Revealed: How Freemasons Kept A Grip On British Society For 200 Years

The extent of the influence of Freemasons over British society has been revealed in an eye-opening archive of the group’s membership.

Several kings - Kings Edward VII, Edward VIII and George VI - were masons, as were judges, generals, politicians and policemen.

Two million masonic records stretching from 1733 to 1923 are being made public for the first time by Ancestry.co.uk.

The secretive order boasted members such as the Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill and doomed explorer Robert Scott.

Over 5,500 police officers, 170 judges, 169 MPs and 16 bishops were among the members to be revealed by Ancestry.co.uk.

The group has been viewed with suspicion during some periods of history - with British Freemasons in the police and judiciary required to disclose membership from 1999 to 2009.

Churches, in particular the Catholic church, have expressed disapproval of the group - and tens of thousands of Freemasons were exterminated by the Nazis.

Ancestry’s Miriam Silverman said: ‘We’re delighted to be able to offer people an online window into a relatively unknown organisation.