"free and accepted or speculative”

"free and accepted or speculative”

"Free" the requirement for an initiate to be free stretches right back into operative/practical Freemasonry. A mediaeval apprentice was bound to his master by very strict rules and was not allowed to leave his apprenticeship. A Mason's Lodge had to be assured that a man was free of this obligation and was to be a member. In the transition to speculative Freemasonry, this requirement changed to a man being free and not enslaved. Until 1848 (when slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire), this meant having been born free. This was one of the causes of friction between the Grand Lodges of America and the UK. The American Lodges would not admit African-American candidates, whether they had been enslaved or not. In the end, a man called Prince Hall applied to the Grand Lodge of England and Wales for authority to consecrate lodges that would admit African American candidates. This was granted and saw the beginning of a vibrant organisation named after Prince Hall, which is still recognised by UGLE.

"Accepted" - the transition from practical to theoretical Freemasonry isn't clear. The earliest example of the initiation of a speculative (as opposed to a practical) Freemason dates back to 1646 when Elias Ashmole joined a Lodge in Warrington. Moving forward to 1717, we have the first meeting of the Grand Lodge of England. Somewhere in between these dates, the transition from practical to theoretical Freemasonry became more established. Towards the end of the 1600's the word " accepted" appears in the minutes of the Guild of London Masons, referring to a group of speculative Masons. They became known as the " Acception". The word therefore serves to distinguish the theoretical from the practical Mason.

"Speculative" - here again, the modern meaning of this word carries implications of guesswork or imprecise knowledge, e.g. " it's pure speculation" The original meaning was " knowledge gained by contemplation". The speculative Mason, therefore, uses his mind to gain knowledge rather than his hands to create buildings.

I hope this was of interest. If there are particular aspects of our ceremonies and rituals that pique your interest, please ask me. If I don't know the answer, I'll do my best to find out.