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Article MASONIC SKETCHES ← Page 18 of 20 →
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Masonic Sketches
to ( sumamed the " seeml y de St . Clair , " from his noble stature and accomplished manners ) , Avas one of the chief ornaments ofthe Courts of James 1 . and II . of Scotland , He AA-as also considered one ofthe best and greatest Masons of the age ; and such Avas the hi g h opinion formed of his talents , that King James II . bestowed upon him and his
heirs the honour of being Patrons and Grand Masters of Freemasonry in Scotland , which remained in their famil y for more than three hundred years . About this period , St , Clair had p lanned and contemplated llie erection of a most magnificent collegiate church at his palace ofRoslin , but nothing more than the choir Avas proceeded with , and indeed ,
from the richness of its ornaments , and the state ef Masonry in those days , it is wonderful that the munificent founder could have even outlived the execution of this small , but elaborate portion of his design . Many of our readers must have seen this beautiful ruin , and before Ave part Ave may say something about its
architectural Avonders . But to continue our narrative : the once princel y famil y of St . Ciair , Avhose attachment to the Bruce Avas onl y equalled b y their blind loyalty to the unhappy Stuarts , reduced them to the sad fate
" That tunihles mightiest kingdom . ' ; ! " The Master of St . Clair had lo hide himself amongst the tombs in the cathedral built b y his ancestors , and the last of that noble race finished his course in a manner befitting the son of a Master Mason . William St . Clair of Roslin , the last of that noble familywas one of the most
remark-, able personages of his time ; although stripped of his paternal title and possessions , he Avalked abroad respected and reverenced . He moved in the first society ; and if he did not carry the purse , he Avas stamped with the impress of nobility . He did not require a cubit to be added to his stature , for he was considered the stateliest man of the age .
He Avas proprietor and possessor of a venerable house near the bottom of Libberton ' s Wynd , Edinburgh ; it was Avhat they call in Scotland a self-contained house , adjoining to the east side of the alley , having a southern exposure to the Cowgate ; but , like Sir Walter Scott ' s birth-place , it has been swept aAvay in the march of improvement . The last of
the St . Clair ' s , like his great ancestor , was fond of athletic exercises , and such sports as AA-as permitted to his fallen fortunes . He Avas a first rate archer , and belonged to the Royal Company of Archers . This nobleman , nnacknow-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Sketches
to ( sumamed the " seeml y de St . Clair , " from his noble stature and accomplished manners ) , Avas one of the chief ornaments ofthe Courts of James 1 . and II . of Scotland , He AA-as also considered one ofthe best and greatest Masons of the age ; and such Avas the hi g h opinion formed of his talents , that King James II . bestowed upon him and his
heirs the honour of being Patrons and Grand Masters of Freemasonry in Scotland , which remained in their famil y for more than three hundred years . About this period , St , Clair had p lanned and contemplated llie erection of a most magnificent collegiate church at his palace ofRoslin , but nothing more than the choir Avas proceeded with , and indeed ,
from the richness of its ornaments , and the state ef Masonry in those days , it is wonderful that the munificent founder could have even outlived the execution of this small , but elaborate portion of his design . Many of our readers must have seen this beautiful ruin , and before Ave part Ave may say something about its
architectural Avonders . But to continue our narrative : the once princel y famil y of St . Ciair , Avhose attachment to the Bruce Avas onl y equalled b y their blind loyalty to the unhappy Stuarts , reduced them to the sad fate
" That tunihles mightiest kingdom . ' ; ! " The Master of St . Clair had lo hide himself amongst the tombs in the cathedral built b y his ancestors , and the last of that noble race finished his course in a manner befitting the son of a Master Mason . William St . Clair of Roslin , the last of that noble familywas one of the most
remark-, able personages of his time ; although stripped of his paternal title and possessions , he Avalked abroad respected and reverenced . He moved in the first society ; and if he did not carry the purse , he Avas stamped with the impress of nobility . He did not require a cubit to be added to his stature , for he was considered the stateliest man of the age .
He Avas proprietor and possessor of a venerable house near the bottom of Libberton ' s Wynd , Edinburgh ; it was Avhat they call in Scotland a self-contained house , adjoining to the east side of the alley , having a southern exposure to the Cowgate ; but , like Sir Walter Scott ' s birth-place , it has been swept aAvay in the march of improvement . The last of
the St . Clair ' s , like his great ancestor , was fond of athletic exercises , and such sports as AA-as permitted to his fallen fortunes . He Avas a first rate archer , and belonged to the Royal Company of Archers . This nobleman , nnacknow-