Renie’s statements in his first letter, but without praising him, or even including that he is saying essentially the same, but then attacks those he had praised previously in the letter, then reveals who he believes are the wrong parties to the detriment of the school, before the reforms, and by name, which I leave to history: “But who authorised Scrutator and Cambrensis to measure out the quantity, or prescribe the quality, of the learning sons of the Monmouth tradesmen should receive? As Cambrensis seems ignorant of the difference between the condition of the school before the change, and its present state, I will tell him: before the change the school was a mere boarding-school to all comers, from any part of the kingdom, and was advertised in the public papers as the Master’s school, inviting pupils in the usual way. The number of boys at the Free School, for some time before the change, amounted to between twenty and thirty, since, and at present, there are between sixty and seventy boys belonging to the town of Monmouth at the Free School, who receive a commercial and classical education, free of expence, a writing master, who teaches arithmetic and the first principles of the mathematics, having bee lately appointed by the Haberdashers’ Company, who have also nominated nine visitors, (gentlemen of the neighbourhood,) to inspect the management of the school, and to award prizes to those boys whose industry and talents merit them; and if this change be such a grievance to the town and county of Monmouth, and such degradation to the school as Scrutator and Cambrensis represent it to be, it ought to be known who the mischievous persons are who effected it, and for once I will be an informer, hoping they may receive their just reward, but not such as Scrutator and his coadjutor seem to be disposed to confer upon them.”

The anonymous writer then goes on to reiterate the usefulness of an Education, and the inequality of those in lower classes, etc.

And then in reply, Giraldus Cambrensis appears again in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 12th September 1829, Page 3’, “I am now employed in collecting some general information as to the original endowment, rise, progress, and management of public schools, and I hope, in the course of a few weeks, to shew how (without offending the son of any tradesman; or other respectable individual, who may think it advisable that his children should have the benefit of a classical education, and be instructed in polite literature) the School of William Jones may be regulated so as to reflect more lustre upon the name of its founder, and be of far greater advantage to the Inhabitants of the Town and County of Monmouth, than can possibly result from the mistaken policy, according to which it is now conducted.”

There are further points included, but it is not deemed necessary to repeat any more. All of the original newspaper articles, above and below, have been kept on file.

* * * * * * *

So from this information, we know that John Renie is important enough in the local community and town, to be asked to defend the Grammar School of Monmouth, against its attackers of its change of governing in the local paper, so he isn’t new to politics, and political argument. And we also know that he believes in the equality of humankind, and that Education is the key to equalising the social divides, as well as his belief in the ‘intense and universal energy’ of the time, and the advancement of the human condition, through the acquisition of knowledge, science, discovery and invention, etc.

* * * * * * *

According to the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 9th October 1830, Page 3’, that after ex Mayor, members of the Common Council and several other respectable burgesses of the borough, attended divine service at St Mary’s Church in Monmouth, held an open Court, at the Town Hall, for the purpose of electing a Mayor, Bailiffs, and a Coroner, for the ensuing year.

“At the opening of the Court upon above occasion Mr. Renie made an application to the presiding officer to be admitted a Burgess of the Borough, upon the following grounds:- 1st, That he was the eldest son and heir of a burgess, born after his father became a burgess. 2dly, That he was entitled, as owner of a burgage tenure within the town. The answer to which was given by the Town Clerk – “We cannot entertain your claim.” Mr. Renie then said he should pursue his claim in another court.”

According to the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 8th January 1831, Page 3’, at the ‘EPIPHANY QUARTER SESSIONS FOR THE COUNTY OF MONMOUTH.’, “..., When the petty jury were being called over, Mr. Renie stated to the Chairman that many of the inhabitants of the borough of Monmouth had been summoned, contrary to custom, and in breach of the borough privileges – that those persons not wishing, under present circumstances, to obstruct or delay the due administration of justice, had attended in pursuance of the Sheriff’s precept, but that they protested against such an invasion of their rights in future, and had committed to writing the nature and grounds of the exemption they claimed in a document which he (Mr. Renie) would hand in to his Lordship.

The protest was accordingly put in, and read by the Clerk of the Peace, as follows:-

“To the worshipful the Chairman and Magistrates assembled to hold the Sessions of the Peace for the county of Monmouth. – The memorial of the undersigned inhabitants, resident within the liberties of the borough of Monmouth, sheweth, - That your memorialists have been summoned to attend and serve on the juries at the present sessions, for the county of Monmouth, from which service they claim an exemption on the following grounds: That the jury act, 6 Geo IV. Cap. 2, provides, that all persons exempt from serving upon juries in any of the courts of assize or sessions, by virtue of any prescription, grant, or writ, shall continue to have and enjoy such exemption in as ample a manner as before the passing of the act. That the inhabitants, resident within the liberties of the borough of Monmouth, have hitherto, by prescriptive right, been exempt from serving on juries for the county sessions. That amidst other clauses in the governing charter of the borough, by letters patent of Edward VI., bearing date, the 30th June, 1550, after investing the mayor and bailiffs with the power and authority which belongs to the office of the justice of the peace, declares ‘That no particular, justice, steward, sheriff, constable, nor any one minister of us, or of our heirs, shall enter the said town and borough, nor the aforesaid limits thereof, there to do or execute any thing which to the office of peace belongs, nor in any other manner to enter in future.’ That the magistrates for the borough of Monmouth hold a sessions of the peace quarterly, for the trial of offences and misdemeanours committed within the liberties of the borough, at which court your memorialists are liable to serve as jurors; that several are summoned as such at the sessions, to be holden for the said borough on Monday next. That in no case has any offence committed within the limits of the local jurisdiction of the borough. That your memorialists beg leave to observe that their attendance this day is from a conviction, that at the present crisis it is the bounden duty of every member of society to evince their respect for the judicial institutions of their country, and that they are unwilling to hinder the public administration of justice by a mere question of local right. Your memorialists therefore pray your worshipful court to make such order to the sheriff of the county that will prevent a recurrence of the present source of complaint; and that you will order the insertion of this memorial on the records of your worshipful court, in reservation of the rights of ourselves and the other inhabitants resident within the liberties of the borough of Monmouth, in being exempt from serving on any jury for the county sessions. ...,”

And according to the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 15th January 1831, Page 3’, at the ‘QUARTER SESSIONS FOR THE TOWN AND BOROUGH OF MONMOUTH’, that “The grand jury, on being sworn, requested the Town Clerk to convey their thanks to Mr. Renie, for the zeal he had displayed in maintaining the chartered privileges of the borough at the last Quarter Sessions for the county”, where a female prisoner was on trial.

And according to the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 26th March 1831, Page 3’:-

“TOWN OF NEWPORT. – ADDRESS TO THE KING, ON THE REFORM QUESTION. – Lord Melbourne has acknowledged the receipt of this address, and stated its presentation to his Majesty in the following letter:-

Whitehall, March 19, 1831.

Sir, - I have had the honour to lay before the King the loyal and dutiful address of the inhabitants of Newport, which accompanied your letter of the 16th March; and I have the satisfaction to inform you, that his Majesty was pleased to receive the same in the most gracious manner.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

Messrs. Prothero and Phillips,

Town Clerk’s Office, Newport.

MELBOURNE.

A similar letter from Lord Melbourne has been received by Mr. Renie, of Monmouth, in acknowledgement of the address to his Majesty, agreed upon at the meeting of the inhabitants of that town, on Wednesday se’nnight.”

Now, in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 16th April 1831, Page 2’, John Renie himself writes:-

“To the Editor of the Monmouthshire Merlin.

SIR,

IN your paper of last week you affirm, that after diligent inquiry into the circumstances (connected with the reception of the Marquis of Worcester and Lord G. Somerset at the assizes here), you were enabled to state, “that the report in the British Traveller is not a fair and honest statement of what occurred.” As the author of that statement, I contend that it is strictly correct. If you publish it, and it is untrue, you will certainly find some few out of the hundreds assembled that night who will be enabled to point out wherein it is false. In that account there was no mention made of “the most influential inhabitants.”* The class of persons who did assemble to manifest their displeasure at the conduct of the members consisted principally of ten pound householders, whose right to vote at the election of representatives was attempted to be crushed by the vote of these men. On the merits or demerits of the Lords of Ragland I shall not now enter; the approaching contest will present a wide field for scrutinizing the pretensions of this family, of whose history I have collected a few fragments, and which will be published to the world in connection with the history of the persecution and privations endured by the Independent Burgesses in their great struggle to rescue this borough from the domineering influence of an aristocrat.† But you will allow me to assure you that the Monmouthshire people are not disposed to give the Beaufort family credit for “purest patriotism,” unless these terms are synonimous for a love of place; and they have yet to learn wherein their obligation lieth to the landlord who, out of a very heavy rental, rarely expends a twentieth part in the county where he would reign predominant.

I am yours obediently,

JOHN RENIE.

* If the paragraph in the British Traveller, of which Mr. Renie now avows himself to be the author, does not term the crowd, which met in our streets to compliment Mr. Campbell, an assemblage of the “most influential inhabitants,” why did he, two or three days after the occurrence, attempt to foist upon us, for insertion in the Merlin, a statement in which that crowd was so described?

† The word “Aristocrat” is derived from the Greek, and signifies, if we mistake not, “The best of Masters.” We little expected that our allusion last week to the personal merits of the Duke of Beaufort would have received such powerful confirmation from so determined an enemy to his Grace as Mr. Renie appears to be. Perhaps the motives of Mr. Renie may be the same as those of the Athenian, who condemned Aristides to banishment because he was sick of hearing him called “The Just.” To defend the Duke of Beaufort against the attacks of Mr. Renie would be a work of supererogation, which nothing but the want of other employment could induce us to undertake.”

We are also told in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 7th May 1831, Page 2’, at the ‘ELECTION FOR MONMOUTHSHIRE BOROUGHS’, that “We once heard an old burgess in the town of Monmouth declare that he should die happy if he could see an independent candidate returned to Parliament for the three contributory boroughs of Monmouth, Newport, and Usk. The wishes of that individual have been realised. The election for the boroughs took place on Tuesday last, and at five o’clock on the following day, the return of B. Hall, Esq., of Llanover, was duly proclaimed at the hustings in our market-place, by a majority of NINETEEN!” A number of speeches are then recorded, but when the Marquis of Worcester began ““I cannot pretend to merit the very high encomiums-” Here an uproar and confusion arose, which it is impossible for any language adequately to describe. Hisses, groans, yells, and every species of noise that the human throat can utter to express disapprobation, were made use of to deter the Marquis from continuing his address. Mr. Blakemore silenced the mob for a time, by exclaiming, in a voice of thunder, that they would only put an end to the proceedings; as, if the Marquis were not permitted to be heard, the same species of annoyance would be resorted to in regard to the other candidate. The Marquis, however, had no sooner again opened his lips than the tumult re-commenced. Mr. Renie at last succeeded in obtaining silence, and a patient hearing for the Marquis by stating that his Lordship would have but very few opportunities of again addressing them. “Let us, therefore (said Mr. Renie), hear his dying speech.”

The Marquis of Worcester then proceeded with his address, and was not again interrupted save by the cheers of his friends and a few occasional hootings from his opponents.”

This shows John Renie’s patience and the respect he had amongst his political friends and foes.

We are also told in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 14th May 1831, Page 2’, at the ‘CHAIRING OF MR. HALL AT NEWPORT’, that on “Wednesday last was the day appointed by the friends of the newly elected M.P. to celebrate his return, by a splendid public entry, chairing, and dinner, in the town which so eminently contributed to his success. ..., “The Independent Burgesses of Monmouth and Usk, with thanks to Mr. Renie for his strenuous exertions.” Mr. Renie returned thanks, and feelingly described the sufferings of the Monmouth burgesses in their struggle for independence.”

