Scottish Freemasonry and England 1700 to 1750

Scottish Freemasonry, the Lodges and the relationships with English Freemasonry 1700-1750.

By Iain D. McIntosh

Part Two

The period between the 1715 Uprising and the Formation of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1736.

The period from the ending of the first Jacobite uprising in 1715 until the founding of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1736 is an interesting but complex period in the evolution of Scottish ‘Speculative’ Freemasonry and the emergence of new Lodges.
About 16 plus Lodges are identified as being started between 1717 and 1736, some chartered by Mother Kilwinning, others just forming themselves or obtaining charters from a neighbouring Lodge.

From 1717 to 1736

Did the establishment of the first ‘Grand Lodge’ in London in 1717, have any impact on Scottish Lodges? probably not, there is no mention in the Scottish Lodge records of that event, did it have anything to do with the politics of the period, considering that this happened just a couple of years after the 1715 uprising. Was the establishment of this new London centered Grand Lodge an attempt to establish a Whig ‘Hanoverian’ type of Freemasonry in opposition to a predominantly Stuart, Scottish, Tory type of Freemasonry?
In exploring this question, it is necessary to look at what is happening within the Scottish Lodges during the years 1715 to 1736, how they began, who was involved, and what their political and religious backgrounds where and what influence and power they had at that time within Scottish society. There is also evidence from the Lodge records and histories of the emergence of a more recognisable form of what we now know as ‘Modern, Speculative Freemasonry’. From the Scottish records, it seems that there was a radical change happening from about the end of the 1715 uprising/rebellion through to the establishment of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1736. In the existing pre-1700 ‘Schaw’ type Operative/Incorporated Trade Lodges of the burghs, there is evidence of more and more ‘gentlemen – speculative’ freemasons joining the Lodges, in larger numbers, like in the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel No.1), the Lodge of Dundee and the other old Lodges in the Burghs of Scotland.
As can been seen from the above list, more and more non-operative lodges are forming and entering ‘gentlemen’ masons. This is a time when there was no Scottish Grand Lodge to monitor or control the setting up of these Lodges, they either started themselves or obtained a charter from a local established Lodge, in some cases that Lodge was Mother Kilwinning, but not always. Some Lodges did not obtain a charter from Kilwinning, but incorporated the name – to give it a sense of Age – of History. Lodges like Forfar Kilwinning, or Montrose Kilwinning, which have no proof of being chartered by Mother Kilwinning, they just incorporated that name into their title. Indeed, the Lodge at Montrose first began as an operative Lodge, and did not become Montrose Kilwinning until 1747 when it merged with another Montrose Lodge – Entitled Montrose Kilwinning which had obtained a charter from the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1745.

In the History of Lodge Dumbarton Kilwinning No.18, it is stated that they did not receive a ‘Charter’ from ‘Mother Kilwinning’. The ‘proper documents’ submitted to Grand Lodge in 1738, probably included a working letter of authority or warrant from Mother Kilwinning.
The existing fragments of minutes and other information of the Lodge of Dundee from 1733 indicate quite a mix of personalities on both the Hanoverian and Jacobite sides, the Caledonian Mercury of Dec 28, 1733 records the following “Yesterday being the anniversary of St John, the Society of Freemasons here met the Right Hon. The Lord Colvil , being master of the Lodge, who with a numerous appearance of gentlemen, marched in a regular body with white aprons and gloves, to the Lodge, and as they passed the Guard the military gave them the compliment of rested fire locks.” History of Mary’s Chapel.
The Lodge of Dundee record other such names of local landowners, merchants, ship masters and other non-operative masons like Lord John Colvill, Capt James Abercrombie, Fotheringham of Ballindean, Alexander Duncan of Lundie, and Lord Blantyre

