At the beginning of the eighteenth century, four London Lodges formed the Premier Grand Lodge. Their meeting places were the Goose and Gridiron Alehouse in St. Paul’s Close (now the Lodge of Antiquity No.2), the Apple Tree Tavern in St. Charles St., Covent Garden (Now Lodge of Fortitude and Old Cumberland (now No.12), the Crown Alehouse in Parker's Lane, near Drury Lane, and the Rummer and Grapes Tavern in Channel Row, Westminster (now the Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge No. 4). The latter three were all in the County of Middlesex. Thus, taking a looser definition than that adopted by the new Premier Grand Lodge, it can justifiably be claimed that English Freemasonry began in Middlesex The Museum of Freemasonry is a member of the cultural collective Museum Mile, London, located in the London Borough of Camden. [10] Famous Freemasons [ edit ] Minutes of the Quarterly Communication of the United Grand Lodge of England, March 1838. London, England: United Grand Lodge of England. 1838. In 1886 Lane published his first book, Masonic Records 1717-1886. The book comprises detailed research of freemasons’ lodges including their historical dates and meeting places. His friend and fellow West Country freemason, William James Hughan, had tried to dissuade him from undertaking the mammoth task, but changed his mind when Lane showed him the early proofs. In the introduction to the second edition published in 1895 Hughan, himself a renowned masonic historian wrote:

Sir Joseph Banks arrived in Australia with the Cook expedition. Being a freemason he may well be the first to have set foot on this new land. The Lodge is still in possession of its original Warrant, presented at its Consecration (1757), by the Marquess of Caranrvon (3rd Duke of Chandos). Palatine's 1757 Warrant is the earliest document, still in existence, which can be classed as a Warrant. [8] It was the first to be issued by the Premier Grand Lodge, a founding Grand Lodge of the United Grand Lodge of England. It received its Centenary Warrant in 1864 [9] and the Bi-Centenary Warrant on 14 January 1957. On 11 January 2007 the 250th Anniversary Meeting of Palatine Lodge was held at the Wearside Masonic Temple. [10] [11] During his research for both editions, to ensure accuracy and completeness Lane used a wide range of sources both published an unpublished including; Grand Lodge Registers and Minutes, Grand Lodge Proceedings, Warrants and Warrant Books, Engraved Lists, Calendars, Histories and Lodge Minutes. In his own words: To celebrate the 275 th anniversary of the Grand Lodge, the Province held an inaugural interfaith service at the Guildford Cathedral, and it was the first time in the Cathedral’s history that one of the lessons was read by an orthodox Jew. More interfaith services were successfully held at St. Albans Abbey and they have been a regular feature ever since then.The United Grand Lodge of England identified Lodges by a number and initially the Lodge was given number 218. However, because of its meeting place locally it was known as the Marquis of Carnarvon Lodge No 218. In 1768 its name changed to the Sea Captain's Lodge because members were predominantly Seafarers. Then in 1830 the Lodge name changed to Palatine, at the request of the 1st Earl of Durham, John George Lambton, the Provincial Grand Master of Durham. In 1864, after several number changes, it was given Number 97. [13] [14] Ritual [ edit ]

Freemasonry in London was to be considered as far as 10 miles from the City Of London, which was adopted by Grand Lodge in 1815, and it was only in 1971 that the rule 129 of the Book of Constitutions was changed to making the limit to 5 miles from Freemasons’ Hall and Lodges meeting 5 to 10 miles from London may be either London, or Provincial Lodges. Prescott, Andrew. A History of British Freemasonry 1425-2000: University of Sheffield Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism, 2008

Further References

Lodge of instruction; Their relationship to the mother lodge" (PDF). Masonic Periodicals, The Freemasons Chronicle, 28th April 1888. Of the four old Lodges which met at the Apple Tree Tavern and formed themselves into the first Grand Lodge, No. 2—that at the Crown Ale House—lapsed about 1736. The three remaining lodges maintained a continuous existence, preserving their identity intact (as No. 1), or in amalgamation with other Lodges (Nos.3 and 4), so that their descendants of today are now the Lodge of Antiquity, No. 2 (the original No. 1, the Lodge at the Goose and Gridiron), the Lodge of Fortitude and old Cumberland, No. 12 (the original No. 3, the Lodge at the Apple Tree), and the Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge, No. 4 (the original No. 4, the Lodge at the Rummer and Grapes). This new version of Lane's Masonic Records is a joint venture between the Library and Museum of Freemasonry and The Digital Humanities Institute at The University of Sheffield. The Grand Lodge of Scotland was officially formed in 1736 when 33 existing independent Scottish lodges, some having records of existence from 1598, formed the new Grand Lodge of Scotland. In 2003, Dr Estelle Stubbs and The Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism under the Directorship of Professor Andrew Prescott in collaboration with the Library and Museum of Freemasonry, London produced an electronic version of Lane’s book. Since 2008 the Library and Museum of Freemasonry has been adding lodges that came into existence after 1894 to the database and eventually hope to edit the records of pre-1894 lodges to include meeting places after that date.

The Lodge bearing his name only having been consecrated a few hours earlier, thus enabling his appointment to head the new Province. Even then, there were a lot of Brethren who were annoyed at not receiving Grand Honours and many Masons left Royal Unity Lodge to form Unity Lodge, as they were disgruntled at not being accorded the recognition as the oldest Lodge in Middlesex https://freemason.ie (Grand Lodge of Ireland. The Lodge of Ireland is the second most senior Grand Lodge in the world and the oldest in continuous existence)https://freemason.ie/museum-library-archive (Grand Lodge of Ireland. Museum, Library & Archive. Researchers use these facilities for genealogical purposes when looking up distant relatives to discover the details of their membership or for researching the Masonic Fraternity in general) Middlesex Lodge No. 143 could be the oldest Lodge that has met continuously. Originally founded in Middlesex in 1775, Lane’s Masonic Records show that this Lodge has moved around central London, but has never actually met in Middlesex.

King Charles 2nd passed away in 1685 leaving no legitimate Protestant heirs to the throne. England was tormented by years of political and religious un-rest whilst also facing significant battles with seemingly all her neighbours. The Museum of Freemasonry provides free guided tours of the building, taking in the Grand Temple and Shrine. Tours are not available when the Grand Temple of other areas are in use for ceremonial purposes, and groups must book in advance. The resource is rich in place name information and will be of interest to local historians among others as well as historians of freemasonry. Locations can be viewed on interactive maps. Bro Thomas Wilson (1751-1820), British Engineer, Designer and Patent Holder of the 1796 Bridge over the River Wear. [26] [27] [28]

Search

Red Apron: The lodge is privileged to nominate a Steward for the Grand Festival of the United Grand Lodge of England. Date of Warrant or Constitution: The year in which the lodge came into being by being granted a warrant by one of the English Grand Lodges. Warrants are a lodge’s authority to meet and must be displayed during a lodge meeting.