Lewis
Masonic - (en)
Lewis Masonic, founded in 1801, is the largest and oldest Masonic
publisher in England. Lewis Masonic is well-known to English
Freemasons, as Lewis produces many of the ritual books used by UGLE
lodges and Holy Royal Arch Chapters. Originally called "A
Lewis", the name was a pseudonym for John Hogg, who was a
Scottish Freemason from Edinburgh who was living in London. Originally
the company focused all of its efforts on ritual books, minute books
and other products for use in Lodges. Nowadays, Lewis Masonic is an
imprint of Ian Allan Publishing (having been acquired in 1973), and
has expanded its publishing to reach a broader audience.
The company gets its name from that of a lewis, which is an item most
useful for both operative masons and speculative Masons. A lewis is a
steel lifting device used by stonemasons to lift large stones into
place with a crane, chain block or winch, and it is most useful when
it is not possible to lift the stone with chains or slings, because of
either the location or shape of the stone. The lewis is inserted into
a specially prepared seating in the top of a stone, directly above its
centre of mass, and works by transferring the stone's weight into
leverage on the seating.
In speculative Freemasonry, therefore, a lewis represents strength.
The grip of the Lewis that lifts the stone is likened to the grip
given to raise the candidate in the third degree. This, to many
Freemasons, represents one’s own ability to improve oneself and rise
above one’s vices and faults. The word lewis has also come to be the
term used to describe the son of a Freemason. The reason for this is
quite simple: the son of a Mason supports his parents in the same way
a lewis supports and lifts a rock. Lewis Masonic was therefore named
after these "lewises" because it was created to support
Freemasonry as the other lewises fulfill their support functions, both
actual and philosophical.
Lewis Masonic also publishes The Square, which is England's
longest-running Masonic magazine.
