Mark Coleman Wallace PhD Thesis - University of St Andrews

The results suggest that provincial lodges recruited heavily from artisan
and middling classes, as tradesmen accounted for 60 per cent of the
membership, and only 44 per cent in Edinburgh. These numbers mirror the high
percentage of artisanal trades comprising the Ancient lodges in England during
the 1750s. 62 Further examination of the totals shows that Edinburgh lodges
recruited greatly from the professional class (30 per cent) compared to only 12
percent for provincial lodges. However, regional lodges showed a higher
proportion of military (28 per cent) compared to only 3 per cent for Edinburgh,
and each was composed of an almost equal percentage of gentlemen.
Clearly, although there was a greater concentration of lodges outside of
Edinburgh, membership numbers were much higher in the capital. Between
1736 and 1757, No. 1, No. 3, No. 8, and No. 160 enrolled over 1,000 members;
in contrast, the four provincial lodges registered 326 members, or roughly one-
third of the Edinburgh totals. By way of comparison, the average number of
men joining St Andrews Lodge annually between 1727 and 1788 was only 2.5,
with only 151 total members entering the lodge during this sixty-one year
span. 63 Membership analysis also reveals that only thirty new members were
added to the lodge roles between the years 1727 and 1757. 64 Between 1737 and
1757, Canongate Kilwinning admitted 632 members, averaging almost thirty-
two per year, highlighting the disparity among overall recruitment for Edinburgh
and regional lodges.
62 Clark, British Clubs, 322-323.
63 No. 25 St Andrews Lodge Minutes, 1727-1757.
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