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Article TIME IMMEMORIAL LODGES. ← Page 2 of 3 Article TIME IMMEMORIAL LODGES. Page 2 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Time Immemorial Lodges.
Foreign Masons were long-believed to have introduced their customs into Scotland , and the leading position in the Craft as the centre of Operative Masonry in that kingdom , was traditionally attached to Kilwinning .
But the legend pointing to Kilwinning as the original seat of Scottish Masonry , based as it is upon the story which makes the institution of the lodge , and the erection of the Abbey ( i 140 ) coeval , is inconsistent with the fact that the latter was neither the first nor second Gothic structure erected in Scotland .
Moreover , we are assured on good authority that a minute inspection of its ruins proves its erection to have been antedated by some 80 or 90 years . Still , even were we to accept the dates of erection of the chief ecclesiastical buildings , as those of the
introduction of Masonry into the various districts of Scotland , it would be found , says an authority of great weight , that Kelso stood first , Edinburgh second , Melrose third , and Kilwinning fourth .
It may , however , be safely laid down , that no argument whatever can be drawn from the existence or non-existence of local
Masonic tradition , as all genuine tradition of the kind in Scotland was swept away by the famous Oration of the Chevalier Ramsay in 1737 , which substituted for it a spurious tradition , awarding the palm of priority over all the other Scottish lodges to the Lodge of Kilwinning .
The records of Mother Kilwinning begin with the year 1642 , but the lodge is referred to in the Schaw Statutes of A . i ) . 1 599 , where , in Item III ., the Warden-General confirms the rank of " Edinburgh " ( Mary ' s Chapel ) as " the first and principal lodge in Scotland , " of " Kilwynning " as the " secund ludge , " and of "Stirueling" ( Stirling ) as the " th rid ludge , " respectively .
About 70 " Kilwinning charters are supposed to have been issued down to the year 1803 , but all traces of the greater number of them have disappeared . Many of the lodges so established superadded the name of Kilwinning to that of the
town or place where they carried on their work , but this compound title is by no means distinctive of the bodies so created , as the practice was also a common one among the lodges erected by the Grand Lodge , without their having any connection whatever with the present No . 0 .
John , seventh Earl of Cassilis , afterwards a prominent figure in the Revolution of r 6 SS , was deacon , or head , of the Lodge of Kilwinning in 1672 , and the same position was filled b y Alexander , eighth Earl of Eglinton , in 16 7 8 . Histories of Mother Kilwinning have been written by Bros . D . Murray
Lyon ( Freemasons' Magazine ) , 1 S 63-65 , and Robert W ylie , 1 S 7 S . The earliest minute of the Lodge of Edinburgh ( Mary's Chapel ) bears the date " Ultimo Julii 1599 , " a » d the tercentenary of this interesting epoch in its career was celebrated with much rejoicing in 1 S 99 . The history of this famous lodge ( with
which 1 have the honour to be connected by the tie of honorary membership ) appeared in 18 73 , and was the great Masonic event of that year . A second edition is now on the verge of
publication , and , without doubt , will sustain ( for it cannot enhance ) the high reputation already acquired b y its gifted author ( the Grand Secretary of Scotland ) as a writer and scholar of the Craft .
The Lodge of Edinburgh ( Mary ' s Chapel ) , No . i , together with Canongate Kilwinning , No . 2 , and other lodges , seceded from the Grand Lodge in 1808 , and organised themselves into a separate body—July iSth—under the designation of "The Associated Lodges seceding from the Grand Lodge of Scotland . "
The Master of Mary ' s Chapel was appointed "Grand Master . " A legal struggle ensued , in which the Grand Lodge was thoroughly worsted , and the Associated Lodges emerged from
it victorious . Happily , however , a conciliatory spirit prevailed , or the result might have been a multiplicity of Grand Lodges , and in 1813 , the seceding lodges returned to their former allegiance .
I have passed very lightly over the eventful career of No . i , but the history of this famous lodge has been written b y a master hand , and like my'fellow students of the Craft , I am looking forward with pleasurable anticipation tp the appearance of a
revised edition of Bro . Lyon ' s monumental work , in which ( unless I have been wholly misinformed ) there will be found a quantity of new and original matter , of the greatest possible interest to all who make a close study of the earl y history of our Society .
The written records of the Lodge of Melrose do not < ro further back than 1674 , but there is evidence to show that it must have been in existence for a long period before the entry in
the first minute book . Ihe lodge affiliated with the Grand Lodge of Scotland on February 25 th , r 8 qi , and on account ol " its great antiquity was placed on the roll as No . 1 ' - . A short sketch of its history was written by the late Bro . \ V . F . Vernon in 1880 , and a fuller one in iSqi .
Time Immemorial Lodges.
