Assembages Meeting in the East Midlands Region

In Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire the Collyweston Quarry Assemblage meets at Rushden on the 3rd Thursday in June, the 4th Tuesday in August and the 3rd Tuesday in December

Information about the Order

The Society (or Order) is colloquially known as the Operatives as its ceremonial uses the old workings of operative masons. During the nineteenth century the operative lodges were dying out rapidly due, to a large extent, to the changes in legislation affecting trade activities. In 1913 one of these operative lodges, Channel Row, was reconstituted and became the source of Operative Freemasonry as practised today.

Membership of the Operatives is restricted to those who are already members of the Craft, Chapter and Mark and in order to preside over a Lodge of Operative Masons one must be a Past Master in the Craft and the Mark degree.

There are seven degrees in the Society of which the first four are conferred by an Assemblage (of Lodges) with the fifth and sixth degrees awarded as honours but are nevertheless required before anyone can serve the office of Warden or rule an Assemblage respectively.

The Society, including other parts of the world, is ruled by the seventh degree which consists primarily of only the three Grand Master Masons but certain members may be made seventh degree 'Honoris Causa ' and may be co-opted to serve as one of the three Grand Master Masons on occasions when required. Every one of the seven degrees is worked in full and contains many intriguing aspects of operative Masonic history that would otherwise be lost in the passage of time. The meeting of Grand Assemblage is held annually at Mark Mason's Hall in London where the Antient Drama is performed and is of special interest to those pursuing the lost secrets as viewed by the old operative masons.