Dr Harrison said: “The Lodge was the only place where both sides of the political spectrum could meet. A place where Parliamentarians and Royalists could come together without literally killing each other, which is what they would have done if they had met outside. Issues of politics or religion were not allowed to be discussed within its realms, a principal that still applies to the present day.”

He added that this bonding principle of Masonry did help to stabilise Britain in the subsequent years following the upheaval caused by the Civil War.

Ashmole, who became one of the founding members of the Royal Society in 1661, is just one of the local characters and significant events documented.

One of them is the Liverpool Masonic Rebellion of 1823.

Dr Harrison explained: “Basically a load of Liverpool merchants and tradesmen wanted to go it alone. They’d had enough of being pushed around by the United Grand Lodge in London whom they felt had been interfering too much with affairs of the provincial Lodges. So they bonded together to form their own Grand Lodge.”

Local bickering set in soon after however, and a contingent of Wigan masons left to form their own Grand Lodge.

“I suppose you could say it was one of the first examples of differences being expressed between Woollybacks and Scousers, with the Liverpudlians being left to their own devices by the Wiganites!” joked Dr Harrison.

Pre-orders for the book, which is due to be published in March, have been encouraging and publishers Lewis Masonic have already asked Dr Harrison to write a follow-up.

“They’re not being written with academics or Masons in mind, but hopefully as works which will be received as being of general historical interest to lots of others,” said Dr Harrison.

Click here for the website of the Freemasons in West Lancashire, including Liverpool