What are the Old Charges and why do they matter?

Manuscript constitutions dating from the late fourteenth century onward form the body of historical documents known as the Old Charges 2. Chief among the earliest versions are the Regius manuscript, written in rhyming verse around 1390, and the prose Cooke manuscript from the early fifteenth century 2. These records typically combine a traditional or legendary history of the building craft with specific ethical and operational regulations for masons, divided into Articles and Points or Charges General and Charges Singular 12. In operative times, these codes governed working conditions, wages, moral conduct, and the relationship between masters, craftsmen, and apprentices 12.

Their significance lies in serving as the legal and ritual foundation for modern speculative practice 1. In early lodge practice, initiations were simple, relying on the reading of these Old Charges alongside the communication of the Craft's modes of recognition 3. Under regulations attributed to the reign of Edward III, reading the charges at the admission of a brother was made imperative, a practice preserved in lodge ceremonial where a Master reads a charge to a candidate upon receiving a degree 1. Furthermore, early compilers relied directly on these ancient manuscript charges when drafting the 1723 Constitutions for the Grand Lodge of England, establishing the precedents that continue to shape Masonic governance today, as the United Grand Lodge of England notes on its website 1.

The Regius Manuscript, also known as the Halliwell Manuscript or Regius Poem, is the oldest surviving manuscript version of the Masonic Old Charges, dating from approximately 1390 to 1400 A.D. 1. Written in rhymed verse in late Middle English, it outlines ethical duties, traditional craft history, and practical regulations for stonemasons 1.

In operative Craft Masonry, the manuscript also addressed the social refinement of young apprentices 1. Its final section comprises a code of etiquette titled Urbanitatis, drawn from an anonymous poem written around 1460, which instructed apprentices on proper table manners, speech, and decorum when conducting themselves in the presence of nobility or senior churchmen 1. Because many apprentices came from rural homes and worked alongside men of high rank on medieval cathedrals and abbeys, such instruction in manners was enforced as part of their lodge training 1. The British Library holds the original manuscript today within its Royal Manuscripts collection.

Duties set out in the Old Charges govern conduct toward God, civil government, brethren, employers, and society at large 1. As compiled in James Anderson's 1723 Book of Constitutions and later reprinted in Laurence Dermott's *Ahiman Rezon*, these obligations are organized under six general heads: concerning God and religion; the civil magistrate; lodges; masters, wardens, fellows, and apprentices; management of the Craft in working; and behavior in various circumstances 14. As the United Grand Lodge of England notes on its website, the 1723 Constitutions adapted these medieval guild traditions into a framework supporting broad religious tolerance and civil harmony.

Regarding religion and government, a Mason is bound to observe the moral law as a true Noachida, avoiding both atheism and irreligious libertinism 14. Rather than enforcing a single denominational creed, the charges direct brethren to adhere to that general religion in which all men agree, acting as men of honor and honesty 14. Politically, a Mason must be a peaceable subject who yields obedience to civil authority and avoids plots or conspiracies against the state 45.

In fraternal dealings, the charges require extending relief to distressed brethren according to ability, preferring a poor brother over others in similar need 1. Masons are to avoid backbiting, slander, and wrangling, defending an absent brother's character and submitting private disputes to lodge mediation rather than rushing into legal process 1. Candidates seeking admission to a lodge are required to be free-born, of mature age, good report, and sound body 4.

When installed into office, a Master elect promises to obey the moral law, work diligently, avoid private piques, guard against excess, discountenance impostors, and preserve the original plan of Masonry without innovation 5. Later Craft commentary reinforces these practical fraternal duties, instructing Masons to visit sick brethren, attend Masonic funerals, whisper good counsel to a brother who is straying, and refrain from fraud or gossip 6.

The source named below is not among the works in my library. I named it from memory rather than by consulting it, so it may be online or in print elsewhere. What it says may well be right — please check it at the source. “As the United Grand Lodge of England notes on its website, the 1723 Constitutions adapted these medieval guild traditions into a framework supporting…”