| Anderson's
Constitutions - 1723
Containing:
The History, Ancient Charges and Regulations of Freemasonry
On
September 29, 1721, the Rev. James Anderson, D.D. (c.1680 - May 28, 1739) was
directed by the Grand Lodge of England to "digest the old Gothic Constitutions
in a new and better method." The first edition of the Anderson's Constitutions,
including the Charges of a Freemason and General Regulations, was published in
1723, it was then reset and published in Philadelphia by M.W. Bro. Benjamin Franklin
in 1734, with a third edition following in 1738.
The following files were complied of text and art reproduced by Paul Royster,
of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, on February 14, 2006. This information
is shared here as a matter of historical interest.
(Constitutions
- PDF 933KB)
(The
Charges - HTML)
(Engraving
- JPG 361KB)
(Dedication
- PDF 166KB)
NOTES:
(1) The
HTML and PDF versions of "The Charges" came from the same source, however
they differ slightly. In addition to the Charges themselves, the PDF version includes
a bit more content - text which should be read to a newly obligated brother. The
HTML version does not include this although it was apparently part of the original
print. (2) The current Charges of a Freemason are not exactly the same
as detailed here, though their general meaning and intent is very similar.
| .................................................................................................. |
The
Ancient Landmarks of Freemasonry - 1858
Every
Master Mason is obliged to abide by the Laws, Regulations and Edicts of his Grand
Lodge; the By-laws of the particular lodge of which he is a member, and to maintain
and support the "Landmarks and Ancient Usages and Customs of the Fraternity."
The problem is that The Landmarks (sometimes referred to as The Ancient Landmarks)
are the unwritten law of Masonry - the common law - which was apparently so well
understood and practiced in early Masonry (prior to formation of the Grand Loge
of England in 1717) that it was not thought necessary to record it. In spite of
this, throughout our history the "regularity" of a Lodge is judged according
to its observance of these Landmarks. The
first attempt to codify (or write) the unwritten law of Masonry was achieved by
Albert G. Mackey as an article in the October 1858 edition of the American Quarterly
Review of Freemasonry and then later in his Encyclopedia of Freemasonry. Mackey's
compilation of these Ancient Landmarks is considered by many to be one of the
most authoritative sources of information on this topic. (Ancient
Landmarks of Freemasonry - PDF 112KB)
| .................................................................................................. |
The
Regius Poem / Halliwell Manuscript - 1390 This
22-page document contains 794 lines of rhymed verse that COULD date back as far
as c.1390. The
existence of this manuscript had been known for a long time, but its contents
were mistaken until Mr. Halliwell-Phillips drew attention to it in a paper "On
the introduction of Freemasonry into England," read before the Society of
Antiquaries in the 1838-1839 session. He thereafter published two small editions
of a work entitled "The Early History of Freemasonry in England," giving
a transcript of the poem. The
age of the manuscript has been variously estimated. Mr. Halliwell and the late
Rev. A.F.A. Woodford supposed it to have been written about 1390, or earlier.
It is widely admitted (by both Masonic and non-Masonic scholars) to be the oldest
genuine record of the Craft of Masonry known. Mr. Halliwell pointed out that the
writer of the poem was evidently a priest , from the words, "And when the
gospel me rede schal," on line 629. He also drew attention to line 143, which
intimates a still older MS. must have existed when the poem was written.
(The
Regius Poem - PDF 66KB)
| .................................................................................................. |
Matthew
Cooke Manuscript - 1450 Next
to the Regius/Halliwell manuscript, the oldest manuscript that is known is the
Cooke Manuscript, a transcript of a yet older document, which was written by a
Speculative Mason.
It
was published by R. Spencer, London, 1861 and was edited by Mr. Matthew Cooke,
hence the name. In the British Museum’s catalogue it is listed as "Additional
M.S. 23,198", and most of the specialists have agreed at a date of at least
1450. Some scholars believe the document was "compiled and written in the
southeastern portion of the western Midlands, (in Gloucestershire or Oxfordshire),
possibly also in southeast Worcestershire or southwest Warwickshire." The
'Book of Charges' which forms the second part of the document is certainly of
the 14th century, the historical or first part, of quite the beginning of the
15th." (A.Q.C. IX, page 18) The
Cooke Manuscript was most certainly in the hands of Mr. George Payne, when in
his second term as Grand Master in 1720 he compiled the General Regulations, and
which Anderson included in his own version of the Constitutions published in 1723.
