As the oldest Lodge in the Province of Durham, and one of the oldest in the English Constitution, the Lodge has a very rich and varied history with a great number of vissisitudes during its nearly three hundred years of existence.   The origin of the Lodge is shrouded in the mists of antiquity.   It is believed to be the only remaining Lodge in the English Constitution which was orginally of a purely operative character.    Because of the antiquity of the Lodge its history has been divided into sections which are listed in the menu some of which are papers written many years ago but are still of interest to the modern historian.   This section is in a continual process of development and more items will be added in the future.