Mother Kilwinning.

of the corn , wine , and oil so necessary to the development of those charities which a living belief in the benign principles of Freemasonry has suggested should be established among us , and which in the case of thousands have been pre-eminently instrumental in assuaging the trials of the grief-stricken widow , and affordiug a generous shelter to the homeless orphan . It is somewhat singular to note that while the Earl of Cassillis was in 1672 chosen as the head of the

lodge , a twelvemonth elapses before he is , along with Cunninghame of Corsehill , " entered a felloe of Craft . " The last-named brother , who in 1672 was by Charles II . created a baronet of Nova Scotia , held the post of deacon during 1673 . In 1674 Alexander , eighth Earl of E glintoune , appears in ^ the sederunt of the annual meeting as a F . C . ; and three years after he is

elected Principal Deacon—his Wardea being also it may be supposed a "gentleman Mason , " from his having a depute apjtointed , who , like that of the noble deacon , should relieve the principal from the literal discharge of Masonic duty . This brother succeeded to the earldom in 1669 . He entered earlinto the

y principles which led to the Revolution , and enjoyed the confidence of King William . On his second marriage he became the fourth husband of a lady then in her 90 th year . At and long after this period it seems to have been the custom for the deacons and wardens , on their election to office to present donations of

money to the box , and the disbursement in charity of such funds is noted , but no notice whatever is taken of the brethren engaging in " refreshment . " Twenty seems to have been the average number attending the recorded meetings of the Craft at Kilwinning—¦ classified , as the deaconriewardeurie ( those

, who had served the lodge in the capacity of deacon or warden , or who were eligible for election as such ) , quartermasters , and officers , fellows , and apprentices . When divisions occurred in the election of

officebearers , the state of the vote is indicated by strokes , not figures , and this primitive mode of arithmetic seems to have obtained for many years . Three candidates were in 1676 proposed for the office of deacon —Cunninghame of Corsehill , Lord Eglintoune , aud Cunninghame of Robertland ; three strokes drawn opposite the name of the first-named brother shows

his having had as many votes given iu his favour ,- ^ - against the second seven strokes appear , —aud the third having eight strokes marked against his name is declared to have been by a " plurahtie of vottis " elected to the office of deacon .

While the bounds over which by appointment of the Warden General in 1598 the authority of the dekvn of Kilwinning was to extend , embraced the "Nether Ward of Cliddisdaili , Glasgow , Air , and boundis of Carrick , " he seems during the greater part of the 17 th century to have confined himself to a supervision of the Masons in Renfrewshire and the

three districts of Ayrshire . If ever the Mason Court of Kilwinning exercised any influence over the Craft in Glasgow , which place was at the time of its being Masonically put under the charge of an Ayrshire Lodge , a town of less commercial importance than Ayrthe rapid growth of that city during the next

, fifty years , must have jdaced its Masonic fraternity beyond the supervision of the deacon of a lodge holding its head court in an upper chamber in a small country village . Under date 1674 mention is made of " sex poundis " being sent to " the box " at

Kilwmumg , from fellows of Craft in Glasgow , members no doubt of the Mother Lodge ; but further than this casual reference to Glasgow , there is not in the old minute-book the slightest notice taken of any other place out of Ayrshire , saving Renfrew , until in 1677 Edinlurgk is introduced in connection with the first recorded acknowledgment of Mother Kilwinning ' s

power to charter new lodges further of her prescribed bounds . Cannongate Kilwinning , No . 2 , is the oldest as it is also one of the most honourable and famed of the existing daughter lodges of Mother Kilwinning ; it is saidon the authority of Laurieto claim " a sort

, , of traditionary existence since the year 1677 , " but the ancient Masonic records at Kilwinning furnish evidence of the erection of the Cannongate Kilwinning lodge superior to any traditional history which may point to that event , and quite conclusive' as to the date of its constitution ; and here let the records

speak for themselves : —¦ " Upon the 20 th December , 1677 , the Lodge of Kilwinning , considering the love and favour shown to them by the rest of the brethren of the Cauongate of Edinburgh , gave and granted power and liberty to them to enter , receive , and pass any qualified persons that they thought fitin name

, and behalf of the Lodge of Kilwinning , and to pay their entry aud booking money due to the said lodge as they did themselves , and to send an account of their number yearly to the same lodge , and they to do the like to them if need be . "

This minute is entered m the 76 th page of the book , and records what seems to be all that was granted b y the Kilwinning Lodge to the Cauongate of Edinburgh in lieu of a regularly drawn charter . The duplicate of this document , with which the Canongate brethren would in all probability be furnished , having been lostwhen the question of the institution of the Grand

, Lodge of Scotland began to be agitated , anxious no doubt to secure and maintain an honourable position among the other lodges , the Canongate brethren addressed the following petition" To the Right Worshipful Master and Worthy Brethren of the Ancient Lodge of and at

Kilwinning : " We , the Master and brethren of the Lod ge of the Canongate of Edinburgh , the eldest daughter of your ancient lodge , Do humbly represent to you that the Lodge of the Canongate , authorised by your ancient lodge by Act of your Mason Court , dated

the 20 th December , 1677 , to meet together in a lawful lodge , and to enter and pass any qualified persons as Free and Accepted Masons in the name and behalf , and as a part of your ancient lodge of Kilwinning , and to receive the entry moneys due from such qualified persons as should be passed by the said Lodge

of the Canongate ; and our predecessors in the said lodge did bind themselves and us their successors to maintain and defend the rights and privileges of Kilwinning Lodge , and never to do anthing prejudicial thereto . Now , we have faithfully observed our our part by maintaining as far as in us lay the ri ghts

of your ancient ludge , and being desirous to renew from time to time our engagements to , and with your ancient lodge , which is our Mother Lodge , We send these presents , requesting that we may be acknowledged , as we truly are , the eldest daughter of Kilwinning Lodge , promising anew on our part for ourselves and our successors the same reverance as