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There are a number of masonic manuscripts that are important in the study of the emergence of Freemasonry.Most numerous are the Old Charges or Constitutions.These documents outlined a "history" of masonry, tracing its origins to a biblical or classical root, followed by the regulations of the organisation, and the responsibilities of its different grades.
The Grand Lodge No.1 Manuscript is a version of the Old Charges for masons written in 1583. It is one of the oldest copies belonging to the Grand Lodge of England, hence its name. [29] [13] The manuscript contains traditional masonic regulations seen in earlier documents like the Regius Poem or Cooke Manuscript. These include:
The first Masonic description of the Chain of Union appears in the Edinburgh Manuscript of 1696, one of the oldest known ritual documents. The manuscript describes a specific ceremony for making master masons and fellow crafts: "But to be a master mason or fellow craft there is more to be done...
The history of Freemasonry encompasses the origins, evolution and defining events of the fraternal organisation known as Freemasonry.It covers three phases. Firstly, the emergence of organised lodges of operative masons during the Middle Ages, then the admission of lay members as "accepted" (a term reflecting the ceremonial "acception" process that made non-stone masons members of an operative ...
Manuscripts in many languages were brought, and a book made showing how the craft was founded. The enduring myth of the "Grand Assembly" was continued in the first printed constitutions of the eighteenth century, making York the birthplace of English masonry, and allowing the old lodge at York to claim precedence over all the other English Lodges.
There is some debate as to exactly when Freemasonry in the Anglo-American tradition started requiring its members to have a belief in Deity. There are hints that this was the case from the earliest days of Freemasonry: The Regius Manuscript, the oldest known Masonic document dating from around 1390, states that a Mason "must love well God and holy church always."
In his allocution of 1947, Pike's successor, Grand Commander John Henry Cowles, noted that some Masonic publications had used large extracts from the text, which practice he sought to curtail by adding the following words to the title page: 'Esoteric Book, for Scottish Rite use only; to be Returned upon Withdrawal or Death of Recipient ...
Seal of the "Antients" Grand Lodge, based on a drawing by Judah Leon Templo. [1]The Ancient Grand Lodge of England, as it is known today, or The Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons (according to the Old Constitutions granted by His Royal Highness Prince Edwin, at York, Anno Domini nine hundred and twenty six, and in the year of Masonry four ...