One of the most common misconceptions that non-masons make about masons. Is that the Fraternity is a Christian organization. A law of masons from time immemorial is that a mason will obey the laws of his residential jurisdiction. Seeing as how there was a time in England and around Europe. That individuals where forced by law to follow the doctrine of a certain organized religion… Masons naturally had to obey. Masons and Non-Masons alike under the law that did not where exiled, persecuted, jailed and some cases killed. The Masons of this time had no choice but to articulate there laws and constitutions in due bounds. As to insure the safety of there families and themselves.

The articulation of Masonic Charges of the time reflected this. One notable trial period occurs during the progression of masonry in York. Up until 1561, The Masons of York whee quite the leaders when it came to Masonic Government and the existing remnants of the old Guild system.

The Old York Grand Lodge was in existence evidently during the 1700’s and The annual Assembly was held in the City of York by the Freemasons for centuries, and is so acknowledged virtually by all the manuscripts from the fourteenth century. A list of Master Masons of the York Minster, during its erection, is preserved, of the fourteenth century; legend and actual history agree in the fact that York was the home of the Masonic Craft until modern times the Charter of Prince Edwin.

As operative masons building cathedrals and churches there is no doubt the employers of these masons would have required them to pray as they did. York Constitutions or the Gothic Constitutions stat off with a prayer that is unquestionably christian in nature. This prayer appears to only change in articulation slightly throughout all six manuscripts and can also be found in the Hope MS that is to be the foundation of the York MS “1”.

“The might of the father of heaven and the wisdom of his gracious Son
through the goodness of the holy ghost,three persons and one god be with us
at the beginning and give us grace so to govern our lives ; that we may come to
Eternal Joy. Amen.”

The Six York Manuscripts are given with descriptions below with the inclusion of the hope MS that in this article we will consider the 7th Manuscript Of York

“HOPE, MS.” *A.D. 1680.

The MS. in possession of the ” Lodge of Hope,” Bradford, is scarcely less valuable than
the Harleian MS, and is, in all probability, slightly older than the York, of A.D. 1693, which it so closely resembles. The parchment Roll on which this ” Constitution ” is written, is defaced and worn away towards the end of the ” Apprentice charge “(which ” charge” is only to be found in three known MSS.), and in its present state, is six feet long, and six inches wide. This MS. and the one of A.D. 1693, at York, are so nearly alike, that it is a high probability that the York MS 1-6 can be credited to it

“YORK MS. No. I” A.D. 1600.

There were six MSS. formerly, in the archives of the ” Grand Lodge of all England,” held at York, (now extinct) and were so cataloged in the Inventory of A.D. 1779. Until the 1800’s only three had been traced, which are In the Custody of the ” York Lodge,” and numbered respectively, 2, 4, and 5. On examining three Rolls in the possession of the Grand Lodge, (London) it was discovered two were York MSS., one bearing the endorsement “No. I,” and the other is evidently No. 6. The enumeration in the Inventory must not be taken as any evidence of the relative antiquity of the MSS., as though the oldest Is first on the list, the second is the latest of the six.

No. I is endorsed ” Found in Pontefract Castle at the Demolishing and given to the Lodge by Francis Drake A.D. 1736.” It is composed of four sheets of parchment of unequal length, sewn together at the top ; the whole measuring 7 feet in length, and about seven inches in width. It was formerly a Roll. A copy was made of this document about 1830 by order of Bro. William Henry White, (Grand Secretary) but being imperfect, another was written by Bro. Robert Lemon, (Deputy Keeper of State Papers) and presented to H.R. H. the Duke of Sussex, K.G.,(Grand Master.) Both transcripts are still preserved, and are kept lied with the original Rolls, likewise a letter from the latter gentleman to the Grand Master, dated September 9th, 1830, stating ” that it might be interesting to collate the transcript, said by Preston to be in the possession of the Lodge of Antiquity, with that from which the above is made.”

“No. I ” appears to have been the original of at least three of the other York MSS. Its date is partly determined from internal evidence, and partly from the period when Pontefract Castle surrendered to the Parliamentary Forces, March 25th, 1649. The demolition commenced during the following month. Bro. Francis Drake, F.R.S., the distinguished antiquarian, who presented the Scroll to the Lodge, was a native of Pontefract. His Father and Grandfather were Vicars of the Parish ; the latter, before his ordination was a Royalist officer, and his Diary of the Siege is still extant. There is thus every probability of the family possessing memorials of the Castle, and the “MS. No. i,” is not the least interesting of those preserved. a quotation from the ” ancient records of the fraternity ” said to be in existence at York, which differs from the text of the five known “York MSS.” We think it very Likely to have been copied from the above Roll, now unfortunately lost. The extract is as follows :

“When the ancient Mystery of Masonry had been depressed in England by
reason of great wars, through diverse nations, then Afhehton, our worthy King
did bring the land to rest and peace, and though the ancient records of the
Brotherhood were many of them destroyed or lost, yet did the Craft a great
Protector find, in the Royal Edwin : who being teacher masonry and taking upon
him the Charges of a Master, was full of practice, and for the love he bare it,
caused a charter to be issued, with a commission to should every year an assembly
where they would, within the Realm of England, and to correct within themselves
Statutes and trespasses done within the Crafts. And he held an Assembly at York
and made masons, and gave them their charges, and taught them the manners of
masons, and commanded that rule to be Holden ever after : and made ordinances
that it should be ruled from Kings to Kings, etc etc.”

