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.

Dedication Ceremony of The Masonic Peace Memorial on 19th July 1933.

Thumb IMG 9464 1024 672x1024 3dda92592137c7d33a5d1f8909a23c8165158adf

Arthur, Duke of Connaught ( Youngest Son of Queen Victoria ) Grand Master of The United Grand Lodge of England 1901 -1939, spent some time on how Freemasonry should commemorate, those of its membership who were killed, or declared missing in The Great War. On the 27th June 1919, he organised a conference in The Albert Hall, and invited representatives from Ireland, Scotland and other Grand Lodges throughout the Commonwealth to attend in London and consider how best to commemorate those, of their membership, who died for King and Country. All those in attendance were presented with a Peace Medal, to commemorate their individual contributions, to the discussions of the day.

Why President William McKinley Became a Freemason

Why President William McKinley Became a Freemason

When General Horatio King asked William McKinley how he happened to become a Mason, he explained,” After the Battle of Opequam, I went with our surgeon of our Ohio regiment to the field where there were about 5,000 Confederate prisoners under guard. Almost as soon as we passed the guard, I noticed the doctor shook hands with a number of Confederate prisoners. He also took from his pockets a roll of bills and distributed all he had among them. Boy-like, I looked on in wonderment; I didn’t know what it all meant. On the way back from camp I asked him:

The Point Within a Circle

A point withing a Circle Freemasons

As Masons, we are all introduced during our ritual lectures to the Masonic symbol of the Point Within a Circle, and instructed in its’ allusion. The most interesting thing to me during my own such introduction was that the figure representing this symbol contained not only a point within a circle, but also two straight vertical lines touching the sides of the circle. It was explained during the ensuing lecture that these lines represented the two Holy Saints John, namely John the Baptist, and John the Evangelist. This struck me as peculiar to say the least, and I have been trying to figure out this peculiarity ever since.

The Blazing Star

Blazing star e897a92bcef903116495f308a8fb2bd35c277f09

there has been very little agreement among our scholars either as to its (the letter ‘G’) origin or to its meaning. Usually, we can hit upon the manner in which a symbol was introduced into the Ritual by studying the records of the early eighteenth century in England, at which time and place the Ritual was cast in its modern form, but such a study cannot help us here because the eighteenth century Masons were themselves confused about the matter

Freemasons receive Community Partner Award from Midlands Air Ambulance

Freemasons receive Community Partner Award from Midlands Air Ambulance

500 supporters of the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity dined and partied the night away at Edgbaston on Friday 8th July to celebrate 25 years of Helimed service to the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire. The AIR25 Ball and Awards Ceremony celebrated the special achievements of individuals and organisations who had made continuous and significant contributions to the Charity over the quarter century of its existence.

Kipling and the Craft

Image of Rudyard Kipling who wrote thhis Tylers Toast

The need for this further essay was first made apparent to me when—in my capacity as Secretary of the Lodge and Editor of the Transactions—I began to receive inquiries from Brethren as far away as Vancouver and Singapore, asking for materials and information which might help them to complete their own papers on Kipling, and I found, to my surprise, that while our library contains a great deal of relevant material, there has never been a paper on Kipling in our Transactions.

Jim celebrates 60 ‘diamond’ years in Freemasonry

Jim celebrates 60 ‘diamond’ years in Freemasonry

Daniel James Wilson (Jim) achieved a momentous milestone and celebrated his Masonic diamond jubilee at Kerneforde Hall, Carnforth, in a ceremony led by Assistant Provincial Grand Master David Grainger and hosted by Carnforth Lodge No 4951. David was accompanied and supported on this occasion by Lancaster and District Group Chairman Jim Wilson (no relation!) and fellow grand officer Chris Butterfield


©2026 FreemasonryMatters.co.uk. All rights reserved.