Incorporation to Lodge

All trades during the medieval period in Scottish towns aspired to become officially accepted by the local government. This was done by passing the 'seal of cause' (obtaining a charter from the town council which appended the town seal). Trades who managed to obtain such a charter became an 'Incorporation' (something like an English guild). The advantages of this for the trade was that they gained a political voice in how the town was governed. This meant that they could try to influence decisions made in governing the town. It is however, important to be aware that these incorporations were in a minority and that other groups (merchants and some members of the aristocracy) would always dominate the political landscape. In exchange for a limited voice in the affairs of a town each trade incorporation had to accept responsibility for a range of other matters relating to their trade. E.g. setting rates of pay, duration of work periods, length of apprenticeships and religious observance. We shall return to the latter point in a later post. The functions of Incorporations can be summarised as follows: 1. Incorporations existed only in Burghs (towns). 2. They represented members of a trade to promote their economic interests. 3. This required involvement in Burgh politics. 4. This frequently led to disputes with Merchants, the Crown and other Incorporations. ods of apprenticeship and other working practices. 6. Morals and religious observance were also promoted. The stonemasons (and their close associates the Wrights) of Edinburgh were granted a Seal of Cause in 1475 and the documents lays out their duties and responsibilities. This ‘charter’ was granted before the Scottish Reformation (1559/60) and religious life was dominated by the Roman Catholic Church. At this point it is extremely important to remember that the Reformation in Scotland was quite different than that which taken place in England. Henry VIII declared, in 1534, that he alone should be the final authority in matters relating to the church in England.

The English Reformation was in part dynastic (Henry VIII wanted a 'suitable' heir), political (Henry VIII wanted control of parts of society controlled by the church) and financial (he realised the value of church and other possessions he did not/could not control). During the processes of taking control of the Roman Church, in England, Henry seized all assets, and this included suppressing bodies that in anyway supported the Roman Catholic Church. That included guilds which were one of the 'underpinning' organisations of the church structure. In short, he killed off English guilds and stole their money! There have been thousands of books and articles written on this subject but for this post the point is simply this: in England the existing order was swept away -monasteries and other Roman Catholic institutions were abolished. Their land, property and money became the property of the English crown. Every incorporation had its own different signs, tokens and words . . . .

5. Incorporations tried to control the quality of work of members by setting wages, periThe Reformation in Scotland was quite different and had very different outcomes. In

Scotland the Reformation was major religious upheaval and other bodies such as guilds (incorporations) were left untouched. They simply lost their religious commitments, but they continued to exist and represent their members in town affairs.

Like other incorporated trades, before the Reformation, they were given the responsibility of looking after an aisle in the main cathedral –Saint Giles. Below is a list of the incorporated trades with the date of their charter and their Patron Saint (in Scotland).

Baxters [bakers] (1456) Saint Cuthbert

Bonnet and glove makers (1473) Saint Bartholomew (?)

Skinners and Tanners (leather workers) [1474] Saint Clement

Maessons [masons] (1475) Saint John the Evangelist

Wobsters [weavers] (1476) Saint Simon

Hammermen [metal workers] (1483) Saint Eloi

Fleshers [butchers] (1488) Saint Anthony

Coopers [barrel makers] (1489) Saint Joseph

Cordiners [shoemakers] (1510) Saint Crispin

Every incorporation had its own different signs, tokens and words by which means members could identify themselves to each other. We know this because the records of the incorporations refer to them even if they did not describe them in any detail. Our favourite reference is in the records of the Hammerman’s Incorporation of Dundee in 1651 when a member was expelled for revealing the incorporation’s secrets to a captain of the English army then occupying the city! We therefore know that each trade had signs, tokens and words. In masons were not in any way exceptional –in fact it would have been very strange had they been different to other trades.

However, the masons were very different as to where these ‘secrets’ were transmitted. The other trades, Hammermen etc., communicated these to new members within the confines of incorporation where only members were permitted. By comparison the masons communicated their secrets, not in the incorporation, but in a separate and secret body called the Lodge. Only the masons had this additional body –the other trades being satisfied with just an incorporation.

The question must be: ‘why the masons only had a need for a separate, secret, body?’

The key lies in the members of the incorporation. The masons had allowed nonmasons to become members such as coopers and carpenters. The mason's secrets could not be communicated when nonstonemasons were present and so this was done in the Lodge which was exclusively for masons.

As we have recorded in other posts stonemason's Lodges in Scotland started to admit non-stonemasons as early as 1634 and this new type of ‘Freemason’ perpetuated the ceremonies and traditions of stonemasons even when stonemason had completely disappeared from most Lodges.

From GLoS Facebook page 2018.

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The Incorporation of Masonsof Glasgow or contact the Editor who is currently the Collector.