A look at Hedingham Castle: Heddin in the right direction

News stories bringing the history of Essex Freemasons alive to a modern audience

Heddin, meaning ham of Hedin’s people, is known today as Castle Hedingham. Built in the early 12th century, Hedingham Castle has one of the best-preserved Norman keeps in England. It is a fine example of what Essex stonemasons accomplished 900 years ago.

In the Middle Ages, between 500 – 1500 AD, the Church, monarchs and nobility gave patronage to stonemasons to build their castles and cathedrals. Local stonemasons’ guilds developed, consisting of labourers, foremen and master overseers called architects. At building sites lodges were formed to give instruction and store tools.

To preserve their craft and satisfy both religious and secular patrons, the stonemasons’ guilds drew up rules, called ‘Charges’, emphasising a belief in God and loyalty to the crown. They introduced passwords and grips so that travelling masons could show their seniority, enter different lodges and secure work. There were harsh penalties for those who did not keep these obligations and trade secrets.

The demand for castles and cathedrals had declined by the late 1500’s. This created increased competition between local stonemasons’ guilds for work. To attract greater interest in masonry, they turned to the aristocracy for patronage and encouraged influential gentlemen to become lodge members.

With the passing of time, these ‘Free and Accepted’ Masons predominated in lodges. They redefined the guild system with its ancient rules and signs and restricted membership to men loyal to the Crown and faithful to God.

By the end of the eighteenth century, the Renaissance had revived classical learning, the Reformation had ended many doctrines which the Church had been putting forward for a thousand years and the Enlightenment encouraged widespread philosophical, social and intellectual ideas based on knowledge and scientific discovery.

One idea was deism, it was not an organised religion but a belief in a God who was the architect of the wonders of nature combined with a belief in the obligation of people to lead virtuous and pious lives.

On 16th October 1646 just five days before his 29th birthday, Elias Ashmole, a leading intellectual and scholar of the Enlightenment, wrote in his diary “I was made a Free Mason at Warrington in Lancashire, with Coll: Henry Mainwaring of Karincham [Kermincham] in Cheshire." This is the earliest reference of non-operative Freemasons having been initiated in an English Lodge. 35 years later in 1682, his diary shows he was still attending meetings.

Ashmole was elected a founding Fellow of the Royal Society in 1661 and also founded the world’s first public museum in Oxford, the Ashmolean, in 1683. Its aim to preserve and display the collections and the advancement of knowledge has remained little changed.

With the new Essex Cornerstone Chapter choosing Hedingham Castle on 20th September 2024 as the place to lay its foundations so that young Masons can join them in the advancement of knowledge and with a new Team reviewing how the Provincial Museum can best bring the history of Essex Freemasons alive to a modern audience, it definitely seems the Province of Essex is heddin in the right direction.

To read the full story on the Consecration of the Essex Cornerstone Chapter Click here https://www.essexfreemasons.org.uk/news/ra/cchap-001

Photos

Top: Hedingham Castle was built by Essex stonemasons. It has one of the best-preserved Norman keeps in England.

Middle: The Most Excellent Grand Superintendent, Paul Tarrant, addressing Companions at the Essex Cornerstone Chapter consecration banquet in the Castle keep.

Bottom: Artifacts in the Provincial Museum. A new Team is reviewing how the Museum and Library can best bring the history of Essex Freemasons alive to a modern audience.