It is a measure of the misunderstanding and misinformation that still swirls around Freemasonry that many people assume only men process in its symbolic regalia, feast in its grand halls, and are let into its secrets. In fact, women have a long history of involvement with Masonry, and this year marks the centenary of the constitution of The Order of Women Freemasons, the first Grand Lodge in England to admit men and women as members on an equal basis. To celebrate this anniversary, the spectacular Art Deco Freemasons’ Hall – the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England – has unveiled a new exhibition which traces the history of women and Freemasonry, and collects together pictures, texts and artefacts which lend an insight into the campaign for membership for women, and places it in the context of the wider struggle for equal rights at the time.

Although the governing body of English Freemasonry, formed in 1717, ruled against having female (or ‘immoral or scandalous’ male) members, they were invited as guests to certain Masonic events, and by the end of the next century lodges were holding regular Ladies' Nights. By this time, however, women were emboldened by campaigns for suffrage and equal rights, and they weren’t going to be fobbed off with a few social evenings – they wanted to be able to join Masonic lodges as fully equal members.

Over in France, lodges of adoption had emerged in the mid 1700s, allowing women, with or without men, to meet under the protection of a Masonic lodge and perform ceremonies – though their role in these, initially at least, was rather limited. In 1882, Maria Deraismes, a women’s rights campaigner, was made a Freemason. As her Lodge had acted without the authority of its governing body, her membership was rescinded, provoking Dr Georges Martin into taking up the fight. He succeeded in setting up a new mixed grand lodge in 1893; after her death, one of the lodges was named after Deraismes.

Another great contemporary boost to enthusiasm for Freemasonry was the soaring popularity of mysticism and spiritualism. In 1902, Annie Besant, the Theosophist and women’s rights activist, travelled to Paris with six other women, and they were made Freemasons in Maria Deraismes Lodge No 1. Two days later they set up the British Federation, a lodge for both men and women affiliated to the Supreme Council in Paris; Annie Besant was President from 1909 until her death in 1933.

Reverend Dr William Cobb, unhappy with being governed from Paris and by the lodge’s strong Theosophical emphasis, led a secession from the British Federation, and formed instead, on 5 June 1908, the Honourable Fraternity of Antient Masonry.

Initially, many husband and wife couples were members of the Honourable Fraternity, but in 1920, after a protracted attack on mixed lodges, the United Grand Lodge banned men from becoming new members, and in 1935 ordered that all remaining men be kicked out. In 1958 the organisation, based in Notting Hill, became known as the Order of Women Freemasons. There is another grand lodge for women, The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons, formed in 1913 by a break-away group of members of the Honourable Fraternity, which meets in Finchley. Both are now recognised by the United Grand Lodge.

In addition to the exhibition’s central section, with its chronological overview of the history of women and Freemasonry, there are displays on subjects such as women’s involvement in friendly societies and trade organisations, and the new pendant created to celebrate the centenary (see picture). One of the most interesting of these concerns stories of women who eavesdrop on Masonic meetings: there have been various versions of these stories from the earliest days of organised Freemasonry, but probably the most widely known is that of Elizabeth St Leger. Around 1710, so the tale goes, Elizabeth spied on a lodge meeting at her father’s house in Ireland but was discovered; the family persuaded the lodge to initiate her so that she wouldn’t spill all their secrets, and she is now considered by some the first female Freemason. The endurance and dissemination of this story, despite its dubious origins, sums up the popular fascination with the secrecy of Freemasonry, and by the same token demonstrates the importance of clear, factual and informative exhibitions such as this one.

Women and Freemasonry: The Centenary runs until 19 December at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry, Freemasons‚ Hall, Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ. It is open 11am-5pm Monday to Friday, and entry is free. Ring 020 7395 9257 or visit www.freemasonry.london.museum for more information.