History
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A new Video! The Masonic Goat is an interesting account of the origins, and corrosive effects of the legend of ‘Goat Riding’ in Masonic initiation ceremonies. Dating from 1936, I have been unable to determine its author or provenance.
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Newly uploaded to the Library. The True Masonic Chart or Hieroglyphic Monitor (1851) – Containing all the Emblems explained in the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Master Mason, Mark Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, Royal Arch, Royal Master and Select Master.
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New book in the Library. The Craftsman and Freemason’s Guide is a fascinating 1854 publication detailing the symbolism in the rituals from the entered apprentice to Select Master degrees. Copiously illustrated throughout.
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New to the Library is a full copy of the Regius Manuscript, presented with a parallel translation into Modern English. The oldest extant document in Freemasonry, the Regius Manuscript (also known as the Halliwell Document is a treasure of the earliest history of the Craft. The origins of the Regius are obscure. The manuscript was…
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This lecture details the background, causes and outcome of the great ‘Antient and Modern’ conflict, which took place over sixty years and led, ultimately, to the foundation of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1813.
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So you think you know about Freemasonry? These 20 questions will test your Masonic knowledge by delving into some of the lesser known byways of the Craft. Keep track of your score to receive feedback at the end. Good Luck!
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Now available in the Library. The two Volumes of Arthur Edward Waite’s summative work: The Secret Tradition in Freemasonry – an analysis of the Inter-relation Between the Craft and the High Grades in respect of their term of research, expressed by the way of Symbolism. Originally published in 1911.
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A new podcast This lecture was first published in November 1925 by the Masonic Service Association of the United States. I have removed a few small sections of this lecture where the content either is no longer aligned with Masonic practice, or where the views expressed are not in line with the values of contemporary…
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New book added to the Library The 1875 edition of: “The Bible and the Square”; being a Masonic Mirror and Guide containing Scriptural and Masonic Teachings, to which is added a Symbolic Chart, with full explanations. A valuable handbook to the Craft.
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A new volume has been added to the Library. This 1860 edition of the World’s Masonic Register by Leon Hyneman is a massive (594 page) index of the ‘Name, Number, Location and Time of Meeting of every Masonic Lodge in the World’. It also includes Chapters, Commanderies, membership statistics, etc. etc. An absolutely fascinating snapshot…
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This anonymous presentation was first published in the Short Talk Bulletin (Vol. X No. 9) in September 1932 and examines the oft-neglected importance of Masonry on the life and work of the great German polymath. Click here to view the video
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This article appeared in Time Magazine on 13 August this year. I’d highly recommend John Dickie’s Book, How the Freemasons made the Modern World, from which it is drawn. Details of how to get a copy appear at the bottom of the article. Freemasons, with signs for the various lodges, c1733. Getty Images/Historica Graphica Collection BY JOHN…
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I found out a couple of days ago that the site had outgrown its hosting capacity and that updates weren’t publishing. It turned out that I had maxed out the page limit. As a result I’m pleased to announce the launch of the ‘all new’ From the Quarries, which has been completely re-written from the…
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I ran across this article online today and thought it worth sharing. A tribute to an operative brother! A selfie set in stone: hidden portrait by cheeky mason found in Spain 900 years on A British art historian’s painstaking study of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela uncovered a medieval prank He is a medieval…
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It’s been a while since my last video. I’m honoured to be working on a couple of large Masonic projects at the moment, which are taking up quite a bit of time and I’m really looking forward revealing them when the time is right. In the meantime, I’ve uploaded a few more historical texts to…
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I have recently been looking at 18th Century Freemasonry, during the period of the Great Masonic Schism. This was a tempestuous period in the history of the Craft and a number of competing Lodges, Chapters and mock-masonic organisations proliferated. This video looks at advertisements for two of these organisations that were published between 1724 and…
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Just presented via Zoom to the brethren on Halcyon Lodge. The Magic Flute and Freemasonry is a brief examination of some of the Masonic elements in, influences on and interpretations of Mozart’s Magic Flute – first performed just 9 weeks before the composer’s death in 1791. Credit to the following sources of audio, images and…
From the Quarries 