United Grand Lodge of England
Coat of arms
of the United Grand Lodge of England |
|
| Latin Motto | AVDI VIDE TACE |
|---|---|
| English Motto | HEAR SEE BE SILENT |
| Constituted | 27 December 1813 |
| Jurisdiction | England |
| Location |
London England, United Kingdom |
| Website | ugle.org.uk |
The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing body for the majority of freemasons within England and Wales with lodges in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It claims to be the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, by descent from the first Grand Lodge formed in London in 1717. Together with the Grand Lodge of Ireland and the Grand Lodge of Scotland they are often referred to, by their members, as "the home Grand Lodges" or "the Home Constitutions".
Prior to 1717 there were Freemasons' lodges in England, Scotland, and Ireland, with the earliest known admission of non-operative masons being in Scotland. On 24 June 1717, three existing London lodges and a Westminster lodge held a joint dinner at the Goose and Gridiron alehouse in St. Paul's Churchyard, elected Anthony Sayer to the chair as Grand Master, and called themselves the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster. The City of London Corporation has erected a Blue Plaque near the location. Little is known of Sayer save that he was described as a Gentleman (a man of independent means) when he became Grand Master, but later fell on hard times, receiving money from the Grand Lodge charity fund.
In 1718 Sayer was succeeded by George Payne, a successful Civil Servant. The society then passed into the care of John Theophilus Desaguliers, a scientist and clergyman, then back to Payne. In 1721, the Grand Lodge managed to obtain a nobleman, the Duke of Montagu to preside as Grand Master, and so was able to establish itself as an authoritative regulatory body, and began meeting on a quarterly basis. This resulted in lodges outside London becoming affiliated, accepting sequentially numbered warrants conferring seniority over later applicants.
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