From the Histories of some of the Lodges formed at that time

Lodge St John Kilwinning Kilmarnock, No.22. The petition to form the Lodge was signed by Lord Kilmarnock in November 1734, “Masons belonging to the said Worshipfull and most Ancient Lodge of Kilwinning” . Members of this Lodge show divided loyalties at that time – Lord Kilmarnock being William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock, Master of the Lodge from 1734-1741, and again in 1744, he was then Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland from 1742 to 1743. He supported the cause of ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ in 1745 and was executed at Tower Hill in August of 1746.
From the History of the Old Lodge of Falkirk (now St. John No.16) - Lord Kilmarnock was also a member of the Lodge of Falkirk, Edinburgh Kilwinning and Mother Kilwinning.
Also, mentioned in the history of this Lodge is the admittance, by Kilmarnock, of Alexander, The Earl of Eglingtoun (Alexander Montgomery, 10th Earl - he became Grand Master of Scotland, 1750-1751 but was shot dead by an excise officer by the name of Mungo Campbell in October 1769.

Lodge Kilwinning (Mother Kilwinning No.0)

Prior to the formation of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, Mother Kilwinning was as near to a Grand Lodge as Scotland had during that period, they chartered new Lodges, but unlike a ‘Grand Lodge’, did not extract regular fees, nor set down rules and regulations, nor controlled the activities of her daughter lodges. Some of her daughter Lodges even chartered their own Lodges. The Kilwinning Lodge cherished its long history and important place in the Scottish Masonic World. It was at the founding of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1736, but fell out with it in 1740 regarding its numbering and for the rest of the 18th Century went its own way and resumed chartering Lodges. Kilwinning and its Lodges did not fully come under the umbrella and authority of the Grand Lodge of Scotland until 1807. Today it is a Province in its own right, with the Master of Kilwinning as its Provincial Grand Master, and under the terms of the accord with Grand Lodge the Grand Bible Bearer is a Lodge Kilwinning Man.

The Formation of the Grand Lodge of Scotland 1736

The fact that Scotland did not form a Grand Lodge until 1736, after both England (1717?) and Ireland (1725), maybe highlighted the ‘Individual and Independent’ nature of the Scottish Lodges, and not finding a necessity of such a body. It fell to 4 Edinburgh Lodges, the more fashionable Edinburgh Lodges, those which had a ‘majority’ of ‘Gentlemen’ or ‘Speculative’ members. They were the Lodge of Edinburgh No.1, Canongate Kilwinning No.2, Leith Kilwinning and Kilwinning Scots Arms and they made the first steps towards forming a Grand Lodge in 1735. Invitations went out to the 100 Scottish Lodge in existence at the time, but only 33 of those Lodges were represented at the inaugural meeting in 1736, of the others, they were either not fully supportive with its concepts and preferred to remain independent or, as in the case of Lodge Aitchison’s Haven, the members had had a disagreement regarding representation and agreed not to attend.
Another Lodge which did not attend was the Lodge of Dunblane according to the minutes “the Lodge being convened and taking into their serious consideration, that a considerable time ago remonstrance’s were made by the four lodges in Edinburgh, to this lode and other Lodges in the Kingdom in order to the choosing of a Grand Master and on account of that letter not coming to hand till after that day and the indisposition of the master in 1736 and the neglect of the masters thereafter in sending their deputes to annual meetings, the clerk was appointed to extract this act and commission”. The Lodge of Dunblane did not apply for a charter until 1760.

