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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Freemasons
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Members of a secret society which derives in its present form from England and Scotland in the 18C but which has much older roots. Medieval masons were itinerant, often working in remote parts of the country (building monasteries, for example); it suited them to have a secret guild, with a sign or word known only to initiates which would act like a membership card in a modern trade union. There is evidence that until the 17C all freemasons were still craftsmen involved in cutting stone. Then, initially in Scotland, aristocratic names began to feature. By the early 18C the masonic lodges were becoming highly fashionable associations of gentlemen with shared philosophical interests, often of a freethinking nature (which caused strong opposition from the Roman Catholic church).
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The Grand Lodge, founded in London in 1717, gradually acquired a position of authority over all the other English lodges, which it still retains; and the Grand Lodge of Scotland (1736) has the same authority north of the border. An early link with the royal family (two of the sons of George II became freemasons) continues to this day; there have been eight royal Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge, including the present duke of Kent (since 1967). During the 18C British enthusiasts carried freemasonry to India, to the West Indies and to America, as well as throughout Europe. It remains a thriving worldwide organization, though often now suspected by outsiders of existing largely for the mutual commercial benefit of its members.
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