What are the Old Charges in Masonic history?

Manuscript versions of the Old Charges—also called the Gothic Constitutions or the Legend of the Guild—are historic documents that contained the traditional history, legend, and governing regulations of the Craft 121. In their traditional manuscript form, they typically consist of three parts: an opening invocation, a legendary history tracing the origin of Masonry from biblical times and Euclid down to King Athelstan around 926, and a set of articles and points governing the practical, moral, and social duties of Masons 123. The oldest known copy, the Regius Manuscript (c. 1390), even includes a disquisition on table manners and etiquette to refine young apprentices brought from rural areas into large monastic or noble building works 13.

In early operative lodges, these scrolls were read to candidates upon their reception, at which time they swore on the Holy Writings to observe the regulations 121. The documents refer to the Craft under both operative and speculative denominations, as noted on the Grand Lodge of Ireland's website.

Following the revival of Masonry in London, Grand Master Montagu ordered the collection and collation of these old manuscript rolls, as an article on the Grand Lodge of India's website notes 1. James Anderson digested their contents into the first edition of the *Constitutions of the Freemasons* in 1723 1. An article on the United Grand Lodge of England's website notes that this text moved beyond protecting local trade monopolies to establish a framework promoting Enlightenment values. The United Grand Lodge of England continues to list the Old Charges within the index of its current Book of Constitutions.