At the first meeting, Lodges were not numbered, this did not happen until 1737 when a roll was drawn up, Lodges were asked, that when they attended, to ensure that their representatives brought proof of the ‘age’ of the Lodge, this to be in the form of documents and artefacts to establish their ‘lineage’ and ‘antiquity’. Unlike the Premier Grand Lodge in London, where they could control the numbering of the Lodges from day one, the Grand Lodge in Scotland could not, as there were many lodges much older than Grand Lodge itself. It was accepted that the two oldest were Lodge Kilwinning (Mother Kilwinning) and the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel), each claiming to be the oldest, Mary’s Chapel produced the oldest minute dated July 1599, whilst Mother Kilwinning said they had lost their earliest minute, but could produce many mentions in contemporary early Scottish History, like their mention in the Schaw Statutes of 1599 as Kilwinning being the ‘heid and second Luge of Scotland’.
At the first numbering meeting, Mary’s Chapel was given number 1, and (Mother) Kilwinning No.2 and Canongate Kilwinning No.3. Mother Kilwinning had given a charter to Canongate Kilwinning in 1677, thus dating it senior to that Lodge. Following the publication of the roll, there was a rush from the other Scottish Lodges to join, each producing documents etc., of the age of the Lodge, and therefore there resulted a jostle to prove an early foundation and claim a lower, more senior number. In the current list of Lodges and their numbers, there are several anomalies – there are three No. 1’s – Edinburgh, Melrose and Aberdeen, two number 3’s Lodge Scone and Perth and The Lodge of Glasgow. This reflects the peculiar nature of Scottish Freemasonry and the difficult nature of proving and establishing the age and seniority of the Lodges.
As newer Lodges became formed and applied to Grand Lodge for charters, they could be given the next number. However there still existed independent Lodges throughout Scotland who remained so, like the Lodge in Glamis (now No.99) which was formed in 1738 but did not apply for a charter until 1765, Lodge St Ninian (now No.66) in Brechin which had begun in about 1714 but did not apply for a charter until much later in the century.
But there is evidence at that time of the intention and desire by Lodges to come under the control and protection of Grand Lodge, this intention being laid out in the words of the resolution of the Montrose Masons of the Lodge ‘Entitled Montrose Kilwinning’ in January 1745 ‘to become a branch of Grand Lodge… and thus benefit from the advantages that would accrue, and give their indigent brethren a right to their charity.’

But all was still not well with regards to Lodge Kilwinning, their position, and number within the new Grand Lodge of Scotland structure. There was a disagreement and in 1743 Lodge Kilwinning (the Mother Lodge of Scotland) withdrew and resumed its old historic roll of again chartering new Lodges, this state of affairs continued into the early 19th Century with the Grand Lodge of Scotland and Mother Kilwinning each pursuing parallel but independent paths, and ignoring each other. In this way, the Lodges in Scotland existed either as part of the Grand Lodge of Scotland structure, or, as independent Lodges until the end of the Century when with the upheaval of the French Revolution and the requirements and repercussions of the 1799 ‘Unlawful Societies’ Act brought about the necessity of Lodges to come under the control and authority of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and for all Lodges to acknowledge it as the ‘Supreme’ authority in Scotland.
The split with Lodge (Mother) Kilwinning and other Kilwinning Lodges was settled in 1807 and the final integration of all the Lodges in Scotland under the authority and control of the Grand Lodge of Scotland could take place and the final ‘numbering’ of Scottish Lodges, and those under the Scottish Constitution abroad be established at the numbering list of Lodges that we have today.

The Early degrees and the introduction of the 3rd Degree

The Scottish Lodges at that time recognised a two-degree system - that of Apprentice and Fellow Craft. The oldest Ritual being Scottish that based on the Edinburgh Register House Manuscript of 1696. The ‘Mason word’ was the only secret alluded to in the minutes of Mary’s Chapel, or in other Lodges like Kilwinning, Aitcheson’s Haven and Dunblane . Liberty to ‘give the mason word’ was the principle point in the dispute between Mary’s Chapel and the Journeymen’s Lodge in 1715, and only settled by ‘Decreet arbitral’ . From the ‘Haughfoot Lodge’ of 1707 the word was accompanied by a grip. Also from the Lodge of Melrose in 1764 it was referred to “That the Mason Word be administered in a simple way and manner, free of everything sinful and superstitious, only word, sign and grip and some simple questions to distinguish a mason from another man”.
The earliest mention of a 3rd Degree was by Lodge Dumbarton Kilwinning in 1726 , Greenock Kilwinning in 1728, Lodge Kilwinning in 1735, Canongate Kilwinning in 1736 and the Lodge of Edinburgh in 1738.

