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Freemasonry and Scotland by VW Bro Freemasonry and Scotland by VW Bro. Trevor W. McKeown, Grand Historian presented at the 2014 Annual Scottish Breakfast, hosted by Meridian Lodge No.108 There is no question that the origins of Freemasonry are found in Scotland. As an Irishman, this is difficult for me to accept, but I’ll get over it. The arguments for an English origin were pretty much debunked by the end of the nineteenth century but far too many books of the period are still available to masonic students who will continue to assume that Freemasonry started, if not in London, at least in York. One of the founders of the premier lodge of masonic research, Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, was Robert Freke Gould, who continued until his death in 1915 to disparage a Scottish genesis although many of his contemporaries, as early as 1890, had shown the error of his ways. But Gould’s reputation looms large and many a recent pop historian has used Gould as a strawman to create the impression that they have discovered something startlingly new in Scotland. Unfortunately they will often relay on Rosslyn Chapel’s romanticized history and the Schaw Statutes, of which both have been subject to much recent historical re- evaluation. Mythology Just how early can we take masonic history? The Lodge of Glasgow St. John likes to claim that King Malcolm III gave a charter to “our trusty and beloved friends, the operative Masons in the City of Glasgow” on 5 October 1057, but most masonic historians, in particular William Murray Lyon, believed this to be apocryphal. There are mason’s marks to be found in the Round Tower of Brechin, dating to 1029. But these are obviously individual stonemasons’ marks. They do not indicate a functioning guild, much less anything resembling what we would consider Freemasonry. But it is safe to assume that stonemasons were organized in some form in Scotland as early as the twelfth century. With the Regius Manuscript — discovered in 1838 — dating from at least 1190, there is no earlier record anywhere else in mediaeval Europe of organized stonemasons. Templars But there is a lot of mythology attached to masonic history. Although many still believe that Knights Templar saved the day for the Scots at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, and that the two Sinclair Statutes prove a Grand Master lineage, both are demonstrated myths. Sorry. The myth of a direct lineal connexion between the mediaeval Order of the Knights Templar and Scottish Freemasonry was invented by Scottish Freemason Chevalier James Burnes (1801-1862) in 1837 and never mentioned before the nineteenth century. He cribbed the idea from a French masonic historian, Claude A. Thory (1759-1827). Neither offered any evidence. Contrary to the assertions of pop historians, anonymous grave stones in Argyll bearing the outline of a sword do not demonstrate a Templar presence in Scotland in 1307. Many marked gravestones across the British Isles show a similarcarving and have been proven not to be Templar in origin. Contemporary records of Bannockburn fail to mention any Knights Templar. There are numerous accounts of the battle. But a final charge of horse mounted men, much less Templars, don’t figure in any of them. The first mention of Templars at Bannockburn doesn’t appear until the eighteenth century. The history is clear: the Knights Templar did not start Freemasonry. William Sinclair The Rev’d. James Anderson, compiler of the first Book of Constitutions in 1723, published a history in his New Constitution in 1738, referring to William Sinclair as Grand Master. But this was not mentioned in his first history, published in 1723. It is significant that, two years before the New Constitutions appeared in England, in 1736 Scotland had just installed it’s first Grand Master, William St. Clair of Rosslyn. Scottish Freemasons initiated him, made him their Grand Master, and made him agree that he had no hereditary claim to the office, all within the space of seven months. St. Clair was agreeable since he had been unaware of the claim. The link to Sinclair is based on two letters drawn up in 1600 and 1601, involving the lodges of Dunfermline, St Andrews, Edinburgh, Aitchison’s Haven and Haddington. They were signed by William Schaw himself in his capacity as Master of Works — responsible for building castles and palaces — for James VI of Scotland. They are known as the Sinclair Statutes or Charters as they supposedly confirm the rôle of the lairds of Roslin as patrons and protectors of the Craft. But Schaw’s politically-inspired attempt to build a relationship between the stonemasons and St. Clair historically failed within a generation. More importantly, the St. Clair Charters do not refer to a Grand Master. And Charles I (1600-1649) later denied that the St Clair family had been granted any