James Anderson (Freemason)

James Anderson (* about 1678 in Aberdeen ( Scotland), † May 28 1739 in London) was a Scottish preacher of the Scottish Presbyterian Church in London, freemasons and author of the first Constitution ( " Old Charges " ) of the first Grand Lodge of England.

Life

Anderson went to the Marischal College and reached there the MA and in 1731 the degree of DD. He came from a Masonic family. His father was secretary of the Scottish Masonic Lodge Aberdeen and was there from 1688 - 1689 Master of the chair. Presumably James Anderson became Freemasons at this time, because he led Scottish names in the English Freemasonry and relied explicitly on fonts from Scotland. When he moved to London, is unknown, but from 1712 can be found in newspapers Announcements his sermons. There he was a member of the Masonic lodges Horne Tavern in Westminster and Lodge of Solomon 's Temple in Hemmings Row. 1720, he almost lost his entire fortune and sat in the debtors' prison until he was allegedly triggered by Freemasons.

When merged on 24 June in London in 1717 four masons to the First Grand Lodge of England, Anderson was not present. When George Payne was elected for the second time in 1720 to the Grand Master, he presented on the basis of the ancient gothic Cooke manuscript a series General Rules ( General Regulations ) together. These were announced on 24 June 1721 the Grand Lodge Convention. 1721 issued the first English noble Grand Master John Duke of Montagu (* 1690, † 1749) James Anderson the contract out of old gothic documents to write a new constitution for them. These he gave to their own words to old ( Scottish ) guild announcements and took over the General Regulations slightly altered in its constitution of 1723.

When these Old Charges in 1723 appeared in the first edition, he found himself exposed to polemics which led him to set the boxes out until he was active Freemason until 1735. Until that time, it was not necessary for the establishment of a Lodge, to comply with laws of the Grand Lodge. The condition for a new lodge was recognized only is to be established by true Masons in conformity with ancient traditions. Due to the violation of these ancient liberties caused the Grand Lodge of England protests of old lodges of York and Scotland.

Anderson's funeral was only little attention. The "Daily Mail " reported on June 2, 1739:

Egypt

His work, The Constitutions of the Free - Masons also contains, in addition to the duties of a Freemason, a history of Freemasonry, which must be due to lack of historical basis from a purely moral and symbolic, however. Anderson relies Freemasonry in relationship with the Egyptian pyramids, in which, by their construction, many boxes would come up. The idea of an Egyptian Bezuges Freemasonry was picked up later by Alessandro Cagliostro and the Memphis - Mizraim - Rite again.

Works (selection)

His works have little scientific value because his quotations and details are extremely doubtful.

• The Constitutions of the Free - Masons: Containing the history, charges, regulations, & c. of did most ancient and right worshipful fraternity; For the use of the lodgers. London 1723 - The Old Charges
• Royal Genealogies, or The Genealogical Tables of Emporors, Kings, and Princes, from Adam to synthesis Times (1732, second edition 1736) - A pedigree without historical value, but he used it some for the second edition of the Constitution
• News from Elysium ( 1739 ) - Dead Discussions