Freemasonry
The Grand Lodge of London and Westminster convened for a joint dinner on the 24th of June 1717 to establish a new regulatory body. Four existing lodges in England met at the Goose and Gridiron alehouse to form this first Grand Lodge. Documents from the Regius Poem date back to about 1425, tracing the movement's roots to medieval stonemason guilds. These early records relate the duties of grades and oaths of fidelity taken by members. The minutes of the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) No. 1 show continuity from an operative lodge in 1598 to a modern speculative Lodge. This lodge is reputed to be the oldest Masonic Lodge in the world. By the mid-18th century, aristocrats and artists crowded out the craftsmen originally associated with the organisation. Freemasonry became fashionable throughout Europe and the American colonies during the 18th century. A rival Grand Lodge formed on the 17th of July 1751 called itself the Antient Grand Lodge of England. They rejected changes that the Premiere Grand Lodge had adopted between 1730 and 1750. The two bodies vied for supremacy until they re-united on the 27th of December 1813 to form the United Grand Lodge of England. The Grand Lodge of Ireland was formed in 1725 while the Grand Lodge of Scotland followed in 1736.
The basic local organisational unit of Freemasonry is the Lodge. Private Lodges are usually supervised at the regional level by a Grand Lodge or a Grand Orient. There is no international worldwide Grand Lodge that supervises all of Freemasonry. Each Grand Lodge is independent and they do not necessarily recognise each other as being legitimate. The degrees of Freemasonry are the three grades of medieval craft guilds: Entered Apprentice, Journeyman or Fellow of the craft, and Master Mason. Candidates are progressively initiated into Freemasonry first in the degree of Entered Apprentice. At some later time in separate ceremonies they will be passed to the degree of Fellow Craft. Then they are raised to the degree of Master Mason. In each ceremony the candidate must take new obligations and is entrusted with secret knowledge including passwords signs and grips. These symbols are nominally secret yet readily found in public sources published by Masonic organisations themselves. Most Lodges have social functions allowing members partners and non-Masonic guests to meet openly. Administrative matters are typically conducted either before the Lodge is formally opened or handled by special committees outside Lodge meetings. Every Masonic Lodge has a Master two Wardens a treasurer and a secretary. There is also always a Tyler or outer guard outside the door of a working Lodge.
Modern Freemasonry broadly consists of three main traditions: Anglo-American style Continental Liberal and Women's Freemasonry. Anglo-American style insists that a volume of sacred law such as the Bible should be open in a working lodge. It requires every member to profess belief in a supreme being and admits only men. Discussion of religion or politics does not take place within the lodge. Continental style Freemasonry or Liberal style has continued to evolve beyond these restrictions particularly regarding religious belief and political discussion. Women's Freemasonry includes organisations that admit women exclusively like the Order of Women Freemasons in the UK. Other groups accept both men and women such as Le Droit Humain. The Grand Orient de France claims to have over 50,000 members making it the largest jurisdiction in Continental Freemasonry. Estimates of worldwide membership ranged from about two million to more than six million in the early 21st century. The United Grand Lodge of England has local organisation into Provincial Grand Lodges with combined membership estimated at 175,000. In the United States there are 51 Grand Lodges which together have total membership around 875,000 according to the Masonic Service Association of North America. Prince Hall Freemasonry exists because of the refusal of early American lodges to admit African Americans.
During the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century Freemasons comprised an international network meeting in secret ritualistic programs. They promoted ideals of liberty fraternity and equality across Britain and France. By 1789 there were between 50,000 and 100,000 French Masons making Freemasonry the most popular of all Enlightenment associations. Prominent members included Montesquieu Voltaire Sir Robert Walpole Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. English lodges were headed by the Prince of Wales while Prussian lodges were led by King Frederick the Great. Napoleon as Emperor of the French selected his own brother as the Grand Master of France. Freemasons had been active in Russia in the 18th century working to introduce Enlightenment ideals before being suppressed by the government. The liberal activist Alexander Kerensky came to political power with the overthrow of the tsars in 1917 as a Mason. In Italy many of Mussolini's collaborators especially leaders in organising the March on Rome were Masons. Leaders with Freemason membership in Latin America included Simón Bolívar Grand Master Francisco de Miranda José de San Martín Bernardo O'Higgins. Freemasons were leaders in liberalism and anticlericalism in 19th and 20th-century Mexico including presidents like Benito Juárez Porfirio Díaz and Lázaro Cárdenas.
Freemasonry has attracted criticism from theocratic states and organised religions that believe it is in competition with religion. More than 600 Papal pronouncements have been issued against Freemasonry since Pope Clement XII's In eminenti apostolatus on the 28th of April 1738. The first was issued in 1738 while the most recent was Pope Francis in a letter dated the 13th of November 2023. The 1917 Code of Canon Law explicitly declared that joining Freemasonry entailed automatic excommunication. In 1983 the Church issued a new code stating that membership remains forbidden though not explicitly named among secret societies. Certain Christian denominations have had high-profile negative attitudes to Masonry banning or discouraging their members from being Freemasons. Protestant objections are more likely based on allegations of mysticism occultism and even Satanism. The political opposition that arose after the American Morgan Affair in 1826 gave rise to the term Anti-Masonry which is still in use today. Freemasons have been persecuted by authoritarian states including Fascist and Communist regimes. The Spanish government outlawed Freemasonry in its overseas empire in the mid-18th century and energetically enforced the ban. Mussolini decided he needed to come to terms with the Catholic Church in the mid-1920s and outlawed Freemasonry.
Common questions
When was the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster established?
The Grand Lodge of London and Westminster convened for a joint dinner on the 24th of June 1717 to establish a new regulatory body. Four existing lodges in England met at the Goose and Gridiron alehouse to form this first Grand Lodge.
What are the three degrees of Freemasonry called?
The degrees of Freemasonry are the three grades of medieval craft guilds: Entered Apprentice, Journeyman or Fellow of the craft, and Master Mason. Candidates are progressively initiated into Freemasonry first in the degree of Entered Apprentice before being passed to the degree of Fellow Craft and raised to the degree of Master Mason.
Who founded the Antient Grand Lodge of England?
A rival Grand Lodge formed on the 17th of July 1751 called itself the Antient Grand Lodge of England. They rejected changes that the Premiere Grand Lodge had adopted between 1730 and 1750 until the two bodies re-united on the 27th of December 1813 to form the United Grand Lodge of England.
Which Pope issued the first Papal pronouncement against Freemasonry?
More than 600 Papal pronouncements have been issued against Freemasonry since Pope Clement XII's In eminenti apostolatus on the 28th of April 1738. The first was issued in 1738 while the most recent was Pope Francis in a letter dated the 13th of November 2023.
When did the Grand Lodge of Ireland form?
The Grand Lodge of Ireland was formed in 1725 while the Grand Lodge of Scotland followed in 1736. These organizations developed alongside the initial formation of the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster in 1717.