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Scottish Freemasonry on the BBC

Ratchet

Registered User
A very interesting article. Thank you for sharing it. When I talk to our new initiates, I tell them about St.Mary's Chapel No.1. It's an important part of our history.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
Thanks - I was yet to get to this thread and entered this section to post that very link.

My take is it is fairly accurate. The Schaw statues are also interesting, but I'd never connected the notary appointment to the creation of minutes. They also omit the Scottish/French connection - but its most notable during Jacobite times in the 1700's and I think help facilitate a French/Scotts Masonic exchange but that's a view formed years ago on circumstantial evidence...

You sometimes hear "Freemasonry was founded in 1717" (not engaging on the current debate on that) which is an incorrect statement. What we can say is the modern Grand Lodges system was founded in 1717 but in doing so, lodges, and at least the 4 which formed GL of London were already in operation and there was certainly Scottish lodges operating prior to that date in the previous centrury.

What did you think of the article Glen ?
 

Glen Cook

G A Cook
Site Benefactor
I had not encountered the notary requirement, and would wish to see how that is phrased and the qualifications of a notary at that time in that country.

I wonder if this part of the operative history, as the Deeds Act 1579 required "bonds of obligation " be subscribed and sealed between the principals or "twa famous notars." See http://www.ukinf.org.uk/roleinscotland.html
 

Bloke

Premium Member
Thanks Glen, more generally, do we know the levels of literacy at those times ? Might simply be prescribing that each lodge have a man to record the doings of the lodge ? I've never considered it before, but if literacy among operatives was low, admitting non-freemasons who could write might have been a useful resource .. I also note in your link "The administration of oaths has always been an important function of the notary."

In the 2nd Schaw Statutes
(8) The warden and deacon, together with the masters of the district [quarter maisteries] shall elect a well known notary [constitut ane famous notar] as clerk and secretary [scryb] who shall make out and sign all indentures, discharges, and other writings whatsoever, pertaining to the craft, and no writ, title or other evidence shall be admitted by the warden and deacon, except it shall have been executed by this clerk and signed by him.
http://www.themasonictrowel.com/Articles/Manuscripts/manuscripts/shaw_statutes/shaw_statutes.htm
 

Bloke

Premium Member
Very interesting.

Setting aside any legal requirements, I've just looked at a couple of sources and literacy in the UK in the 1700's was much higher than expected. This source puts it as 40% https://www1.umassd.edu/ir/resources/laboreducation/literacy.pdf and this one likewise has it much higher than I would have expected https://ourworldindata.org/literacy/
https://ourworldindata.org/literacy/
Not sure where that gets us, but it suggests as Urbanization grew, so did literacy rates - esp 1550 to 1650
 

Glen Cook

G A Cook
Site Benefactor
Literacy in Scotland was reported higher as a result of the Scottish Enlightenment, but this is over a century after the Schaw Statutes
 
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