Also in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 6th August 1831, Page 2’ under ‘MONMOUTH POLITICAL UNION’ we hear that, “THOSE Friends of Reform, resident in Monmouth and its neighbourhood who may be desirous of forming themselves into a POLITICAL UNION, on the basis of the Newport Patriotic Society, are requested to forward their names to Mr. JOHN RENIE, preparatory to the holding of a General Meeting for the organization of the Society and the appointment of officers.”

According to the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 29th October 1831, Page 4’ under ‘BOROUGH OF MONMOUTH REFORM MEETING’ that “Mr. Renie spoke as follows:- Mr.Mayor and fellow townsmen, it must be gratifying to you, sir, that you should so early in your official capacity have to preside at so large and respectable an assembly of the inhabitants of the town, particularly when the object of the meeting is to accelerate a cause founded in truth and justice. Your predecessor in office kindly complied with the wishes of the inhabitants, by presiding at two public meetings on similar occasions, and I would bear honourable testimony to the impartiality and attention bestowed by that gentleman in affording the Reformers an opportunity of expressing their approbation of, and concurrence in, the ministerial plan of reform. I am satisfied, sir, from the declaration you have made at the commencement of the business, and from your ready compliance with the wishes of the requisitionists in convening this meeting, we shall not find in you one of those bigotted individuals who, differing in opinion with the vast majority of the neighbourhood in which lie resides, uses the brief authority with which he is invested in the vain hope of repressing the expression of public opinion, - that safety-valve of the nation in a period of excitement, often preventing an explosion which might prove destructive to the entire machinery of a legislative government. After adverting to the specific objects of the meeting, as mentioned in the requisition, Mr. R. remarked, - In the present day which is but a prelude to the dawn of that day when the Sun of Liberty will rise, refulgent in light, laying open to the sight the inmost recesses of corruption's strong-hold we are all reformers. All are now convinced of the necessity of reform. Some few certainly are of opinion that the bill is too extensive in its enactments, but their numbers are more than counterbalanced by those who think the bill does not go far enough. In point of fact, therefore, the advocates of the Bill are only moderate reformers. It has been contended that the proposed to be introduced change will be too sudden. The alteration is, it must be admitted, of an extensive nature; but this is the fault of the Tory administration, which preceded our patriotic ministry. Why did they not make occasional alterations in the representation, to suit the altered circumstances of the times? It is indeed matter of perfect astonishment that men who really possess a very fair show of good sense, should prostitute talent in upholding the present system, and should attempt to contend that whilst every thing in the world is in one continued state of improvement, the persons who framed our constitution (which is a mere idle word for that which never had an existence except in name) should have had, the astonishing præscience of being able to concoct a form of government which should suit the altered circumstances of the times some centuries afterwards, provide for every contingency that might possibly arise during that period, and be incapable of future improvement. It would be arrogance in me to attempt to prove to the persons by whom I am surrounded, the necessity of the change, or the justice of the alterations. In Monmouth it will increase the number of electors from sixty or seventy (four-fifths of whom are of one side the question) to upwards of 300; and whom the bill will admit to the privilege of voting, although they may not be disposed to swear allegiance to the noble house of Ragland. Observe (continued Mr. Renie) the consistency of those noble lords who thought the franchise too low. They sanctioned by their agents the admission, in one day, of thirty- three persons in the contributory borough of Usk, after their declaration of opposition to the clause £10 enfranchising and of these persons so elected four or five only possessed the necessary qualification of being £10 renters. And now we are on the subject of consistency (said Mr. Renie), I hold in my hand the authorised report of the elaborately studied speech delivered by the noble Lord in his election as one of the county representatives; and he is here reported to have said – “On the great and important question of reform, I will only say, that if ministers had brought forward a temperate measure for extending the representation and elective franchise, either by giving members to large towns, allowing copyholders to vote, or in various other ways, which I will not take up your time by particularising, I would have supported it. “Why was not the sincerity of this declaration evidenced by his vote for the second reading. His Lordship by that vote would not have been pledged to the support of the entire bill, for he might have given his opposition to the clauses he thought objectionable in the committee. The opposition to the bill had arisen more from a feeling of party against the ministers, than against the measure of reform itself, and the loudest in their cries against reform would be the strongest advocates for it, if by an inversion of the order of things, its success would bring them back to office and to power. The large majority against the bill in the Lords arose from intrigue. Before going into debate, the parties were nearly divided the antis, the re- formers, and the moderately moderate, whom we will designate in the French style as the juste milen – a compromise was necessary for the success of either party – the reformers would not concede, and lost the moderates – the antis yielded a promise to yield, and gained them and the just emilen party, many of whom are high-minded, well-disposed Peers, absolutely became the dupes of the designing ultras, who having gained a temporary victory by the defeat of the bill, refuses to support a plan of reform which the moderates deem necessary for the welfare and safety of the nation. Yet positive good will arise from this petty intrigue. Many of those Peers who have been thus tricked will give their support to the bill about to be introduced and we hail their conversion with joy, on the principle that there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.” The more particular business of this meeting being to express confidence in the present ministry, I must observe, (although my address may appear tedius after the eloquent display of my friend Mr. Cossens), that the conduct of the ministers has been beyond all praise. The veteran Grey has headed the forlorn hope who just scaled Corruption's walls, and backed by the noble army of reformers sent by the suffrages of the British empire to their support, the ramparts have been gained, the outworks have been destroyed, and the approaches to the citadel laid bare; and although this stronghold of the aristocracy of the country (a fabric which the lapse of time has enlarged and strengthened) has withstood the first assault, the attack has not been without its advantages, proving that it is vulnerable. The resources of the garrison have been ascertained, and the discovery has been made that there is a division in the force which defends it. New preparations are making for storming it again, and the most effective artillery employed will be the thunder of the voice of an united people, shaking the building to its base, by their vociferations for a reform in the representative system. Will the people of England, because they have suffered a repulse, give up the contest? Is this the national character of a people proverbially brave and persevering? Will millions of able-bodied men, with strong arms, clear consciences, and well informed minds, be driven from a fixed determination to effect a certain object, because 41 peers have said not content thereto? This is the number we have to contend against; for the votes of the other peers who opposed the bill are counteracted by the “content” of 158 men of virtue and true nobility, whose highest glory is their country's weal. But do not let an impression go abroad that we wish the destruction of the fabric which has been the safeguard of the barons of England. All we want is the restoration of usurped privileges – an infringed boundary line to be contracted to its original limits, and the dismounting of the great guns which have been erected from time to time, to the annoyance and destruction of the democratic spirit, a necessary ingredient in the mixed nature of our constitution. The cry of the Conservative is to be preserved from even the very name of democracy. It is matter of indifference to him that he is in cruel bondage, suffering the misery and degradation attendant thereon, so long as the power which wields the iron rod is that of a proud aristocracy. To restrain the exercise of that power by a healthful infusion of democracy is the very purpose of the bill, entitling it therefore to the support of every man who wishes to see the triangle forming the constitution of the country equilateral.”

John Renie certainly invokes in his above speech, the right of the common man to his democratic vote, and the need for their voices to be heard. It certainly shows him in a truly virtuous light, standing up for his fellow countrymen, against the political elite, and their firm grip on power over the majority, in the early 19th century.

* * * * * * *

Rotten boroughs and their need of reform have been something that has plagued the democratic process for many centuries, across the democratic globe, never mind just in the British Isles and its Union.

Today, as we progress through time, and demographics change, reform is a constant and important process, in order to try to best represent the electorate, and its representatives, fairly.

* * * * * * *

The ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 12th November 1831, Page 3’ includes that:-

“We call the attention of our readers to a letter in another column, from Mr. Wyatt, the Duke of Beaufort’s Agent in this county, contradicting the assertion of William Evans that he had received notice to quit the premises he holds of the Duke in consequence of his vote at the last election in favour of Mr. Hall. It has been intimated to us from the same quarter, that a satisfactory explanation can be given of the oppressive and arbitrary conduct said to have been exercised by the Duke and his Agents, towards the Monmouth Burgesses; but that it would probably lead to a paper war, which would only tend to aggravate the already too excited state of public feeling.

In England the conduct of noblemen is judged by the same laws as that of humbler individuals; and the silence of the Duke under a charge of such aggravated cruelty as that described in Mr. Renie’s speech, has stamped a blot upon his name, which every friend of his Grace must wish to see effaced. The impression made by Mr. Renie’s story on those who attended the Usk Meeting, was deep and durable. Many gentlemen of the county actually shuddered at the details; and some have since empowered us to offer assistance to the persecuted victims, whom Mr. Renie had described. The Editor of the Times, considering the statements as undeniable, because uncontradicted, has hurried forth against the Duke and his Agents the thunderbolts of vituperation; and we see by the Globe, that it is in contemplation to present a petition to Parliament, praying that his Grace may be removed from the office of Lord Lieutenant of the counties of Monmouth and Brecon, on the ground (amongst others) of his alleged tyranny towards the Monmouth Burgesses.

To withhold an explanation, under these circumstances, is surely an act of imprudence, to say the least of it. Conscious innocence should never stand dumb, though silence is not always a proof of guilt.”

* * * * * * *

So from this further information, we know that John Renie is definitely a man of politics, who sticks up for the occupants of the burgage properties in the town of Monmouth, and Usk, who are bribed to vote for their landlord, or risk losing their leases to their homes and/or places of livelihood, he owns.

So he certainly stuck up for the common man, and those used by the higher classes to further their own political and governing careers, without much fear, even when this all took place in the late Georgian Era, before Victoria and the mighty trailblazing reforming Victorians!

This is further revealed in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 20th October 1832, Page 4’, where under the heading ‘CORRESPONDENCE. / INTIMIDATION OF VOTERS UNDER THE REFORM ACT – NECESSITY FOR THE BALLOT. No. II.’:-

“And will the touching narrative of the sufferings of the Monmouth burgesses, given by poor Renie in his yet uncontradicted speech at the county meeting, not one day or other rise up in judgment against the oppresors, be they may? The people of this country have pretty generally learned from the schoolmaster the sense and the sentiment contained in the following lines of Dryden:-

“from virtue first began,

The difference that distinguish’d man from man;

He claim’d no title from descent of blood,

But that which made him noble made him good.”

And it is not attempts to domineer over the souls and bodies of men that will prevent their personal and practical application.”

Also in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 19th November 1831, Page 3’, the paper defends its coverage or non coverage of the political arguments in other papers or its own coverage of them, regarding the Monmouthshire burgesses, and their want of Parliamentary Reform, where we are told in ‘THE MERLIN AND HIS PEN’, in an imaginary dialogue between the Journalist and his Goose quill, was asked by his pen about the political fight for the right of the burgesses of Monmouth with the Duke of Beaufort, “but why have toy recently introduced into your paper [The Monmouthshire Merlin] Mr. Renie’s invectives against the Duke? And why did you last week call upon his Grace for a defence?” To which the journalist [Merlin] replies: “It is the duty of a journalist to give reports of all that passed at public meetings for public purposes, fully and impartially, without distinction of parties or persons, so that the absent may be as well informed as those who were present. In the performance of this duty I was obliged to insert those speeches of Mr. Renie, in which the different circumstances of alleged tyranny on the part of the Duke of Beaufort towards the Monmouth burgesses, were urged as reasons for the necessity of Parliamentary Reform. I did not vouch for the truth of those circumstances, neither did I deny them – because it was not within my own knowledge whether they were in fact true or false. It was for the Duke to rebut them if he thought proper; and when his agent informed me that they could be explained, I, in the spirit of candour, shewed cause why such an explanation ought to be given. It was not I who arraigned the Duke. It was not I who brought him to the bar of public opinion. I merely urged him to exculpate himself, when exculpation, as I understood, was in his power.”