It is now impossible to prove the identity of the ancient Lodge of Aberdeen , No . 1 " ' , with that described in the Burgh Records of 1483 , though for my own part \ see no reason to doubt the probability of their being one and the same . At what date non-operatives were first admitted in the lodge
cannot ( in the absence of records ) be determined , but it was evidently before 1670 . In that year there were 49 members on the roll , and 11 apprentices . Of this number , four were
noblemen—the Earls of Erroll , Findlater , Dunfermline , and Lord Pitsligo—three ministers , two surgeons , an advocate , several gentlemen , besides merchants and tradesmen , and only eight were operative Masons .
The customs of the Aberdeen Lodge differed singularly , and at times materially , from those of other Scottish Lodges . Mother Kilwinning chose the seclusion of an " upper chamber" of an ordinary dwelling-house for its meetings , but the Masons of
Aberdeen preferred to hold their lodge in " the open fields , " rather than in occupied buildings— "the Mearnes in the parish of Nigg , at the stonies at the point of the Ness , " being the specified place for entering in the " Outfield Lodge . "
The two classes of Brotherhood , known under the names of Domatic and Geomatic ( Operative and Speculative ) Masons , were kept quite distinct ; and no Operative was permitted to
receive any of the Three Degrees until he had made his essay piece to each Degree , and it was approved of by the lodge . In the oldest minutes the admission of either class was differently worded .
By the rules of the lodge ( which was originally numbered 39 , afterwards 34 , and only very recently 1 ) it is laid down that the Master shall be a gentleman , or Geomatic , Mason . This , with rare exceptions , has been adhered to since 1670 , while the office of Senior Warden was held by a Domatic , or Operative , Mason until 1 S 40 .
In 1781 the bulk of the Operative members left the old lodge , taking their mark-book with them , and established the "Operative Lodge , " No . 150 . Since then , as I am informed , the senior lodge of Aberdeen has ceased to register the marks of its
members , which is to be regretted , as such an ancient custom was well worth y of perservation . No . 150 continues to be a purely Operative lodge , and no person can be admitted , whether by initiation or affiliation , who is not an Operative Mason .
What may be termed the " Premier Scottish Warrant of Constitution , " was granted by the Lodge of Kilwinning ( No . 0 ) to several of its own members resident in the Canongate , Edinburgh , and is dated December 20 th , 16 77 . This was a direct invasion of jurisdiction , for it empowered
them to act as a lodge , quite to the same extent as Mother Kilwinning herself , and with a total disregard to the proximity of Mary ' s Chapel— " the First and Head Lodge of Scotland . " Canongate Kilwinning , No . 2 , whose " regularity" as dalinj ;
from December 20 th , 16 77 , was duly recognised by the Grand Lodge , not only supplied the first Scottish Grand Master , William St . Clair of Rosslyn , but has also numbered amongst its members 21 other brethren who were "Grand Master
Masons of Scotland . " The eighth and ninth Earl , and the iolh Earl and 1 st Marquess of Dalhousie , together with other leading members of the Scottish nobility and gentry , figure in this list . An excellent history ol" No . 2 has been written by Bro Allan Mackenzie ( 1888 ) , from whose " selected Names of
Members" I extract the following : Under "Law "—Lords Brougham and Loughborough ( first Earl of Rosslyn ) , Lord Chancellors of England ; Lords Monboddo , Westhall , aiul Eskgrove ; " Medicine "—James Gregory . John Brown , James Burnes , and Sir William Fergusson ; "Army" —Generals Sir
James Adol phus Oughton , Sir Ralph Abercrombic , and Lord Frederick Filzclarence ; and "Literature" — Bruce ( the Abyssinian Traveller ) , James Boswcll of Auchinleck , Robert Burns , and James Hogg ( theEltrick Shepherd)—who both held the office of Poet-Laureate of the lodge , Henry Mackenzie
( author of " The Man of Feeling" ) , John Wilson (" Christop her North" ) , D . M . Moir ( the "Delta" of "Blackwood's Magazine" ) , Dr . Hugh Blair ( the eminent preacher , and lecturer on Rhetoric
and Belles-lettres ) , John Gibson Lockliart ( the biographer oi Scott ) , and William Edmunstoune Aytoun ( Professor of Literature and Belles-Leltres , author ol" " Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers , " etc . ) , R . W . Master , 1 S 30 .
Prior to 18 4 6 , the Royal Burghs of Scotland held a monopoly of trade , and no person other than a Burgess ( or Freeman ) could trade within the Burgh . Hence , to evade this monopoly , lodges were formed in the Canongate of Edinburgh and Lcith—places 1 " the immediate vicinity of the Burgh—where the member '
carried on the business of Masonry , which was then held t ' be a trade . " Canongate Kilwinning , " No . 2 , and " Canongate and Leith , Leith and Canongate , " No . 5 , are examples of th ]" practice . No . 5 dates from 1688 , in which year a schism ]» recorded in the minutes of the Lodge of Edinburgh ( Mai )'
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Time Immemorial Lodges.
