Men & Women

Freemasonry is the world’s largest fraternal organisation. Members meet in local “lodges”, and there are such lodges for both men and women. In almost every part of the world, men’s lodges and women’s lodges are administered entirely separately as two parallel, but independent, organisations. (There is a small body known as co-masonry which operates mixed lodges of both men and women, but it is not large, and has never particularly caught on).

Morality & Symbols

Freemasonry teaches its members a series of lessons by means of ritual ceremonies. These are essentially short plays which are acted out by the members, with candidates taking a part (under direction) so that they may learn the central lessons, all of which are of a moral nature. Indeed, Freemasonry sometimes describes itself as “A system of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated by symbols”. Symbols are used extensively, most of them being drawn from the ancient craft of Stonemasonry, associated with the craftsmen who built our great medieval castles, cathedrals, and churches.

Knights & Craftsmen

There are different theories about how Freemasonry arose. Some believe that the last remaining Knights Templar, driven underground in Scotland in the fourteenth century due to the French-led persecution of their Order, reformed into primitive Freemasonry and began to emerge again in the sixteenth century. Others believe that by a process of ‘gentrification’ medieval stonemasons lodges began to admit gentlemen who enjoyed the company and social life, and adopted trade secrets (which were already communicated with moral lessons) into symbols of the fledgling fraternity.

Operative & Speculative

Either way, we know from extant documents that both ‘operative’ stonemasons (actual working masons) and ‘speculative’ freemasons (gentlemen members) were co-existing in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The seventeenth century initiation of antiquarian Elias Ashmole is the first documented speculative initiation in England.

Lodges & Grand Lodges

By the very early eighteenth century there were large numbers of masonic lodges operating, and four of these which all met in central London met together in 1717 to form a ‘Grand Lodge’ and to organise an annual festival dinner. Just as each lodge was ruled by a Master and two Wardens, so the Grand Lodge was to be ruled by a Grand Master and two Grand Wardens. The Grand Lodge formed in 1717 is still working today. It is the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) and its current Grand Master is HRH The Duke of Kent.

Today there is a Grand Lodge for almost every nation in the free world; some geographically very large nations (the USA, Australia, Canada, Brazil) have a Grand Lodge for each state or province; some much smaller countries have no Grand Lodge, but have lodges warranted by the Grand Lodge of another nation.

Degrees & Ceremonies

There are eight principal allegorical plays which Freemasons use to communicate their moral lessons, and symbolic signs. They are communicated in Lodges and Chapters. A Chapter (of the ‘Royal Arch’) is usually attached to each Lodge. Similarly, a Grand Chapter is usually attached to each Grand Lodge. In the Lodge there are three degree ceremonies through which the candidate moves, followed by a further ceremony for those taking the Chair of the Lodge as Master. In the Chapter the reverse is true: there is a single degree ceremony for those joining, but then three different ‘Chair’ ceremonies to be experienced, as Chapters are ruled jointly by three ‘Principals’. These eight ceremonies together form ‘pure, ancient Freemasonry’, although there are many other masonic ceremonies, of an optional and additional nature, to which members may (if they so desire) proceed.

English & Scandinavian

The system described is English-style Freemasonry. In the Scandinavian and Nordic countries a rather different system of Freemasonry has arisen, although its initial three degrees in the Lodge are basically the same.

Wives & Families

There are no differences between the type of Freemasonry worked by men and by women, other than the gender of the members. Many married couples are both Freemasons, and share aspects of their masonic life together. Even where this is not the case, Freemasonry promotes and encourages family life, and most lodges have social events which involve wives and children of the members.

God & Religion

Freemasonry admits to membership good, honest, men (women in the parallel women's organisation) who are at least 21 years of age (some Grand Lodges set a different minimum age of 18, 19, or occasionally even 25), and who believe in God. Atheists are not admitted to membership. Freemasonry is not a religion, and does not stipulate what religion its members follow; however, whatever their religion, it requires its members to declare their belief in God (the supreme being who created heaven and earth), and encourages them to practice their own religion faithfully.

First Degree

(Entered Apprentice)

Second Degree

(Fellow Craft)

Third Degree

(Master Mason)

Master

of the Lodge

(or Past Master)

Some masonic aprons of the standard English & Welsh pattern. These designs will be seen across the country in all lodges.

Many of our members wear red or dark blue aprons, indicating a higher rank within Freemasonry.