What is the difference between three and four letter masons

This would be the cause of a similar yet different ritual, correct? A merger was done and a compromise in the name was chosen, Ancient Free Masons As for DC, I've never heard of a good reason for the difference other than they just picked it so as to be different.

Every time I've encountered a Prince Hall Mason he asks me "3 letter or 4 letter? So basically the language in the ritual differs a bit? Or is it certain action differ? I'm not too sure about Prince Hall myself as I only know about 2 of them but I did hear them refer to 3 letter or 4 letter My Freemasonry. Lol I wouldn't doubt it that's pretty funny My Freemasonry. BryanMaloney Premium Member. BryanMaloney said:.

Stewart P. Lead Moderator Emeritus Staff Member. I get both! You must log in or register to reply here. Log In. From to , there were actually 2 Grand Lodges in England. One group was called the "Moderns", but was actually the older of the 2 English Grand Lodges. Due to this disagreement, the 2 groups broke into separate Grand Lodges. The disagreement was later healed around , but by that time, there were lodges and Grand Lodges all over the United States that were descended from one group or the other, and so each group kept their corresponding initials with which they were formed, which is the reason for which there are small differences within different states' ritual wording and Grand Lodge By-Laws and procedures.

Most Grand Lodges in the U. Also, all of the U. After Prince Hall passed away, the lodge ceased to function. They subsequently issued charters to Black men for subordinate lodges. Firestone After the foundation of the first Grand Lodge in England in , a rival Grand Lodge arose less than two decades later, calling itself the Antients or Ancients , whereby it intended to assert greater authenticity than the rival "modern" Grand Lodge.

Some authors e. These competing English Grand Lodges, along with Grand Lodges established in Scotland and Ireland, issued charters for Lodges in the American colonies into the latter half of the 18th century, until the American Revolutionary War led to the ties between the colonies and the mother country being severed.

Long after that event, in when the two countries were again at war, in fact , the rival English Grand Lodges amalgamated to form the United Grand Lodge of England, which is the governing body of English Freemasonry to this day. Meanwhile, in the new United States of America, Grand Lodges were organized separately in each state, some as offspring of Provincial Grand Lodges and some as self-declared independent Grand Lodges e.

The designation of whether a Grand Lodge was Free and Accepted or Ancient Free and Accepted was therefore almost an arbitrary choice, based perhaps on who had a bit more political power when the new Grand Lodge was formed. Many Grand Lodges use an amalgamation of the forms, and it would take detailed study never having been done to my knowledge to determine the precise provenance of each American Grand Lodge's ritual contents.