Old Charges, Statutes and New Constitutions

Historically, Masonry was constituted three times:

1) The Operative Stonemasons period – The Gothic Constitutions or Old Charges:

In the Middle Ages in England, the operative stonemasons were constituted and bound by a set of rules known as the ‘Gothic Constitutions’ or ‘Old Charges.’ They are published in the following books:

2) The Masonic Transition period – The Schaw Statutes:

Later on in renaissance Scotland in the reign of King James VI of Scots (later James I of England) the Masons Craft in Scotland was reconstituted and reorganized and given a new set of rules (known as the Schaw Statutes) by the HM Master of Works and General Warden (i.e. Grand Master), William Schaw. 

The old time immemorial lodges of Scotland that worked under these statutes, were originally operative stonemasons lodges and as their minutes prove, they transitioned into speculative Freemasons lodges, over time. 

3) The Modern Speculative Freemasons period – Anderson’s Constitutions:

In Georgian England, Freemasonry was again reorganised and reconstituted. The four “Time Immemorial” lodges of London elected themselves into a Grand Lodge in 1717 and they adopted Rev. James Anderson’s Book of Constitutions in 1723.

1st Edition (1723):

2nd Edition (1738): 

Revised by John Entick: 

Revised by John Noorthouck (the rival of William Preston):

Later editions: 

Current Edition:

In 1751 there was a schism in Grand Lodge Freemasonry in London and the “Ancients or Atholl Grand Lodge” adopted its own Constitutions, the “Ahiman Rezon” which was written by Laurence Dermott:

York Grand Lodge Masonic Constitutions:  

Scottish Masonic Constitutions: 

Irish Masonic Constitutions: 

American Masonic Constitutions: 

Canadian Masonic Constitutions: 

Illustrations of Masonry:

William Preston (1742-1818), a Past Master of the Lodge of Antiquity, No.2. William Preston (Freemason) – Wikipedia

U.S. Edition:

Freemasons Pocket Companions: