Freemasonry is one of the world's oldest social and charitable organisations, with its origins rooted in the traditions of the medieval stonemasons who built our cathedrals and castles. After the religious and political turmoil of the centuries that preceded the Civil War, many students and academics in Oxford were attracted by the principles of friendship, tolerance and respect that Freemasonry teaches. Many founders of the Royal Society in London were Freemasons and several of them were also instrumental in establishment of the first national body or ‘Grand Lodge’ for Freemasonry in England in 1717.
Early Beginnings
Elias Ashmole whose name is associated with the world-famous museum bearing his name in Oxford is one of the earliest recorded English Freemasons having been initiated into a lodge in Cheshire in 1646, but the first formal record of Freemasonry in Oxford itself dates back to 1729, with the establishment of the Crown Lodge in Cornmarket. That lodge no longer exists, but several of our current lodges owe their existence to other lodges created in the late 18th century.
The City of Oxford and Beyond
The ‘Lodge of Alfred in the University of Oxford’ dates back to 1769 and eventually became two separate lodges – the Alfred Lodge, and the Apollo University Lodge. Many famous people, who worked or studied in Oxford were members of these two lodges. Both lodges have therefore had a significant impact on the development of Freemasonry, not just within the city, but across the world. Throughout the 19th century, Freemasonry in Oxford continued to grow and spread across the County. Lodges were established in Witney, Bicester, Chipping Norton, Woodstock, Banbury and Henley on Thames. Today 50 lodges are spread across Oxfordshire with a huge diversity of members and interests, yet all maintain the traditional values of integrity, friendship, respect and service.