Origins & Statutes
This Master of Works to King James VI of Scotland issued sets of statutes in 1598 and 1599, earning him the title "Father of Freemasonry" by archivist Robert Cooper.
Who is William Schaw?
Dating from between 1390 and 1450, this is widely considered the most ancient of masonic charges and describes how Euclid "counterfeited geometry".
What is the Regius Poem (or Regius Manuscript)?
Recognized as the oldest extant lodge in the world, its origins trace back to the stonemasons who built an 11th-century abbey in Scotland.
What is Lodge Mother Kilwinning No. 0?
This future U.S. President and revolutionary war hero was made a Master Mason in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1753 at the age of 21.
Who is George Washington?
In 1717, four London lodges met at this tavern (along with the Crown, Appletree, and the Rummer and Grapes) to form the first Grand Lodge.
What is the Goose and Gridiron Tavern?
This manuscript, dating to the middle of the 15th century, is the second oldest of the Gothic Constitutions and the oldest known set of charges written in prose.
What is the Matthew Cooke Manuscript?
Built in 1185 by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters, this historic round church is located off Fleet Street in London.
What is Temple Church?
Hailed as the Poet Laureate of Scotland, this famous bard wrote the words to "Auld Lang Syne" and was initiated in Lodge St. David in 1781.
Who is Robert Burns?
Formed in 1751 by a group of unaffiliated lodges who felt the original Grand Lodge had changed ancient rituals, this rival body called themselves the "___".
Who are the "Antients"?
Commissioned in 1723 to condense the Gothic constitutions into modern form, this Reverend published "The Old Charges of Free and Accepted Masons".
Who is Rev. James Anderson?
Built in the 15th century by William Sinclair, this small Scottish chapel features carvings that some believe reflect masonic imagery added during later restorations.
What is Rosslyn Chapel?
This wartime British Prime Minister and scion of the Dukes of Marlborough was made a mason in Studholme Lodge No. 1591 in May 1901.
Long before modern speculative lodges, these ancient Roman and Byzantine business associations of tradesmen—said to be founded by Numa Pompilius—were known by this Latin term.
What are the collegia (or collegia fabrorum)?
According to the Cooke Manuscript's expansion of Genesis, this son of Lamech discovered metallurgy and the art of smelting.
Who is Tubal Cain?
In Bridgetown, Barbados, the old masonic temple on Spry Street—which features a layout forming roughly a square and compass from a bird's-eye view—is adjacent to this cathedral church.
What is the Cathedral Church of St. Michael's and All Angels?
Admitted to the Viennese masonic lodge "Zur Wohltätigkeit" in 1784, this prolific classical composer embedded immense musical harmony into history.
Who is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
In 1600, this Lord of Auchinlech became recorded as a member of the Lodge of Edinburgh, marking an early step toward admitting non-operative members.
Who is John Boswell?
Presumed to be the earliest of the ancient written rituals (dating from 1696), this Scottish manuscript contains catechisms and is titled "Some Questions that Masons use to put to those who profess to have the Mason's Word..."
What is the Edinburgh Register House Manuscript?
This civil engineer laid out the street patterns of Washington, D.C., using intersecting grids, diagonals, and radiating circles, and was made a mason in New York in 1789.
Who is Pierre Charles L'Enfant?
Among Barbados' Prime Ministers who were Freemasons, this Rt. Excellent national hero saw Masonic Light in Prince Hall Memorial Lodge No. 1 in April 1976.
Who is Errol Walton Barrow?