What is Freemasonry?

History, values, and what actually happens. From a lodge that has been practising it for over a century.

Freemasonry is one of the world's oldest and largest fraternal organisations. There are around six million Freemasons worldwide, and over 200,000 in England and Wales alone.

It is not a religion. Not a political organisation. Not a secret society. It is a society with some private traditions: men meeting in friendship, following a shared moral code, and giving back to their communities.

Modern Freemasonry in England traces its formal origins to 1717, when four London lodges came together to form the first Grand Lodge. That organisation, now called the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), remains the governing body for Freemasonry in England and Wales today. St Winnold Lodge is constituted under the UGLE and works within its rules and framework.

Core principles

Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth

Brotherly Love

Freemasons are taught to regard all people with tolerance, respect, and kindness. The lodge is a place where that practice begins: men of different backgrounds, beliefs, and professions meeting as equals.

Relief

A commitment to charitable giving and to helping those in need. Freemasons in England and Wales give over £50 million to charitable causes every year, supporting hospitals, hospices, education, and community projects across the country.

Truth

A high standard of moral behaviour, in the lodge and outside it. Freemasons are expected to be honest in their dealings, reliable in their commitments, and accountable for their actions.

These three principles are not aspirations. They are expectations. Every Freemason takes an obligation to uphold them when he joins.

Craft Masonry

The Three Degrees

Every Freemason passes through three degrees. Each is conferred by ceremony: a combination of ritual, symbol, and obligation that has remained largely unchanged for centuries.

Entered Apprentice

The first degree. A new member is initiated into the lodge and introduced to the principles of Freemasonry through ceremony, symbol, and obligation. The degree teaches humility: the candidate is entering something larger than himself and is asked to listen before he speaks.

Fellow Craft

The second degree advances the member further, with an emphasis on learning and the application of knowledge. The Fellow Craft is encouraged to study, to improve his mind and contribute more fully to the world around him.

III

Master Mason

The third and highest degree of Craft Masonry. The ceremony is dramatic and moving, and is considered the centrepiece of the Masonic experience. A Master Mason has full standing in the lodge and is encouraged to put into practice everything he has learned.

The governing body

The United Grand Lodge of England

Founded in 1717, the United Grand Lodge of England is the oldest and largest Grand Lodge in the world. It regulates Freemasonry in England and Wales, sets the standards for ritual and conduct, and represents English Freemasonry internationally.

Every lodge in England and Wales, including St Winnold Lodge, is constituted by the UGLE and operates under its constitution. The UGLE publishes its accounts publicly, and its headquarters, Freemasons' Hall on Great Queen Street in London, is open to visitors.

St Winnold Lodge is also part of the Grand Province of Norfolk, the provincial body that oversees Masonic lodges across Norfolk under the UGLE.

Our lodge

Consecration and Background

St Winnold Lodge was warranted on 7th April 1919 and consecrated on 30th July 1919 at Downham Market Town Hall. Seven founding Masons established the lodge, drawing members from King's Lynn, Ely, and Downham Market itself. Consecration is the formal founding ceremony of a new lodge, conducted by senior officers of the Grand Lodge. It establishes the lodge, appoints its first officers, and binds it to the obligations of Craft Masonry.

The lodge works Emulation Ritual, one of the most widely practised and respected workings of Craft Masonry in England. The three degrees are conducted in full, with the ritual performed from memory by officers who take that responsibility seriously.

We meet in our own hall (a former Baptist chapel that the lodge has owned since 1953) eight times a year, on the third Thursday of the month from October to May.

Charitable giving

Freemasonry and Charity

Charitable giving is built into Freemasonry, not as a bolt-on but as a core obligation. The principle of Relief means that Freemasons are expected to support those in need, both within the brotherhood and in the wider community.

In England and Wales, Freemasons give over £50 million to charity every year. Much of that flows through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which supports Freemasons, their families, and the general public through grants, care homes, and education funding.

At lodge level, St Winnold Lodge fundraises at every festive board through a raffle and makes direct grants to local and national causes. This season we donated £2,000 to the MCF Norfolk 2027 Festival, £500 to the 1st Downham Market Scout Group, and supported the Eternity Church food bank and Downham Market Boys Brigade. See our community impact →