page_title: Freemasonry in Scotland
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Freemasonry in Scotland / History
caption_attribution_description: John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl (1755-1830). Piece is an engraving of an earlier portrait.
context_page_description: Freemasonry in Scotland in Lodges chartered by the Grand Lodge of Scotland comprises the Scottish Masonic Constitution as regular Masonic jurisdiction for the majority of freemasons in Scotland. There are also Lodges operating under the Scottish Masonic Constitution in countries outside of Scotland. Many of these are countries linked to Scotland and the United Kingdom through the Commonwealth of Nations and prior colonies and other settlements of the British Empire although there are several lodges in countries such as Lebanon, Belgium, Chile and Peru, which do not have such connections.
  The Grand Lodge of Scotland is independent of, though in amity with, both of the other Grand Lodges established in the UK and Ireland, the United Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of Ireland. As of 2018, it consists of 32 Provincial Grand Lodges in Scotland and 26 District Grand Lodges beyond the boundary of Scotland.
context_section_description: It has been argued that regulated Freemasonry in Scotland is older than in any other part of the British Isles. The connection between the craft of stonemasonry and modern Freemasonry can be readily established in Scotland. This direct connection can be traced from the oldest Masonic written records in the world, which are the property of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in Edinburgh.
  The oldest records held by the Grand Lodge of Scotland are minutes of Lodge Aitcheson's Haven which commence on 9 January 1599. The meeting minutes of the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) No.1 also date from 1599. Lodge Mother Kilwinning is number 0 on the Roll of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and is reputed to be the oldest Lodge not only in Scotland, but the world.  It is styled Mother Lodge of Scotland, attributing its origins to the 12th century, and is often called Mother Kilwinning.
  The Lodge of Dunfermline, no. 26 on the Roll of the Grand Lodge of Scotland,  and formally Lodge St John claims that it is one of the most ancient masonic lodges in Scotland.
  It connects directly with "the Ludge of Masons of Dunfermling" which held St. Clair Charters in 1598 and 1628. It doubtless existed prior to these dates, which gives a fair assumption that it played a part in the addition to, Dunfermline Palace (1540). The earliest record in possession of the Lodge is dated 1698.
  At the meeting in Edinburgh on 30 November l736, when Grand Lodge was formed, the Lodge had three representatives, Captain Arthur Forbes of Pittencrieff (Master), Bailie Charles Chalmers, and Henry Finlay (Wardens), and was of course, in the original province of Fife, when formed in 1745. Interesting notes bearing on its antiquity are contained in a booklet issued in connection with the opening, of their new hall in Priory Lane (a Lodgeroom in excellent taste) which was consecrated by the P.G.M., the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, on 17 December 1920, The hall is at present in use for national purposes making it difficult to gain access to old records. From the information available, the Secretary informs us that the date of the present Charter is 1766; that an early meeting place was the Spire Tavern c. 1814, and that the first R.W.M. was Lieut. Charles Durie.
  In 1717, four Lodges in London agreed to form the Grand Lodge of England, which many Scots joined; the Earl of Crawford was Grandmaster in 1734. Its Scottish counterpart was established in 1736, in a conscious effort to match the status of the English rite.   When in the second quarter of the 18th century the Grand Lodge of England made changes to their ritual, this not only caused frictions between Grand Lodge and many unaffiliated lodges in England, but also took Freemasonry as practised in England and Wales out of step with the new Grand Lodges in Scotland and Ireland.
  In 1751, a group of unaffiliated lodges of mainly Irish membership formed the Antient Grand Lodge of England, which grew in number of lodges and individual membership rapidly and also benefited from early recognition by the Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland.
  In the ensuing competition for authenticity and historical accuracy of ritual, the newer English grand lodge became known for short as the "Antients", while the older English grand lodge was referred to as the "Moderns". In 1799, the Grand Lodge of Scotland supported the Duke of Atholl (Grand Master of the "Antients") and the Earl of Moira (Acting Grand Master of the "Moderns") to keep Freemasonry in the British Isles from being outlawed by British government legislation against secret societies.
  In 1809 the "Moderns" started revising their ritual to a point where it was in step with the Antients, the Scots and the Irish. It was not until  1813 that the "Antients" and "Moderns" agreed on an Act of Union and formed the United Grand Lodge of England. While the conflict between the "Antients" and "Moderns" was to have a profound impact on Freemasonry as practised in England and Wales, it had comparatively little influence on Freemasonry in Ireland and Scotland. At the same time, Freemasonry in Scotland
caption: John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl, the Scottish peer and Grand Master of the "Antients"
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "579", "Image ImageLength": "800", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS5 Macintosh", "Image DateTime": "2012:04:03 15:01:40", "Image Artist": "National Portrait Gallery London", "Image ExifOffset": "6280", "Thumbnail ImageWidth": "145", "Thumbnail ImageLength": "200", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "108", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "6046", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "579", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "800"}