United Grand Lodge of England

Grande Lodge frontThe United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing body of Freemasonry in England, Wales and the Channel Islands. Its headquarters are at Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5AZ.

UGLE meets in Quarterly Communication on the second Wednesday in March, June, September and December. The Annual Investiture, which is followed by the Grand Festival, is held on the last Wednesday in April.

Administration

The United Grand Lodge of England currently has over a quarter of a million members meeting in over 8,000 Lodges, which are grouped as follows:

Lodges meeting in London (an area generally within a 10-mile radius of Freemasons’ Hall), are administered by the Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London, which is headed by the Metropolitan Grand Master.

United_Grand_Lodge_of_England_logoLodges meeting outside London, and within England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, are grouped into 47 Provinces, whose boundaries often correspond to those of the old Counties, with each headed by a Provincial Grand Master.

Lodges that meet outside England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are grouped into 33 Districts, with each headed by a District Grand Master, five Groups (ie: currently too small to make up a District), with each headed by a Grand Inspector, and 12 Lodges abroad which are directly administered by Freemasons’ Hall.

PUBLICATIONS

The United Grand Lodge of England publishes a Masonic Year Book annually which lists all committees and boards, details for all of its administrative groupings, and all Grand Officers and senior Provincial and District Officers. It also publishes triennially the Directory of Lodges and Chapters, which lists all lodges and their meeting dates and places. Both publications can be purchased from Freemasons’ Hall.

The Book of Constitutions (rule book) has been in the public domain since the first edition was published in 1723 and can also be purchased from Freemasons’ Hall.

See the Provincial Web site for the guidance of those being honoured with Acting Ranks, Promotions or First Appointments (available for reading online or downloading)