The first freemen were not freemasons, but Bedesmen.

These Royal Bedesmen were the first in history to wear both a dark blue gown with a Tudor Roses on their chests who also carried Badges that were issued by the King which was an identifying insignia worn by beggars at the time in Great Britain, Scotland and Ireland. These badges were inscribed with the writing, “Pass and Re-Pass” that acted as an ancient top-secret security clearance. These were issued by the Royal House in the country which these Bedesmen had lived that gave these chosen men the rite to freely beg which was against the law at the time, but they were also the first true Freeman who were allowed by the King to move freely from place to place.

At the time, most citizens were simply not allowed to travel outside their respective hometowns. Therefor, not only would the Bedesmen be the predecessors to the Knights Templar, the descendants of this ancient fraternity would later form the Hospitallers, Rosicrucians and Freemasons which all branch from the same rose-bush via the City of the Rose, Petra which was at one time was our first banking operation and Treasury.

[link to knightstemplar.tv]