About the Author:
Dr Richard (Ric) Berman is the author of The Foundations of Modern Freemasonry; Schism, a discussion of the origins of Antients Freemasonry; and Espionage, Diplomacy & the Lodge. Ric's work on American freemasonry includes Loyalists & Malcontents, now in its second edition, which looks at the origins of freemasonry in South Carolina and Georgia; and From Roanoke to Raleigh, which outlines a fresh analysis of how freemasonry developed in North Carolina. Ric holds a Masters in Economics from the University of Cambridge and a Doctorate in History from the University of Exeter. He continued his research at the University of Oxford's Modern European History Research Centre and is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes University. Ric was appointed Prestonian Lecturer for 2016 and his lecture - Foundations - now in its second edition, sets the context for the 300th anniversary of the Grand Lodge of England. Born in London, Ric lives with his family in Oxfordshire.
Review:
" The transformation of English Freemasonry after the foundation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717 was especially marked by the (largely nominal) leadership of young pro-Hanoverian Whig aristocrats who transformed Freemasonry into an important component of the economic, scientific, social, and political changes of the 18th century. Freemasonry rapidly became an important facet of the upper reaches of English society, and Berman (Oxford) traces the role these aristocratic architects played in the formation of what quickly became the most prominent and socially elite fraternal order of the modern era. There were important connections between Freemasonry and the judiciary, the Royal Society, and other learned and professional societies. Berman provides a useful introduction to these key figures, as well as a series of valuable appendixes, giving readers the Grand Officers of the Grand Lodge of England, excerpts from the Masonic 1723 Constitutions, a list of the various military lodges, and an inventory of the Masonic membership of selected professional societies. Although its origins as a doctoral thesis are all too clear, this remains a valuable work for serious Masonic historians. Recommended." --"Choice "
"The transformation of English Freemasonry after the foundation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717 was especially marked by the (largely nominal) leadership of young pro-Hanoverian Whig aristocrats who transformed Freemasonry into an important component of the economic, scientific, social, and political changes of the 18th century. Freemasonry rapidly became an important facet of the upper reaches of English society, and Berman (Oxford) traces the role these aristocratic architects played in the formation of what quickly became the most prominent and socially elite fraternal order of the modern era. There were important connections between Freemasonry and the judiciary, the Royal Society, and other learned and professional societies. Berman provides a useful introduction to these key figures, as well as a series of valuable appendixes, giving readers the Grand Officers of the Grand Lodge of England, excerpts from the Masonic 1723 Constitutions, a list of the various military lodges, and an inventory of the Masonic membership of selected professional societies. Although its origins as a doctoral thesis are all too clear, this remains a valuable work for serious Masonic historians. Recommended." --"Choice "
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