Mark Coleman Wallace PhD Thesis - University of St Andrews

Lodge of Scotland had instituted a series of policies that re-defined its position
as the real and tangible head of Scottish freemasonry.
130
The progression of the Grand Lodge from its purely titular position to the
central masonic bureaucracy of Scotland began in earnest in the mid-eighteenth
century with the dispensation of charity and monitoring of all dues and arrears.
Initially, petitions for charity were made to the Grand Lodge and, more often
than not, were approved without question. By 1750, and continuing until 1767,
the Grand Lodge passed nine regulations which completely altered the
application process and ultimately restricted the number of people who
qualified for financial assistance. Several of the early resolutions asserted that
no charity petitions would be received from lodges that did not regularly remit
monies due to the Grand Lodge for new admissions. 182
With the advent of the Grand Charity Committee in 1754 which
consisted of the “Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, Substitute Grand
Master, Grand Wardens, and all persons who have held these offices at any
time, with the masters of the Several Contributing Lodges or their
representatives, who are always to be attended by the Grand Secretary,
Treasurer, and Clerk,” 183 new restrictions were put into place. Most
extraordinary was the decision of the Grand Lodge to reserve the right to charge
interest on charity – even monies allocated to widows, orphans, or sick and
injured masons. 184 Ostensibly, the major factor contributing to the
implementation of such a drastic measure was the non-payment of dues and
182 Grand Lodge of Scotland Minutes, 26 November 1753.
183 Ibid, 6 February 1754.
184 Ibid.