“YORK MS. No. 2.” A.D. 1704.

This Roll, which is the most modern of the York MSS., is written on parchment, measures 60 inches, by 7 ½ inches, and was presented by Robert Preston to Daniel Moult, A. D. 1 704. The Anagram, is similar to No. i, MS. (D.) Bro. Fidel in his History of Freemasonry mentions that he could not decipher it, but he must have glanced at it very casually, or he would easily have done so. In the same excellent work, a few extracts are given from the MS. which, however, are not exactly quoted. The Roll resembles all the York MSS., but No. 4, which is unique in some
respects.

“YORK MS. No. 3.,” A.D. 1630.

This MS. is missing, and has not been traced with any certainty since it was recorded in the Inventory of 1779. In Hargrove’s History of York, A.D. 1818, (Vol. 2,) there is a quotation from the ” ancient records of the fraternity ” said to be in existence at York, which differs from the text of the five known “York MSS.” We think it very Likely to have been copied from the above Roll, now unfortunately lost. The extract is as follows :

“When the ancient Mysteries of Masonry had been depressed in England by
reason of great wares, through diverse nations, then Affection, our worthy King
did bring the land to rest and peace, and though the ancient records of the
Brotherhood were many of them destroyed or lost, yet did the Craft a great
Protector find, in the Royal Edwin : who being teaching masonry and taking upon
him the Charges of a Master, was full of practice, and for the love he bare it,
caused a charter to be issued, with a commission to hold every year an assembly
where they would, within the Realm of England, and to correct within themselves
Statutes and trespasses done within the Crafts. And he held an Assembly at York
and made masons, and gave them their charges, and taught them the manners of
masons, and commanded that rule to be Holden ever after : and made ordinances
that it should be ruled from Kings to Kings,.”

“YORK MS.,” No. 4. A.D. 1693.

In one respect the above MS. differs from all others,in the provision made for the admission of females. The clause immediately precedes the ordinary Craft Regulations, and is as follows :

“The one of the elders taking the book
and that he or she that is to be made mason
shall lay their hands thereon
and the charge shall bee given “

We believe it likely that women were admitted as members of the old masonic Guilds, (when their husbands, or fathers were deceased,) if they were in a position to carry on their Trade. We are not however in possession of any evidence, confirmatory of their participation in the ” mystery” or secrets of Freemasonry, and a prior, we do not think it probable that they ever did, because the esoteric customs of the Fraternity were primarily connected with the Art of Building, the initiation of Apprentices, and the management of the Craftsmen ; duties certainly not of a feminine character, and therefore wisely restrict|ed to males.

These remarks, however, apply only to such Trades as were peculiarly fitted for men, and not to any in which females were as useful as males. Of the latter class, in olden times scarcely five out of the five hundred were not composed equally of both sexes. In the Guild of the Fullers at Lincoln, founded A.D. 1297, the men were permitted to work in company with the “wife of a Master or her handmaid,” and take the Guild of the Tailors, instituted
of the same city A.D. 1346, the ” Brethren and Sister en” participated equally In the beneficial position of the Society.

Bro. D. Murray Lyon informs us that in the case of female membership in Scottish Incorporation, the freedom of the Craft, carried with It no right to a voice in the administration of their affairs that able writer because of this fact and other reasons, considers the clause under notice, (in the York M.S.) to be an interpolation,
and should read ” he or they,” instead of ; he or she. As it Is the only known Manuscript which contains such a provision, it will be well to suspend judgment until further researches have been made. At all events the copyist was certainly a good scribe,
and not one likely to make an important addition to the usual Rolls, without some authority at least.

Bro. William Cowling, of York, has. In a most efficient manner, traced a portion of this MS., also of the York MS. No. 2, and we have. In consequence, been enabled to present to the Craft facsimile lithographs of portions of these two very interesting documents.

The foregoing MS. was written by Matt Kipling, and the names of either the officers, or members of the Lodge (probably the managing Committee) are attached to the Roll, which Is composed of Paper slightly mutilated, (10^ feet by 6 inches) and was given to the “Grand Lodge, of York, 1777, by Brother George Walker, of Wetherby,”

The “Apprentice Charge,” considered to be peculiar to this MS. has since been discovered in the “Harlelan 1942,” and the “Hope” MSS. Evidently the Apprentices were required according to this charge, (which was composed of ten clauses), to serve their Master or Dame, as the case may be ; thus there Is pidma facile, evidence of females occupying the position of Employers, and therefore it is probable they were in some respects accounted members of the Masonic Body.

“YORK MS. No. 5.” *A.D. 1670.

