Duncombe was a Freemason, serving as first master of the Mount Moriah lodge at Westminster; in 1836, he set up a grand lodge independent from the British lodges and became its first grand master.
Duncombe was a Freemason, serving as first master of the Mount Moriah lodge at Westminster. In 1836, in a move that presaged the rebellion, he set up a Grand Lodge independent from the British lodges and became its first Grand Master.