The Degree as worked by the Lodge of Dundee in 1727

A form of the Scottish Two-Degree appeared in an article in the Scots Magazine for 1755, regarding a ‘Masonic Degree’ as worked in Dundee in 1727. It clearly details a form of a ‘two-degree’ ritual, based on a similar format to the Edinburgh House Register MS. The article, is in the form of a dialogue between two people, and is related by a man who had undergone the degree and wanted to tell of his experience of how he became a ‘Mason’
It concerns the ceremony of imparting the oath, the word and other secrets of the craft.

‘Concerning the oath After one comes in at the door, he that keeps the door, looses (sic) the garter of his right-leg stocking, folds up the knee of his breeches, and requires him to deliver any metal thing he has upon him. He is made to kneel on the right knee, bare; then the square is put three times round his body and applied to his breast, the open compasses pointed to his breast, and his bare elbow on the Bible with his hand lifted up; and he swears, "As I shall answer before God at the great day, and this Company, I shall heal and conceal, or not divulge and make known the secrets of the Mason-word, (Here one is taken bound, not to write them on paper, parchment, timber, stone, sand, snow, &c.) under the pain of having my tongue taken out from beneath my chowks, and my heart out from beneath my left oxter, and my body buried within the sea-mark, where it ebbs and flows twice in the twenty four hours."
Immediately after that oath, the administrator of it says, "You sat down a cowan, I take you up a mason." -- when I was taken under that oath, I knew not what these secrets were which I was not to divulge, having had no information before. One person in the Lodge instructed me a little about their secrets the same day that I entered, and was called my author; and another person in the Lodge, whom I then chused to be my instructor till that time twelve-month, many called my intender; ---- There is a yearly imposing of that oath in admissions among the said craft through the land on John's day, as it is termed, being the 27th of December.
After the oath, a word in the scriptures was shown me, which, said one, is the mason-word. The word is in I Kings vii,21. They say Boas is the mason-word, and Jachin a fellow-craft-word. The former is shewn to an entered prentice after he has sworn the oath; and the latter is shewn to one that has been a prentice at least for a year, when he is admitted to a higher degree in their lodge, after he has sworn the oath again, or declared his approbation of it.
Of their secrets. First, then, three chalk lines being drawn on the floor, about an equal distance, as at A.B and C: the master of the Lodge stands at P., and the fellow-crafts, with the wardens and entered apprentices, on the master-mason's left hand at ff and the last entered prentice at p.
There follows a full report of the ritual of admitting a Mason, the steps taken, the words spoken, the Key of the Lodge as being ‘A well hung tongue’ – the signs, tokens and words. The Five Fellowcrafts and seven entered apprentices that make a just and perfect lodge, where the mason word is given – the ‘five points’ and many more details of a Scottish two-degree ceremony.

This seems to be a variation of the Edinburgh Register House and Airlie (1710) Manuscripts of the working of a degree ceremony. The estates of the Earls of Airlie, The Ogilvie Family is situated only a few miles north of Dundee and the family had strong connections with the town.

Scotland, Scottish Lodges and the formation of the ‘Premier’ Grand Lodge in London.

The new Grand Lodge of London & Westminster was, according to many masonic historians, formed in 1717, heralding a new phase in the evolving history of speculative Freemasonry begins. Did this have any impact on Scotland and the Scottish Lodges, initially, probably not, there is no mention in Scottish Lodges of this ‘event’. Formal connections with the English Grand Lodge did not happen until 1772 when a letter was received from the Grand Lodge of England (Ancients) with a copy of a resolution that they had adopted “That it is in the opinion of the Grand Lodge that a brotherly connection and correspondence with R.W. Grand Lodge of Scotland will be found productive of honour and advantage to the fraternity in General.”