And his pen [Goose] asked “Do you really think that the character of a nobleman like the Duke of Beaufort can be at all affected by the allegations of an individual whose pretensions are so comparatively humble as those of Mr. Renie.”

To which Merlin replied “My own opinion on this subject is probably of very little value; but I find in Seneca, one of the ancient moralists, a passage to the following effect- “There is none (says he) made so great, but he may both need the help and service, and stand in fear of the power and unkindness even of the meanest of mortals.”

“Goose – Did not the Duke of Beaufort very lately think it necessary to defend himself against an accusation in a London Newspaper called The Spectator.”

“Merlin – He did, although the subject of complaint was confined to that paper, whose circulation is comparatively small. Mr. Renie’s speeches have been either reprinted or commented upon in nearly all the London journals, and the mighty trumpet of the Press has announced to many hundred thousands of my fellow subjects that the Duke of Beaufort, by his conduct towards the Monmouth burgesses, has stamped himself as “THE LORD PARAMOUNT OF BOROUGHMONGERS.” And so forth and so on.

We are also told according to the ‘Hereford Times, 11th February 1837, Page 3’, that:-

“by referring to an old file of the Merlin, I find the first meeting for the cause of Reform was held in Usk, on the 21st of December, 1830; the next was in the March following. – These meetings were the forerunners to the ascendancy of the Reform in this county; for, in a few months, two uncompromising Reformers were elected – Mr. Hall, for the boroughs, and Mr. Williams, for the county. At those meetings our present Lord Lieutenant took an active part, and I am happy to inform you he will use all his influence for us when the proper time arrives. Mr. Leigh has not, like Sir Francis Burdett, in his latter days, turned from those principles he formerly possessed, but is the same man still. There was a singular circumstance attending Mr. Hall’s first election. At that election there was a strong disposition manifested not to listen to the Marquis of Worcester; but poor John Renie, who is now removed from us, I well remember the energetic manner in which he spoke, exclaimed – “let us hear his dying speech.” That sentence proved prophetic, for since then he has no more been seen or heard of. Gentlemen, you have conferred upon me a great honour, by wishing to entrust me with the important duties of your representatives in Parliament, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart: depend upon it, I will do my duty. I am the uncompromising advocate of civil and religious liberty: I am for a searching reform in every department of the Church and the State. You have seen by my first address, my sentiments regarding the Ballot – a measure which I consider to be the only means of rescueing the poor man from the unjust influence of the rich. Gentlemen, I feel happy in being the humble instrument in rescuing the boroughs from the thraldom with which they were threatened. (Mr. Blewitt sat down amidst shouts of applause which lasted some minutes.) ...,”

* * * * * * *

His Death

Sadly we know that John Renie died on the 31st May 1832, aged just 32 (although his gravestone states 33), but you wouldn’t think that the alteration to the governing of Monmouth Grammar School, which he had argued in defence of, in the papers, previously in 1829, would reveal its ugly head again, just a few months after his own death, again from an anonymous writer, under the title ‘An Observer’?

According to the ‘Hereford Times, 8th September 1832, Page 4’, we find the ‘An Observer’ going on to attack of the change in governing of Monmouth Grammar School, which John Renie had defended, back in 1829, but also goes on to say in reply to a letter received from an anonymous writer, named ‘A Poor Reformer’ that “who, reckless of truth, has sent forth in your columns such outrageous and hyperbolical nonsense about the extraordinary talents, &c. of the late Mr. John Renie.”

This reply doesn’t seem fair, in reply to what appeared in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 1st September 1832, Page 3’, about John, which speaks of him and his life:-

“THE LATE MR. JOHN RENIE.

To the Editor of the Monmouthshire Merlin.

SIR, - I was much pleased with Mr. Blewitt’s philanthropic letter, which appeared in your valuable paper some weeks since, on the subject of the decease of our highly-gifted townsman, Mr. John Renie; and I must acknowledge that my hopes were sanguine as to the result of the appeal to the benevolence – and I may almost say the patriotism – of the affluent of this county. The rejoinders in the next Merlin from Mr. Williams, our respected county member, and Mr. Jones, were prompt, and such as might have been expected from the well known characters of both gentlemen. But does our county contain only two persons who can sympathise with the sorrows of the widow and fatherless? This abandonment, perhaps to distress, to the family of such an enthusiastic lover of liberty – one whose wishes for freedom did not evaporate in mere words – by the “liberal?” party, has done more than any thing else to estrange voters from the date at our next election. There are many in this town, who, when Mr. Renie was at their head, shouted for Reform, will now vote for the Marquis of Worcester; and, in answer to all remonstrances, they say – “See how your party has deserted poor Renie.” They say – and the Antis make it a good handle to turn waverers to their side – that had the Blues possessed such an enterprising adherent, and had they been so unfortunate as to lose him by the hand of death, they would still have appreciated his services, and have lent a helping hand to those whom the stroke of fate had rendered desolate. Despite of all the public delinquencies of the Tories, they are fully entitled to this credit, that they are grateful – (and evince it by their acts) for the services of their supporters. To be sure they not unfrequently made the nation pay their debts of gratitude, in the shape of excise offices, &c.; but still, they did not make use of a man for party purposes, and then abandon him in the hour of need, if their turn had been served. I don’t wish to be understood from this to advocate the mercenary views of those who invariably attempt to make their privilege of voting a source of corrupt profit, and who thus sell their birthright as Englishmen for a mess of pottage. Those fellows are too depraved for me to hazard a word in their behalf, and deserve the contempt with which they are treated. In my opinion, voters guilty of bartering their franchise, ought to be deprived of it; and I therefore hope to see Lord John Russell’s bill against bribery pass into law. Mr. Renie was of a different stamp: his whole heart and soul was embarked in the cause which he espoused, and he never hesitated publicly to avow his principles, and manfully to act up to them. His natural talents, too, were of an extraordinary character, which, added to his perseverance, made him a valuable auxiliary to the party he supported. I was present at the public meeting at Usk, when Mr. Renie – then in good health, and full of excitement – addressed the assembled freeholders, and in my mind’s eye I now see the interest depicted on the countenances of his hearers at his detail of cruel acts of oppression on the one part, and extreme suffering on the other – sufferings in which he had himself participated.

“Ah! where is now the lifted arm,

The strength of action, and the force of words?

Ah! fled for ever, as they ne’er had been!”

It is not my intention to sat a word on the merits of the subject on which Mr. Renie enlarged. The thing is passed away and the sooner the whole affair is forgotten, perhaps the better. The Reform Bill has so completely altered our position since “the struggle,” that I need not revert to it further than its necessary connexion with the object of my present letter. After this meeting, the contested election for the boroughs came on; and throughout, and previous to it, who was so indefatigable in his exertions as Mr. Renie? who, I really believe, felt more anxious for a successful result than either of the candidates themselves. Since then he has sunk into a premature grave, the victim of consumption, accelerated, so it is generally believed, by his exertions in behalf of Mr. Hall. In a very few weeks after the termination of the election, it was evident from his haggard looks that death had marked him for a speedy victim. He rallied a little, and his family fondly hoped that his health would be restored; but no, - he lingered for many months, and died,

“And all their hopes with him were laid

Within that dark abode, the banquet-house of death!”

I still hope to see something done for the family – a widow and four interesting children. If the gentry are affected with apathy (which I hope, and almost feel convinced, is not the case – perhaps they are only hesitating as to the best manner of doing good) – but if persons whose means will admit of acts of bounty and benevolence without the slightest inconvenience to themselves, will not come forward, then let the more humble fellow townsmen of the deceased shew their regard for a departed patriot by a general subscription towards the support and education of his bereaved family. By these means a moderate fund may easily be raised for the purpose, at a very trifling individual contribution; and to this fund many Blues, who know how to appreciate native abilities and uprightness of political conduct, would give their support; and we may also calculate upon assistance in this charitable work from the public spirited inhabitants of Newport, if a suitable person would undertake the receipt of subscriptions in that town. I will be happy to lend all the aid in my power, and to contribute my mite as a proof of the sincerity of my expressions. My means are, however, so limited, that if the assistance I can afford to give, were named after this long letter, it would appear so insignificant, as perhaps to destroy the effect which it is my desire to produce. I send you my name (not for the purpose of publication, but for your satisfaction, that I can have no interested motives in making this communication), and I will forward my small contribution, when I can do so without its being known that I am the author of this letter. In the mean time, I hope that some persons of influence will take the matter in hand, and then I have no doubt of a prosperous issue. The question as to the best method of shewing public satisfaction at the passing of the Reform Bill has been agitated: I beg to suggest, that there can be no better method of commemorating the success of the measure, than by subscribing to a fund, for the benefit of the family of a deceased honourable and consistent reformer, those sums which would be idly spent at an illumination.

I remain, sir, your obliged servant,

A POOR REFORMER.

Monmouth, August 22, 1832.”

The words “he [John Renie] has sunk into a premature grave, the victim of consumption, accelerated, so it is generally believed, by his exertions in behalf of Mr. Hall [the M.P. elected]. In a very few weeks after the termination of the election, it was evident from his haggard looks that death had marked him for a speedy victim. He rallied a little, and his family fondly hoped that his health would be restored; but no, - he lingered for many months, and died”, show just how motivated, John was by his struggle for the common people to be represented fairly in the Houses of Parliament, as well as where they lived, their constituency and their homes, without fear of retribution, if they didn’t vote for their landlord; so much so, that he died an early death in his rigorous support of the man he believed would finally give him and his townsfolk, justice!

Also notice that this letter was sent to the Merlin, with the writer’s actual identity enclosed, although he had them publish his letter under an anonymous title.

John Renie’s death was advertised, along with details, in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 2nd June 1832, Page 3’:-

“On Thursday evening last, after a severely protracted illness, Mr. John Renie, painter, of this town, aged 32, leaving a disconsolate widow and four orphan children to bewail their irreparable loss. Throughout the whole of his sufferings he evinced the most pious resignation and patience and he has departed this life with the general sympathy of the public. He was a man of extraordinary natural abilities, and was impressed with the highest and most romantic enthusiasm for rational liberty. We regret to say, that to the very great exertions he made at the last general election to secure the return of the reform candidate for the boroughs (B. Hall, Esq.), may be attributed his premature decease. The interest he felt in the grand measure of Reform in Parliament continued till almost the latest moment of his existence. His mind remained nearly unimpaired in vigour to the last. He was a living record of local events; and his conversation up to the day of his death was interesting and instructive. Let it not be supposed that he neglected the most important business of all mankind – preparation for the change from this to another and a better world.” During his illness he was almost daily attended by the Rev.__ Jewell, Wesleyan Minister, of this town, with whom he invariably engaged in pious discourse for some time. Let us hope a merciful God has forgiven the frailties to which he, in common with all mortals, was subject, and that his soul has vacated its clayey tenement to live “in realms of eternal day.” In the hour of death and in the day of sickness how soothing it is to have the unremitting attentions of our nearest natural friends. These Mr. Renie was blessed with in a superlative degree and the hearts of his bereaved family are buoyed up in this trying hour by the consciousness of their having used all human means to mitigate the anguish of his tedious and fatal sickness. We repeat Mr. Renie is a victim to his exertions for the promotion of liberal principles; and will the Reformers of Monmouthshire, and the benevolent of all parties, suffer the widow and the fatherless to pine in poverty and neglect No – forbid it Heaven! – In our next we shall again revert to this melancholy subject.”

