Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Scotland.
SCOTLAND .
EDINBURGH . Lodge of Journeymen ( No . 8 ) . — - [ The following is the continuation of Bro . Wm . Hunter ' s paper , which press of matter prevented our giving entire in our impression of last week . — -Ed . ] " One of the first things that claims attention ., is the exact year in which the Journeymen Society , or Lodge , took its rise . This is generally understood to be the year 1707 . It is , however , apparently set down in the constitution of the
Lodge , inserted at the beginning of our first minute-book , as the year 1709 . I say apparently , because the figure is not very distinctly written , and after all may be , and in fact has generally been taken to be a 7 . The regular quarterly contributions commence in 1709 , and the - Grand Lodge has ascribed our establishment to the same period . Now it is a fact that there is no express statement in our early minutes , or in the books of Mary ' s Chapel , to show that our Lodge actually had its origin in 1707- We can only establish this by inference from other
circumstances . In the first place , we have on the fifth page of our first minutebook the following statement' — Here we Journeymen Masons in Edinburgh convened , and agreed among ourselves , on the 18 th November , 1708 , in contributing and collecting a small penny for the use and behoof of our distressed poor who stand in need thereof . ' A penalty is attached to the non-payment of the sum which each Brother subscribed , as is evident from the following words—viz ., ' and in breach , or failzier hereof , twelve pounds Scots . ' This we think plainly
shows , that in 1708 the Journeymen Society had been formed , and was intended to be permanent . Not a word is said that the contributions were merely to serve a temporary purpose , or that this was the first meeting that the journeymen had held . In 1708 the journeymen presented a petition to the parent Lodge , craving for a redress of grievances , which proves at least , that by that time they had held some separate meetings , and had taken combined action . Then , in the oldest printed records of the Lodge that I have seen , extending some eighty or ninety years back , the date of the origin of the Lodge is stated to be 1707 . The
centenary of the Lodge was celebrated in 1807 , thus showing that the Brethren then living , believed that the Lodge commenced its existence a hundred years previous . Besides these circumstances there is the traditionary statement handed down from one generation to another , that the Journeymen Society was ushered into existence , as a separate and distinct organization , in that memorable year in which the union between Scotland and England was carried into effect . Taking all these items of proof together , I think there are good grounds for believing that' our Society had its origin in 1707 .
" So much for the year on which our Lodge started on its career ; let us next attend to the cause which forced the journeymen to secede from the parent institution . This also is not very fully and distinctly stated in any document that I have seen , but it is the general understanding , borne out by repeated allusions in our old records , that the main . reason which influenced the journeymen to take this step , was that they had not a sufficient control over the funds of the Lodge , and that an adequate amount of support was not given to their poor widows and orphans . Frequent statements are also made that they had other
grievances , but I have not been able to find out exactly what they were . Being aware that the journeymen had submitted a memorial of their case to the Lords of Council and Session , I have made some search among the law papers in the Advocates * Library to ascertain if it has been preserved , but hitherto I have not been able to obtain any trace of this document . The exact year in which the memorial was presented is not very evident , but it must have been in 1707 or 1708 , if the statement in our printed records is correct , that the litigation between the two parties lasted seven years , for we know that a decision was given in the beginning of 1715 .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Scotland.
SCOTLAND .
EDINBURGH . Lodge of Journeymen ( No . 8 ) . — - [ The following is the continuation of Bro . Wm . Hunter ' s paper , which press of matter prevented our giving entire in our impression of last week . — -Ed . ] " One of the first things that claims attention ., is the exact year in which the Journeymen Society , or Lodge , took its rise . This is generally understood to be the year 1707 . It is , however , apparently set down in the constitution of the
Lodge , inserted at the beginning of our first minute-book , as the year 1709 . I say apparently , because the figure is not very distinctly written , and after all may be , and in fact has generally been taken to be a 7 . The regular quarterly contributions commence in 1709 , and the - Grand Lodge has ascribed our establishment to the same period . Now it is a fact that there is no express statement in our early minutes , or in the books of Mary ' s Chapel , to show that our Lodge actually had its origin in 1707- We can only establish this by inference from other
circumstances . In the first place , we have on the fifth page of our first minutebook the following statement' — Here we Journeymen Masons in Edinburgh convened , and agreed among ourselves , on the 18 th November , 1708 , in contributing and collecting a small penny for the use and behoof of our distressed poor who stand in need thereof . ' A penalty is attached to the non-payment of the sum which each Brother subscribed , as is evident from the following words—viz ., ' and in breach , or failzier hereof , twelve pounds Scots . ' This we think plainly
shows , that in 1708 the Journeymen Society had been formed , and was intended to be permanent . Not a word is said that the contributions were merely to serve a temporary purpose , or that this was the first meeting that the journeymen had held . In 1708 the journeymen presented a petition to the parent Lodge , craving for a redress of grievances , which proves at least , that by that time they had held some separate meetings , and had taken combined action . Then , in the oldest printed records of the Lodge that I have seen , extending some eighty or ninety years back , the date of the origin of the Lodge is stated to be 1707 . The
centenary of the Lodge was celebrated in 1807 , thus showing that the Brethren then living , believed that the Lodge commenced its existence a hundred years previous . Besides these circumstances there is the traditionary statement handed down from one generation to another , that the Journeymen Society was ushered into existence , as a separate and distinct organization , in that memorable year in which the union between Scotland and England was carried into effect . Taking all these items of proof together , I think there are good grounds for believing that' our Society had its origin in 1707 .
" So much for the year on which our Lodge started on its career ; let us next attend to the cause which forced the journeymen to secede from the parent institution . This also is not very fully and distinctly stated in any document that I have seen , but it is the general understanding , borne out by repeated allusions in our old records , that the main . reason which influenced the journeymen to take this step , was that they had not a sufficient control over the funds of the Lodge , and that an adequate amount of support was not given to their poor widows and orphans . Frequent statements are also made that they had other
grievances , but I have not been able to find out exactly what they were . Being aware that the journeymen had submitted a memorial of their case to the Lords of Council and Session , I have made some search among the law papers in the Advocates * Library to ascertain if it has been preserved , but hitherto I have not been able to obtain any trace of this document . The exact year in which the memorial was presented is not very evident , but it must have been in 1707 or 1708 , if the statement in our printed records is correct , that the litigation between the two parties lasted seven years , for we know that a decision was given in the beginning of 1715 .