Accepted

Accepted. At a very early date, certainly as early as the third decade of the 17th century, a distinction in name was drawn between ordinary working Freemasons and those who came into the Fraternity as honorary members. The word used to apply to the latter was accepted, the counterpart of free. At one time, adopted almost succeeded in occupying the place[cite: 55, 56, 57]. In an old account book of the Masons Company of London, entries from 1620 show fees for those admitted to the gild, and in 1631, an entry relates to a meeting where Masons were to be accepted[cite: 58, 59]. The diary of Elias Ashmole records his 1682 initiation: he referred to the candidates as admitted and later as new-accepted Masons[cite: 68, 72, 74]. Coil notes that accepted distinguished gentlemen members from the operative Free Masons, though eventually, the distinction vanished as membership became non-operative[cite: 73]. Later articles, such as Harleian MS No. 1942 (c. 1670), included new regulations specifically designed for those who had no manual skill but possessed esoteric instruction, often targeting imposters who obtained such knowledge unlawfully[cite: 79, 80, 81].