Origin of due guard

garen

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Dec 15, 2002, 9:50:54 PM12/15/02

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A brother to whom I am teaching the EA work asked me the other day what was the meaning of "due guard". I was at a loss to provide either an answer or an explanation of the origin of this term, although I reminded him of what it literally was. Coils did not have a particularly satisfactory answer, so I suppose it's a term that's up "for speculation."

What is *your* interpretation and thoughts on the origin of "due guard?"

=
Garen

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Garen Evans, Ph.D. *** ga...@tamu.edu
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Program Extension Specialist - West Texas Spaceport
Dept. of Agricultural Economics
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843 - MS2124
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Kurt Kurosawa

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Dec 15, 2002, 10:14:59 PM12/15/02

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"garen" <ga...@fox.tamu.edu> wrote in message
news:atjf2e$fhv$1...@news.tamu.edu...

> A brother to whom I am teaching the EA work asked me the other day what
was the meaning of "due guard". I was at a loss to provide either an answer
or an explanation of the origin of this term, although I reminded him of
what it literally was. Coils did not have a particularly satisfactory
answer, so I suppose it's a term that's up "for speculation."

JJ Robinson found the roots of many Masonic terms in medieval French (part
of the support for his idea that the Masonic Lodge system was set up to hide
Templars on the run after their persecution began). He writes that "geste du
garde" means a protective gesture and suggests it was shortened much as the
cloth called "serge de nim" was shortened to "denim." Somewhere else I read
(maybe in the same book, can't recall) that what it guards against is the
inadvertent disclosure of the sign of a degree to someone not entitled to it
as another layer of examination.

Richard White

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Dec 16, 2002, 1:10:30 PM12/16/02

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"garen" <ga...@fox.tamu.edu> wrote in message
news:atjf2e$fhv$1...@news.tamu.edu...

> A brother to whom I am teaching the EA work asked me the other day what
was the meaning of "due guard". I was at a loss to provide either an answer
or an explanation of the origin of this term, although I reminded him of
what it literally was. Coils did not have a particularly satisfactory
answer, so I suppose it's a term that's up "for speculation."
>
> What is *your* interpretation and thoughts on the origin of "due guard?"

My understanding, though not verified, is that quite literally it as a due
guard: a precursor [sign] that is due to be given before the Sign as a
guard against accidentally giving the sign to a non-mason and thus
inadvertently disclosing a masonic secret.

Interestingly enough the due guard seems to be a Scottish feature of
Freemasonry that is used in US workings. English Freemasonry (and affair
Irish Freemasonry) does not have a due guard, and the term is completely
unknown to the vast majority of such Freemasons.

S & F Regards,

Richard White ProvAGDC (Surrey)
JW/PM Addington Lodge No. 5080
IPM Old Olavians Lodge No. 5758
UGLE

http://mastermason.com/old-olavians-lodge/
Please visit this new site and sign the guest book

Jim Bennie

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Dec 17, 2002, 10:51:11 AM12/17/02

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In <atjf2e$fhv$1...@news.tamu.edu>, ga...@fox.tamu.edu (garen) wrote:
> What is *your* interpretation and thoughts on the origin of "due guard?"

Such a thing doesn't exist in my lodge.

Jim Bennie
PM/DC, No. 44, Vancouver

alan...@gmail.com

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Jun 5, 2020, 10:44:25 AM6/5/20

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I am convinced that "duegard" (the alternative spelling) is simply a morphing of the French expression "dû égard" (due regard) into English.

Rich80105

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Jun 28, 2020, 5:02:24 PM6/28/20

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A search on teh internet came up with this:
https://www.lodge76.co.uk/lectures/the_due_guard.htm

There is a Texas Lodge of Research you could ask . . .