Mark Coleman Wallace PhD Thesis - University of St Andrews

society. Although it continued to function in this capacity throughout the
eighteenth century, from 1740 until 1785 the masons emphasized its role in the
public as well as the private sphere. Lodges were chartered at a rate unmatched
at any other time during the eighteenth century; members of other clubs and
societies joined the masonic fraternity, manifesting a keen interest in
enlightenment sociability and the ability of lodges to compete with other
associations; and freemasonry confirmed itself as a leader among charitable
organizations, with service to the community being the self-proclaimed mission
of the Grand Lodge. Indeed, the Grand Lodge facilitated much of this
expansion and progress, allowing lodges to retain some autonomy while
gradually increasing its authority and legal hold over Scottish masons.
During the late 1790s, however, the Grand Lodge asserted itself as a real
and powerful presence. National fears of a French-inspired revolution produced
a wave of scepticism of all clubs and societies that met and deliberated in
private. Certainly, the impact of government legislation passed to regulate such
perceived threats was only a partial consequence of the recent criticism of
freemasonry. Perhaps more important, though, was the Grand Lodge’s
interpretation of parliamentary acts as extensions of its power to enforce
national as well as masonic legislation. Without the radical environment in
which the Unlawful Oaths and Secret Societies Acts were passed, it is highly
unlikely that the government and masonic responses would have been so
intense.
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