Information

Albert Hudson Royds | Malvern Freemasonry | Malvern Masonic Hall | What is Freemasonry? | Masonic Charity | Webmaster's Page |

Famous Masons

Dr. T. J. Barnardo (1845-1905). Philanthropist, and founder and director of homes for destitute children. His work is continued today by the charity Barnardo's.

Robert Burns (1759-1796). Scottish poet and lyricist. He was regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and after his death became an important source of inspiration to the founders of liberalism and socialism.

Sir Winston L. S. Churchill (1874-1965). British politician known chiefly for his leadership during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Author noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally regarded as a major innovation in the field of crime fiction.

Sir Alexander Fleming (1881-1955). Biologist and pharmacologist who published many articles on bacteriology, immunology and chemotherapy. His best-known achievements include the discovery of the enzyme lysozyme and the antibiotic substance penicillin.

Rudyard J. Kipling (1865-1936). English author and poet, best known for his works The Jungle Book, Just So Stories and Kim. He was the first author writing in the English language to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and remains its youngest ever recipient.

Sir Leonard Hutton (1916-1990). English cricketer who dominated the national and international cricket scene for the decade following the Second World War. He was honoured with the England team captaincy, breaking an age-old tradition that the position could be held only by an amateur.

Latest News

July 25th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity announces £1 million in major grants. More...

July 12th: Appeal 2011, held in support of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, has so far raised the magnificent sum of £891,330. More...

Mar 7th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity approves £20,000 in relief for the Chile earthquake. More ...

Jan 15th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity approves £30,000 in relief for the Haiti earthquake. More...

Nov 25th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity awards £10,000 for Cumbrian flood relief efforts. More...

Oct 15th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity awards £400,000 to non-Masonic charities. More...

Oct 15th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity donates £50,000 to the Red Cross Asia Pacific Disasters Appeal. More...

Sept 4th: Are you thinking of becoming a Freemason? More...

Sept 4th: The United Grand Lodge of England's new website is revealed. More...

Aug 10th: Malvern's Freemasons donate £1,000 to Community Action! More...

June 16th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity gives £2 million to national charities. More...

June 10th: The Malvern Hills Lodge website goes live! More...

June 10th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity donates £5,000 in emergency aid to flood stricken Namibia. More...

June 5th: The Freemasons' Grand Charity presented grants totalling £550,000 to ten charities at a special event commemorating the anniversary of the installation of His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, KG, as Grand Master. More...

[News Archive]

Regular Freemasonry and Public Affairs

Introduction

The text 'Freemasonry's External Relations' explains relations between the United Grand Lodge of England ('Grand Lodge') and other Masonic bodies. It shows what constitutes Masonic regularity. The following text examines the attitude of regular Freemasonry to public affairs.

Regularity

The basic principles or rules governing the recognition of a Grand Lodge as regular were codified by Grand Lodge and the Grand Lodges of Ireland and Scotland (the 'Home Grand Lodges') in 1929. They include a requirement that the 'discussion of religion and politics within the Lodge shall be strictly prohibited'. The phrase 'within the Lodge' should not be interpreted narrowly but extends to Masonic circumstances generally, and must be read in the light of paragraph 6 of Aims and Relationships of the Craft.

Aims and Relationships of the Craft

The aims and relationships of the Craft (i.e. Freemasonry as practised under a Grand Lodge) have been explained from time to time in the Press in the British Isles, particularly in formal statements (in identical terms except for national names) issued by the Home Grand Lodges in 1938. Relevant paragraphs of Grand Lodge's statements are as follows:

'6. While English Freemasonry thus inculcates in each of its members the duties of loyalty and citizenship, it reserves to the individual the right to hold his own opinion with regard to public affairs. But neither in any Lodge, nor at any time in his capacity as a Freemason, is he permitted to discuss or to advance his views on theological or political questions.'

'7. The Grand Lodge has always consistently refused to express any opinion on questions of foreign or domestic State policy either at home or abroad, and it will not allow its name to be associated with any action, however humanitarian it may appear to be, which infringes its unalterable policy of standing aloof from every question affecting the relations between political parties, or questions as to rival theories of government.'

'8. The Grand Lodge is aware that there do exist bodies, styling themselves Freemasons, which do not adhere to these principles, and while that attitude exists the Grand Lodge of England refuses absolutely to have any relations with such bodies, or to regard them as Freemasons.'

In 1949 the Home Grand Lodges formally confirmed that they stood by their statements, particularly paragraph 7. Their opinion has not changed.

Public Affairs

The basic principles and the statement of Freemasonry's aims show that the rule that forbids Masonic discussion of politics is designed to prevent regular Freemasonry becoming involved in any way in affairs of State, whether they are domestic or external. Great care must be taken to ensure that nothing is done that might allow it even to seem to be so involved.

Grand Lodges which ignore these principles are not conducting themselves regularly and cannot expect to be or to remain recognised.

References

The full 'basic principles' and the statement on the aims and relationships of the Craft are printed in Grand Lodge's Book of Constitutions and Masonic Year Book.