Foreign Masons were long-believed to have introduced their customs into Scotland , and the leading position in the Craft as the centre of Operative Masonry in that kingdom , was traditionally attached to Kilwinning .
But the legend pointing to Kilwinning as the original seat of Scottish Masonry , based as it is upon the story which makes the institution of the lodge , and the erection of the Abbey ( i 140 ) coeval , is inconsistent with the fact that the latter was neither the first nor second Gothic structure erected in Scotland .
Moreover , we are assured on good authority that a minute inspection of its ruins proves its erection to have been antedated by some 80 or 90 years . Still , even were we to accept the dates of erection of the chief ecclesiastical buildings , as those of the
introduction of Masonry into the various districts of Scotland , it would be found , says an authority of great weight , that Kelso stood first , Edinburgh second , Melrose third , and Kilwinning fourth .
It may , however , be safely laid down , that no argument whatever can be drawn from the existence or non-existence of local
Masonic tradition , as all genuine tradition of the kind in Scotland was swept away by the famous Oration of the Chevalier Ramsay in 1737 , which substituted for it a spurious tradition , awarding the palm of priority over all the other Scottish lodges to the Lodge of Kilwinning .
The records of Mother Kilwinning begin with the year 1642 , but the lodge is referred to in the Schaw Statutes of A . i ) . 1 599 , where , in Item III ., the Warden-General confirms the rank of " Edinburgh " ( Mary ' s Chapel ) as " the first and principal lodge in Scotland , " of " Kilwynning " as the " secund ludge , " and of "Stirueling" ( Stirling ) as the " th rid ludge , " respectively .
About 70 " Kilwinning charters are supposed to have been issued down to the year 1803 , but all traces of the greater number of them have disappeared . Many of the lodges so established superadded the name of Kilwinning to that of the
town or place where they carried on their work , but this compound title is by no means distinctive of the bodies so created , as the practice was also a common one among the lodges erected by the Grand Lodge , without their having any connection whatever with the present No . 0 .
John , seventh Earl of Cassilis , afterwards a prominent figure in the Revolution of r 6 SS , was deacon , or head , of the Lodge of Kilwinning in 1672 , and the same position was filled b y Alexander , eighth Earl of Eglinton , in 16 7 8 . Histories of Mother Kilwinning have been written by Bros . D . Murray
Lyon ( Freemasons' Magazine ) , 1 S 63-65 , and Robert W ylie , 1 S 7 S . The earliest minute of the Lodge of Edinburgh ( Mary's Chapel ) bears the date " Ultimo Julii 1599 , " a » d the tercentenary of this interesting epoch in its career was celebrated with much rejoicing in 1 S 99 . The history of this famous lodge ( with
which 1 have the honour to be connected by the tie of honorary membership ) appeared in 18 73 , and was the great Masonic event of that year . A second edition is now on the verge of
publication , and , without doubt , will sustain ( for it cannot enhance ) the high reputation already acquired b y its gifted author ( the Grand Secretary of Scotland ) as a writer and scholar of the Craft .
The Lodge of Edinburgh ( Mary ' s Chapel ) , No . i , together with Canongate Kilwinning , No . 2 , and other lodges , seceded from the Grand Lodge in 1808 , and organised themselves into a separate body—July iSth—under the designation of "The Associated Lodges seceding from the Grand Lodge of Scotland . "
The Master of Mary ' s Chapel was appointed "Grand Master . " A legal struggle ensued , in which the Grand Lodge was thoroughly worsted , and the Associated Lodges emerged from
it victorious . Happily , however , a conciliatory spirit prevailed , or the result might have been a multiplicity of Grand Lodges , and in 1813 , the seceding lodges returned to their former allegiance .
I have passed very lightly over the eventful career of No . i , but the history of this famous lodge has been written b y a master hand , and like my'fellow students of the Craft , I am looking forward with pleasurable anticipation tp the appearance of a
revised edition of Bro . Lyon ' s monumental work , in which ( unless I have been wholly misinformed ) there will be found a quantity of new and original matter , of the greatest possible interest to all who make a close study of the earl y history of our Society .
The written records of the Lodge of Melrose do not < ro further back than 1674 , but there is evidence to show that it must have been in existence for a long period before the entry in
the first minute book . Ihe lodge affiliated with the Grand Lodge of Scotland on February 25 th , r 8 qi , and on account ol " its great antiquity was placed on the roll as No . 1 ' - . A short sketch of its history was written by the late Bro . \ V . F . Vernon in 1880 , and a fuller one in iSqi .
Time Immemorial Lodges.
