Moderns Grand Lodge Constitutions

“And in September 1721, the Grand Master and the Grand Lodge, "finding Fault with all the Copies of the old Gothic Constitutions, order'd Brother James Anderson. A.M. to digest the same in a new and better Method." - 1738 Constitutions (Second Edition)

The premier Grand Lodge of Freemasons formed in London in 1717. In 1723 Dr. James Anderson, a Scottish-born Presbyterian minister and man of letters, published the first constitutions of that grand body. They were intended to replace the “Old Gothic Charges,” followed by guilds of operative stonemasons.

Anderson’s version, entitled “Constitutions of the FreeMasons,” was compiled from the “Old Charges” and other source materials. It consisted of an apocryphal history copied freely from older charges, as well as a new list of charges for the Accepted, or speculative, Mason. Two other editions followed, with important additions and revisions. 

Despite well-documented historical gaps and errors within its pages, Anderson’s “Constitutions” is regarded as one of the most important pieces of Masonic literature because of its vast influence.

In 1734, a young printer named Benjamin Franklin published an almost verbatim edition for use in the early American colonies – the first Masonic work published in America. The 1754 revised edition forms the basis of the “Ancient Charges” in the Constitutions of the United Grand Lodge of England.

By studying the differences between the 1723, 1738 and 1754 editions, one may observe the evolution of the document, which still forms the basis of Masonic law throughout the world, including the United States.

The Henry Wilson Coil Library & Museum is a proud owner of all three editions, including a later 1767 reprint of the third edition. Each was kindly donated by Moreno Valley Lodge No. 804 in Moreno Valley, California.

Frontispiece to the 1723 Edition:

The 1723 edition is well-known for its elaborate frontispiece engraved by John Pine in 1722 or 1723. It features a classical arcade of John Montagu, the Second Duke of Montagu, and the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England (1721-1723), passing the scroll of the "Constitutions" to his 1723 successor, Philip Warton, First Duke of Wharton. Both are attended by their officers. Apollo, god of the sun, charges above in his chariot, symbolizing the meridian height. Behind the gathering is a passageway framed by walls of water - evocative of the parting of the Red Sea.

The 47th proposition of Euclid, the traditional symbol of a past masters of a Masonic lodge, appears in the foreground. Below it, in Greek, is Archimedes' famous exclamation: “Eureka!” (“I have found it!”)

 

 

 

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1738 Second Edition:

The dedication art within the pages of the 1738 edition features an engraving by Thornhill and Pine, which depicts architect Hiram of Tyre revealing the architectural plans for the Temple to King Solomon. Directly below is another engraving, of the coat of arms of the Marquis of Carnarvon, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England in 1738. There is no frontispiece in this particular copy.