This report upon John and his death certainly holds him in a great light, and that he had discoursed with his local Wesleyan Methodist Minister upon piety.

It includes that his conversations before death, were both interesting and instructive, and also that he had not neglected the importance of preparing for the other and better world, beyond the veils of death.

Another letter appeared in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 1st September 1832, Page 3’, concerning the death of John Renie, his work in politics, his illustrious and humble character, and the worry of his unsupported family, with John having died so young and so suddenly, although the above does say he suffered for a while before he succumbed, and there was no means of support for them, arranged or left, because of his young and untimely death, as well as remembering, that even after this in the Victorian period, seldom could a single parent support their family and young children on their own:-

“THE LATE MR. JOHN RENIE.

To the Editor of the Monmouthshire Merlin.

SIR, - In the Merlin of last Saturday appeared a letter, signed A Poor Reformer,” relative to the decease of Mr. Renie, and the circumstances in which his family was unfortunately left.

Mr. Renie certainly was a most ardent and sincere supporter of rational liberty, and his premature decease may, in a great measure, be attributed to his exertions, and the excitement of mind under which he laboured for some time previous to and during the last election for the boroughs of Monmouthshire. I have heard him say, that he was aware he should suffer from those exertions, notwithstanding which, the independence of the persecuted burgesses, of whom he was one, demanded the aid of every one who could assist in the breaking asunder the bonds with which they had too long been bound, and that he considered it his duty to persevere whatever the consequences might be to him, which he should leave to the great disposer of all things.

The writer of the letter alluded to, though (according to his own statement) an humble individual, seems not in need of assistance to put in their proper colours the virtues of the lamented subject of our observations – he is quite aequal to the task himself. I have no doubts he is a friend to the widow and fatherless; but I really have doubt of his sincerity as a reformer, if I may be allowed to judge of his principles by his letter. He, however, speaks of Mr. Renie in public life. I for many years observed him in private life also: he was an honest tradesman, an indulgent husband, a tender father, and strictly attentive to the duties of religion, the benefits of which he apparently experienced in his dying hour. Who ever heard a profane expression escape his lips? or who ever saw him in the least inebriated, although he was so much accustomed to mingle in society, where he was looked up to with that respect which is generally shewn by an inferior to a superior? and he departed this life with the sympathy of (I believe) all who had the pleasure of being acquainted with him.

I hope, Mr. Editor, this will not occupy too much space in your valuable paper, should you think it worthy of insertion, and shall proceed to make a few observations on the letter in question.

In one part of it (after stating that Mr. Williams, our respected county member, and Mr. Jones, were prompt to the appeal of Mr. Blewitt, whose very liberal subscriptions Mrs. Renie has received, which confirms your hint in the Merlin of a short time ago) the writer thereof thus says – “But does our county contain only TWO persons who can sympathise with the sorrows of the widow and fatherless?” Now, with the view of making away with the impression which that letter very probably has left on the minds of those who read it, that Mr. HALL, the Independent Candidate for the Boroughs (whose name has not appeared in public on this matter), has done nothing for the necessitous family of Mr. Renie, I think it my duty, in justice to that gentleman, to state, that I have reason to know that he has – and further, I now hold in my hand a letter from him, in which he says, that “whenever Mrs. Renie requires his assistance in any way, she is not to hesitate, but ask freely; and that if in his power, the favour required shall be granted.”

In another part of Poor Reformer’s letter is the following sentence, which, in the light I look at it, is quite insulting to the men of Monmouth:- “There are many in this town who, when Mr. Renie was at their head, shouted for Reform, will now vote for the Marquis of Worcester.” I beg leave to differ with him on this point. I do not mean to say that the liberals of this town have not sustained the loss of a strenuous advocate by the death of Mr. Renie, which event no one laments more than myself; but it is not very probable that either of the sixty-one persecuted burgesses, or indeed a single individual in Monmouth who had the good of his country at heart, and who has the privilege of exercising an elective franchise, will now turn, because there is no one to shout Reform before him. Ridiculous idea! No, no, sir; the people now clearly see the necessity of supporting those only who will truly represent them, and not misrepresentatives, who live by the sweat of the poor labourer’s brow, and who vote away the public money to undeserving sinecurists, and for such like unworthy purposes. We shall, ere long, have an opportunity of judging whether the Poor Reformer is a prophet as well as a writer.

It so happens that I am in possession of examined copies of the several petitions forwarded from Monmouth to the two Houses of Parliament previously to the passing of the English Reform Bill, which are got up in very strong terms – one requesting a creation of Peers for the purpose of accelerating the passing of that measure; I say, we shall therefore see whether any one man whose signature is attached to either of those petitions, and who then undoubtedly shouted for Reform, will vote for the Marquis of Worcester. Surely no reasonable man would be so inconsistent as to do so; but should there be among the number such an idiot and traitor to his country, care will be taken that immediately after the next election a few comments shall be made upon his conduct, and those comments shall appear in print, that the public may treat him with the contempt he will then justly merit.

I remain, sir, your obedient humble servant,

Monmouth, August 28, 1832. JUSTITIA.”

The ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 14th July 1832, Page 3’, also tells us that charity was found for his poor family after John Renie’s sudden death:-

“THE FAMILY OF THE LATE MR. JOHN RENIE.

We have the pleasure to state, that the appeal in behalf of the destitute family of the ardent and honest reformer, Mr. John Renie, has not been made in vain. The following letters have been received from our popular county member, W. A. Williams, Esq., and Wm. Jones, Esq., of Llanarth, and their munificent donations lodged in the Bank. It is hoped that a fund will be raised sufficient to place the widow in a business, whereby she may be enabled to support her helpless offspring.

To the Editor of the Monmouthshire Merlin.

SIR, - As you have kindly offered to receive subscriptions for the assistance of the widow and children of the late Mr. John Renie, I enclose a cheque for £5, for that purpose; - and I trust that the interest taken in their case by the late and present Editors of the Merlin, will be productive of efficient support to them, under their present afflicting circumstances.

I remain, sir, your’s faithfully,

72, Park-street, Grosvenor-square, W. A. WILLIAMS.

July 11th, 1832.

To the Editor of the Monmouthshire Merlin.

SIR, - I have ordered £10 to be paid to you by the Monmouth Bank. You will have the kindness to hand it over to the distressed widow of the late Mr. Renie.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

London, July 11th. WILLIAM JONES.

[We should consider ourselves wanting in justice to R. J. Blewitt, Esq., were we to suppress what we have learned to be a fact, that he has from time to time contributed £30, for the support of this necessitous family. – ED.]”

We are also told in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 8th September 1832, Page 2’, that Thomas Pritchard has moved into John Renie’s home, and taken over his business:-

“MONNOW-STREET, MONMOUTH.

HOUSE, SIGN, AND DECORATIVE PAINTING, AND GLAXING.

THOMAS PRITCHARD, impressed by gratitude for past favours, with the utmost respect and deference, begs leave to return his most sincere acknowledgments to the Inhabitants of Monmouth and its Neighbourhood, for their liberal and kind support since his establishment in the above business, the continuance of which he humbly but confidently hopes to merit by the most persevering diligence, promptitude, and moderation of charges.

T. PRITCHARD begs also to acquaint his Friends and the Public in general, that he has entirely left his late residence near Dixton Gate, and has REMOVED to the late RESIDENCE of Mr. JOHN RENIE, in Monnow-street, whose Business and Stock in Trade he has very recently taken to and by engaging persons skilled in the profession, he is enabled, with some degree of co fidence, to solicit the support, and hopes to acquire the fullest satisfaction, of all those who may be pleased to honour him with their commands. Churches and Public Buildings Decorated. GILDING AND BRONZING. OILS, VARNISHES, AND COLOURS, PREPARED FOR USE. Furniture neatly Painted. Country Orders will meet with immediate attention.”

“Life Goes On”

* * * * * * *

The Odd Fellow

John Renie was also a member of the fraternal Society known as ‘The Independent Order of Odd Fellows’, which is a society who believe in the perfection of a person, and the bettering of them, as well as the wider society, and the benevolence of helping others. The Order began officially in 1810, after breaking away from their historic group known as the ‘Order of Odd Fellows’, which was founded in England during the 1700s.

It is a secret society, similar to what people know as the Freemasons, as well as other orders, both still operating or lost to the mists of time.

It has a set of rules, rituals and customs its members follow, with a choice to be involved or not involved in the Order aspect of the Odd Fellows, where progress through the societies elected officers, which has a hierarchical structure of different roles, range from a Branch or Lodge member, to the highest office of Grand Master.

According to the Oddfellows website (https://www.oddfellows.co.uk/about/traditions/), becoming a ‘welcomed’ or initiated member of a Branch or Lodge, opens up membership of the Order, through three progressive stages of Lectures, which help their members further explore Odd Fellowship and its Virtues, and that their “Virtues explore the positive traits of friendship. They include common sense (Prudence), restrain and balance (Temperance), truth and fairness (Justice), courage and strength of character (Fortitude), belief and trust (Faith), looking forward with confidence (Hope) and selfless want for others' happiness (Charity). Many who have progressed through the Lectures say they found the journey thought-provoking and rewarding. And, in taking time out to explore such elements of friendship, they felt it highlighted how such virtues still hold valuable modern-day relevance.”

The Lectures of the Order have a specific structure relating to the Order’s hierarchy of office, which the Order’s website tells us that:-

“The Lectures (or Degrees) allow the member to fully explore and learn about the Order’s rules, rituals and customs. There are three stages of Lectures:

Minor Lectures. There are four steps to completing Minor Lectures. In order, they are White, Blue, Scarlet and Gold. As with welcoming, they can be held either as a formal ceremony or informal reading. Completing the four Minor Lectures entitles a member to stand as Branch Chairman (Noble Grand).

Past Officers Lectures. These are awarded if you have undertaken the roles of either Minute Secretary, Branch Deputy Chairman (Vice Grand) or Branch Chairman (Noble Grand).

Purple Lecture. To gain this most prestigious qualification, the member must have been an Immediate Past Branch Chairman (Immediate Past Noble Grand), completed the four Minor Lectures, together with the Past Officers Lectures attached to the office of a Branch Chairman (Noble Grand). This is unless they have been a permanent or assistant secretary for at least two years or an Elective Secretary or Trustee for at least four years.”

Each lecture or degree consists of symbols that teach members a practical moral code that they should aim to live and act by, helping effect positive changes in the wider world.

The Order also uses traditional symbols, hand signs and passwords, which proved their membership of the Order to other members in the past.

* * * * * * *

We know that John Renie was a member of the Order of Odd Fellows, due to his membership appearing in historic newspaper articles.

According to ‘The Cambrian, 25th July 1829, Page 3’, in the evening (after proceeding in grand order to attend divine service, headed by a band), “Mr John Renie, P. G. of the Waterloo Order of the Borough of Monmouth, delivered a most appropriate lecture” to “the members of the Odd Fellows Lodge at Tredegar, Monmouthshire, assembled at the Golden Lion Inn.”

