SCOTTISH FREEMASONRY 1725-1810 ... - Lodge Prudentia

Chapter Two
‘Antient Lustre in This Kindgome:’
The Grand Lodge of Scotland, Operative Freemasonry
and the Early Characteristics of Scottish Lodges
Peter Clark – in his recent study British Clubs and Societies 1580-1800
(2000) – particularly emphasizes the role of freemasonry in “fostering social
harmony, serving to unite different social, as well as political and religious
groups,” and its effective deployment of “all the…levers of recruitment,
marketing, and organization.” 1 Clark explains that through publicity, self-
promotion, and the creation of a central governing body, freemasonry became
“the biggest association in the British world.” 2
Although largely based on English evidence, there are several broad
similarities between Clark’s conclusions and the progress of eighteenth-century
Scottish freemasonry: the creation of a central Grand Lodge, a penchant for
conviviality, adherence to a system of constitutionalism, overt respect and
loyalty for the political establishment, varying degrees of Newtonian intellectual
influence, and a clear, recognizable presence in the community. 3 Regardless of
1
Clark, British Clubs, 319; 348.
2
Ibid. See pages 309-348 for a discussion of British freemasonry and its functions,
characteristics and politics.
3
David Stevenson argues that in order to correctly situate the origins of Scottish freemasonry,
the “relevant English evidence must also be examined. When this is done, it immediately
becomes apparent that the English evidence is very different from the Scottish,” Origins, 213-
233. For a discussion on Scottish masonic lodge membership in Edinburgh, see Lisa Kahler,
“Freemasonry In Edinburgh 1721-1746: Institutions And Context,” Unpublished Thesis (St
Andrews, 1998).