Correspondence.

application to the St . John's Lodge , Glasgow , and they considering their petition , ancl examining their character and behaviour , grant them a charter conform to their regulations . " Now who can say but that even the Mother Kilwinning herself may have received her Charter from St . John's , Glasgow ?

In Pagan ' s " History of the Cathedral and See of Glasgow , " page 6 , he says that the old cathedral * was sadly dilapidated , and that Bishop John , before 1124 , began to build a new cathedral , which he consecrated on the 7 th of July , 1136 . Now what more naturally to be inferred than that part of the brethren

of St . John ' s Lodge left Glasgow thereupon , and going to Melrose , founded the Melrose St . John's Lodge , and Melrose Abbey also , which was begun in 1136 . I am the more encouraged to believe this seeing the inscription on Melrose Abbey ( which has stood there for centuries , a silent protest against the pretensions of the Kilwinning Lodge to the title of Mother ) connects Glasgow with Melrose . The inscription is as follows : —

" Johu Murdo sum tym callit was I , And horn in Parysse certainly , And had in kepying all masom wark Of Sanctandroys , the hye Kyrk Of Glasgu , Melros , and Paslay , Of Nydclysdayl , and of Galway . Pray to God , and Mari baith , j-And sweet St . John , keep this haly kyrk frae skaith . "

I cannot give the exact date when this inscription of John Murdo's was cut and placed in the wall when built . It is certainly very ancient ; hut as " it was a principle with these mediaeval artists that even the smallest detail should have a meaning and serve a purpose , " I would naturally infer that he wrote down

the names of the buildings in their chronological order , and on examination I consider such to have been the case , the Glasgow Cathedral being founded in 1123 , Melrose 1136 , Paslay 1160 , & c . In the " History of Melrose Abbey , " by James A . Wade , page 106 , he says : — " Newstead was early noted for

a society of Masons that settled there . Their craft was in high repute , and what they bequeathed to us , although in ruins , fully sustains their ancient reputation . The institution of St . John's Lodge of Freemasons , Melrose , is said to be as far back as the building of Melrose Abbey , in 1136—one John

Murdo , who by the chronicle of Melros had in keeping all mason work at the building of St . Mary ' s Monastery , having been the first Grand Master , " so that the Lodge of Glasgow St . John seems to have given to the Melrose St . John its first Master . So far as I can carry it out at present , I do not consider that the Kilwinning bad any connection with Melrose , but rather , if the Mary ' s " Chapel built Holyrood in 112 S , they may have sent a branch at

same time to Kelso , and which branch , or part thereof , afterwards went to build Kilwinning Abbey , and formed the Kilwinning Lodge ; but if the Mother Kilwinning was connected with Melrose , then it must come under the St . John's Lodge , Glasgow .

I would like very much to get a proper explanation of the origin and meaning of the title " Mother " as applied to the Kilwinning Lodge . I find in the Free-masons' Magazine of January 11 th , 1 S 6 S , page 35 , an attempted explanation by the new R . W . M . of No . 0 , Bro . Colonel Mure , which I greatly fear is not uite satisfactory . He — " That the name mother

q says had been given her from the fact of foreign Masons having found an asylum in the old village from the persecution of the Pope in the 12 th century . " "What a capacious bosom the Mother must have had ! seeing that in the 12 th century Scotland was almost completely overrun with Masons—Masons herethere

, , and everywhere building up cathedrals , monasteries , & c , by the score ; and yet the gallant colonel gravely tells us that they all " found an asylum in the old village . " I am afraid that until I get a better explenation , I must say that I can hardly believe that the title of

" Mother " had any connection with the Kilwinning Lodge before the rise of the speculative lodges , in the 16 th or 17 th centuries . And as the Lodge Kilwinning gave many charters , it is likely the name may have arisen then , as the lodges holding from it miht have called it " The Mother . " But at present

g I know of no evidence to show that it was called so before the 16 th century . The Glasgow St . John ' s Lodge seems to have rather been against speculative lodges , as we find that in the year 1729 those brethren of Glasgow St . John ' s who wished to admit speculative Masons into the lodge

were either expelled or left , as we find them getting a charter from Mother Kilwinning , which was the first Constitution of the present St . Mungo Lodge , No . 27 , and I believe about the first establishment of speculative Masonry in Glasgow , the date of tho Glasgow Kilwinning Lodge , No . 4 , being 1735 . And thus from the title " Mother" having become

attached to the Kilwinning Lodge at a comparatively recent date , the Mother Kilwinning has gradually built up her pretensions , and has assumed the title of the Mother of Masonry in Scotland . Just as with Rome , the Lodge Kilwinning has not all been built in one day .

The Lodge of Glasgow St . John's may prove to have been the cradle of Mediaeval Masonry in Scotland , the Kilwinning , I am afraid , never ; although ,, looking back from the present stand point , all must admit that it has been one of the schools of Masonry . I am rather astonished at such a Masonic veteran as

Bro . D . Murray Lyon showing at the outset such a sign of the weakness of the Kilwinning position as he does when he says , " That , however the genuineness of the St . John's Charter may be settled , it could never interfere with the right of the Mother Kilwinning on all occasions to rank next to the Grarci

Lodge of Scotland . This position was confirmed to it in 1807 , on its corporation with the Grand Lodge j and the repudiation of that compact by the Grand Lodge would be the signal for the Lodge Kilwinning to reassert its ancient independence and resume its functions as a Supreme Masonic court . " Now I