Glasgow Thistle Lodge

The following article was taken from the Grand Lodge of Scotland Facebook page (4th December, 2018) -the full certificate is shown over. This follows on from the article in October 2019 about Lodge St. Mungo’s certificate issued for the same purposes.

The certificate reads:

'And the Light shineth in the Darkness and the Darkness comprehendeth it not WE, the Master, Wardens, and Secretary of the Glasgow Thistle Lodge, late No.111, now 82, held on the Registry of the Grand Lodge of Scotland do hereby Certify, that our beloved Brother Robert Mulveney, was regularly Entered and Apprentice, Passed Fellow-craft, and Raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason, and that he has during his time stay among us, conducted Himself with Steadiness and Attachmentto the Craft.

Wherefore, We Greet all our Worthy Brethren Round the Globe, and Recommend Him to their Brotherly Car and Protection.

Given at Glasgow this 25th Day of November in the year of Light 1518 and of Man’s Redemption 1818.

Signed James Smith R.W.M.

Duncan McPherson S.W.

Matthew Cumming J.W.

George Cowan Secretary'

Scottish Masonic Certificates such as this contain some small but fascinating details. Many Lodges issued certificates similar to this and although the wording varied a little it served two main purposes:

1) to prove that the bearer was a Master Mason

2) to recommend him to other Freemasons. In other words as well as being proof of membership it also acted as a 'letter of introduction' -to individual Freemasons as well as Masonic Lodges.

Shortly after 1800 it was agreed that only the Grand Lodge of Scotland could provide absolute proof that an individual was a Scottish Freemason by the issue of a Master Mason's certificate. This was because there had been examples of men being Initiated in Scottish Lodges but the details (including a fee of 1 Shilling) had not been reported to Grand Lodge.

Other observations are that the the Masonic Year of Light (Anno Lucis -usually abbreviated to: A.L.) is incorrectly recorded. The Year of Light is derived from the calculation of Bishop

James Ussher (1581 –1656), (he was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656), that the world had been created 4004 BC. Thus the Year of Light should have been given as 5822 not 1818. However, it was far easier to simply add 4000 to the exiting year than add 4004 to the current year. Adding 4000 was almost universal in England but in Scotland adding 4004 was normal -this Lodge in Glasgow being an exception!

The Lodge has the fairly common motto of Faith, Hope and Charity but also uses: 'Love, Honour and Justice' (see opposite).

Unusually for a document of this age the wax seal remains largely intact and attached to the original ribbon. Most Lodges aspired to own their own seal as this legitimised the document to which it was attached. Have a look at 242’s certificate (then No.318) in the foyer of the lodge.