July 2010
Our insider: Martin Crossley Evans (BA 1978, PhD 1990)
All candidates to become freemasons must believe in a Supreme Being. Freemasonry does not define the Deity, it has no creed or definitions in order to allow men of all shades of Christian belief, and Jews, Muslims and Hindus to be members. It is not a religion, but a philosophy. It is a code of moral practice, a life style, which is drawn from Judaism and from the Old Testament and its history is illustrated by its rituals. All candidates must be aged 21 or above unless they are a lewis (a son of a freemason) or a candidate for membership of a university lodge, such as the St. Vincent, when they may be aged 18 years and above. They must have sound moral values which should be evident in the conduct of their lives.
Anyone who is interested in becoming a mason should discuss it with someone they know who is a freemason or write to the Provincial Office, which in Bristol is situated in Freemasons’ Hall, Park Street. The process begins with an informal meeting with masons. Then a proposer and seconder needs to be found who must first satisfy themselves that the candidate does not wish to gain material or social benefit through membership of masonry. The candidate then completes an application form and sends it to the lodge committee for vetting. If passed, the candidate is proposed as a candidate for initiation in open lodge by his proposer and seconder. Details are then placed on the summons to enable the members of the lodge to vote either for or against the candidate at the next meeting of the lodge.
Some lodges are oversubscribed, so there may be a long wait between being accepted as a candidate and initiation into the lodge. Many others have a dearth of candidates and consequently there is only a short period of time between the successful ballot and admission.
The benefits of membership? Freemasonry enables like-minded individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and careers to form life-long friendships. It also enables its members to focus on how they should live their lives to the benefit of society by the means of Masonic ceremonies, and discussions in bodies such as the Bristol Masonic Society, where papers are presented to members on a wide range of Masonic, esoteric, historical and moral subjects. Masonry is universal and the St.Vincent Lodge, for example, has members from Malaysia, Singapore, Kenya and the USA. Those masons who travel during the course of their career will always find a home and congenial company amongst people who profess the same philosophy and ethics.
There are lodges of male freemasons in Bristol and of male and of female freemasons in Bath. There has been a de facto University lodge in Bristol since the 1870s ‘The St. Vincent Lodge, No. 1404’.
Read more How to get into... stories in the summer 2010 issue of Nonesuch (PDF, 3.33Mb)
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