Freemasonry
Freemasonry consists of fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons, which from the end of the fourteenth century regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. The degrees of freemasonry retain the three grades of medieval craft guilds, those of Apprentice, Journeyman or fellow (now called Fellowcraft), and Master Mason. These are the degrees offered by Craft (or Blue Lodge) Freemasonry. Members of these organisations are known as Freemasons or Masons. There are additional degrees, which vary with locality and jurisdiction, and are usually administered by different bodies than the craft degrees.
The basic, local organisational unit of Freemasonry is the Lodge. The Lodges are usually supervised and governed at the regional level (usually coterminous with either a state, province, or national border) by a Grand Lodge or Grand Orient. There is no international, world-wide Grand Lodge that supervises all of Freemasonry; each Grand Lodge is independent, and they do not necessarily recognise each other as being legitimate.
Gloucestershire Freemasons raise £1.75 million for a number of charities
‘A force for good,’ was how Dame Janet Trotter, Lord Lieutenant for Gloucestershire, described Freemasons in the county and the wider area Dame Janet was…
Freemasons Donation helps Hinchingbrooke Hospital purchase an AquaVENT Heated Breathing System
On Monday the 22nd October three members of Samuel Pepys Lodge No 8330 visited Hinchingbrooke Hospital to present Sister Sam Clayton-Roberts, of the Critical Care Unit, a cheque for £8,100. The donation was to enable them to purchase an AquaVENT machine. AquaVENT Heated Breathing Systems combine technological advances in thermal conductivity and breathing circuit construction to deliver optimal and controlled humidification. Basically, it assists patients in a serious condition to breath without causing damage to their respiratory systems.
Liberté Cherie – a Masonic Melodrama by Richard Simmons and Dafydd Bullock
Liberté chérie was one of the very few Masonic lodges founded within a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War. On November 15, 1943,…
British Military Freemasons
There’s a new group of Freemasons in town – British Military Freemasons, or BMF. Started in late 2013 it currently has over 500 members, with half of…
Scottish Freemasonry – An Introduction – Video
It can be argued that regulated Freemasonry in Scotland is older than in any other part of the British Isles. The connection between the craft of stonemasonry and modern Freemasonry can be readily established in Scotland.
The Old Charges Revisited
Since 1717, this has been a subject of passionate concern to almost every Freemason. There remain a mass of competing views and theories, and this question has dominated research into Freemasonry.
Nine Working Tools
Each of the nine tools has a moral significance: the Twenty-four Inch Gauge, the Common Gavel and the Chisel of the First Degree are the tools of preparation; the Square, Level and Plumb Rule of the Second Degree are the tools of proof; the Skirret, Pencil and Compasses of the Third Degree are the tools of plan.
Free Organ Concert at Freemasons’ Hall
The next in the series of Organ Concerts will be given by the distinguished organist Darius Battiwalla, Leeds City Organist, at 18:15 for an hour on…
Harrogate District Hospital opens new family support room thanks to Freemasons £25,000 donation
A family support room has been officially opened on Byland Ward at Harrogate District Hospital, thanks to generous donations from local Freemasons and the…