Encyclopedia Masonica

The following is a list, arranged as far as possible in sequence of age, of the old Masonic Manuscripts, now usually known as the Old Charges. They generally consist of three parts? first, an opening prayer or invocation; secants, the legendary history of the Craft; third, the peculiar statutes and duties, the regulations and observances, incumbent on Freemasons. There is no doubt that they were read to candidates on their initiation, and probably each Lodge had a copy which was used for this purpose. The late Brother W. J. Hughan made a special study of these old Manuscripts, and was instrumental in discovering a great many of them; and his book The Old Charges of British Freemasons published in 1895, has long been a standard work on the subject. No.......Name.................................Date............Owner.................When and Where Published.

1.Regius (also Halliwell) about 1390. British Museum By James O. Halliwell in 1840 and 1844 by H. J Whymper in 1889; by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1889.
2.Cooke about 1450 British Museum By Matthew Cooke in 1861-
by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1890
3.Dowland. 1550 Unknown By James Dowland, in Gentleman's Magazine, May, 1815, W. J. Hughan, Old Charges, 1872.
4.Grand Lodge No. 11583.Grand Lodge of England By W. J. Hughan, in Old Charges,1872; by H. Sadler, in Masonic Facts and Fictions 1887; in History of Freemasonry and Concordant Orders, 1891; by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1892.
5.Lansdowne./.about 1600 British Museum In Freemasons' Quarterly Retried 1848- in Freemasons' Magazine, l558; in Hughan's Old Charges, 1872- by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1890.
6.York, No. 1about 1600 York Lodge, No. 236 In Hughan's Old Charges, 1872; in Masonic Magazine, 1873; in Ancient York Masonic Rolls 1894
7.Wood1610 Prov. G. Lodge of Worcester In Masonic Magazine, 1881- by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1895
8.John T. Thorp 1629 J. T. Thorp, Leicester In Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, volume ix, 1898, in Lodge of Research Transactions, 1898-99
9.Sloane,3848 1646 British Museurn In Hughan's Old Charges 1872- in Masonic Magazine, 1873; by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1891
10.Sloane, 3323 1659 British Museum In Hughan's Masonic Sketches and Reprints, 1871; by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1891.
11.Sloane, 3329 1640-1700 British Museum Voice of Masonry, 1872.
12.Grand Lodge, No. 2 about 1650 Grand Lodge of England By the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1892.
13. Harleian,1942 about 1650 British Museum. In Freemasons' Quarterly Review, 1836, in Hughan's Old Charges, 1872; by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1890.
14. G. W. Bain. about 1650 R- Wilson, Leeds. In Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, volume xx, 1907.
15. Harleian, 2054 about 1660 British Museum In Hughan's Masonic Sketches and Reprints, 1871; in Masonic Magazine, 1873; by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in l591.
16.Phillipps, No. 1 about l777 Rev. J. E. A. Fenwick,Cheltenham. By the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1894.
17.Phillipps, No. 2 about 1677 Rev- J- E- A. Fenwick. In Masonic Magazine, 1876, in Archaelogical Library, 1878; by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in l594.
18.Lochmore. 1650-1700 Prov G- Lodge of Worcester. In Masonic Magazine, 1882.
19. Buchanan. 1650-1700. Grand Lodge of England. ln Gould's History of Freemasonry, by Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1892.
20.Kilwinning. about 1665. Mother Kilwinning Lodge Scotland . In Hughan's Masonic Sketches and Reprints, 1871; in Lyon's History of the Lodge of Edinburch, 1873.
21.Ancient Stirling 1650-1700 Ancient Stirling Lodge, Scotland By Hughan in 1893.
22.Taylor. about 1650 Prov. G. Lodge of West Yorkshire. In Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, volume xxi, 1908
23. Atcheson Haven. 1666. G. Lodge of Scotland. In Lyon's History of the Lodge of Edinburph. 1873
