# Three Hundred Years of Freemasonry

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hundred-years-of-freemasonry/789804>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 25, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hundred-years-of-freemasonry/789804 "2017-06-25T02:44:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hundred-years-of-freemasonry/789804/1 "2017-06-25T02:44:32Z")

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Well, really yesterday was the anniversary. I will blame time-zone differences.

“On June 24, 1717 four London Lodges, which had existed for some time, came together at the Goose and Gridiron Tavern in St Paul’s Churchyard, declared themselves a Grand Lodge, and elected Anthony Sayer as their Grand Master. This was the first Grand Lodge in the world. Today marks the 300th anniversary of this historic event.”

So the four Lodges got together and publicly announced their existence. Freemasonry was by that point well-established, almost certainly hundreds of years old. Some claim that covert Lodges across Britain burned their records fearing a new wave of suppression. We only have some clues as to the Craft’s true origins.

I am very proud to be a Freemason. Most anything attacked by popes and princes, Hitler, Stalin and Mao has to be worth supporting.

I just wanted to share.

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**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hundred-years-of-freemasonry/789804/2 "2017-06-25T04:05:22Z")

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Do you have a second-hand apron?

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**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hundred-years-of-freemasonry/789804/3 "2017-06-25T04:39:04Z")

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I nearly got in at Yerington.

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**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hundred-years-of-freemasonry/789804/4 "2017-06-25T11:25:24Z")

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We have my father-in-law’s Masonic paraphernalia. Some interesting booklets and writings. He was a Master Mason.

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**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hundred-years-of-freemasonry/789804/5 "2017-06-25T11:28:42Z")

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Why do hate the metric system so much? 😉

Brian

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**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hundred-years-of-freemasonry/789804/6 "2017-06-26T00:55:26Z")

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You have a _real_ apron, or just one of them “tissue paper” aprons?

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**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hundred-years-of-freemasonry/789804/7 "2017-06-26T08:33:08Z")

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I have my father’s apron; mine was “lost” during my divorce—(lost = thrown away by ex)

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hundred-years-of-freemasonry/789804/8 "2017-06-26T09:52:24Z")

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> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#):
>
> So the four Lodges got together and publicly announced their existence. Freemasonry was by that point well-established, almost certainly hundreds of years old.

The Livery Companies or Guilds of London do indeed date back to the Middle Ages. The Fishmongers’ Company got its first charter in 1272, for instance.