Dr David Harrison

Dr David Harrison -  

Winner Masonic History Book Category - 2024

Brother Dr David Harrison gained his initial degree in Welsh History and Archaeology at the University of Wales, Bangor, in 1997, and went on to gain his MA in 2000, and then his PhD in 2008, both at the University of Liverpool. Harrison also gained a Certificate of Education from the University of Manchester in 2000. He has worked as a History lecturer for the University of Liverpool and the University of Hope, Liverpool, and has worked as a project coordinator for various History groups around Liverpool and Merseyside.

Harrison has had 15 works published on the history of Freemasonry and Fraternalism and has had numerous academic papers and letters published on the subject in various journals. His works include The Genesis of Freemasonry (2009), which was Harrison's PhD thesis, The Lost Rites and Rituals of Freemasonry (2017), The Rite of Seven Degrees (2021) and his most recent work The Life and Death of John Yarker. He became a Freemason in Cheshire, England, in 1998, and is a Past Master of the Lodge of Lights no.148 in West Lancashire. He is currently Assistant Secretary of Coronation Lodge No.2927 under the United Grand Lodge of England, and is an active member of the SRIA.

The Master’s Voice: The Letters and Ritual of Martines de Pasqually 1767-1774     

John Yarker was a Victorian Occultist, Freemason and esoteric Truth Seeker, who is now somewhat revered by both esoteric Freemasons and Occultists alike. He was born in Cumbria, but moved to Manchester, where he spent the rest of his life, and authored countless articles, short papers, and books that now fetch large sums at book auctions. He also collected together a number of Masonic and Oriental Orders, and he was said to have been the lynchpin for the founding of the O.T.O., a move that secured his Occult status. Indeed, Yarker was a strong influence on Aleister Crowley, introducing him to the Ancient and Primitive Rite. 

This work is the first extensive biography written of John Yarker's life, and explores his early life, his Masonic career, and his eclectic collection of Rites and Orders, which include the Society of Eight, the Sat B'hai, the Swedenborgian Rite, the Ancient and Primitive Rite, Martinism and the Adoptive Rite, to name but a few. 

The book also presents an examination of his extensive works, and looks at his legacy, focusing especially upon his collection of Rites and Orders, some of which survive today and are still practiced. The work highlights documents and letters from Yarker that have never before been published, including letters that chart the early beginnings of the Operatives and the O.T.O. The work also presents a deep insight into Yarker's life and legacy, especially examining how Yarker is still celebrated in certain esoteric lineages that exist today."