Also according to ‘The Cambrian, 2nd July 1831, Page 3’, Mr John Renie presided, supported by G. Wilson and C. Dyer, Esquires, over the twelfth anniversary of the Waterloo Provincial Lodge of the Monmouth District of The Independent Order of Odd Fellows. They attended a divine service at St Mary’s Church in Monmouth, and afterwards, they paraded the principal streets in processional order, under arches of shrubs and flowers erected by the zeal of the friends of the institution, preceded by a band of the lodge, and accompanied with banners and the various insignia peculiar to the fraternity. After which they had dinner in their new hall, and enjoyed the festivities, speeches and discourse usual to such an occasion.

According to the ‘Bristol Mercury, 9th June 1823, Page 2’, John Renie, was the Waterloo Provincial Grand Lodge of Independent Odd Fellows, N.G., or Noble Grand, the Master (Chairman) of that Branch or Lodge.

The original article records that:-

“Amor, Amicitia, et Veritas. / INDEPENDENT ODD FELLOWS, / WATERLOO PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE, / for MONMOUTHSHIRE, No. 160. The Officers and Brothers of the above Lodge will hold their Anniversary on MONDAY, the 11th of June, when the Company of any visiting Brother will be esteemed a favour. The Lodge will be opened at Nine o’clock when the Brethren will walk in procession to Church, to hear the Rev. H. BARNES, Vicar of Monmouth, &c. preach, and, returning to the Lodge, will dine together. / Dinner on the Table at Two o’clock. / The above Lodge having been re-opened, under sanction of the Grand Lodge of all England, by the G. M. And Officers of the Gloucester Loyal Hope Grand Lodge; and being constituted No. 1. For the district comprehending the County of Monmouth, possesses the privilege of granting dispensations for opening new Lodges in the County. Lodges desirous of effecting a junction with the above, will meet with every encouragement, on application to the corresponding Secretary. / By order of the Lodge, / Lodge-Room, Old Brockwear Boat Inn, Monmouth. / J. RENIE, N. G. / J. COATES, P. G. C. S. / A Collection will be made at the Church doors for the benefit of the National School.”

Also according to the ‘Bristol Mercury, 18th August 1829, Page 3’, six years after John Renie was recorded as the Master or Noble Grand of the Waterloo Provincial Grand Lodge of Independent Odd Fellows, which met in Monmouth, he was now the P.G.M. or Past Grand Master or Past District Chairman of the Society, i.e. he had been a Past Provincial Grand Master, of the Order:-

“The delightfully situated village of Stonehouse presented on Tuesday last, a scene of interesting activity, as on that day a procession of the Noah’s Ark Lodge of Odd Fellows was appointed to take place. The morning was ushered in by a merry peal from the church bells, and at an early hour many of the friends of the institution were busily engaged in raising decorations of evergreens and flowers for the occasion. The arrival of Brothers from the Monmouth, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Bristol, and Coleford Lodges, added much to the expectations of the immense assemblage which had collected from all parts of the adjacent country. About eleven o’clock the procession, attended by a full band and bearing four beautiful silk banners belonging to the different Lodges, proceeded towards the vicarage, whence it was headed until it reached the church, by the Rev. Mr. Hodges, the worthy and respectable minister of the parish, who then delivered an impressive discourse from James ii. 20, after which, a collection amounting to 9l. 1s. 2d. was made for the benefit of the Stroud Dispensary. They then returned to the new Lodge-Room, where a substantial dinner was provided by Mr. Sparrard, in his well-known style of elegance. The cloth being removed, Brother P.G.M. Renie, of the Monmouth Lodge, was called to the Chair, and, supported by Brother Allen, surgeon, and Brother P.G. Hill, of the Stonehouse Lodge, presided with that good sense and manly deportment for which he is so much respected. Brother Alford, Serio-Comic performer, of the Bristol Lodge, presided at the piano-forte, and by the ability which has rendered his name familiar in a great part of the country, greatly contributed to the conviviality of the evening. Unanimity with brotherly kindness appeared the predominant feelings, and, highly gratified, the company separated at an early hour.”

The impressive discourse from the Rev. Mr. Hodges, on the Epistle of James, Chapter 2: Verse 20, which he chose for the occasion of the meeting of many esteemed members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, came from that verse, which is: “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” This comes from the full paragraph in the Epistle of James, of: “18. But some man will say: Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without works; and I will shew thee, by works, my faith. 19. Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well: the devils also believe and tremble. 20. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac his son upon the altar? 22. Seest thou, that faith did co-operate with his works; and by works faith was made perfect?”

John’s membership of the Odd Fellows, is also verified in the ‘Silurian, Cardiff, Merthyr, and Brecon Mercury, and South Wales General Advertiser, 12th May 1838, Page 3’, some time after John Renie’s death, where he is detailed as a P.P.G.M. or Past Provincial Grand Master of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and more importantly he is recorded as the father and founder of the Order in the districts of Gwent and Morganwg, and an obituary of his involvement and his person as an esteemed member of the Society:-

“INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS. – On Wednesday evening, the 25th ult., the officers and brothers of the Tredegar district, met at the house of Prov. G. M. J. Jenkins, the Crown Inn, Cwm Myrddach, near the Victoria Iron Works, and constituted a new Lodge, by the name of the British Crown, No. 1420 of the Manchester Unity, when a great number of officers and brothers from the Friendly Ivorians and the neighbouring Lodges attended.

...,

In closing this hasty sketch of the opening of the British Crown Lodge, Ebbw Vale, the writer hopes that it will not be considered as an act of intrusion, by the brotherhood, to be informed that he, in conjunction with his esteemed and ever-to-be-lamented friend and brother, the late P.P.G.M., J. Renie, of Monmouth, (whose labours ceased in June, 1832,) was the father and founder of the I. O. of O. F. in the populous manufacturing districts of Gwent and Morganwg. The Independent Order was not even thought of in these districts until June, 1829, when the first correspondence was held between that humble individual and the officers of the then Waterloo Lodge, Monmouth, which correspondence was continued between the parties till the demise of that truly great man, P.P.G.M., J. Renie, whose attachment to the principles of our much and deservedly beloved Institution cannot be forgotten as long as a spark of gratitude and brotherly love remains to warm the human breast. This melancholy event, and being deprived of the valuable support of such a powerful colleague, was a very heavy trial, and such a one as would have paralyzed all the future efforts and exertions of the writer, in the good cause of Odd Fellowship, were it not for the important duties he had then to discharge, by being called upon to officiate in the double capacity of G.M. and C.S. of the Order for the Tredegar district, comprising then by far the greatest part of the three counties of Monmouth, Brecon, and Glamorgan. How these important and multifarious duties were performed, are best known to those who have now the pleasure of sharing in the beneficial effects resulting therefrom, and of witnessing the present improved state of our benevolent and glorious Institution within the limits of ancient Glwysig and Morganwg. Suffice it to say that no exertions were spared by the humble individual just alluded to, to fulfil his highly and truly important office, or to discharge his various duties in a manner creditable to himself, and the good and welfare of the Order, in the land of his birth. He has now the satisfaction of seeing his well-meant endeavours and humble exertions crowned with success, and of witnessing the splendid banner of friendship, love, and truth, waving over every hill and dale of his beloved Cambria. This is a full recompense to him for all his labours and anxieties in the great cause of Odd Fellowship. He beholds its progress and rests himself, fully satisfied that it must prosper.”

It may be possible that John Renie lived at the Worcester Lodge Inn, where the Independent Order of Odd Fellows met in Monmouth.

The Order often met in public houses, and there are many public houses up and down the country, that bear that relationship with their name.

We already know he was recorded as living on Monnow Street, but nearly a year after his death, his brother, Charles Renie, is recorded as having further particulars to a property which was to be sold on Monnow Street, Monmouth, and to ask for those particulars, contact “Mr. Charles Renie, at the Worcester Lodge [Inn]”:-

Also in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 18th December 1830, Page 3’, we are told under ‘MONMOUTH’, that “a meeting of the inhabitants of this borough was held for the purpose of appointing a constabulary force, in pursuance of a recommendation from the Secretary of State’s office, communicated by Captain Hovenden to the town magistrates”, where we are told that:-

“Mr. Renie then begged to introduce himself to the meeting as the Secretary of a society established in the town called the Waterloo Lodge of Independent Odd Fellows. It was in its nature and institution a society of men united as brothers, to relieve and comfort each other in sickness, and to dispense their surplus means upon such objects as were most deserving of charity. But these were not its only obligations – loyalty to the King, and fidelity to the constitution, were among its fundamental duties, and formed the surest pledge for the continuance of brotherly union. No man who was a traitor to his country could be true to his friend. Respect for the laws was essential to the due observance of the moral duties of life. It was not for him to lavish commendation upon the society of which he was a member, but in Manchester, where the parent institution had been established, the good conduct of the members, in cases of riot, had often been put to the test, and received the thanks, as well of the neighbouring magistrates, as of the government itself. Among the members of the Waterloo Lodge were about eighty or ninety householders – all able and active men who had deputed him to attend the meeting on their behalf, and tender their aggregate services, to act in any manner that might be determined upon for the preservation of the public peace. (Loud and long continued applause.)

The Society of Odd Fellows alone comprise many thousand individuals, extending, by means of separate lodges, through every part of the country. The sentiments of the lodge represented by Mr. Renie, were declared by him to be the sentiments of the whole body. As the fundamental principles of all friendly institutions are similar in their nature, we may conclude that the members of all are equally good citizens, true friends, and loyal subjects. With the assurance of such a powerful combination of patriotic feeling, what have we to fear? The attention of government should be turned to these societies – it should be told to regard them as the sheet anchor of the state. We trust that some honourable member of one of the Houses of Parliament will make public mention of the subject. It will dissipate at once the apprehensions of the timid, and annihilate for ever the hopes of the traitor!”

This certainly shows the belief John had in the Society of Odd Fellows, their moral respectability, ideals and the furtherance of their cause.

And again in the ‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 18th December 1830, Page 3’, we are that “At a MEETING of the INHABITANTS of the Town and Borough of MONMOUTH, held at the Jury Room, in Monmouth, the 13th of December, 1830, in pursuance of a Requisition from the Mayor and Bailiffs, for the purpose of taking into consideration the Circular of his Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Home Department, recommending the appointment of a Constabulary Force”, that “Mr. Renie having intimated to the Meeting, on the part of the Waterloo Lodge of Independent Odd Fellows, that the said society, of whom one hundred are inhabitant householders of the borough, were ready to come forward at any time for the preservation of the public peace.

Resolved, - That Mr. Renie be desired to convey the thanks of this Meeting to the said society, for their loyal and patriotic offer.

Mr. Harper having made the same offer, on the part of the Trafalgar Lodge of the Order of Ancient Druids.

Resolved, - That the thanks of this Meeting be conveyed by Mr. Harper to the last mentioned society and this Meeting accepts with pleasure the above offers from the members of the two societies, in their individual characters, as inhabitant householders.”

‘Monmouthshire Merlin, 16th February 1833, Page 3’:-

“TOWN OF MONMOUTH./ TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION. / By Messrs. BURTON & SON.

At the WORCESTER LODGE INN, in the said town, on Wednesday, the 6th day of March next, at Four o’clock in the Afternoon, (unless disposed of in the mean time by Private Contract, of which due notice will be given, in the Merlin,) subject to such conditions of sale as shall be then and there produced. -

ALL that FREEHOLD MESSUAGE or DWELLING-HOUSE, with its Appurtenances, situate in Monnow-street, in the said town, in the occupation of Mr. Richard Williams, Tailor.

These Premises are in a most eligible situation for Business, being situate in the centre of Monnow-street.

