Freemasonry and the Enlightenment: The 1723 Constitutions

The1723 Constitutions were important not only to the United Grand Lodge of England but also to many other, indeed most, Grand Lodges around the world whose central tenets descend from this seminal document.

The Constitutions gave the world a bold, almost revolutionary, proclamation of Enlightenment values and Freemasonry became an important vector for the propagation of these principles which spread across and were embraced within the United Kingdom, Europe, North and Latin America, and elsewhere, helping to shape models of governance. 

The academic conference held at Queens' College, Cambridge, in the autumn of 2023 looked in detail at some of these areas and issues with delegates enjoying papers from a globally-renowned portfolio of speakers from around the world. The papers in this volume of Proceedings are not only an important contribution to academic research but, at the same time, open a window to greater understanding for all. The book will be appreciated by academic and lay readers alike.

Embossed Clothbound Hardback

Colour and Black and White Illustrations Throughout

278 pages

Contents include:

Foreword by Sir David Wootton, Deputy Grand Master, UGLE

Introduction: 1723 Inventing the Future by Ric Berman

An insightful and inspiring summary of the influence of the 1723 constitutions.

A Freemason for more than forty years and twice Prestonian Lecturer, Ric Berman holds Grand Rank in the United Grand Lodge of England and is a Past Master of three English Lodges including Quatuor Coronati Lodge, the premier lodge of Masonic research.

Ric holds a Masters in Economics from the University of Cambridge and a Doctorate in History from the University of Exeter, following which he undertook post-doctoral research at the University of Oxfords Modern European History Research Centre. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a Life Fellow of the Huguenot Society and a Visiting Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes.

A European Overview of the Expansion of Freemasonry During the Age of Enlightenment by Pierre-Yves Beaurepaire

An entertaining and truly comprehensive overview of the development of Freemasonry in eighteenth-century Europe

Pierre-Yves is Professor of History at the University Côte dAzur at Nice, France, and a senior fellow of the Institut Universitaire de France. He has written some twenty books in the field of cultural history, sociability and networks, and specializes in eighteenth-century European history. He has taught internationally, including San Francisco State University, Brussels Free University and Tokyo University.

How Andersons Constitutions Influenced Freemasonry in France in the Eighteenth Century by Olivier Badot

A fresh open minded insightful look at how the constitutions effected the French Masonic milieu of the time. 

Professor Olivier Badot is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce (London). He received a degree in Law and Political Science (La Sorbonne), a PhD in Economics, and a PhD in Anthropology (La Sorbonne) and did his postdoc at the University of Southern California (LA). He is Full Professor at ESCP Business School and at the Normandy University and formerly Dean for Research.

Womens Freemasonry in Eighteenth-Century France and its Legacy by Cécile Révauger

A superb paper on Women's Freemasonry in eighteenth-century France and its legacy. The emergence of women's Freemasonry is a fascinating development and Céciles paper takes you on a journey from eighteenth-century France through to the twenty-first century.

Professor Cécile Révauger, a French historian and historiographer at the University of Bordeaux and a member of the Grande Loge féminine de France.

The Long Confrontation Between the Catholic Church and Freemasonry: A Clash from Political and Cultural Roots by Lucio Artini & Martino Cartella

In keeping with the continental European theme, this paper examines the events surrounding the papal attacks on the English Lodge at Florence and revealed primary documents newly accessed from the city's archives. The paper touched on the political intrigues at the Vatican and how this was translated into papal bulls.

Lucio holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Florence specialising in Modern and Contemporary History, and his excellent research focuses on the political and religious dimensions of eighteenth-century Italian Freemasonry.

Andersons Charges and General Regulations in Sweden in 1737 by Leif Endre Grutle

The Swedish Rite and the Constitutions A Complex Relationship by Andreas Önnerfors

Early Freemasonry in Denmark: The First Bylaws and the Quest for an English Warrant by Niels Arne Dam

Forming and Developing Freemasonry in a Turbulent Period in the Life of Icelandic Society by Haukur Óskarsson, Bergur Jónsson & Símon Jón Jóhannsson

Four papers on different aspects of Nordic Freemasonry & the Swedish Rite. This was a rare opportunity to look at the origins and development of the Swedish Rite across the Nordic countries from experts intimate knowledge of the subject.

Leif is Knight & Commander with the Red Cross, the XI and highest degree of the Swedish Rite. He is the immediate past Master of Niels Treschow Lodge, the Research Lodge of the Order, and co-editor of Acta Masonica Scandinavica, the annual transactions of Scandinavian Masonic Research.

Andreas Önnerfors was from 2007-10 Director of the Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism at Sheffield and a Senior Lecturer in History. Having taught at the Universities of Gothenburg and Lund, and as Professor in Intellectual History in Salzburg, Austria, he is now back in Sweden at Linnaeus University.

Niels Arne Dam holds the XI degree in Swedish Rite and in 2018 was appointed Grand Herald in the Danish Order of Freemasons having previously been Grand Historian. He is a member of the Danish Research Lodge, Friederich Münter, and has served as its Orator since 2021.