These ” Constitutions and Regulations “are written on a long Roll of Paper, (7 1/2’feet by 8 inches) and contain neither date nor signature.’ The beginning is imperfect at the present time, but from the account of Lamech’s family, the narrative is unbroken. We have been supplied with a certified transcript, through the kindness of Bros. William Cowling, and Ralph Davidson, (distinguished members of the “York Lodge,” in which the MS. Is located,) and after a careful examination, pronounce it to be a copy of No. I. (MS. D.) It clearly indicates the nature of ” ye book,” on which the Apprentices were sworn to secrecy : the document is valuable on that account, because with only two or three exceptions, the various versions simply state that ” It is a great peril for a man to forswear himself on a Book,” whereas this MS. and other York MSS. declare that Book to be ” ye holy Scripture.”

The “Harleian MS.” No. 1942 although it does not mention the Book, speaks of its ” holy contents.” The other MSS. (omitting A and B) are indefinite, and unless the* context be perused, it is impossible to decide to which Book the writers refer.

“YORK MS., No. 6.” *A.D. 1680.

Until the 1800’s this MS was supposed to be missing, but now believed by us to be in the custody of the Grand Lodge of England, (London), this Roll has been lost sight of, for about a century ; at least until that time masonic historians had not discovered any reference to it since A.D. 1779, when it was cataloged as follows,

“A Parchment Roll of charges, whereof the bottom part is awaiting” ( York Inventory. ) We cannot find any number endorsed on the Scroll in Grand Lodge, but as the writing is partly defaced that circumstance of itself would not disprove its York origin. Its identity appears to us certain, from the fact that the ” bottom part ” has been severed from the Roll, and though at the present time it is kept rolled around the major portion, in all probability it was wanting when the Inventory of A.D. 1779 was made. That the present conclusion to the charges is the counterpart of the long Roll, is manifest from the fact, that the parchment is cut through a line of the writing relating to the ” Conduct of Masters and Fellows,” and is rendered illegible, unless the two parts are in juxtaposition.

The MS. is a copy of one of the earlier York Rolls, about a third has been re-written in a most imperfect manner by a later scribe, who, no doubt, intended his performance to be a facsimile of the faded original : the remainder is a good specimen of the seventeenth century calligraphy. The document itself contains nothing special, but the conclusion, which we believe to be unique,

“Do all as you would be done unto, and I beseech you at every meeting and assembly you pray heartily for all Christians Farewell”

We have been lucky to obtain information regarding York Masonry, from Bro. Blanohard,
who was the only remaining member of the old Grand Lodge, and who had acted as Grand
Secretary for several years. All the Books and Papers which formerly belonged to the Grand
Lodge were them in Bro. Blanchard’s possession, and are now (with few exceptions) carefully
preserved.

It is noted that in these manuscripts contains what I consider the “Landmarks” of operative masons. These Masonic laws of the time where such stated as

“He shall not commit adultery in any man’s house where he shall work or be tabled.”
” He shall not pillage nor steal the goods of any person nor willingly suffer harms or
shame, or consent thereto during his said Apprenticeship, either to his Master, or Dame or
or any other freemason. But to withstand the same to the utmost of his power, and
thereof to inform his said Master or some other freemason with all convenient speed that
may be.”

Another notable fact is the care of Masonic Widows of the time The “Lodge of Edinburgh” by a special resolution, April 17th, 1683, that permitted widows “to have the benefit of the work offered them by ancient customers of the deceased husband,”

It it obvious that this men where making a living as Masons. With this being the case Masonry had to again as stated in the beginning of this blog…. To yield to the standards of king and country. In out Modern times these guilds do not exist. Masonry has evolved from a one track mind into a beautiful science

However among this beauty the The Regular Grand Lodge of England aka “The Masonic High Council” claims to be the representative of the Ancient York Grand Lodge the “Mother Grand Lodge of Freemasonry.” So much can be said as to why this little group of politically fueled men are a bogus and pathetic joke compared to the justified and lawfully founded masonic groups. A very well written look into this groups motives and founder “Rui Gabirro” can be found by visiting this website (http://www.masonicinfo.com/rgle.htm) . The website’s Creator Ed King does a fantastic job of uncovering what appears to be an elaborate scam. As an example he unveils Mr. Gabirro and his alther egos in this paragraph

“Rui Gabirro, in addition to being Robert Lamar, is also Duke Alexander of Cabinda so perhaps we can understand why ‘his’ RGLE is supporting ‘his’ dukedom. Interestingly enough, he’s ALSO Mangovo Ngoyo, the Governor of the Cabinda National Bank which will be happy to sell you all sorts of financial instruments including savings bonds, stamps and even crude oil (provided, of course, you pay him the $6,000 USD in advance!) All you need do is call Mr. Gabirro’s phone number in England or send your e-mail to one of his dozens and dozens of gmail addresses and you too have 600,000 barrels of crude or a bunch of worthless coins. Planning on travel and need a passport? Rui’s G-mail will get you one of those too - for a ‘reasonable’ price, we presume.”