The Dwelling-house consists of a large Shop in front, and Kitchen, on the ground floor; Dining-room, two Bed-chambers, and two excellent Attics; a good cellar, extending from the front to the back part of the house, Back-kitchen, and Yard, with every necessary convenience for trade.

For a view, please to apply on the Premises; and for further particulars and conditions of Sale, to Mr. Charles Renie, at the Worcester Lodge; or to Mr. John Howard, Monnow-street, Monmouth.”

* * * * * * *

According to ‘Trust Among Strangers: Friendly Societies in Modern Britain, Penelope Ismay, 2018, Page 159’ we are told that the Odd Fellows Annual Meeting, Annual Movable Committee or Conference or AMC was sometimes “chosen to reward a particularly zealous Odd Fellow for services rendered. In 1832, for example, it was held in Monmouth to honour John Renie who was almost single-handedly responsible for spreading the Order throughout Wales and was a (some might say, the) major contributor to the early issues of the [Odd Fellows’] magazine. In the event, he died the day before the AMC. But his services did not go unrecognized: the deputies took a collection and started a subscription for his widow and children, which ultimately amounted to £80.”

And according to Penelope Gwynn Ismay’s earlier work ‘Trust Among Strangers: Securing British Modernity ‘by way of friendly society,’ 1780s – 1870s, 2010’, on Page 87, Footnote 38, John Renie was a prominent Odd Fellow, and that he was “a regular visitor at other lodge’s lodge nights, did so as a kind of a father figure since he helped to start almost every lodge in Wales. (Burn, Historical Sketch of Oddfellowship, 29, “Biography: Robert Naylor, P. G. M., “The Odd Fellows’ Magazine, July 1841, 294.).”

This therefore tells us that John Renie was such an asset to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, that he had practically created the Order in Wales, and that he was a father figure to others in the Order, and that sadly he died the day before, he was going to be venerated for being such an amazing Odd Fellow, at their AMC held in Monmouth.

An entry in ‘The Odd Fellows’ Magazine, 1829, Page 87’ reads:-

“On the 13th verse of the 13th chapter of the 1st Corinthians.

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

An independent Odd Fellow who is equally well known to the Order, as a past officer, as he is to the district where he resides as a decorative painter, was employed by a neighbouring lodge to paint a banner: the subject chosen was the three Christian graces, which are defined to be the principal pillars of our institution; the artist had grouped the figures as they stand – Faith occupying the left, Charity the right and Hope the middle ground, and to give picturesque effect to the subject had brought Hope forwards, painting it according to the rules of perspective, larger than the other figures; the banner was completed, taken home, and gave satisfaction to all, with the exception of the parish clerk, who was an officer of the lodge, on being pressed for his objection, he said in a strong provincial dialect – “The flag is well enough and all that there, but it ‘aint done according to scripture.” The painter contended the figures were placed as they stood in holy writ. “They be’ant, replied Mr. Amen, for if you read the Bible, thee’st find that Charity is the greatest, and thee’st painted Hope the biggest;” a smile of triumph accompanied this declaration, in the laugh the company joined, not so much at the conclusiveness of the arguments, as at the pedantic erudition of the parish clerk.

JOHN RENIE, P. G. M.

Monnow-street, Monmouth, Nov. 1, 1828.”

Page 45 of ‘The Odd Fellows’ Magazine, 1829’ tells us that P.G.M. Renie was “at the head of [the] veterans [of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows” and stood as a “worthy brother, Renie, whom I must arouse from the apparent lethargy into which he appears sank this evening – he has promised to say something further to us, and I am convinced you will enjoy the intellectual treat which his reply ever affords, by my pledging a bumper to P.G.M. Renie and his past compeers in office.” – “All good fellows.””, and:-

“P.G.M. Renie said, he duly esteemed to secretary’s kindness, and in his own figurative language, he may be assured that before “night drew her sable cloud and wrapt the earth in shade,” he would not “remember to forget” him. – The lethargy into which he apparently sank, did not arise from apathy to the pleasures of the day, but it was that kind of indolence which a man feels after the completion of his day’s labour. I have, Mr. Secretary, toiled my day in the vineyard of the Order – in it I have laboured hard, and the pleasure I feel in hearing my younger brethren in the Order expatiate on the beneficial tendency of Oddfellowship, is the same that the husbandman enjoys in reaping or calling the sweets of his labour. But there is also another feeling which predominates and throws a degree of solemnity over my mind, even at this joyous moment; it is, as our worthy clergyman observed, (whom you, Mr. Secretary, so justly and ably apostrophised) the probability that there are those at this festive board, whom the grim monster, death, will claim as his prey, and whose body will mingle with the clods of the valley, before another anniversary. Revolving seasons should remind us of our mortality, and every succeeding festal day brings us nearer to the bourne from whence no traveller returns. I say not this to cast a sombre tint over the proceedings of the evening, but to awaken an increase of sympathy towards each other, and bind the tie closer round us as a body, ere ‘tis separated by death. Reviewing the past year it has been to us one of peace and prosperity. Your numbers and your funds have increased, and great advancement has been made by many of you in the mysteries of the Order, and some of you have obtained honourable distinction by merit alone; it is such that know duly how to appreciate the moral precepts it inculcates, and I trust that practice will perfect what theory has commenced, and that you will become wiser and better men. Viewing the Order in this light, it is a national advantage; for if our laws restrain vice, and check the depraved habits which too often contaminate our mechanics, it raises us to the proper level of our dignity as man, gives energy, industrious exertion, and.....”

And Page 326 tells us that “who can regret the perusal of the sketch of an anniversary or the opening a new lodge, from the able pen of G. M. Renie? they are not only excellent productions, but valuable papers for the Magazine.”

This shows even more the fortitude and effort of John Renie, and the beautiful writing mind and exquisite language he used in each and every discourse.

We also find in the ‘Odd Fellows’ Magazine’ that Mr. James Howells, was also a member of the Waterloo lodge, [in] Monmouth, and had died on Tuesday the 19th May 1828, and that he was John Renie’s father in law.

John Renie appears often in the Odd Fellows’ Magazine, giving insight into the order and the amazing man that he was.

* * * * * * *

Infinity, and the Grave’s Symbolism

If we take into account a history I completed back in 2015, which spoke of the symbolism and meaning of another curious and symbolic gravestone, this time situated in the West Midland City of Stoke on Trent, and located in the graveyard of Stoke Minster, and an 18th Century Stone Mason as well as a Freemason’s Grave (see https://www.mysticmasque.com/history-mystery/the-devils-grave-a-masonic-epitaph); this grave, this time of John Renie, a high ranking Odd Fellow, then it is more than likely, like the Stoke on Trent Grave, this Monmouth Grave, includes some of the ritual or ethos of the hidden secrets of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, or it is like the Stoke Grave, trying to tell the more avid and knowledgeable onlooker something that they must endeavour to know and be in their life. It may also be trying to tell the onlookers something more obvious too.

Firstly we must look at the grave again, and to help us see how it is read, each word has been given a variant of the same colour for the first and last letter, and the letters in between the first and last letter of each word:-

From this square we can see how the word square works and how it may be read, from going horizontally and vertically, in many multiples of ways.

Oddly we can also see how similar the design, once the words are coloured, or even the repeating letters, coloured in a different colour to where the letters only appear once in, ‘Here Lies John Renie’, how much the design looks like a symbol used both by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Freemasonry alike, and other similar historic societies, and that is the All Seeing Eye.

The suggested All Seeing Eye, is even more easily seen when we submit the grave to artwork, and look at the picture created of the shape form, of the repeating letters, by using the human hand of craft, in this case my friend’s artistic hand, Michael C. Oakes, in his artwork, dated 2012, ‘John Renie’s Grave’, after we both visited the Priory Church of St Mary, and the Gravestone, in Monmouth in 2010:-

Further if we repeat the letter square, in our minds or practically, we can see how infinite the whole word matrix actually is, and how it can go on, in duplicating, forever (with each larger letter on a black background), and how similar it is to Masonic Lodge’s chequerboard carpets, if we blacken each square around the letters forming John Renie. (We could make it even more infinite by making the form 3D too, etc):-

* * * * * * *

The Numerology of the Grave

The Letter or Word Square has, if using the full square as on the original grave, 19 letters/squares horizontally and 15 letters/squares vertically, with a total number of 285 squares.

However, if we use it as a repeating pattern, so that we are not duplicating the 19th column and the 15th row, and therefore may be repeated in 2D forever, without duplicating letters at each junction, then the Letter or Word Square has 18 letters/squares horizontally and 14 letters/squares vertically, with a total number of 252 letters/squares.

If we use Numerology, the study of divine or magical numbers, which have a mystical relationship to belief, and numbers associated with those beliefs, such as Christianity and the Bible, in which we see many repeating and sacred numbers, we find that the Magical Letter or Word Square of ‘Here lies John Renie’, has some significant magical numbers associated with it.

If we take the total number of letters or squares as they appear on John Renie’s gravestone, i.e. 285, and then see which whole numbers that number may be divisible by, we find that:-

285, is divisible by:-

1 x 285 = 285

3 x 95 = 285

5 x 57 = 285

15 x 19 = 285

19 x 15 = 285

57 x 5 = 285

95 x 3 = 285

285 x 1 = 285

So the numbers 285 are divisible by are: 1, 3, 5, 15, 19, 57, 95, and 285 itself.

252, is divisible by:-

1 x 252 = 252

2 x 126 = 252

3 x 84 = 252

4 x 63 = 252

6 x 42 = 252

7 x 36 = 252

9 x 28 = 252

12 x 21 = 252

14 x 18 = 252

18 x 14 = 252

21 x 12 – 252

28 x 9 = 252

36 x 7 = 252

42 x 6 = 252

63 x 4 = 252

84 x 3 = 252

126 x 2 = 252

252 x 1 = 252

So the numbers 252 are divisible by are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, 18, 21, 28, 36, 42, 63, 84, 126, and 252 itself.

The 252 Letter or Word Square is the true square of the Word Matrix of ‘Here Lies John Renie’, because it can be repeated on to infinity, so the numbers by which 252 are divisible by, are applicable to the gravestone, and its magical number associations.

Interestingly the first part of the sequence of the numbers 252 is divisible by, is the ‘tetractys’, i.e, 1 plus 2 plus 3 plus 4, equals 10, the most perfect number.

Number 1 is self explanatory for its massive magical associations, but to remind us, it may represent: the one God, in monotheistic beliefs; the one world; unity; the individual; the One; etc.

Number 2, likewise, may represent: duality, such as: male and female; alive and dead; positive and negative; left and right; heaven and hell; right and wrong; true and false; As Above, So Below; the yin and yang; the teacher and pupil; light and dark; good and evil; God and Devil; angel and demon; the twin aspects of gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, etc.

Obviously we can see that the Number 3 and its multiples run throughout the numbers 252 is divisible by, and most know the sacredness or magical associations of the letter 3, or its multiples 6, 9, 12, 18, 21, 28, 36, 42, and 63.

If you do not the Number 3 may represent: the Holy Trinity, i.e. God is: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; the triangle; the occasional trine of gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions; triple aspects of gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions; the three planes of existence, and the three worlds in each, in Norse Mythology; the three worlds of reality, Heaven, Earth and Hell; the rising of Christ on the 3rd day after his death; the three sons of Noah, the sets of three virtues, such as, Hope, Faith and Charity; the Triple Goddess of Wicca; as well as a great many other magical or mystical associations.