Haukur Óskarsson, is the current Master of  St. Johns Research Lodge Snorri, Iceland.

Engineering a Career: John Theophilus Desaguliers by Patricia Fara

Many know Desagulier for his Freemasonry but few are aware that he was a refuge who came to England in a barrel. This paper allows us to learn of this engineering work, his scientific undertakings and writings.  Step into the fascinating world of Newtonian physics, practical optics and home planetariums!

Patricia is a historian of science and an Emeritus Fellow of Clare College, where she was previously Director of Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science. She has written numerous popular books on science and scientists, including Newton and Desaguliers.

The Muses Great Design: Freemasonry and Theatre in the Eighteenth Century by Bridget Orr

One sure way to understand how Freemasons were viewed by themselves and others is to look at how they were portrayed in the theatre of the time. In this very balanced paper Bridget gives us a new perspective via a much neglected area of research.

Professor of English at Vanderbilt College of Science in the US. Her first book, Empire on the English Stage, 1660-1714 (2001), describes and analyses the ways in which late Stuart theatre dramatized the potential and costs of empire in the early stages of colonial expansion, and her second, British Enlightenment Theatre: Dramatizing Difference (2020), focuses on radical dimensions of early eighteenth-century English theatre, exploring themes including religious toleration and Freemasonry.

James Anderson: Philosophical Imperatives by Susan Sommers

A dramatic recontextualization and reinterpretation of the of the writings and religious convictions of the author of the constitutions that draws extensively on primary source material including works critical of the author and those published by him.

Susan Sommers, Professor of History at Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and the author of Thomas Dunckerley and English Freemasonry (2012) and The Siblys of London: A Family on the Esoteric Fringes of Georgian England (2018). Her many articles include (with Andrew Prescott), James Anderson: A Child of his Time, and Searching for the Apple Tree, in Reflections on 300 Years of Freemasonry.

The 1723 Constitutions: The Indispensable Trowel: Cementing America's Foundations by Akram Elias

Explores the unique contribution made by Freemasonry and its 1723 Constitutions to the establishment in the United States of a new and extraordinary experiment in human governance.

Akram Elias is the the former GM of the Grand Lodge of Washington DC, and the 2023 Prestonian Lecturer.

We meet upon the Level: Arkansas Freemasonry's Interracial Moment in the Long Reconstruction, c.1863-1908 by John Kyle Day

How moves by enlightenment ideals Black and Caucasian Freemasons came together to help rebuild their state after the civil war.

John Kyle Day, Professor of History at the University of Arkansas at Monticello and Past Master of Acacia-Twilight No. 114, A.F. & A.M. of Missouri. John is active in many professional and Masonic research societies as well as appendant and concordant bodies of Freemasonry. Oscar is a former Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of New York and a senior member of a number of Masonic Research societies. Their papers explored black freemasonry in America and how that evolved over the period from the late eighteenth century into the twentieth.

The Eighteenth-Century Black Masonic Experience in the Americas by Oscar Alleyne

An eloquent dramatic, revelatory, illustrated investigation revealing the Black initiates in the region covering North Central and South America.

Doctor Oscar Alleyne is an internationally known Masonic speaker and practical thought leader having presented over 800 lectures to craft lodges and concordant bodies covering multiple areas of interests to Freemasons. He has published in several widely distributed Masonic journals, research bodies and educational conferences on Freemasonry and has received many awards for his distinguished service to the Craft. He served as the Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of New York from 2018-2021. He is currently the Senior Grand Deacon for the Grand Council Allied Masonic Degrees of the United States of America and is a past President and Fellow of The Masonic Society, a Fellow and 1st Vice President of the Philalethes Society and a member of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076.

Lionel Vibert and the 1923 Bicentenary Facsimile Edition of Anderson's 1723 Constitutions by Antony R. Baker

The tale of the edition of Andersons 1723 Constitutions published by of histories greatest critics of the work.

Bro. Bakers main interest is in the interpretation of what the Masonic ceremonies might mean, what they might be intended to teach us, rather than the history of the origins and administration of Freemasonry. Nonetheless, he was elected a member of Quatuor Coronati Lodge (No. 2076) in 2006, after delivering papers to the Lodge on J.S.M. Ward and W.L.Wilmshurst. 

He occupied the Chair during 2012 and uniquely was also in the Chair of The Lodge of Living Stones at the same time. He was President of the Bristol Masonic Society for two years, 2004-6, during which time he began the publication ofAnnual Transactions, of which he remains the Editor.

Anderson the Historian: The 1723 Constitutions in their Intellectual Context

An interesting emic analysis giving insight into the contents of Anderson's constitutions and their context in of the intellectual movement and the authors of the day.

Daniel Johnson holds an undergraduate degree in Classics and a postgraduate degree in Church History from the University of Oxford. While a student, he was initiated into the Apollo University Lodge (357), and became WM in 2006.  For a number of years he was part of UGLE's Universities Scheme Committee, including serving as Deputy Chairman. He now lives and works in London and is active in a number of craft lodges, and is currently WM of Old Union Lodge(46). He was appointed Assistant Grand Standard Bearer in 2016 and Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies in 2023.