24. Aberdeen. 1670. Aberdeen Lodge, No. 1 tris. In Foice of Masonry, Chieago, U. S. A., 1874- in Freemason, 1895.
25. Melrose, No. 2. 1674. Melrose Saint John Lodge, No. 1 bis, Scotland. In Masonic Magazine, 1880- in Vernon's History of FreeMasonry in Roxburgh etc., 1893.
26. Henery Heade. 1675. Inner Temple Library, London . In Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, volume xxi
27. Stanley. 1677. West Yorkshire Masonnic Librari. In West Yorkshire Masonic Reproductions, Freemason's Chronicle , 1893
28. Carson. 1677. E. T. Carson, Cincinnati . In Masonic Review (Cincinnati), 1890: in Freemasons' Chronicle, 1890.
29. Antiquity. 1686 Lodge of Antiquity, No. 2, London In Hughan's Old Charges, 1872.
30. Col. Clerke. 1686. Grand Lodge of England. In Freemason, 1888; in Conder's Hole Crafte, etc., 1894.
31. William Watson. 1687. West Yorkshire Masonic Library In Freemason, 1891; in West Yorkshire Masonic Reprints, 1891; by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1895.
32. T. W. Tew. about 1680. West Yorkshire Masonic Library In Christmas Freemason, 1888; in West Yorkshire Masonic Reprints, 1889 and 1892
33. Inigo Jones about 1680. Worcestershire Masonic Library In Masonic Magazine, 1881; by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1895.
34. Dumfries, No. 1 1675-1700 Dumfries Kilwinning Lodge No. 53, Scotland. In Smith's History of the Old Lodae of Dumfries, 1892
35. Dumfries, No. 2 1675-1700 Dumfries Kilwinning Lodge No. 53, Scotland . In Christmas Freemason, 1892; by Hughan 1892
36. Beaumont. 1675-1700 Prov. G. Lodge, West Yorkshire. In Freemasons 1894.
37. Dumfries, No. 3 1675-1700. Prov. G. Lodge, West Yorkshire. In Smith's History of the Old Lodge of Dumfries 1892
38. Hope. 1675-1700. Lodge of Hope, No. 302 Bradford, Yorkshire. In Hughan's Old Charges. 1872: in West Yorkshire Masonic Reprints, 1892
39.T. W. Embleton. 1675-1700 West Yorkshire Masonic Library . In Christmas Freemason, 1889 - in West Yorkshire Masonic Reprints, 1893.
40. York, No. 5 about 1670 . York Lodge, No. 236 . In Masonic Magazine, 1881; in Ancient York Masonic Constitutions, 1894
41. York, No. 6 1675-1700 York Lodge, No. 236. In Masonic Magazine, 1880- in Ancient York Masonic Constitutions, 1894
42. Colne, No. 1 1675-1700 Royal Lancashire Lodge, No.116, Colne, Lancashire. In Christmas Freemason, 1887.
43. Clapham about 1700. West Yorkshire Masonic Library. In Freemason, 1890; in West Yorkshire Masonic Reprints, 1892.
44. Hughan. 1675-1700 West Yorkshire Masonic Library. In West Yorkshire Masonic Reprints, 1892 in Freemason, 1892 and 1911
45. Dauntesey. about 1690. R. Dauntesey, Manehester. In Keystones Philadelphia, 1886.
46. Harris, No. 1. about 1690. Bedford Lodge, No. 157 London . In Freemasons' Chronicle, 1882.
47. David Ramsey. about 1690. The Library, Hamburg. In Freemason, 1906.
48. Langdale. about 1690. G. W. Bain. Sunderland. In Freemason, 1895
49. H. F. Beaumont. 1690 . West Yorkshire Masonic Library . In Freemason, 1894; in West Yorkshire Masonic Reprints, 1901.
50. Waistell 1693. West Yorkshire Masonic Library. In West Yorkshire Masonic Reprints, 1892.
51. York, No. 4. 1693 York Lodge, No. 236 In Hughan's Masonic Sketches and Reprints, 1871; in Ancient York Masonic Rolls, 1894.
52. Thomas Foxeroft. 1699. Grand Lodge of England In Freemason, 1900
53. Newcastle College Roll. about 1700. Neweastle College of Rosicrucians. By F. F. Schnitger in 1894
54. John Strachan. about 1700. Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No.2076. In the Transactions of the Lodge of Research 1899-1900
55. Alnwick. 1701. Formerly Edwin T. Turnbull Alnwick, now Newcastle College ./. In Hughan's Masonic Sketches and Resprints, 1871, and Old Charges, 1872, by the Newcastle College of Rosicrucians in 1895
56. York, No. 2 . 1704 . York Lodge, No. 238 . In Hughan's Masonic Stsetches and Reprints, 1871; in Ancient York Masonic Rolls, 1894.
57. Scar borough . 1705. Grand Lodge of Canada .In Philadelphia Mirror arusKeystoree, 1860; in Canadian Masonic Record, 1874; in Masonic Magazine, 1879- by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1894; in Ancient York Masonic Rolls, 1894
