Mother Kilwinning.

as their Deacon , Alexander eighth Earl of Eglington , supported as Warden by William Lord Cochrane , eldest son of the Earl of Dundonald—the representative of a family then holding considerable possessions in Ayrshire , but whose only connection with that countnow lies in the possession of the hill on which

y Dundonald Castle stands , along with the castle and a few roods of adjoining land , as the place whence the family title is derived . After the election the " Clark " reports the only funds then held by him as belonging to the lodge to be " ane bonde granted be AVilliam Holmes upon the soume of merks ; " and an

arrangement was made as to the payment by " cash ourders " of certain moneys owing to the lodge by parties in Mauchline and Stewarton . No mention is here made of the granting of a privilege to brethren at Inverness ; neither does the minute of the following year ' s meeting throw any light upon that

pointthe only business done being the entering of two apprentices , who paid their "bulking money , and got their marks . " In signing the minute of 1678 , Lord William Cochrane adhibits his mark , which is one of nine points , and similar to the eighth mark in the third line of those with which our proceeding

communication is illustrated . It would be interesting to the Craft were the brethren of the Old Inverness Kilwinning St . John to shew the data upon which they fix the period of the origin of their lodge , for , from its having been represented at the formation of the Grand Lodge , it must be one of the oldest of our existing lodges . Of course the bare fact of no record being preserved in the Mother Lodge books of the constitution of Inverness St . John , cannot of

itself be taken as conclusive that no such charter emanated from Kilwinning : because from the slipshod manner in which the records of Mother Kilwinning seem , with few exceptions , to have been kept during the whole period elapsing betweea the date of the first recorded minute and the establishment of Grand Lodgeother lod known good

evi-, ges upon dence to have received charters from . Kilwinning ai-e , like that of Inverness , unnoticed in the books of the Parent Lodge . Erom 1680 to the end of the century there is little noteworthy material to be drawn from the antique masonic memoranda before usunless it be the limpse

, g which they furnish of the state of discipline in these times , and how far the Craft ' s profession of morality squared with their practice of moral virtues . Ereemasonry has been beautifully defined as " a science of morality ; " but whatever the teachings of tbe Order in favour ^ of a virtuous lifediscipline is not now

, exercised upon brethren guilty of uncleanness , as was wont to be the case by the unsophisticated craftsmen of Mother Kilwinning who according to one minute of their court ( 1683-4 ) put furthe from their ancient society the fornicator , and thereby purged themselves of complicity in their erring brother ' s sin . " That no

Mason be a common rebel in letcherie , to make the Craft be slandered , " is an item ofthe Ancient Charges addressed to Masters and Eellows ; and , as has already been shown , Mother Kilwinning , in common with the few other lodges existing in the 16 th century , became answerable to tbe Kirk for the morality of their

members : hence , the punishment by suspension from Masonic privilege of the brother overtaken in a breach of the moral law .

The minute of December 20 , 1 / 25 , affords an illustration of the severity of a sentence of suspension , and how it would affect transgressors so punished . Quoting from the records of the elate referred to , " The pluralitie of the members of tbe Lodge of Kilwinning being met have enacted and ordained that . . . and .... are discharged from

entering the societie of honest men belonging to the Lodge of Kilwinning , and also discharge every freeman to give them no strocke of worke under tbe penaltie of L 20 Scots , until they be convinced of their cryme . " We are left in the dark as to the nature of the crime of which these brethren hacl been convicted ;

but from tbe fact that the delinquents should within two years from their suspension find it necessary to appear before the lodge and acknowledge their fault , it may be inferred that they really experienced both pecuniary loss ancl personal inconvenience from lying under the ban of the Mason Court , ancl heartily desired restoration to membership—a consummation which , according to a subsequent entry was happily effected . So jealous indeed were the Kilwinning

brethren of the lair fame of the Order , that the very suspicion of being an immoral man was enough in the eyes of the lodge to exclude from office tbe brother against whom the charge might be preferrred . This is borne out by the act of the lodge , Nov . 24 th , 1743 : — " Which day the Deputy Master , ye two Wardensancl some of ye brethrenbeing metand

, ,, , considering that the established Officer of the Lodge who was directed to execute ye proceeding resolution has , since ye date thereof , been accused of some gross inimoralitys which might reflect on the virtuous society of Ereemasons should he be imployed in any office by them , aud as the brethren now assembled do

not incline to nominate ane other officer till the general meeting of the lodge , they unanimously agree to cause notify the preceding resolution in the preceding resolution in the news papers of Edinburgh and Glasgow , which they apprehend will have the same effect with a summons from ane officer . . . . Dec . 20 ' 44 :

, , the former officer , who was formerly under some reputed scandal , having this day given full satisfaction upon that score , was reponed to the freedom of other members . "

Apropos of the morality of Ereemasonry , it may not be out of place here to relate an incident in connection with the late lamented Earl of Eglinton and Winton's declining to become a member of the Order . Many years ago , his lordship having had his attention directed to his family's long and close connection with

the ancient fraternity of Kilwinning Masons , expressed a desire to know something of the principles of the Order , so as to judge for himself whether they were such as would justify his connecting himself with the body . Having been satisfied upon this point , Lord Elinton indicated his readiness to receive the

g rites of Ereemasonry from the hands of the officials of the venerable lodge at Kilwinning in which so . many of his predecessors in the earldom of Eglinton . had borne rule , —and the day for his lordship ' s initiation was all but fixed , when incidentally it came to his knowledthat Mr . a gentlemen of grossly

ge , immoral life , as the head of one of the neighbouring lodges occupied a prominent and influential position among the Craft . This circumstance produced in tbe mind of the youthful earl an impression most un-