We can also see that there is a pattern in the sequence of numbers 285 may be divisible by, in that the sequence 1, 2, and 3, or 3, 6, and 9, in that 1 and 2, added together equals 3, and 3 and 6, added together equals 9, i.e. number 1 plus number 2, equals the 3rd number. This then carries on in the sequence, i.e. in the pattern of 3, 6, and 9, but also in 3, 9, and 12, and again in 6, 12, and 18, and even again in 9, 12, and 21, and again in 21, 42, and 63, and further in 42, 84, and 126.

1, 2, and 3, are the first three numbers, whose sum or multiplication gives the number 6, the first perfect number, which equals the sum of its divisors, excluding itself.

This sequence was long thought to be a very magical pattern, even Nikola Tesla believed this theory, which he called the 3 6 9 Theory, was the Key to the Universe.

It is even used as a symbol in Freemasonry, where a triangle is placed upside down within a larger triangle, so that the larger triangle is then made up of four equal sized triangles, and sometimes used to symbolise the four letter name of God, i.e. the Tetragrammaton.

This diagram and explanation symbolises that: the centre is the same as the whole, and that the whole is the same as the centre; or, the centre is the same as what surrounds, or what exists within; and that which exists within, is the same as what surrounds the centre. It represents the Holy Trinity as well as the Tetragrammaton.

The four letters of the name of God may be placed within one of the four equilateral triangles, or the whole name placed within the central triangle, and the outlying points of the larger triangle representing each of the three parts of the Holy Trinity.

It is also repeated in the Masonic ‘47th Problem of Euclid’, which is a mathematical ratio that allows a Master Mason to square his square when it is out of square.

You can certainly see the relationship to the 3 6 9, or Tetragrammaton Symbol, the 3 4 5 or Pythagoras Triangle, and the 47th Problem of Euclid, and their geometrical and mathematical forms, to the form of John Renie’s Letter or Word Square, in which these truths seem to be hidden, mathematically.

You will also see as mentioned above, if we place a number on each triangle, in order, i.e. 1, 2, 3, and 4, we have the ‘tetractys’ again, which if we add up each sequential number, it equals 10, the most perfect number.

* * * * * * *

The Number 4 may represent: the square; the Tetragrammaton, or the four-letter name of God; the elements of fire, water, air, and earth; the four Gospels of Christ, and the four Gospel writers, and their representations, often seen on or inside Christian religious buildings; the four Matriarchs; the four Archangels; the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; the four quarters of the Cross or Crucifix; the four noble truths of Buddhism; the four seasons of the year, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter; the four points of the Compass, North, South, East, and West, and hence the four corners of the world; the four phases of the moon, new, half waxing, full, and half waning; the four humours of medieval Europe; it is also a square number, i.e. 2 times 2 is 4; as well as many others.

The Number 6 may represent: the faces of a cube; the points of the double triangle representing “As Above, So Below”, as well as the Star of David; the six days it took God to create the world; the magical hexafoil or flower of life, we saw above, as well as the daisy wheel also used in spiritual protection; the six sides of a hexagon, to be found in nature and mathematics, which also maybe repeated to infinity, i.e. in the repeating cells of a beehive; or the sixfold symmetry of snowflakes; and of course the ‘Sixth Sense; amongst many others.

The Number 7 may represent: the seven days of the week; the seven ages of man; the seven planets, before modern times, namely, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn; the Seven Archangels of God; the approximate time each phase of the moon takes, i.e. a quarter of a month, 7 + 7 + 7 + 7, totalling 28 days; the seven historic forms of education, namely, grammar, rhetoric, logic, music, arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy; the seven years of bad luck if you break a mirror, etc.

The Number 9 may represent: the nine worlds on three planes of existence in Norse Mythology; the number of God according to Judaism and Kabbalistic teachings; the nine muses in Greek mythology, namely epic, erotic, and lyrical poetry; history, tragedy, comedy, song, dance, and astronomy; it is also a square number, i.e. 3 times 3 is 9; etc.

The Number 12 may represent: the twelve months of the year; the 12 signs of the Zodiac; the twelve Disciples of Christ; the twelve hours of the day, and the twelve hours of the night; the Twelve Tribes of Israel; etc.

The Number 14 may represent: the attributes of number 7, because it is the sum of two sevens; half of a month, or cycle of the moon; the days in a fortnight or two weeks; etc.

The Number 18 may represent: the attributes of number 9, because it is the sum of two nines; or the attributes of number 6, because it is the sum of three sixes; and hence often closely related to the Number of the Beast 666, because 6 plus 6 plus 6, equals 18; it is the age at which people are deemed to be an adult, depending on the country and culture they live in, some cultures celebrate both 18 and 21 as rites of passage; etc.

The Number 21 may represent: the attributes of the numbers 3 and 7, because it may created from 3 sevens or 7 threes; it is the age at which an individual was thought to be an adult, depending on the country and culture they live in, some cultures celebrate both 21 and 18 as rites of passage; etc.

The Number 28 may represent: the days it takes the moon to orbit the earth, i.e. a month; the sum of four sevens, and hence some of those numbers attributes; etc.

The Number 36 may represent: again the Number of the Beast 666, because it is made up a 3 and a 6; it also has the attributes of some of its divisors, i.e. three twelves are 36, and two eighteens are 36, and it is also a square number, i.e. six times six, is 36.

The Number 42 may represent: the attributes of 21, because two twenty one’s are 42; etc.

The Number 63 may represent: again the Number of the Beast 666, from the Book of Revelation, because it is made up of a 3 and a 6; and have the attributes of 21, because three twenty one’s are 63; etc.

The last numbers which 252 may be divisible by are the Numbers 84, 126, and 252 itself, which may not have much other than the attributes of the other numbers which make them up, or appear as part of a mathematical pattern or sequence, as we looked at above.

* * * * * * *

The Letter or Word Square of John Renie’s Gravestone may only be made into a 3D cube, if some letters are repeated, which does not allow in some cases, the phrase of ‘Here Lies John Renie’ being read following its staircase form in the original 2D square.

This is because the square has 19 columns and 15 rows, so four rows have to be added to its centre to make it into a cube, which without the 19th column and 15th row, may be duplicated to infinity, as in 2D, but then has some mistakes in its form where in the original, the phrase could be read without errors.

If letters are added which do not follow the same staircase or reading of the full phrase, it means these letters are defunct and of no use, this may again add into the idea of the ‘All Seeing Eye’ being depicted within its form.

* * * * * * *

An Infinite Apotropaic Demon Trap or a Teaching?

These highlighted and contrasting word squares of the form of the actual Grave of John Renie show us that the phrase ‘Here Lies John Renie’, repeats to infinity, if we think that the word square isn’t just the whole, but symbolises the pattern repeating.

This therefore tells us that the phrase is infinite, and hence, like others have supposed, is another form of a demon trap, which evades malevolent forces, such as the Devil or demons, from gaining the soul of John Renie, and enabling him to ascend to heaven untroubled, in the same way that other demon traps use a never-ending geometric line, but in this case, a phrase, to entrance the demonic forces, and entrapping them, for the whole of eternity.

However, is John Renie using this complex word square, of 19 letters horizontally and then 15 letters vertically, with a total number of 285 squares, but by using the first row as the last row, and the first column as the last column, as the same, telling us that this actual 18 by 14 letter / word square, with a total number of 252 squares, that it is infinite and can be duplicated forever?

Is he is telling us that the phrase is infinite, and may be duplicated on and on, that we are in Death, infinite, and hence teaching us that Death is the secret, the ascension to infinity?

This may mean that with relation to more enlightened 21st Century times, like he had said of the early 19th century, as an “age of “intense and universal energy””, that he may be alluding to the idea of the self as infinite, and the idea of parallel universes, and as such that death is just the beginning of understanding the whole infinite complexity of the individual soul, when it is viewed in its infinite enormity?

His infinite phrase, has both a beginning letter and an ending letter, alluding to the Christ, as the beginning and the ending, revealed at the end of the Book of Revelation, and therefore our stories, like God’s story, has infinite applications, and infinite projections, and each individual story of the self, goes on for infinity, but we must harken to the teachings of the Lord, to understand?

Also because there is a beginning letter and an ending letter, to the infinite phrase of ‘Here Lies John Renie’, just using those letters, i.e. HE, does this further allude to God, and the Christ? And that the true calling is to read, understand, but also walk in the teachings of, and be HE, the Lord?

Does it even remark to John Renie’s thoughts on the human condition after ascendance to Heaven after Death, if you’ve followed the secrets of apotheosis, i.e., ‘HE, Here Lies John Renie’?

Does it mean that there are many different paths we can take in life, but essentially there is only one start and one end?

Does it mean that once you have accepted and spiritually lived every path, you know infinity, because there is a pattern to it all?

Some occult thinkers believe that there is a pattern to infinity, i.e. once you know the pattern the number is easier to reach, some believing prime numbers and some of those, help quantify infinity.

Does this link into the date he knew he was baptised on, the 13th October 1801, to the date of the arrest of the Knights Templar in France, on 13th October 1307, which became synonymous with ‘Friday the 13th? Of which Order, many secret societies are thought to have links?

The date of 13th October must have been especially important to him, because it was also the exact day that his father, James Renie had died, aged 39, but in the year 1813?

John Renie may have had a ‘Christ Complex’, because he had his age wrongly quoted as ‘33’ on the gravestone, when in fact he was 32. Did he wish to impart to onlookers, that he had died at the same age as Christ had, on the Cross, and who had then ascended to Heaven after His Resurrection?

Remember his words included in his defence of Monmouth Grammar School and the attainment of the “ultimate perfection, the ne plus ultra [the perfect or most extreme example of its kind; the ultimate] of knowledge!”

May be John was an Oracle, that his anonymous newspaper enemy detractor Giraldus Cambrensis scoffed at with his words: “One would imagine, from the style of assumption adopted by your correspondent, Mr. John Renie, that he was the oracle of Monmouth, - the literary mouth-piece through which all its inhabitants were content to trumpet forth their united opinions!”

May be John was a holy man acting as a medium through whom advice and prophecy was sought from the gods?

He was even said in one of the obituary like newspaper articles that he, “Mr. Renie certainly was a most ardent and sincere supporter of rational liberty, and his premature decease may, in a great measure, be attributed to his exertions, and the excitement of mind under which he laboured for some time previous to and during the last election for the boroughs of Monmouthshire. I have heard him say, that he was aware he should suffer from those exertions, notwithstanding which, the independence of the persecuted burgesses, of whom he was one, demanded the aid of every one who could assist in the breaking asunder the bonds with which they had too long been bound, and that he considered it his duty to persevere whatever the consequences might be to him, which he should leave to the great disposer of all things.”

He had been a freedom fighter, and wanted a better more fair and just world, and had even surmised that his exertions might cause him detriment, even to be left to ‘The Great Disposer of All Things’, Death himself, how more prophetic, or an oracle, can you be?

Another man who knew John Renie said of him, that “for many years [I] observed him in private life also: he was an honest tradesman, an indulgent husband, a tender father, and strictly attentive to the duties of religion, the benefits of which he apparently experienced in his dying hour. Who ever heard a profane expression escape his lips? or who ever saw him in the least inebriated, although he was so much accustomed to mingle in society, where he was looked up to with that respect which is generally shewn by an inferior to a superior? and he departed this life with the sympathy of (I believe) all who had the pleasure of being acquainted with him.”

Or had he simply followed the numerical value of his date of death, carved and correct upon the gravestone as ‘MAY 31. 1832.’ With ‘AGED 33 YEARS.', so that it appeared that he died on the 31st, in the 32nd year of the 19th century, in the 33rd year of his life, rather than the 32nd year of his life?

