To All Godly People, in the Citie of London

This is a rare copy of an original document held in Library and Museum of the United Grand Lodge of England in London. The copy was presented by Professor Knoop in May 1946. It is a copy of the only known original of the first known Anti-Masonic sentiment. Yasha Beresiner, in her Brief Review of Anti-Masonry 1698 to 2008, describes it thus: “the earliest overt evidence we have of antagonism toward our Society – is an exceedingly important document in the history of anti-masonry and needs further consideration. It consists of a single small sized leaflet, 100mm by 165mm, set in the Roman type and of which only one single original copy is extant in the Library and Museum of the United Grand Lodge of England in London. It is headed To All Godly People, in the Citie of London and dated at the base 1698, nearly two decades before the formation of the premier Grand Lodge”. This copy is pasted onto an A4 sheet, with some marginal notes, backing a little warped and stained. A single sheet. The original leaflet was printed in 1698, the likely author was one M Winter, about whom little is known, and it was published by R Sare in Holburn, London.