ENGLAND. The precise time of the introduction of Freemasonry into England, or Britain, is uncer tain. There is intermingled so much of fable with the early accounts of the settlement of that island that no one of the present day can dis tinguish between the romance and the truth. All history sustains the assumption that its introduction began during the early part of the third century, and was conveyed there by the numerous bands of traveling artisans who perambulated every section of the country where their services could be employed. The first organization of Masons as a distinctive body occurred about a. D. 300, under the protection of the Emperor Caraucius, who conferred many privileges on the Masons; granted them a charter, and ap pointed Albanus, a distinguished Roman general, their Grand Master. Under the auspices of Caraucius he labored earnestly for the prosperity of the Craft; convened the annual assemblies, settled the fundamental constitutions; revised the ritual of the Order, and procured them em ployment and increased wages. Masonry flourished with varied suc cess until the year 926, when King Athelstane became King of England. This king loved and encouraged the Masons, and made his brother Edwin overseer of the Craft, and granted them a charter. "Accordingly, Prince Edwin sum moned all the Masons in the realm to meet him in a convention at York, who came and composed a General Lodge, of which he , was Grand Master; and having brought with them all the writings and records extant, some in Greek, some in Latin, some in French and othem languages, from the contents thereof that assembly did frame the consti tution and charges of an English Lodge." From this era we may date the reestablishment of Masonry in England. For a long time the Grand Lodge at York exercised Masonic authority over all England, and until 1567, when the Masons in the southern part of the island as sembled at a Grand Convention, and elected Sir Thomas Gresham, the distinguished merchant, as Grand Master. There were now two Grand Masters in England, who assumed ,distinctive titles; the Grand Master of the North (York) being called " Grand Master of all England," while he who presided in the South (London) was called "Grand Mas ter of England." Notwithstanding this new appointment of a Grand Master in the South, the General Assembly continued to meet in the city of York, where all the ancient and valuable Masonic records were kept; and to this assembly appeals were made on every important occa sion. Masonry flourished and was remarkably prosperous until the early part of the eighteenth century, when, in consequence of the civil war that agitated the country, it became neglected, and fell into de cay, pa-ticularly in the south of England. Sir Christopher Wren, the Grand Master in the reign of Queen Anne, had become aged, infirm, and inactive, and hence the grand assemblies Were entirely ne glected. The old Lodge of St. Paul, and a few others, continued to meet regularly, but consisted of few mem bers. increase their members, a proposition was made, and agreed to, that the privileges of Masonry should to longer be restricted to oper 2tive .31.1sons, but extend to men of various professions, provided they were regularly approved and initiated into the Order. This is the period
when the institution was changed from the operative to the speculative character. In consequence of this resolution many new regulations were established, and the society once more rose into notice and es ' teem. The assembly above alluded to did not fully reestablish the Grand Lodge of England, but advised that the holding an annual feast should be revived, and that the Grand Mas ter, according to custom, should be chosen. Accordingly, 'in the third year of the reign of George I., on St. John the Baptist's day, 1717, the annual assembly and feast were held, and Mr. Anthony Sayer was re gularly proposed and elected Grand Master. Out of respect to the four old lodges, the only bodies then existing in London, the privileges which they had always possessed under the old organization were reserved to them. The two Grand bodies of York and London kept up a friendly intercourse, and mutual interchange of recognition, until the Grand Master of the latter body, in 1734, granted two warrants of eon; stitution to a number of Masons who had seceded from the former. This unfriendly act was at once condemned by the Grand Lodge at York, and produced a disruption of the harmony that had long subsisted between them. Three years later, in 1738, some disagreeable• alterca tions arose in the Order. A number of dissatisfied brethren separated themselves from the regular lodges, held meetings in different places, for the purpose of initiating persons into Masonry, contrary to the laws of the Grand Lodge. The seceding brethren, taking advantage of the breach between the Grand Lodges of London and York, assumed, without authority, the appellation of "Ancient Masons." These irre gular proceedings they pretended to justify under the feigned sanction of the Ancient York Constitutions. They announced that the old land marks were alone preserved by them; that the regular lodges bad adopted new plans, sanctioned in novations, and were not to be considered as working under the old system; they were, therefore, branded with the title of "Modern Masons." They established a new Grand Lodge in 1739, in the city of Loudon, under the name of the. " Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons," and, persevering in the measures adopted, formed commit tees, held communications, and appointed annual feasts. Under the false appellation of the York banner, they gained the recognition of the Masons of Scotland and Ire land, who, believing the representa tions made to them, heartily joined in condemning the measures of the regular lodges in London, as tend ing, in their opinion, to introduce novelties into the society, and to subvert the original plan of Ma sonry. The two Grand Lodges continued to exist, in opposition to each other, to the great scandal of the Fraternity, until the year 1813, when, by the united efforts of the Duke of Sussex, who was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge termed Moderns, and the Duke of Kent, who was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge. known as the Ancients, the two bodies were happily united with great solemnity, under the style and 'Ale of " The United Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons of England." In no part of the world is Freema sonry more prosperous or respected than in England.