Interview with Mike Baker Director of Communications
Unlocking the brand For UGLE Director of Communications Mike Baker, the challenge Freemasonry faces in the run-up to the Tercentenary…
freemason
Turn to Starboard charity helping ex-servicemen with PTSD
On an even keel Just off Cornwall’s south coast, Freemason Roy Newport takes retired military personnel out on the open water…
How did Various Masonic ritual books come about?
Peter Gilkes – a prominent teacher of Emulation With the exception of the Craft and Royal Arch, the governing bodies of all recognised Masonic Orders…
John Pine – A remarkable 17th century engraver and Freemason
In 1748, the celebrated English artist and Francophobe, William Hogarth, surprisingly decided to take a holiday in France. His behaviour in France was appalling. He was ‘clamorously rude’ to everyone he met. Whenever anybody admired a view, Hogarth sourly remarked: ‘What then? It is but French! Their houses are all gilt and bullshit!’ Waiting in Calais for the boat home, Hogarth made sketches of some old fortifications, and was arrested as a spy.
King George VI – The King and the Craft
This document encapsulates the views of HM King George VI on the pivotal role of Freemasonry in fostering spiritual and moral regeneration within society. Drawing from a letter dated November 5, 1951, addressed to MW Bro Rt Hon the Earl of Scarbrough, King George VI articulates his long-standing belief in Freemasonry’s positive impact. Despite his inability to personally install Lord Scarborough as Grand Master due to his final illness, his message resonates with earlier sentiments expressed during his attendance at Grand Lodge events. Born in 1895 and initially destined for a supporting role within the Royal Family, King George VI’s active service during World War I and subsequent involvement in Freemasonry underscored his commitment to public service and philanthropy. This document explores his Masonic journey, highlighting his initiation into the Navy Lodge No. 2612, his reflections on Freemasonry’s charitable works, and his broader contributions to British society and the empire.
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington and Freemason
The eventful life of Arthur, Duke of Wellington, was evenly apportioned between a triumphant military career and an equally successful political one. His…
Freemasons & Gentlemen
Are Freemasons, our societies answer to the question, Who are the 21st Century Gentleman?, Freemasonry is built on the foundations of a traditional…
So what is the meaning, and the purpose behind the hoodwink?
Despite the ritual, only a very ill-informed man can imagine that the hoodwink is for the purpose of concealing the Lodge room and the Brethren from the…
FAMOUS FREEMASONS – Dr Thomas John Barnardo
Dr Thomas John Barnardo (1845–1905), nicknamed ‘The Doctor’, was a leading reformer of the 19th century on a par with Sir Robert Peel, Elizabeth Fry…
FAMOUS FREEMASONS – VOLTAIRE
French philosopher and writer initiated into Freemasonry in 1778 in the Lodge of nine sisters in Paris. His full name was Jean Frangois Marie Arouet de…