Anderson himself evidently made use of lines 901-960 of the MS. (The
Cooke Manuscript - PDF 39KB)
| .................................................................................................. |
Lightfoot's
Commentaries - 1934 After
an exhaustive comparison of Monitors from other jurisdictions in this country
and abroad, and noting missing and inaccurate information in the edition that
was in use at the time, R.W. Grand Master W. Steve Cooke made a comprehensive
report regarding the importance of issuing a new Monitor. During the Annual Grand
Communication of December 5th 1934, R.W. Cooke commended the labors of R.W. Brother
Jewel P. Lightfoot in restoring the Monitor and creating, what he called, "the
most outstanding, interesting and instructive Masonic book in decades". Today,
many Masons are using the 1980 edition of Lightfoot's Monitor, the comprehensive
1934 edition was significatly edited over the course of several iterations. Although
today's edition retains much of the work that was conducted in 1934, 129 pages
of R.W. Lightfoot's commentaries are absent - some suspect because of cost of
printing. Since it has been out of print for decades, an original copy is almost
imposiible to come by. The following link contains scanned images R.W. Lightfoot's
commentaries.
(1934
Commentaries - HTML)
| .................................................................................................. |
The
Significance Of The Masonic Temple This
informative two-page document was complied by W. Bro. Rev. J. K. Davies P.A.G.C
who is the Provincial Grand Chaplain of the Provincial Grand Lodge of South Wales
Western Division. It covers the origins of the "Lodge" and its modern
day significance.
(Masonic
Temple - PDF 51KB)
| .................................................................................................. |
References
and Bibliography for
More Light in Masonry
A
four page page document listing many books, libraries and organizations with information
about Freemasonry. Also includes a recommended reading list. Compiled by Robert
A. McCrummen, P.M. of Trinity Valley Lodge. (Morelight
- Adobe PDF 20KB) | .................................................................................................. |
The
Five Points of Fellowship
A
one page article by William Ray Fischer explaining the five points of fellowship
and their application in every day life. Reprinted from Masonic
Short Talks. (Fivepoints
- Adobe PDF 8KB) | .................................................................................................. |
The
True Story of the Forget-Me-Not Story
of the symbolism of a simple flower blossom which brought forth into a meaningful
emblem of the Fraternity and become perhaps the most worn pin among Freemasons
in Germany. In most of our Lodges, the Forget-Me-Not is presented to new Master
Masons-- its history is briefly explained. (Forgetmenot
- Adobe PDF 16KB) CORRECTION
NOTICE: An apprentice mason from Greifswald/Germany
sent us an email explaining that there could be an error in the opening paragraph
of the above PDF document. His correspondence states "Adolf Hitler's rise
to power and his ascension to "Reichskanzler" was completed in 1933,
and thus the brethren of the Bayreuth lodge started bearing the little flower
from 1934, not 1931 as written in your text." He cordially closed his note
with what he called a traditional German/Masonic greeting "Mit brüderlichen
Grüßen". | .................................................................................................. |
What
We As Masons Believe Freemasonry
teaches the universal principle of unselfish friendship and promotes those moral
precepts that are in keeping with all great faiths. In pursuing this doctrine,
this one page "Masonic Creed", though not exclusive, is considered to be basic.
(Masonsbelieve
- Adobe PDF 8KB) Trinity
Valley Lodge Emblem  | Issued
by Woshipful Master M. Royce Reynolds Sr. and designed by Mark H. Winsor in 2006,
Trinity Valley Lodge's official emblem is a tribute the late R.W. Joseph W. Regian,
P.M., P.G.M. His 1973-74 insignia featured the traditional Square and Extended
Compasses framing the Letter "G", with the word's "Faith, Hope,
Charity". |
(TVL1048
Emblem - JPG 176KB)
(Joe
Regian Design - JPG 94KB) | 
