Hiram

In 1660, King Charles II was Restored to the British Throne. When his good friend, Sir Robert Moray [a Freemason], became the first president of a new scientific organisation, Charles granted it a Royal Charter. The public proceedings of this new Royal Society were mainly concerned with Science and Technology, but many of its members were privately interested in the Kabbalah (or Cabala). 

Following the publication of a key text - recently found in Sir Isaac Newton's library - Freemasons decided to overhaul their rituals to make them more 'Kabbalistic.' The result was the Third Degree with its Legend of Hiram Abiff.