Social Victorians/People/Westcott

Also Known As

• Family name: Westcott
• William Wynn Westcott
• W. Wynn Westcott
• Dr. Westcott
• Golden Dawn 5=6 motto: Sapere Aude — "Dare To Be Wise" (Cavendish 273) or "Dare to know"
• Golden Dawn 7=4 motto: Non Omnis Moriar — "I Shall Not Wholly Die" (Cavendish 273)

Demographics

• Nationality:
• Born 17 December 1848, Leamington, Warwickshire, England.
• M.D., Coroner

Residences

• 396 Camden Road on 4 October 1887 (Howe 12)
• "In his later years, Westcott removed to Durban, South Africa, where he became Nive-President of two Theosophical Society Lodges" (Gale 1803).

Family

• William Wynn Westcott (17 December 1848 – 30 June 1925 [Gale 1803])

Acquaintances, Friends and Enemies

Acquaintances

• Helena Blavatsky
• Anna Bonus Kingsford
• Gustav Meyrink

Friends

• Robert Felkin

Organizations

• Queen Elizabeth Grammar School at Kingston-upon-Thames, London
• University College, London
• Uncle's medical practice
• Amen-Ra Temple of the Golden Dawn in Edinburgh.
• Supreme Magus, Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA), Metropolitan College, replacing William Robert Woodman upon his death
• Co-founder, 1887, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Isis-Urania Temple, the Outer Order and the Inner Order (Küntz 219)
• Theosophical Society and founder of Adelphi Lodge
• Freemason, including Quatuor Coronati (research lodge, founded 1886)
• Society of Eight

Timeline

1871, Westcott "qualified as a physician in 1871 and became a partner in his uncle's practice in Somerset" (Gale 1803).

1871, Westcott joined "a Masonic Lodge in Crewkerne" (Gale 1803).

Circa 1874, Westcott became "Master of his home Lodge" (Wikipedia).

1879, "After 1879, [Westcott] removed to Hendon, where he studied occultism for two years" (Gale 1803).

1880, "About 1880, he became a leading member of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (Rosicrucian Society of England) (Gale 1803).

1881, "A year later [than 1880] he was appointed Deputy Coroner and later Coroner for North-East London. He wrote a number of articles for the Medical Directory, but his occultism remained a closely guarded secret" (Gale 1803).

1887, founded the Golden Dawn with MacGregor Mathers and Robert William Woodman.

1888 February 11, Westcott was in the Inner Order of the Golden Dawn (Küntz 219)

1888 February 12, "Of uncertain parentage, and with an unknown date of conception, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn came into being in the material world on 12 February 1888 when the three founding Chiefs of the Isis-Urania Temple -- Westcott, Woodman, and Mathers -- signed their pledges of fidelity" (Gilbert 86 1).

1890, Westcott wrote (?) Numbers: Their Occult Power and Mystic Virtue (Gale 1803).

1890 March 20, Westcott was in the Third Order (7=4) of the Golden Dawn (Küntz 219).

1891, Westcott founded the Adelphi Lodge in London of the Theosophical Society (Wikipedia).

1891, Westcott was "Supreme Magus" of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia at Woodman's death (Gale 1803).

1893, Westcott wrote (?) The Science of Alchymy (Gale 1803).

1894, Westcott wrote (?) The Pymander of Hermes, Somnium Scipionis, Rosicrucians, Their History and Aims, Aesch Mezareph, or Purifying Fire (Gale 1803).

1895, Westcott translated the Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster (Cavendish 273, Gale 1803).

1896, Westcott wrote (?) Egyptian Magic (Gale 1803).

Sometime in 1897, John Brodie-Innes founded a subgroup; Gilbert says that he was "sending details" to Westcott during 1896 (Gilbert 86 38).

1897 March, Westcott resigned from the Golden Dawn.

1897 March, Westcott wrote Frederick Gardner, telling him to ask Florence Farr to "choose a gentleman adept friend" to act as intermediary -- but not W. A. Ayton (Howe 169).

1900 April 14, Westcott assumed W. A. Ayton was on, as he wrote, "the Committee to investigate the G. D. which contains Yeats, Bullock and I suppose Ayton" (Howe 217).

1900 February 16, MacGregor Mathers wrote Farr, accusing her of "making a schism" to work under Westcott "under the mistaken impression that [Westcott had] received an Epitome of the Second Order work from G. H. Soror, 'Sapiens Dominabitur Astris' Anna Sprengel. Westcott, he said, had never been in communication with the Secret Chiefs, the supposed correspondence between them and Westcott being 'forged'. According to Mathers 'every atom of the knowledge of the Order has come through me alone from 0=0 to 5=6 inclusive', and only he had been in communication with the Secret Chiefs. ... He warned her of the 'extreme gravity' of the matter, entreated her 'to keep this secret from the Order', and remarked that Sapiens Dominabitur Astris was in Paris assisting him. ... His time, he said, was 'enormously occupied with the arrangements for the Buildings and Decorations of the Egyptian Temple of Isis in Paris'" (Harper 74 21). Mather "had not in fact marked the letter 'private', though he had urged her to 'Read this letter carefully before showing any part of it to anyone!'" (Harper 74 22).

1907 April 11, Westcott was the celebrant presiding over Robert Felkin's initiation into the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA), Metropolitan College.

1911, Westcott translated the Sefer Yetsirah, the Book of Formation (Cavendish 273, Gale 1803).

Questions and Notes

1. Westcott "lost both parents before the age of ten and was adopted by Richard Wescott Martyn [sic], an uncle who was surgeon by profession. Wescott [sic] was educated at the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School at Kingston-upon-Thames, London and studied medicine at University College, London" (Gale 1803).

Bibliography

Westcott's Works

• Westcott translated the Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster (1895) (Cavendish 273, Gale 1803).
• Westcott translated the Sefer Yetsirah, the Book of Formation (1911) (Cavendish 273, Gale 1803).
• Aesch Mezareph, or Purifying Fire (1894) (Gale 1803).
• Egyptian Magic (1896) (Gale 1803).
• Numbers: Their Occult Power and Mystic Virtue (1890) (Gale 1803).
• Pymander of Hermes, The (1894) (Gale 1803).
• Rosicrucians, Their History and Aims (1894) (Gale 1803).
• Science of Alchymy, The (1893) (Gale 1803).
• Somnium Scipionis (1894) (Gale 1803).

Works Cited

• Cavendish
• Gale
• Gilbert 1986
• Harper 1974
• Howe
• Küntz
• Wikipedia