published and William Cowper, Clerk of the Parliaments, was appointed Secretary to the Grand Lodge to keep minutes of its meetings. By 1730 the Grand Lodge had over 100 lodges in England and Wales under its control and had begun to spread Freemasonry abroad, warranting lodges to meet in Madrid and Calcutta.

It does. The prime qualification for admission into
Freemasonry has always been a belief in God. How that
belief is expressed is entirely up to the individual.
There are many Roman Catholic Freemasons.

It is not known. The earliest recorded 'making' of a
Freemason in England is that of Elias Ashmole in 1646.
Organised Freemasonry began with the founding of the
Grand Lodge of England on 24 June 1717, the first
Grand Lodge in the world. Ireland followed in 1725 and
Scotland in 1736. All the regular Grand Lodges in the
world trace themselves back to one or more of the
Grand Lodges in the British Isles.

There are two main theories of origin. According to
one, the operative stonemasons who built the great
cathedrals and castles had lodges in which they
discussed trade affairs. They had simple initiation
ceremonies and, as there were no City and Guilds
certificates, dues cards or trade union membership
cards, they adopted secret signs and words to
demonstrate that they were trained masons when they
moved from site to site. In the 1600s, these operative
lodges began to accept non-operatives as “gentlemen
masons”. Gradually these non-operatives took over the
lodges and turned them from operative to ‘free and
accepted’ or ‘speculative’ lodges.

The other theory is that in the late 1500s and early
1600s, there was a group which was interested in the
promotion of religious and political tolerance in an age
of great intolerance when differences of opinion on matters
of religion and politics were to lead to bloody civil war.
In forming Freemasonry, they were trying to make better
men and build a better world. As the means of teaching in
those days was by allegory and symbolism, they took the
idea of building as the central allegory on which to form their
system. The main source of allegory was the Bible, the
contents of which were known to everyone even if they could
not read, and the only building described in detail in the
Bible was King Solomon’s Temple, which became the
basis of the ritual. The old trade guilds provided them
with their basis administration of a Master, Wardens,
Treasurer and Secretary, and the operative mason’s
tools provided them with a wealth of symbols with which
to illustrate the moral teachings of Freemasonry.

It varies from lodge to lodge but anyone wishing to join
can find a lodge to suit his pocket. On entry, there is an
initiation fee and an apron to buy. A member pays an
annual subscription to his lodge which covers his
membership and the administrative cost of running the
lodge. It is usual to have a meal after the meeting; the
cost of this can be included either in the annual
subscription or paid for at the time.

It is entirely up to the individual member what he
gives to Charity, but it should always be without
detriment to his other responsibilities. Similarly, he may
join as many lodges as his time and pocket can allow as
long as it does not adversely affect his family life and
responsibilities.

• Be a man of at least 21 years of age
  
• Be of good moral character
  
• Have a personal belief in a Supreme Being (the definition of a Supreme Being is a personal matter for each individual)
  
• Decide to become a Mason of "your own free will and accord" without expectation of any material gain or benefits
  
• Be loyal to your country
  
• Be dedicated to providing for your own family
  
• Have a sincere determination to conduct yourself in a manner that will earn the respect and trust of others
  
• Possess a desire to help others through community service and universal benevolence

• Talk with someone you know who is a Freemason
  
• If you do not know anyone who is a Mason, contact a Lodge in your neighbourhood
  
• Masons do not solicit for members. You'll need to express your personal interest in joining Freemasonry
  
• You may be invited to meet with the Lodge Committee or selected Members to discuss your application and to answer your questions.
• Subject to you being considered eligible and properly motivated you will be asked to complete an application for membership and return it to your local Lodge Secretary
  
• Your application will be presented to a Lodge Meeting and a secret ballot conducted in which Members vote on your suitability. You will be notified of the result and invited to attend a Lodge Meeting for your initiation into Membership