General Introduction
Freemasonry is one of the world's oldest secular fraternal societies. The following information is intended to explain Freemasonry as it is practised under the United Grand Lodge of England, which administers Lodges of Freemasons in England and Wales and in many places overseas.

Freemasonry is a society of men concerned with moral and spiritual values. Its members are taught its precepts by a series of ritual dramas, which follow ancient forms, and use stonemasons' customs and tools as allegorical guides.

The Origins of Freemasonry in England
The origins of Freemasonry are the subject of great debate and are clouded in the mists of time. It is generally accepted by Masonic historians that there is a connection with the operative stonemasons who built the great medieval cathedrals and castles - but whether that connection was direct or indirect is the subject of some speculation.

The first authenticated record of the 'making' of an English Freemason is Elias Ashmole, the antiquarian and herald, whose collections formed the basis of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

The portrait left was painted circa 1681 and is by John Riley, and is now in the Ashmolean Museum.

He recorded in his diary that he was made a Mason at a lodge held in his father-in-law's house in Warrington, Cheshire on 16th October 1646.

Organised Freemasonry became established on 24th June 1717 when four London lodges met at the Goose and Gridiron Ale House in London and formed themselves into a Grand Lodge - the first Grand Lodge in the world. Initially the Grand Lodge was simply an annual gathering for London Lodges but in 1721 the Duke of Montagu was elected Grand Master and the Grand Lodge began to establish itself as a regulatory body for Lodges meeting outside London.

In 1723 the first rulebook - the Constitutions of Masonry - was published and by 1730 the Grand Lodge had over 100 lodges in England and Wales under its control and had begun to spread Freemasonry abroad.

For historical reasons separate Grand Lodges were formed in Ireland (1725) and Scotland (1736) and the 'home' Grand Lodges took Freemasonry around the globe. From the 1730s lodges were set up in Europe, the West Indies, North America and India. The Grand Lodge of England continued its development and 1737 the first Royal Freemason was made when the then Prince of Wales, son of King George II, joined the Craft.

In the 1740s there was a growing number of Irishmen Freemasons in London, and for reasons now unknown they appear to have had difficulty gaining entrance into Lodges in London, so in 1751 a group of them formed a rival Grand Lodge. They claimed that the premier Grand Lodge had made innovations and had departed from 'the ancient landmarks' whereas they claimed to be working 'according to the old institutions granted by Prince Edwin at York in AD926'. For this reason they became known as the Antients Grand Lodge and referred to their older rival as 'Moderns'.

Despite their differences the two Grand Lodges co-existed both at home and abroad for nearly 63 years, neither recognising the other or considering each others' members as 'regular' Freemasons. Even at the centre, however, there were those who were active in both Grand Lodges.

In 1809 the rival Grand Lodges met to discuss union and, after four years of negotiations, the two combined to form the United Grand Lodge of England on 27th December 1813 at Freemasons' Hall in London. His Royal Highness, The Duke of Sussex (younger son of King George III) was installed as Grand Master. The Union was a time of consolidation and standardisation, setting the basic administration of Freemasonry - which continues to this day. Lodges outside London were grouped into Provinces, based on the old Counties, each headed by a Provincial Grand Master appointed by the Grand Master. Additionally, standard patterns for regalia and jewels were introduced, which are still in use today.

In 1847 the election of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) as Grand Master gave great impetus to Freemasonry as he was a great supporter of and publicist for Freemasonry. His many public duties and Masonic support ensured reports of Masonic activity regularly appeared in the national and local press. Freemasonry was constantly in the public eye and Freemasons were known in their local communities. The Prince resigned the Grand Mastership on becoming King in 1901 but his patronage had helped Freemasonry such that, between 1814 and 1901, the Grand Lodge had grown from 637 to 2,850 Lodges.

This growth continued in the 20th century, particularly in the years after the two World Wars. It seemed that after those two great cataclysms were over and as a result of the great social changes they brought about, large groups of men looked to Freemasonry as a calm centre of tradition and certainty in which they could continue the fraternity they had found in the services.

However, the period leading to the outbreak of the Second World War was to have consequences for the Masons of today. In both Nazi Germany and Franco's Spain Freemasonry was banned and many Freemasons were unjustly imprisoned and killed. This would have continued had the Nazis occupied Britain and as a result of this, English Freemasonry turned in on itself and continued to be excessively private even after peace came. Allied to that, there was a deliberate policy of not dealing with the media, including correcting factual errors, and as a result a mythology grew up of Freemasonry as a secret society serving its own aims. In effect Freemasonry was taken out of the community of which it had been a very visible part for nearly 250 years. Since 1984 the United Grand Lodge has been actively countering that mythology pursuing a policy of openness on Freemasonry.

In 1967 over 6,500 Freemasons, including delegations from other Grand Lodges around the world, gathered at the Royal Albert Hall, London, to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the formation of the Grand Lodge of England. Central to the celebration was the installation of HRH The Duke of Kent as Grand Master, a position to which he has been annually re-elected ever since.

On 10 June 1992 over 12,500 attended a Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge at Earls Court to celebrate the 275th Anniversary of the formation of Grand Lodge and the 25th Anniversary of HRH The Duke of Kent's installation as Grand Master. For the first time, in addition to English Freemasons and delegations from 94 other Grand Lodges, ladies and non-Masons (representing the many Charities which Freemasonry has supported over the years), and the press and television attended the meeting.

From the four Lodges which formed Grand Lodge in 1717, Freemasonry under the United Grand Lodge of England has grown to an organisation of over 300,000 members which is a microcosm of the society in which it currently exists - reflecting the social, religious, and ethnic composition of our diverse society.

The openness adopted by Freemasons continues, at an ever gathering pace to this day, and this web site is one more example of our determination to reach out to the world and show how justly proud we are to be members of this ancient and honourable institution.