hereditary rights of the masons in Scotland. Don’t confuse these letters with the First and Second Schaw Statutes of 1598 and 1599 — discovered in 1860. The second Schaw Statute dealt with Lodge Kilwinning, among other general lodge issues, referring to it as “head and second lodge in Scotland”. In Schaw’s scheme of things, the Edinburgh Lodge would be most important, followed by Kilwinning and then Stirling. There is also no real evidence that the St. Clairs were associated with the Templars. Father Richard Hay (1661-1736), compiler of the exhaustive Sainteclaires genealogy, makes no mention of a Templar or masonic involvement. Rosslyn The chapel foundation was laid in 1446, 139 years after the suppression of the Templars. It was intended as a collegiate church, like fifteen others constructed during the period. I’m not going to go into the details of Rosslyn Chapel. I refer you to the curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland’s Museum and Library, Robert Cooper, and his excellent book, The Rosslyn Hoax? One point to note is that the vault has been opened at least seven times for interments and, most recently in 1837, for reconstructive work. Funerals of the time were large, public affairs. The chance of anything remaining undiscovered in the vault is pretty slim. Robert Burns Poet Laureate... or not.... Cannongate Kilwinning, No. 2, Edinburgh, is said to have invested Burns with the title of the Poet-Laureate of Lodge Cannongate Kilwinning on 1 March 1787. Unfortunately the minutes of the meeting don’t bear this out. The date of 25 June, 1787 is also claimed; however, on that particular date Robert Burns was in Anstruther. And one Bro. Campbell, the only Freemason documented to have claimed to have been present on the occasion, wasn’t initiated until 1801, fourteen years later. You may have seen the oil painting commemorating the occasion. It was painted by Stewart Watson in 1845 — almost sixty years later. Many of the people depicted were not Freemasons, several others had died prior to 1787 and others were documented to be outside of Scotland that year. But it’s just a painting and artistic license does not necessarily mean the title of Poet Laureate was not bestowed. But, on 1 February, 1787, Robert Burns made his only recorded visit to Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, and became an Honorary Member— which, by the by-laws of the lodge, would have precluded him from receiving any lodge office. As far as is known, this is the last occasion on which he visited any lodge in Edinburgh. The office of Poet Laureate in Lodge Canongate Kilwinning appears to have been created around 1835, when James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd was elected to the position. The confusion appears to have arisen because one Rev’d. John Smellie recalled being told by Burns that he had been made Poet Laureate to a group of gentlemen in Edinburgh; as far as is known this was to a gentlemen’s club not to a lodge. The real history But Freemasonry did start in Scotland. Sometime before 1598. But which was the first lodge is up for discussion. The oldest records held within the Grand Lodge of Scotland are minutes of the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel) which date from 1599. Lodges under the Scottish Constitution are sovereign bodies in their own right, with a considerable degree of control of their own affairs. Many lodges pre-existed Grand Lodge, all jealously guarding their traditions, and were permitted to retain their own procedures, regalia, and distinctive rituals. Scottish Lodges have the right to choose the colours and fabrics of the lodge regalia, and — my favourite anecdote — refuse entry to the Grand Master. On the west wall of the lodge hall used by Lodge Scoon and Perth No. 3 in Perth, Scotland can be found a mural depicting James VI kneeling at their altar at his initiation. The oldest existing record of the lodge, called ‘The Mutual Agreement’ of 24 December, 1658, records that James was ‘entered Freemason and Fellowcraft of the Lodge of Scoon’ on 15 April, 1601. This report has no contemporary corroboration, and is considered apocryphal. The Grand Lodge of Scotland is custodian of the oldest lodge records in the world: Aitchison’s Haven, dated 9 January 1598. The oldest records of an extant lodge are those belonging to The Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel), No. 1, commencing 31 July 1599. But I am only going to talk about Mother Kilwinning “Numberin’ Nought”. The Abbey of Kilwinning dates from 1140 and on the broken walls and crumpled bows of the Abbey, one can still see some very nice stonemasons’ marks. On 30 November 1736 a meeting of lodges created the Grand Lodge of Scotland. Although Kilwinning was only represented by proxy, the first officers of the Grand Lodge were chosen from her members.
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