However, there were other, connections with Freemasonry in England, on a more personal level, consisting of the probably interconnections of Scottish nobility, politicians and academics, and their counterparts in England. Interestingly, the formation of the new ‘Grand Lodge’ in London, was just two years after the Jacobite uprising in 1715 and only ten years after the dissolution of the Scottish Parliament and the formation of the new ‘Parliament of Great Britain.’ A time when a substantial number of Scottish Nobles and ‘new’ Scottish Members of Parliament settled in London. This is the second time that many Scottish nobles had settled in London, the first being in 1606 when many followed James VI to London when he succeeded Elizabeth I and became James I of England and VI of Scotland, both times giving London an infusion of Scottish ideas, thoughts and interactions with ‘Scottish’ ideas and possibly of Scottish Lodges! In 1641, there is the well documented admittance of Sir Robert Moray into the Lodge of Edinburgh at Newcastle, as mentioned above – a man who was part of the 1660 Gresham College Group that formed the ‘Royal Society of London.’

This was also the period when many Clubs, Societies, Coffee shops, and other places of meetings were all the rage in both London and Edinburgh, there was also the Royal Society in London, and the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh (later to become the Royal Society of Edinburgh) and other such academic institutions including the Universities, ample opportunities for the Aristocratic, academic and leading Scots Freemasons to mingle with their counterparts in London.
Some Scots members of the new ‘British’ Parliament were Scottish Freemasons - like Sir Samuel McLellan, Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1706 to 1708, who joined the Lodge of Edinburgh, Mary’s Chapel in 1706, he had invested £500 sterling of his own money in the ‘Company of Scotland’ along with £3000 on behalf of the City of Edinburgh. He represented Edinburgh in the Royal Convention of Burghs and was a supporter of the proposed Union. In May 1708, he was chosen to be Edinburgh’s MP in the United Parliament but only held the position for a year, dying in September 1709. Like many of his fellow contributors he had invested in the Darien Scheme and in supporting the Union of the Parliaments in 1707, the terms of the ‘Union’ would see him compensated for the losses incurred in the ‘Darien scheme’.
Another Scottish mason who was a member of the new Parliament, as member for Whithorn, was Sir John Clerk, 2nd Baronet of Penicuik (1675-1755) a man of letters and of the liberal arts and sciences who became vice-president of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh. In 1707, he was appointed as one of the Barons of Exchequer for Scotland (he held this office until his death in 1755), and was also one of the Commissioners for the Union (1707) he was admitted into the Lodge of Edinburgh No. 1 in January 1710.

Some of the 16 ‘Lords’ of Scotland who became representative peers in Westminster were Scottish Freemasons like James Ogilvie, Earl of Findlater, a member of the Lodge of Aberdeen, he was a staunch supporter of the ‘Union of 1707).
In examining the list of the early Grand Masters of the English and Scottish Grand Lodges, there are ‘links with Scotland, ‘links with knightly orders like the Order of the Thistle, The Royal Company of Archers, the sovereign’s personal bodyguard in Scotland and ‘links with Scientific societies like the Royal Society in London and the Philosophical Society in Edinburgh.

The Scottish Aristocrats who became Grand Masters of England.

