The first US President, George Washington, pictured as a Master Mason at the Virginia Lodge in Alexandria. The first Lodge in the USA opened in Boston in 1733

Freemasonry likely has its origins in the 14th century and local fraternities of stonemasons, which existed to regulate the trade. However, modern freemasonry can be traced from the later 1600s.

In 1717 The United Grand Lodge of England was founded and is still the governing body of Freemasonry in England and Wales. In Scotland, the governing body is the Grand Lodge of Scotland(formed in 1736); in Ireland, the Grand Lodge of Ireland (1725). The main remnant of the medieval roots of the society is the basic degrees of freemasonry: Apprentice, Journeyman or Fellow, and Master Mason.

Freemasonry is organised around a system of lodges, usually on a regional level, and in England and Wales under the overall authority of the aforementioned Grand Lodge. The first Grand Lodge in England, which brought four existing London lodges under its authority, was founded in Westminster, London in June 1717. There is no worldwide or Freemasonry-wide authority.

As a male-only (although the Order of Women Freemasons was founded in 1935) and historically somewhat secretive society, with an esoteric system of rituals and symbols, Freemasonry has attracted speculation and at times outright distrust about its workings. From 1799 to 1965, this meant that the organisation was subject to the Unlawful Societies Act, which forced registration of members for local Quarter Sessions.

Our ancestors’ suspicions mean that records of Freemasons can be found at County Record Offices, and names of individual members can be requested from the Grand Lodge, where staff at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry – which contains a variety of materials that may well be of use to genealogists with Lodge connections – can carry out searches for members.

Of particular use for those researching early 20th-century Freemasonry is TheGenealogist.co.uk’s digitised Who’s Who in Freemasonry, 1913–1914, to be found in the site’s collection of biographical records (and is covered by occupational records in the Master Search). Although Freemasonry was technically open to men from any class or background, in reality the higher echelons of the society were at this time the domain of the great and good, as this fascinating record shows. Members include numerous doctors, lawyers, composers, church men and authors, almost all of whom were educated at public schools and university.

Should an ancestor be listed in this publication, then you are in luck, as the biographical detail is extensive, and includes travel, recreational pursuits, addresses, educational background, the man’s progress through the various stages of Freemasonry and much more, including information about the subject’s genealogical pedigree.

Journalist William Farquarson Lamonby, for example, was descended from an old Cumberland family. A great-grandmother (a Grant) was out in 1745 with Prince Charles Edward; we also learn that he spent several years in Australia and his pastimes were coursing and hunting.

There has at times been opposition to Freemasonry, often from the church, as well as political organisations and conspiracy theorists. In New York, one William Morgan (1774–?1826) disappeared in 1826 after saying that he was to publish a book about Freemasonry. No one is sure what happened to him, but he disappeared and was presumed murdered by the society he aimed to out. In Britain one of the biggest opponents has been the Roman Catholic Church, due to Freemasons having to show their allegiance to the Lodge, held to compromise their duty to God.

These days, Freemasonry in England is described (on its website) as being one of the world’s oldest and largest non-religious, non-political, fraternal and charitable organisations [which] teaches self-knowledge through participation in a progression of ceremonies, and encourages members to talk about the various rites involved. However, to many, it retains a distinct air of mystery.