In May 2017 I presented a paper on the Warrington Academy and Freemasonry, to Quatuor Coronati Lodge at Grand Lodge in London, and the paper was subsequently published in the lodge’s Transactions Ars Quatuor Coronatorum Vol.130 (2017). I have recently … Continue reading →
Róbert Péter (General Editor) British Freemasonry, 1717-1813 (5 Vol Set), Routledge, London, 2016. I publish the occasional review on my website, and this particular review was the result of a project suggested by the late John Slifco. John had asked … Continue reading →
I was kindly invited to give a talk last Friday at Setantia Lodge which meets at Preston Masonic Hall and was lucky enough to have a tour of the Temple Rooms. Every Temple room I’ve ever visited has … Continue reading →
Arthur Conan Doyle was initiated into the Phoenix Lodge, No. 257, at Southsea, Hampshire, on the 26th of January, 1887, and he made many literary references to Freemasonry in his work, especially in the Sherlock Holmes stories. According to Masonic … Continue reading →
Chevalier d’Éon is perhaps one of the most intriguing Masonic characters of the eighteenth century. Born in Tonnerre, Burgundy, France in 1728 to a noble family, d’Éon entered into the secret network of spies called the Secret du Roi … Continue reading →
Recently I have been working with QuisQuose media to produce a new mini-series on landmark Freemasons. Three have been filmed so far, the pilot episode examining Elias Ashmole, while the other two episodes look at Christopher Wren and Rudyard Kipling … Continue reading →
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writer and Freemason, became mesmerised by the occult, and this filtered through into his writing, most notably in his Sherlock Holmes stories, such as the hints of vampirism displayed in the Adventure of the Sussex Vampire, … Continue reading →
It sometimes takes a while for the reviews to be published for a book. Here is a great review for my latest book The Lost Rites and Rituals of Freemasonry that was recently published in the excellent Square magazine, the … Continue reading →
I’ve been invited to some excellent lodges this year to give talks, and the Shakespeare & Equity Lodge No. 1018 was no exception. I presented my paper on the Lost Rites and Rituals of Freemasonry in the famed Egyptian Temple … Continue reading →
Alchemically Stoned (published by Laudable Pursuit, 2017) is a new book written by PD Newman, a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction, and an expert in the study of the use of mind altering substances in rituals. The book broke … Continue reading →
