Schaw Statutes Part 4

Burghs

Some background into the organisation of burgh would be beneficial. Each burgh was generally divided into two – burgesses and non-burgesses. Within the burgess group were merchants and craftsmen; the former having guilds and the latter incorporations. It is unknown if the incorporation or the lodge came first. The obvious choice would be temporary sheds were used as lodges then incorporations were formed in towns with lodges in the style of Schaw materialised in parallel to the incorporations.

Why did they come about? The first organised group for protection was through blood ties with Scotland developing clans which continue to this day albeit in a rather more subdued fashion. They initially provided protection of people and land, and were generally local unless some chief fancied a larger slice of cake. In England, the guild grew out of clans which existed in expanding towns and looked after its members. The familylinks were still present such as amaster looking after his apprentice was often father and son or a link through marriage. This feeling of family attachment has never really left and exists today in lodges. Guilds did not admit bondmen – its members had to be ‘freemen.’

During medieval times, the King, the Church and knights or gentry were the ruling classes, but the King saw the guilds as becoming a fourth element of power and often used them for his own purposes. Again, the link with the King and crafts is still present. The King and the Church realised they need masons to work far from their place of residence and allowed them mobility to travel in order to build church or cathedrals. Any ties or restrictions on them from the guild were uplifted and these ‘cathedral’ masons could be called free craftsmen or even free-masons. [There are alternative theories as to the origin of the term freemason, but this fits nicely with the current context. It is easy to see why two parallel organisations could develop: During the 16th Century the Church, as the ruling authority, had become greedy and in most places managed to direct the funds into their purses leaving local vicars with little in terms of revenue. Therefore, many were pluralists undertaking several occupations at once ranging from charging extra to bury the dead to acting as merchants. This resulted in the fabric of many churches falling into disrepair due to a lack of funds, rather than their destruction being blamed on the Reformation alone. Indeed, this also assisted the Reformation as they were viewed with less suspicion that the existing church leaders who were lining their pockets. This first succeeded in the burghs where preachers were assisted by members of the crafts who had travelled abroad and had witnessed firsthand the ‘true doctrine’ and the verbal attacks against the church in Rome. “The traditions of secrecy and co-operation among members of the crafts guilds . . . and of co-operation between the burgesses of different towns acting in their common interest, made towns the ideal environment to sustain a secret and cellular church organisation.” From 1560 for the next 12/13 decades, the reformed church changed and developed as an organic process very similar to masonry changing and adapting to external conditions. Another example of the parallel line is that of the London Guildhall in 1370; the Company of Freemasons and the Company of Masons were separate entities with the former having two representatives and the latter four indicating the guild or town masons were a larger organisation.

Only burgesses were members of the burgh and entitled to the privileges associated with a burgh. All other inhabitants “were mere indwellers, with no more right to elect magistrates, to trade or belong to a craft than a country bumpkin.” However, a man could become a burgess through various methods.

The most common method was to pay the incorporation a sizeable sum of money – this was cheaper of your father was a member already, and it also reduced the number of years of apprenticeship. Another way to gain favour was to marry the daughter of a burgess. There was always a difference between the merchants and the trades. Merchants considered themselves far superior to a craftsman and were the dominant group both socially and politically. A good exam-

ple from Edinburgh in 1588 was that of a skinner who was not even allowed to wear his apron in the streets once admitted to their guild. In many burghs, the merchants dominated the town council and therefore controlled all trade both at home and abroad. Craftsmen were second class citizens to them. Unfortunately this amount of power too often leads to corruption, and the merchants were no different. Contracts were given to family members, rents were lowered for their families, etc. England was similar as shown in 17th Century Woodstock near Oxford in which the most of the town’s mayors and aldermen controlled everything. They were linked through family ties and did not allow craft guilds – the dominating merchant guild decided who would join and how much to fine irregular behaviour. This control was held by only six families all connected through marriage. There is no reason to believe that this type of oligarchy was not uncommon across the country.

Before 16th century, burghs (local authorities) or the church controlled site lodges which were often semi-permanent depending on their function. On longer term projects, they would last longer and act as a home to many of the masons on the site. Examples of this type of lodge exist in records of Aberdeen and Dundee. This kind of lodge also exists in England (and across Europe). A good example is in York Minster. The Masons' Loft is situated on the first floor of the Chapter House vestibule building, which connects the Chapter House to the North Transept of the Minster. Originally, the vestibule's design was for a much lower, single-storied structure, possibly with a timber vault, but somewhere in the early 14th century, it was decided to change the design and create a room above the vault at the first floor level. Although not a lodge for living in, the master mason(s) used this to draw working plans as seen on the floor tracings.

