the society, Edward was succeeded, in 924, by his son, Athelstan, whose
brother, Edwin, procured from the king a charter for the masons, by which
they were empowered to meet annually in a general assembly, and to have
power to regulate their own order. And, according to this charter, the
first grand lodge of England met at York, in 926. But here it is to be
remarked that the grand lodge is not to be understood as the same in those
times that it is now; it was not then restricted to the masters and wardens
of private lodges, but was open to as many of the fraternity as could
attend: for, until late years, the grand lodge as now constituted did not
exist, but there was but one family of masons; and any sufficient number of
masons met together, with the consent of the civil magistrate, to practise
the rites of masonry, without warrant of constitution as a lodge.

On the death of Prince Edwin, Athelstan himself presided over the lodges;
but after his decease, we know little of the state of the masons in
Britain, except that they were governed by Dunstan, Archbishop of
Canterbury, in 960, and Edward the Confessor in 1041. But in 1066, William
the Conqueror appointed Gondulph, Bishop of Rochester, to preside over the
society. In 1100, Henry the First patronised them; and in 1135, during the
reign of Stephen, the society was under the command of Gilbert de Clare,
Marquess of Pembroke.

From the year 1155 to 1199, the fraternity was under the command of the
grand master of the knights templars.

In 1199, Peter de Colechurch was appointed grand master; and the society
continued to increase and flourish in the successive reigns of Henry III.,
Edward I., Edward II., and Edward III. This last prince revised the
constitutions of the order, and appointed deputies to superintend the
fraternity, one of whom was William à Wykeham, afterwards Bishop of