 | |
| Successor | United Grand Lodge of England |
|---|---|
| Formation | 24 June 1717 |
| Dissolved | 27 December 1813 |
| Type | Freemasonic Grand Lodge |
| Headquarters | London |
| Location | |
Grand Master | Anthony Sayer (1717) Duke of Sussex (1813) |
The organisation now known as the Premier Grand Lodge of England was founded on 24 June 1717 as the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster. Originally concerned with the practice of Freemasonry in London and Westminster, it soon became known as the Grand Lodge of England. Because it was the first Masonic Grand Lodge to be created, modern convention now calls it the Premier Grand Lodge of England in order to distinguish it from the Most Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons according to the Old Constitutions, usually referred to as the Ancient Grand Lodge of England, and the Grand Lodge of All England Meeting at York. It existed until 1813, when it united with the Ancient Grand Lodge of England to create the United Grand Lodge of England.[1]
The basic principles of the Grand Lodge of England were inspired by the ideal of tolerance and universal understanding of the Enlightenment and by the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century.
- ^ Douglas Knoop, The Genesis of Freemasonry, Manchester University Press, 1947