W.b. Hextall

The Hiramic Legend and the Ashmolean Theory (Foundations of Freemasonry Series) W.b. Hextall

Speculations on Masonry by Anderson and others. Origins to which the Hiramic Legend is ascribed. The Ashmolean theory. The Third Degree a modern institution. Inigo Jones. Sir Robert Murray. Elias Ashmole, his personal history and associations. The disappearance of Masonic Records. Inferences from the formula of the Degree. The trend of the Legend. Habits of thought in the 17th century. The Stuart family and the Craft. A Masonic tradition of the Midlands. The decline of Masonry before the Revival. The destruction of documents in 1720. Objections to the Ashmolean theory. Observations and conclusion.