Although whoever carved his date of death and age onto the gravestone, if it had already been carved with the word square, made a mistake with his age, something often done in antiquity?

His death was sudden, so did he know he would soon meet his demise, he as an oracle had already envisaged, and therefore had created a design for his grave, either on paper, or it had already been carved, but without the date of his death, and age? The other names on the grave have been added later.

His family were left without much money to even sustain their lives, and the bringing up and educating of his young children, so how could they afford a monument such as this? Did they make the age error of 33 rather than 32 years, when instructing the stone mason?

With his letter / word square, resembling the All Seeing Eye of God, was he telling us it is infinite, and therefore sees everything, so remember, He is watching, so learn to be a better and more noble in virtue, person, like the Independent Order of Odd Fellows teaches?

Or is he telling us the infinite wisdom of equality, that you may transpose your name, into a similar but not the same square, and therefore like him, you are infinite in death and ascension, and therefore are like him and he is your equal? And that we all have the opportunity to be as infinite as John Renie was, we all have that magic within, for equality is the way to infinity, and through knowing infinity we may ascend as he to the secrets of Death?

Or is John Renie, simply saying to his many critics, or those who knew him, that you will never ever forget me, for every person who comes across this curious gravestone, shall never forget me, for they will look upon it with curiosity, and repeat and remember my name to infinity?

Are you taking part in the magical incantation that will make him immortal and infinite, by repeating ‘Here Lies John Renie’, with the many others who figured out the phrase, and therefore adding to the total number of times it has been read out, in the mind or verbally, and thus making John Renie Immortal and Infinite in Name, and in Death?

* * * * * * *

John Renie was a decorative painter and glazier, i.e. a signwriter, and it is likely he designed the word square on his grave himself, because he would be familiar with coming up with words and phrases in an eye catching way, to make any passersby to his painted words on shopfronts or shop windows to make them stop and look, the more interesting or complicated and eye catching, the more likely the customer would stop, and be tempted within.

It is also possible he would have come across, in his occult studies relating to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the ‘Sator Square’, which is a famous Latin word square, and other similar number forms.

* * * * * * *

It is also very possible that John Renie had come across a book called ‘Kabbala Denudata, Volume 2, by Christian Knorr von Rosenroth, Sulzbach, 1684’, which includes a very similar word puzzle square to his gravestone, on the book’s frontispiece to ‘Kabbalae denudatae tombs secundus id est Liber Sohar restitutus’, and the similarities are just so uncanny.

If he had seen this, and being a signwriter, it would have jumped out from the page to him, and he would have taken great notice, especially with him also being an Odd Fellow too.

A copy is housed in the Ritman Library in Amsterdam. There are online copies available too, here is a link to one of them @

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DgxXAAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false.

Inside on the frontispiece under the title ‘Cancrenis Cancerinus’ which is thought to mean the way in which the word square must be read, i.e. from a sideways movement, like a crab’s movement, i.e. cancer the crab; rather than it meaning ‘Cancer is cancerous’.

Dr Cis van Heertum, Curator of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica Collection at the Ritman Library found this entry on the word ‘Cancrine’ on the ‘World Wide Words’ Website @ https://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-can1.htm:-

“Cancrine

Pronounced /ˈkæŋkraɪn/

This one is as defunct a word as you are likely to meet in this section — it seems to have utterly disappeared from the English lexicon. Like its close relative cancroid, it derives from Latin cancrinus, relating to a crab.

It has been used on rare occasions to mean crab-like but more usually a specialised type of backwards motion, curious in view of its derivation, which would imply a sideways movement to match that of the crab. In this sense, cancrine refers to a type of Latin verse that reads the same backwards as forwards, which we would now refer to as palindromic. The example usually quoted is:

Signa te signa. Temere me tangis et angis.

Roma tibi subito motibus ibit amor

each half of which is cancrine (It was supposedly said by the Devil to St Martin, who had changed him into a donkey and ridden him to Rome. In translation: “Cross thyself, you plague and vex me without need. For by my efforts you are about to reach Rome, the object of your travel”.)

Cancrine doesn’t refer only to verse though: Bach’s Crab Canon, which is a musical palindrome, has also been described as cancrine.”

In the word square as we find in John Renie’s, each row and column reads the same backwards as forwards, so is palindromic.

Here’s a diagram of what appears upon the frontispiece to ‘Kabbala Denudata, Volume 2, by Christian Knorr von Rosenroth, Sulzbach, 1684’:-

Again like ‘Here lies John Renie’ we have ‘Ex Uno Cent Rosu[m] Amittit Lumina Sohar (or Zohar)’ beginning in the centre and ending at each corner.

This Latin phrase roughly translates as ‘From One Hundred Gnaws by Death, Illuminates Zohar’, where The Zohar is the foundational work of Jewish mysticism known as the Kabbalah.

It is likely that John Renie came across this work whilst researching ideas presented to him whilst being a high ranking Odd Fellow.

The difference with this word square to John Renie’s, is that it is a true square, i.e. it has 31 rows and 31 columns, so can be made without errors, into a repeating cube.

* * * * * * *

It is also very likely that John Renie’s gravestone as well as the similar example above is an indirect reference to Jacob’s Ladder.

It is also very likely that the puzzle is an indirect reference to Jacob’s Ladder.

Jacob’s Ladder is a symbol described from a dream of Jacob in the Old Testament, and represents a staircase to heaven.

It represents the spiritual connection between Earth and Heaven, and progress, ascension and the journey though each level of enlightenment.

It is most likely that John learned the teaching of Jacob’s Ladder in his studies associated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, because the Order gives instruction via a number of ascending degrees. Their most famous symbol is ‘the Chain with Three Links’, with the letters ‘F’, ‘L’ and ‘T’ within, representing, Friendship, Love and Truth.

Chains can also be symbolic of a ladder, with each level once attained becoming one link, thus forming an ascending chain of spiritual ascension, of a person’s passage to heaven.

* * * * * * *

It is also very likely that John Renie included secretly into his design, which only the adept would find, the secret of the Tetragrammaton, the 1 2 3 4 Tetractys, the 3 6 9 Theory, the Pythagorean Triangle, and the secret of the 47th Problem of Euclid, which must be as or was as important in the teachings of the Order of Odd Fellows, as it is in Freemasonry.

These mathematical and geometric forms, as well as some others, inform the member(s) of whichever Order, the sacredness of Geometry, and its applications in the wider world, both in the natural as well as the spiritual realms.

There is even included in these secrets hidden within the geometry of John Renie's Epitaph, and the above geometric teachings, the form by which the 'Jewel at the Centre of the Universe' is depicted, which represents the Supreme Being, however, I will leave such a 'Jewel', or Geometric form, for the reader of this article, to ponder upon themselves.

"I, John Renie, am at the Centre

Each beginning and ending

At each and every part

And Within and Without,

Yet I am and be the Whole."

* * * * * * *

Here He Is John [of] Sion, Reborn

If we take the famous Latin word square, i.e. the ‘Sator Square’, and the phrase ‘Here Lies John Reni[e]’, but removing the last letter ‘e’, so we have four words of four letters each, but so that the words are both forwards as well as reversed, we have the following square (below left).

If we use it in a word search way, we find an almost unbelievable statement, that may or may not have been known to John Renie, and we may be going too far, but it does exist, albeit well hidden from the complex letter / word square upon his grave, but not hiding in that letter square, but in the infinite phrase.

Sion is a synonym for the city of Jerusalem, as well as for the Land of Israel.

Reni, Renie, or René, is a common first name in French, and is derived from the Latin name Renatus, and means ‘born again’ or ‘reborn’.

John Renie being such a well educated man, and most likely self taught and/or initiated into many things, was very likely to have known that his name was most likely French in origin, and meant, ‘born again / reborn’.

* * * * * * *

"Make of It

What Thou Wilt”

* * * * * * *

I will impart the end of the article with some more poetry and art:-

Upon The Snakes I Rise

by Charles E S Fairey

Upon the Snakes I rise, alive

Entwining around Jacob's Dream

From Alpha to Omega, I arrive

There's nowhere I ain't seen

From my Ladder like Staircase

I begin as a Letter and a Square

Yet end as every Letter on the Face

And the Secret to Infinity laid bare

What is hidden once you've found the word

And every path from Alpha to Omega

Even the darkness in the grid has stirred

Something unknowable my quaint Believer

There's many paths to the end

And Wayes of getting there

Journey to infinity my friend

With your soul just and fair

Thru Friendship, Love and Truth

We've found our own skylit Heaven

Our chains of ignorance set loose

Helping and ascending our Brethren

Yet Here lies dear old John Renie

Of Intense and Universal Energy

Here to hear and teach the many

He certainly did not love lethargy

So be like he was full of affinity

And dwell upon this graven complexity

For within it is the Eye of Infinity

And our shared and unified equal destiny

Upon the Snakes I rise, alive

Entwining around Jacob's Dream

From Alpha to Omega, I arrive

There's nowhere I ain't been

* * * * * * *

Whatever the secret he wished to impart, or whether it was just to tell the local population, that you will never forget me, I will leave up to you, to decide!

Acknowledgements:

With Special Thanks to:-

• Michael C. Oakes (Friend, Artist and Fellow Pilgrim to John Renie’s Grave in 2010), and for permission to use his Artwork of ‘John Renie’s Grave, 2012’.

• Dr Cis van Heertum (Curator of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica Collection at the Ritman Library, Amsterdam).

• Lindsay Heyes (Labyrinth Historian, and ‘The aMazing Hedge Puzzle', Symonds Yat West, Ross on Wye, Herefordshire (https://mazes.co.uk/labyrinth.html))

Bibliography:

• Protective Devices, Apotropaic Symbols and Witch Marks; on Historic Buildings; with examples from Cheshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire, Charles E S Fairey, 2018. (https://sites.google.com/site/charlesfaireyhistorian/publications/protective-devices-apotropaic-symbols-and-witch-marks)

• Apotropaic Identification, Charles E S Fairey, 2018-2019. (https://sites.google.com/site/charlesfaireyhistorian/publications/apotropaic-identification)

• Apotropaic Ethiopia: Early Examples of Spiritual Protection from Christian Africa, Charles E S Fairey and Vincent Reed, March 2019. (https://apotropaicethiopia.wordpress.com/)

• Leo Reynolds ‘HERE LIES JOHN RENIE’ Flickr Page (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/5618749964)

• Wolfram MathWorld: Staircase Walk Lattice Paths (https://mathworld.wolfram.com/StaircaseWalk.html)

• The Devil’s Grave, A Masonic Epitaph, Charles E S Fairey, 2015. (http://www.mysticmasque.com/history-mystery/the-devil-s-grave-a-masonic-epitaph)

• The Independent Order of Oddfellows (https://www.oddfellows.co.uk)

• Trust Among Strangers: Securing British Modernity ‘by way of friendly society,’ 1780s – 1870s, Penelope Gwynn Ismay, 2010.

• Trust Among Strangers: Friendly Societies in Modern Britain, Penelope Ismay, 2018.

• The Odd Fellows’ Magazine, 1809 & 1829.

• The Ritman Library – Amsterdam (Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica), Directed by Sara Ferro & Chris Weil, Artoldo Pictures, 2016.

• Kabbala Denudata, Volume 2, by Christian Knorr von Rosenroth, Sulzbach, 1684

(https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DgxXAAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false).

• ‘World Wide Words’ Website meaning of ‘Cancrine’ (https://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-can1.htm)

• Find My Past (https://www.findmypast.co.uk)

• The British Newspaper Archive (https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/)

• The National Library of Wales (https://www.library.wales/)