It is now impossible to prove the identity of the ancient Lodge of Aberdeen , No . 1 " ' , with that described in the Burgh Records of 1483 , though for my own part \ see no reason to doubt the probability of their being one and the same . At what date non-operatives were first admitted in the lodge
cannot ( in the absence of records ) be determined , but it was evidently before 1670 . In that year there were 49 members on the roll , and 11 apprentices . Of this number , four were
noblemen—the Earls of Erroll , Findlater , Dunfermline , and Lord Pitsligo—three ministers , two surgeons , an advocate , several gentlemen , besides merchants and tradesmen , and only eight were operative Masons .
The customs of the Aberdeen Lodge differed singularly , and at times materially , from those of other Scottish Lodges . Mother Kilwinning chose the seclusion of an " upper chamber" of an ordinary dwelling-house for its meetings , but the Masons of
Aberdeen preferred to hold their lodge in " the open fields , " rather than in occupied buildings— "the Mearnes in the parish of Nigg , at the stonies at the point of the Ness , " being the specified place for entering in the " Outfield Lodge . "
The two classes of Brotherhood , known under the names of Domatic and Geomatic ( Operative and Speculative ) Masons , were kept quite distinct ; and no Operative was permitted to
receive any of the Three Degrees until he had made his essay piece to each Degree , and it was approved of by the lodge . In the oldest minutes the admission of either class was differently worded .
By the rules of the lodge ( which was originally numbered 39 , afterwards 34 , and only very recently 1 ) it is laid down that the Master shall be a gentleman , or Geomatic , Mason . This , with rare exceptions , has been adhered to since 1670 , while the office of Senior Warden was held by a Domatic , or Operative , Mason until 1 S 40 .
In 1781 the bulk of the Operative members left the old lodge , taking their mark-book with them , and established the "Operative Lodge , " No . 150 . Since then , as I am informed , the senior lodge of Aberdeen has ceased to register the marks of its
members , which is to be regretted , as such an ancient custom was well worth y of perservation . No . 150 continues to be a purely Operative lodge , and no person can be admitted , whether by initiation or affiliation , who is not an Operative Mason .
What may be termed the " Premier Scottish Warrant of Constitution , " was granted by the Lodge of Kilwinning ( No . 0 ) to several of its own members resident in the Canongate , Edinburgh , and is dated December 20 th , 16 77 . This was a direct invasion of jurisdiction , for it empowered
them to act as a lodge , quite to the same extent as Mother Kilwinning herself , and with a total disregard to the proximity of Mary ' s Chapel— " the First and Head Lodge of Scotland . " Canongate Kilwinning , No . 2 , whose " regularity" as dalinj ;
from December 20 th , 16 77 , was duly recognised by the Grand Lodge , not only supplied the first Scottish Grand Master , William St . Clair of Rosslyn , but has also numbered amongst its members 21 other brethren who were "Grand Master
Masons of Scotland . " The eighth and ninth Earl , and the iolh Earl and 1 st Marquess of Dalhousie , together with other leading members of the Scottish nobility and gentry , figure in this list . An excellent history ol" No . 2 has been written by Bro Allan Mackenzie ( 1888 ) , from whose " selected Names of
Members" I extract the following : Under "Law "—Lords Brougham and Loughborough ( first Earl of Rosslyn ) , Lord Chancellors of England ; Lords Monboddo , Westhall , aiul Eskgrove ; " Medicine "—James Gregory . John Brown , James Burnes , and Sir William Fergusson ; "Army" —Generals Sir
James Adol phus Oughton , Sir Ralph Abercrombic , and Lord Frederick Filzclarence ; and "Literature" — Bruce ( the Abyssinian Traveller ) , James Boswcll of Auchinleck , Robert Burns , and James Hogg ( theEltrick Shepherd)—who both held the office of Poet-Laureate of the lodge , Henry Mackenzie
( author of " The Man of Feeling" ) , John Wilson (" Christop her North" ) , D . M . Moir ( the "Delta" of "Blackwood's Magazine" ) , Dr . Hugh Blair ( the eminent preacher , and lecturer on Rhetoric
and Belles-lettres ) , John Gibson Lockliart ( the biographer oi Scott ) , and William Edmunstoune Aytoun ( Professor of Literature and Belles-Leltres , author ol" " Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers , " etc . ) , R . W . Master , 1 S 30 .
Prior to 18 4 6 , the Royal Burghs of Scotland held a monopoly of trade , and no person other than a Burgess ( or Freeman ) could trade within the Burgh . Hence , to evade this monopoly , lodges were formed in the Canongate of Edinburgh and Lcith—places 1 " the immediate vicinity of the Burgh—where the member '
carried on the business of Masonry , which was then held t ' be a trade . " Canongate Kilwinning , " No . 2 , and " Canongate and Leith , Leith and Canongate , " No . 5 , are examples of th ]" practice . No . 5 dates from 1688 , in which year a schism ]» recorded in the minutes of the Lodge of Edinburgh ( Mai )'