In Scotland, these lodges declined just before the Reformation during the late 16th century. Stevenson states that “in no case is there any evidence whatever of continuity between these semipermanent Medieval site lodges and the lodges of freemasons which emerged in 17th century Scotland.” This is a popular misconception that there was smooth transition from operative masonry to speculative freemasonry. However, since the Reformation was less severe in Scotland, operative lodges had a better chance of survival. England as only a couple of examples of operative lodges surviving – the Lodge of Industry No.48 in Gateshead was one such lodge which accepted a warrant from the Grand Lodge of England in 1735 and the now defunct lodge in Alnwick in Northumberland was another although the latter was never warranted and ceased in 1763. Strictly speaking, this was not a lodge of freemasons.

Undoubtedly, there would be an overlap in rules, terminology and customs, but evidence suggests that Schaw recognised the Reformation was making huge changes across the country and the craft had to be regularised (not in our sense) in the eyes of masons and councils into a more professional body. Another misconception is the terminology itself such as the two italicised terms above. Many writers of minutes misused terms such as fellow craft or master and masonry or freemasonry, even deacon, warden and master depending on who was in charge. Other terms for non-operative masons have also appeared such as gentleman masons or geomatic masons. This causes problems when looking at primary material as terms in use today often have a different meaning or even no equivalent in current practices. In this sense, our Craft has not only evolved over hundreds of years, but was created or adapted from Medieval stonemason practices. This creation is likely to have taken place over a period of time and in more than place. It is impossible to give an exact date as to when this happened and this adds to the mystery of the Craft.

Therefore, Schaw grabbed the opportunity to form rules to protect masons. This has had a much greater effect than Schaw would have imagined originally. His statutes may have preserved the craft as an organisation that non-masons thought was worth joining and one that survives today when so many contemporary fraternal organisations disappeared. However, these new statutes, despite being modelled on past experiences and practices, were different from the site lodges. The latter were local bodies whereas the

new ‘Schaw lodges’ were much broader to include all masons using a hierarchical structure with a general warden in overall charge. This was a unique position to Scotland; England did not have a comparable position although some clerks were deputised over several working sites. Perhaps Schaw was empire building, but he most certainly made an indelible mark in Scottish Masonic customs. During the next century, Scottish lodges exponentially changed at least in documentary evidence: the mention of the mason word was recorded, non operatives were initiated, catechisms (questions and answers), written histories, etc are recorded in various places. However, it must be remembered at this period there were probably no more than about twenty to thirty lodges in total although they were scattered across the country. The fact that the new reformed church accepted the lodges is surprising initially, but if lodges agreed to practice morality and leave religious dogmas to the church then it is not difficult to understand that the masonic practices did not detrimentally affect the church. This tolerance of religion was common under the Age of Enlightenment and most likely attracted non-operatives to consider membership. Freemasonry in its widest sense, to a certain extent, is a natural phenomenon. It was created from an actual trade of manual labour under the control of churchmen and gradually rituals were developed that would become very symbolical. This relationship with the church must have strengthened their bond with the church which was especially powerful at this time and with their acceptance, their growth was guaranteed. Lodges moved away from meeting on building sites to taverns and coffee houses, and in all likelihood were able to develop the ritual further without too much interference from the church. This aspect may have been the saviour for the Craft in that this provided an new dimension which would offer more than just a scientific or academic club – the sociable eating and drinking was very much part and parcel of a lodge. Thus the Craft was twofold taking the best of both worlds, offering an esoteric ritual which would be under constant development and a social aspect. The craft has continued to grow into the phenomenon we now know, something very different from the masonry that would have been practiced by a 17th century mason. During the 16th Century, the incorporations were expanding across Scotland. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow had fourteen trades incorporated while Dundee, Perth, Stirling and Aberdeen slightly less. All the trades were similar in terms of how they operated and all were careful about nonmembers and using the best qualified (often three ‘essay masters’) to test work. Despite this, they were not large compared to the merchant guildand the masons in particular were one of the smallest trades within the incorporation. Unlike the merchants, few craftsmen died rich and many were always trying to avoid being destitute and the incorporation helped in this matter by providing benevolence and even a mort cloth at burials. They were “essentially unadventurous” fraternities more concerned with keeping members from poverty, but avoiding wealth.

