The Red Aprons: The French Influence on Freemasonry

By French Masonic historian Louis Arnolphe

French Masonic historian Louis Arnolphe examines the often unacknowledged, yet profound, French influence of Freemasonry.

Through meticulous research, Arnolphe plumbs the French origins of, among other things: the birth of York Masonry and Heredom; the importance of the Crusading legacy and the Templar high grades; and the origins of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite's red aprons.

Revealing a French connection often overlooked, the reader is treated to the rich traditions of French Freemasonry in both Europe and North America.

A must-read for Masonic historians, THE RED APRONS will delight students of the fraternity whose questions about Continental Masonry have long gone unanswered.

About the Author
Louis Arnolphe is a French academic and Freemason. Arnolphe was initiated by the Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF) almost a decade ago and later became a member of the Scottish Rite in the Suprême Conseil National de France (SCNDF). He holds a PhD in History from the University of Oxford, UK. His work on Masonry has been published in MdV Éditeur and Ars Quatuor Coronatorum.

ISBN: 9780880531436

Other questions this book answers include: why the French wore red aprons; how the French helped the Moderns and Ancients come together; and why the American ritual is referred to as the York Rite.

Contents

• Introduction – Writing New Masonic History
• Chapter 1 – Why Was the Word Freemason Initially Translated as Franc-maçon in France? A Philological Study (Part I)
• Chapter 2 – Looking for Heredom, "The Mountain of Initiation"
• Chapter 3 – Geopolitics of Écossisme and the Masonic Union of 1813
• Chapter 4 – The Birth of Red Masonry: French Master Masons' Aprons of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (1737–1837)
• Chapter 5 – Why is the American Ritual Referred to as the York Ritual?
• Chapter 6 – Why Was the Word Freemason Initially Translated as Franc-maçon in France? A Philological Study (Part II)
• Conclusion – Perspectives for Future Research
• Bibliography
• Endnotes
• Index