Mother Kilwinning.

MOTHER KILWINNING .

LONDON , SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 20 . JjGfi ,

Ex D . MTJEEAT LI-OJT , KT ., T ^ Uj ^ f W J , OF ATBSHXRE . NB ^ V [/'" l \ o . IV . ^ OMji ^ y After 1720 , assemblies of the Lodge of Kilwinning are more frequent , designated as " select , " " general , "

" perfect , " " pro re nata , " " quarterly , " and " grand " meetings ; and the admission of " ' gentlemen " becomes more general—a considerable proportion of these being merchants and master mariners from Greenock and Glasgow , with a number of the landed proprietors in the Bailiaries of Kyle and Cunningliame .

Of the initiation of parties coming from a distance to join the Mother Lodge , the following loose minute , dated Sept . 18 , 1735 , sets forth that on " the court being duely Fenc'd & Lodge Open'd , Hugh Eoger , Esqr ., Late Provost in Glasgow , and Alexander Coulter , Joyner there , Avere admitted Free Masons ,

& Members of this Lodge in the Quality & Bank of Apprentices in due form , Upon which they did ancl hereby do oblige themselves to submit to the laws and regulations of this Lodge , having presently paid in Entrymoney . " The sederunt of this meetingshows live to have been present ( four apprentices and one Fellow of Craft ) , and the minute is signed by Pat . Montgomerie as Master , pro . tern ., and the two

newly admitted members , who are shown by a note appended to have paid 4 s . each to the box . In an old " History of Glasgow " Ave find Pro \* ost Soger mentioned as having been paid £ 4300 Scots for representing the City of Glasgow in the British Parliament from October 170 S to April 1710 . The

repute in which the Lodge of Kilwinning seems to have been held by " gentlemen" for a year or two prior to the organisation of Grand Lodge , would no doubt suggest the raising of the admission fees and institution of a distinction between operative and nonoperative intrants in regard to the fees exigible from

each . Accordingly we find the Fraternity met at Kilwinning on 24 th . Tune , 1736 , enacting " that in all time coming such as are admitted members of the Lodge shall pay in the following manner : Every one Avho is not a working Mason shall at his admission as a Prentice pay ten shillings sterling to ye box , and six shillings in the station of a Fellow of Craft , —the

half of ye above to be given to the box , and the same number of Liveries , with the regular expenses of the Lodge . And such as are working Masons shall pay at their admission a crown , and half a crown as a Fellow of Craft , Avith one shilling and sixpence each admission for his liveries . . . " ; - which

enactment is followed up by another passed Dec . 20 of the same year , to wit . " Every Gentleman Mason shall pay yearly one shilling sterling ; and every " Working Mason or othez- Mechrmnick sixpence sterling ; and Avhicli every member is deficient at the year's end shall be distressed for the sameon a signed laint

, comp to a Justice of the Peace or other Magistrate , and liis warrant obtained for that effect . " . This threat to " distress" for arrears of annual subscri ption seems never to have been put into execution , although the members , by their slowness in paying up and irregularity of attendance , gave the

Officebearers the fullest opportunity to test before a court of justice the validity of their statute instituting compulsory contribution to the funds of a society , Avhose connection with operative Masonry being then almost if not wholly severed , rendered its recognition by the law at best a matter of uncertainty .

Powerless to enforce their " act of court" in the way at first contemplated , and defaulters becoming more numerous , a committee were in December , 1742 , appointed " to take under consideration the great Eegleet of many of the members in not attending the annual meetings , and the disuse of paying the small

annual moiety for the benefit of the poor . . . . and to prepare some proper overtours for the better conveniency and regulation of the lodge . " To Mother Kilwinning , " congregated according to ancient custom and regularly opened" on the 12 th of July , 1743 , the said committee , who had the

shrewdness to realise the altered position of the lodge , reported " That it was their opinion the most effectual Avay to remedy these evils would be to cause the officer of the lodge certiorate all the members of the lodge , living within seven miles of Kilwinning , that they attend , the next meeting on the 20 th December next , or send a reasonable excuse for their absence , otherwise they are to be deprived of the preveledge

of acting and voting m any afiairs belonging to the lodge , and that such as do attend and are willing to continue themselves members do at the said meetingpay up their respective quotas to the poor , and continue so to do in time coining under the penalty foresaid . " This report Avas approved of , aud in order that " such of the members as live at a greater

distance may have the opportunity of continuing themselves on the terms foresaid and signifying their inclination by a Avriting under their hands to preserve , " the Master is authorised publicly to summon their attendance at Kilwinning in terms of the lodge ' s resolution . This was done through the medium of

the Glasgow Journal , Edinburgh Evening Courant , ancl Galdonian Mercury , in each of which newspapers and at a total expense to the lodge of Qs . Gil ., the following advertisement appeared . "We copy from the Mercury , published at Edinburgh , IN ov . 29 , 1743 : — " The antient lodge of Freemasons of and at

Kilwinning , of Avhich the Eight Hon . Alexander Earl of Eglintoun is the present E . W . Master , do hereby givenotice That their Annual Meeting is to be held at Kilwinning upon Tuesday the 20 th December , 1743 , when all the Members are desired to attend , or send reasonable excuses in writing , directed , Post paid , to Mr . David Logan , Senior , at Kilwinning .

" It is also expected that such Lodges as have been constituted by Kilwinning Avill send up Delegates , in terms of their Charters , or their excuses , in the manner before mentioned . " At this meeting , a list of " constituant members " of the lodge Avas made up as at Dec . 20 , 1743 , and

the former resolution anent"the moyieties payable to the Poor , " confirmed . This amended list contained twenty-three names , embracing two Earls ( Eglintoun aud Kilmarnock ) , one Honourable ( Archibald Montgomerie , brother of the first-named nobleman ) , eight Excise Officers , one writer , one gardener , nine masons ,

and one wright . In subsequent lists of constituent members we observe other than masons designated Operative Apprentices or Fellow Crafts or Master