• Francis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch, Grand Master of England 1723, he owned vast estates in the Scottish Borders, Scottish representative peer in the British Parliament, a member of the Royal Society and a Knight of the Thistle.
• James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn, Scottish/Irish noble and member of the Royal Society.
• James Lyon, 7th Earl of Strathmore, brother to the Jacobite 5th Earl who died at Sheriffmuir in 1715, he visited the Lodge of Edinburgh in 1733, he also was a member of the Royal Society.
• John Lindsay, 20th Earl of Crawford, GM of England 1734, member of the Lodge of Edinburgh in 1733 and was introduced into Freemasonry by his friend the 7th Earl of Strathmore, Crawford was also an ‘assumed’ member of Lodge Kilwinning Scots Arms, and mentioned as a member of Lodge Edinburgh Kilwinning. Joined Royal Society in 1732.
• John Keith, 3rd Earl of Kintore, GM of England 1740, GM of Scotland 1738-1739, Past Master of the Lodge of Aberdeen, Also of Lodges of Edinburgh and Kilwinning Scots Arms.
• James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton, GM of England 1741, and GM of Scotland 1739-40, member of the Scottish Lodge ‘Drummond Kilwinning from Greenock’. Astronomer, president of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh (president from 1737) also President of the Royal Society in 1764. In 1746, he visited France and was imprisoned in the ‘Bastille’ as a suspected Jacobite.
• Thomas Lyon the 8th Earl of Strathmore also brother to the Jacobite 5th Earl, he became Grand Master of Scotland 1740-41 and became Grand Master of England in 1744, he also established the Lodge of Glammis (No.99 Scottish Constitution) in 1738, the Strathmore estates are at Glamis Castle in Angus.

Of course, the other obvious connection with The Premier Grand Lodge of England was Rev James Anderson, who compiled the Constitutions of the Premier Grand Lodge. As all Masonic historians know, he was from Aberdeen, his father being a member of the Scottish Craft. There is mention in the records of The Lodge of Aberdeen of “James Anderson, Glassier and Measson and Wreatter of this book, 1670 and Maister of our lodge in the year of God 1688 and 1694.” The Grand Lodge of Scotland did purchase seven ‘unbound’ copies of Smith’s small edition of the Constitutions in 1740 – “the same to be stitched only, and clean paper interleaved therein, and to be given to the Secretary or Clerk, to be by them communicated to the Committee.”(of Grand Lodge of Scotland.) This work was in its earlier years regarded by the Grand Lodge of Scotland as some sort of an authority on the subject.

The visit of Desaugliers in 1720 and 1721

It is understood that he had been in Edinburgh for about six months prior to the visit to the Lodge, consulting on the new town water system a ‘hydrostatick’ engineer . During his stay in Edinburgh he also made visits, along with John Campbell to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, to the Town of Haddington and to the village of Duns. Desaugliers was also made a Burgess and ‘Guild Brother’ of the Edinburgh, this was done ‘gratis’ in January of 1721 . A Scottish way of thanking people who had given service to a Town or City.
During his time in the town, he also arranged a visit to the Lodge of Edinburgh accompanied by the Provost of Edinburgh John Campbell, George Preston and Hugh Hawthorn, Bailies and other men from the Town Council. Later in the month there were other ‘supplications’ from Edinburgh dignitaries, though not in front of Desaugliers, there were Sir Duncan Campbell of Lochnell, Baronet; Robert Wightman, Dean of Guild, George Drummond, late Treasurer; Archibald Macaulay late Baillie there and Patrick Lindsay, merchant in Edinburgh, these three gentlemen future Lord Provosts of Edinburgh.

It is also known that he had been in Scotland the previous year – 1720 – on a visit to Dunfermline, again to advise on a new water system for that Town. It is also thought that whilst he was in that area he paid a visit to St Andrew’s University on a matter of business for the Duke of Chandos. The Duke’s second son, Henry, when he was only 11 years old, and visiting St Andrew’s with his tutor Dr. Charles Stuart had ‘got into some difficulty’ and was ‘extricated’ from it by Dr. Stuart’s friend Dr. Francis Pringle , a teacher there. Chandos wanted to gift £1000 to the University to set up a ‘chair’ of Eloquence. After many negotiations, it was decided on a chair of Medicine, and Desaugliers was presumably there to settle this matter . The Chandos chair of Medicine and Anatomy is still in existence at St Andrews University today.

Scottish Lodges Formed from 1737 to 1749

Go to next Part 3- The Jacobite Uprisings

©Research by Iain D. McIntosh, 2014