Freemasonry traces its origins back to the medieval stonemason guilds assembled throughout Europe and England during the Dark Ages. As the era of cathedral building evolved and progressed, so too did these guilds evolve into tight-knit communities, or fraternities, designed to maintain peace and harmony among the workforce, as well as provide for the sick or injured, and widows and orphans. As jobs were finished, these stone masons were free to travel, from town to town, and from country to country, seeking further employment, and it is from this free movement that we have the term "freemason".

The freemasons gathered at job sites established temporary lodges, which served numerous purposes. First and foremost, these lodges provided the system of governance which freemasons were obligated to follow and uphold. Each master mason in the lodge was considered an equal, each having a vote in the actions of the lodge, and each acting in unison in accordance with lodge rules or resolutions. Disputes were resolved, accusations were judged, and pay was decided in these lodges. Secondly, lodges formed the brotherhood, or fraternity, in which charity was dispensed -- a mason who was injured or ill, or a widow or orphan. Also, lodges served as medieval workers' unions, in which requests for wage increases were decided.

Early freemasons were in possession of the keenest intellects of the time, being masters in architecture, geometry, sculpture, design, and engineering. Appreniticeships were long and enduring, to insure that only capable men, of sharp intellect and skill, were granted the titles of Master Mason, to erect the great cathedrals of the Middle Ages. This period in history is commonly referred to as operative masonry.

Freemasonry again evolved from the operative masonry of the Middle Ages to what is deemed a time of transition. Groups of freemasons gravitated toward establishing permanent lodges throughout Europe, which further established a sense of community and home. As master masons were already in possession of teachings in science and geometry, forbidden by the Church to the public, lodges became further centers of new ideas in science, art, and philosophy during the dawn of the Reniassance.

During this tumultuous time in Europe, many other events occurred. Freemasons lost their monopoly on geometry, as Euclid's Geometry was published for the first time. Henry VII, king of England, severed ties with the Pope. The discovery of America fanned the furor of exploration. The style of architecture changed drastically, from Gothic to Classical.

Non-members were drawn to the permanent lodges, and sought membership, to discuss the new and fascinating sciences, and it is during the mid- to late-Fifteenth Century that we see non-operative masons being granted memberships to, and being "accepted" into, the permanent lodges. From these lodges containing both operative and non-operative, or speculative, masons, we derive the term free and accepted masons. 

During the early Eighteenth Century, there existed a great number of permanent lodges, some strictly operative, some strictly speculative, and many a mixture of both. It was not until 1717 that the first Grand Lodge was established in England, when several lodges agreed to form a common authority, and thereby build a sense of continuity and brotherhood between the involved lodges.

This essentially put an end to operative freemasonry, and began the era of wholly speculative freemasonry. This served to unite the many lodges, and to provide a link between members of the fraternities into a single fraternity.

Hover here, then click toolbar to edit content