The 1723 Constitutions

Frontispiece and title page of The Constitutions of the Free-Masons (1723), compiled by James Anderson.

The 1723 Constitutions, often called Anderson's Constitutions, is a book prepared for the lodges associated with the early Grand Lodge in London. Its full title begins The Constitutions of the Free-Masons. Printed by William Hunter for John Senex and John Hooke, it combines a traditional history of Masonry, rules of conduct and government, and songs.^[1]

Preparation and authorship

The book is associated with James Anderson, a Presbyterian minister born in Aberdeen. John Theophilus Desaguliers wrote its dedication to the Duke of Montagu, while its General Regulations identify George Payne as their original compiler. The publication was therefore the work of several people. The division of responsibility, particularly for the Charges, has been debated by historians; the familiar name Anderson's Constitutions should not imply that Anderson devised every part unaided.^[2]

Its preparation drew on older Masonic manuscripts as well as the needs of the developing Grand Lodge. Lionel Vibert's study distinguishes Anderson's historical compilation from the regulations associated with Payne and examines the differences between the book's approval statements and Anderson's later account of its production.^[3]

History and government

The opening history connects geometry and architecture with biblical figures, ancient rulers and later builders. It belongs to the tradition of giving the Craft an ancient lineage. Its claims about remote antiquity need to be read as a legendary history, rather than as contemporary evidence for the existence of Masonic lodges in those periods.^[3]

The Charges address religion, civil authority, membership, officers, work and behaviour. The General Regulations concern the organisation of lodges and Grand Lodge. The volume also contains songs and material on establishing a lodge. These different kinds of writing should be distinguished when discussing what the book says: a historical story, a moral recommendation and an administrative rule serve different purposes.^[1]

Tolerance and its limits

The first Charge stresses moral conduct and seeks common ground between men of different religious persuasions. Its brief phrase “leaving their particular Opinions to themselves” expresses that approach. The book also discourages religious and political quarrels among members and states that advancement should depend on merit.^[4]

The United Grand Lodge of England places these provisions within Enlightenment discussions of toleration, education and civil society.^[5] Their limits are also visible in the text. Membership was restricted to men, and the third Charge excluded women and people described as bondmen. Its language of fellowship should therefore be understood alongside its actual conditions of admission.^[4]

Later editions and use as a source

Benjamin Franklin printed an American edition in Philadelphia in 1734. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln provides an electronic edition of that printing and identifies it as the first Masonic book printed in America.^[6] Anderson produced a substantially revised edition in 1738; later editors made further changes. A quotation should consequently identify its edition rather than treating all books bearing the title Constitutions as the same text.^[3]

The 1723 book is useful evidence for how early eighteenth-century Freemasons described and organised their fraternity. Assessing its historical claims also requires comparison with surviving minutes, manuscripts and other contemporary records. Research collections and the publications of Quatuor Coronati Lodge provide ways to make those comparisons.^[3]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, Index to Anderson's Constitutions of 1723, including a transcription of the title page and contents. Accessed 24 September 2026.
↑ QC Correspondence Circle, Rev. James Anderson, 1723 Constitutions tercentenary research website. Accessed 24 September 2026.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 Lionel Vibert, Anderson's Constitutions of 1723, reproduced by the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. Accessed 24 September 2026.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 James Anderson and others, The Constitutions of the Free-Masons (London, 1723), “The Charges of a Free-Mason”, especially I, III, IV and VI. Transcription from an original copy, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon.
↑ United Grand Lodge of England, 1723 Constitutions. Accessed 24 September 2026.
↑ University of Nebraska–Lincoln, The Constitutions of the Free-Masons, Zea E-Books in American Studies, no. 27, description of Franklin's 1734 edition. Accessed 24 September 2026.