Due to the building regulations becoming stricter during the 15th Century, many trades were finding themselves exploited by the burgh council and so had to do something as an act of selfpreservation. Thus guilds (generally for merchants) and incorporations or lodges (mainly for trades) were formed and made legal by the burgh through the presentation of a Seal of Cause. Outwith towns, incorporations did not exist and the lodge was the governing body. By the middle of the next century, the incorporation of masons had a tight grip of organising of the mason trade and who could become a burgess allowed to employ labour.

In Glasgow, Schaw may have an influence on the division of the masons with the wrights. Their seal of cause was granted in 1551, but in 1600 the wrights separated from the masons due to the huge differences between both trades. Certainly plausible, but the timing is curious –just after the statutes had been written? Some author believe this was not coincidental, but as a result of the statutes themselves. Did the wrights see the masons becoming the dominant trade and felt they should get out before they are taken over completely? It must have been part of their deliberations before applying for their new seal of cause. The minutes of Mary’s Chapel reveal that Schaw was considering a lodge in St. Andrew’ s, very probably due to the church connections. Masons from Perth were also summoned to attend the meeting, but despite attempting to form the lodge here for the eastern part of Fife, it never worked and the lodge did not succeed. In the west of the burgh, the Lodge of Dunfermline is mentioned in the charters for the first time, although the lodge would not be heard of again until 1673.

In May 1909, the Brethren of Lodge St John (Kilwinning) Largs No.173 agreed to build a temple on a site of South Croft, Causeyside Croft in Largs. The land was offered by Bro. James Hunter. The plans of the building were passed in October 1909, with Bro. David Harper, solicitor, and for some years Lodge Treasure, taking care of all legal matters.

The memorial stone was to be laid on Saturday 7 May 1910 with considerable pageantry but the unexpected death of King Edward cast a long shadow over Britain and was postponed to the following Monday evening without the originally planned street procession.

The Provincial Office bearers as they approached the building were seen carrying the various paraphernalia which are used on such an occasion - the plumb, the level, the square, the cornucopia full of stalks of corn, the silver vases with oil and wine, and also swords. These emblems were of much interest to the crowd which had assembled to witness the ceremony.

On the Masons taking up their position on the platform on top of the building, these tools and implements were place don a small table. The cost to the Lodge of the building and furnishing the Temple amounted to £1250. The Masonic brethren and the foresters, who arrived at the scene about 7pm, took up their position at the top of the building (see photo above and today below) where the Memorial Stone, which was gifted by Brother Joseph Arthurs of Skelmorlie, was suspended from a crane ready to be lowered in position.

The Provincial Office Bearers as they approached the building were seen carrying the various paraphernalia which are used on such an occasion - the plumb, the level, the square, the cornucopia full of stalks of corn, the silver vases with oil and wine, and also swords. These emblems were of much interest to the crowd which had assembled to witness the ceremony. On the Masons taking up their position on the platform on top of the building, these tools and implements were place don a small table. The cost to the Lodge of the building and furnishing the Temple amounted to £1250.

By April 1911, £600 of the total cost had been repaid and Bro. Charles Lodder offered to take a bond for the remaining £650. The Brethren then spent the next year making arrangements for a Grand Bazaar to be held over two days on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 July 1912.

In 1917, Brother Lodder died at his home on the sea front now named Vanduara. He thoroughly appreciated the efforts of the brethren in the reduction of the debt of the Temple; he showed his appreciation of their labours when disposing of his worldly goods by granting a total discharge of his deed of conveyance. Consequently, the brethren were in the fortunate position of occupying a beautiful new Temple entirely free from debt. In his will, Bro, Lodder had discharged a debt of more than £340. The equivalent sum today would be about £35,000.

Masonic Scouting

Further to last month’s article about the two charters of Lodge St. John (Kilwinning) Largs No.173, here is now the minute of the meeting of MK0 and Largs in 1767. This shows Largs Kilwinning No.67, the original number from MK0. A truly fantastic piece of masonic history which the brethren are, quite rightly, proud to have in their possession.

Freemasonry and the Scouts have been connected in the UK for many years. However, it appears that it is not just here but also in Germany with three scouting lodges: Loge Zur weißen Lilie No. 871, consecrated 1960, Loge Ko nig Salomo zur weißen Lilie No. 852 in Berlin. Consecrated 1958, became a Scout Lodge No.1961 and Loge Zum Palmbaum zur weißen Lilie No. 36 in Offenbach. The latter two are in darkness now.