58. Wallace Heaton .1695-1715. Grand Lodge of England. In Masonic Record, London, July, 1927.
59. Colne, No. 2 1700-25 Royal Lancashire Lodge, No.116, Colne, Lancashire. Has not been reproduced
60. Papworth about 1720 W. Papworth, London In Hughan's Old Charoes, 1872
61. Macnab 1722 West Yorkshire Masonic Library. In West Yorkshire Masonic Reprints, 1896.
62. Haddon. 1723 J. S. Haddon, wellington. ln siughan's Old Charges, 1895.
63. Phillipps, No. 3.. 1700-25. Rev. J. E. A. Fenwick, Cheltenham By the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1894
64. Dumfries, No. 4 1700-25 Dumfries Kilwinning Lodge,No. 53, Scotland. In Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, volume v, 1893.
65. Cama . 1700-25 . Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No.2076, London. By the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1891.
66. Songhurst about 1725. Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No.207G, London. Has not been reproduced.
67. Spencer 1726. E. T. Carson, Cincinnati.. In Spencer's Old Constitutions, 1871.
68. Tho. Carmick . 1727. P. F. Smith, Pennsylvania. In Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, volume xxii,1909.
69. Woodford. 1728. Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No.2076, London . A copy of the Cooke Manuscript.
70. Supreme Council.. 1728. Supreme Council, 33 , London. A copy of the Cooke Manuscript
71. Gateshead . about 1730. Lodge of Industry, No. 48,Gateshead, Durham./. In Masonic Magazine, 1575
72. Rawlinson .1725-50 . Bodleian Librara, Oxford..ln Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, 1855- in Masonic Magazine, 1876- in Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, volume xi, 1898
73. Probite. about 1736.Probity Lodge, No. 61, Halifax, Yorkshire. In Freemason, 1886, in West Yorkshire Masonic Reprints, 1892.
74. Levander-York . about1740. F. W. Levander, London. In Ars QuaJuor CororLatorum, volume xviii, 1905.
75. Thistle Lodge . 1756..Thistle Lodge, No. 62, Dumfries, Scotland . Has not been reproduced.
76. Melrose, No. 3. 1762. Melrose Saint John, No.1 his, Scotland . Has not been reproduced.
77. Crane, No. 1. 1781. Cestrian Lodge, No. 425,Chester. In Freemason, 1884.
78. Crane, No. 2. 1770-1800. Cestrian Lodge, No. 425,Chester. In Freemason, 1884.
79. Harris No. 2. about 1781. British Museum. By the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in 1892.
80. Tunnai. about 1828 . Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No.2076, London. Has not been reproduced.
81. Wren . 1852 . Unknown.. In Masonic Magazine, 1879.

There are a number of manuscripts not included in the above list but which will be found under their respective titles elsewhere in this Encyclopedia. Some of these manuscripts are known only by copies or by references of one kind or another in various documents and publications. Of these we may here enumerate the Wilson, Nos. 1 and 9, of either the sixteenth or seventeenth century; the Dermott and Morgan of the sixteenth century; the York, No. 3, Doctor Plot, Supreme Council, No. 1, Hargrove, Masons Company, Roberts, Briscoe, Baker, Colc, Dodd, of probably the seventeenth century, and the Batty Langley and the Krause of the eighteenth.

The Encyclopedia Masonica exists to preserve the wealth of information that has been generated over the centuries by numerous Masonic authors. As Freemasonry is now Speculative and not Operative, the work of a Mason is now conducted in the quarries of symbolism, literature, history and scholasticism. Freemasonry encourages intellectual exploration and academic achievement in its members and many Masons over the years have taken up this calling. The result has been that an incredible amount of philosophy, symbolic speculation and academic insights have been created. However, as Freemasonry teaches, human knowledge is frail and fragile. It is easily lost in the turnings of the ages and unforeseen catastrophes can result in great setbacks to human knowledge.

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