For centuries the Freemasons have been cloaked in secrecy, fuelling speculation about shadowy handshakes, arcane rituals and hidden influence at the highest levels of power.
But one of Britain’s most senior Masons has now dismissed the long-running rumours, insisting there is nothing ‘sinister’ about the brotherhood.
Adrian Marsh, grand secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England, claims that the notion his organisation secretly controls society is nothing more than ‘a massive misconception’.
The comments come after the Metropolitan Police confirmed it was considering a new policy that could force serving officers to declare whether they are Freemasons.
The review followed concerns that membership could affect ‘investigations, promotions and misconduct’.
But Mr Marsh warned that compelling people to reveal their association with the group would be a violation of their basic freedoms.
Adrian Marsh, grand secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England, claims that the notion his organisation secretly controls society is nothing more than ‘a massive misconception’
Future members of an English freemasonry lodge being guided with their eyes covered during their initiation in around 1933
‘There is a general misunderstanding and it gets sensationalised,’ he told the Telegraph. ‘People just want to go on about how, somehow, we have an ability to control society.’
He added: ‘We’re governed by freedom of speech, freedom of participation, and therefore a mandatory blanket to get people to disclose something doesn’t feel British, it doesn’t feel right. What is key is that, of course, anyone discloses a connection [to the Freemasons] where it’s relevant to their role.’
Mr Marsh, who joined the organisation in 1989, said there are currently 170,000 members in the UK, but few in policing. He himself was initiated into the historic Strong Man Lodge No 45 in London.
The former FTSE 100 executive said he encourages greater openness, but strongly rejected the idea that Freemasonry was a hidden network pulling the strings of power.
‘The reality is, there’s nothing secret. There really isn’t,’ he said.
Freemasonry has around six million members worldwide and counts Winston Churchill, Arthur Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde among its most famous past initiates.
The movement, one of the UK’s largest charitable donors, insists its core principles remain ‘integrity, friendship, respect and service’.
Concerns around the Freemasons and the Met Police surfaced during inquiries into the unsolved 1987 axe murder of private detective Daniel Morgan.
Meeting of British freemasons with masonic rituals, 1860
The father-of-two was killed with an axe in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in south-east London in 1987.
Inquiries into the unsolved murder eventually uncovered decades of allegations of corruption and the report concluded that police officers’ membership of the Freemasons had been ‘a source of recurring suspicion and mistrust in the investigations’.
In a bid to modernise its image, the organisation has recently begun offering rare glimpses into its closed world.
London lodges released a short social media video showing members in ceremonial aprons, alongside a case of traditional white gloves, joking about the legendary ‘secret handshake’.
The group has also launched its own podcast, Craftcast, as part of a wider drive to counter centuries of myth-making and mystery.
