Through the Key Hole - RoseCroix.org.au

67
THE COWAN
By Keith Stockley
In a very old book I have detailing “the Old Scots” language, the
word COWAN is shown as a mason who works with dry stone ( in
other words he does not use mortar).
In an addendum to the 1929 edition of THE CONCISE OXFORD
DICTIONARY by Lt. Col. H G Le Mesurier, C.I.E. there is the following
entry on page 1464:
COW-AN, n.(Sc). Working but unqualified mason.
In his book “ Book of Ritual”, W Reeves of London, says that the
word is of French origin and was written as “CHOVAN” with the
“CH” pronounced as in “CHEMIST” v.i.z. CHOVAN became
COWAN.
The CHOVANS were loyalists during the French Revolution and
the most determined and inveterate enemies of the Charitables:
Robespierre, Billaud-Vareenne, Callot d’Herbois, the Duke of Orleans
and the rest of the revolutionaries.
The CHOVANS were worse than eavesdroppers to the masons
who, as history gives ample evidence, were the originators of the
Revolution with the infamous Duke of Orleans at their head.
The CHOVANS were a party connected with several groups of
Royalists of Poiton and Basse Bretagne, distinguished by the titles
of Les Charettistes, Les Vandeen, Les Chapeurs, Les Chovans,
Les Brigands, de la Vendee and many others, all of whom were
opposed to the masons, but the most inveterate of these groups
was the Chovans.
Perhaps as a result of this all opposers of Masonry thereafter were
designated Chovans which was the word used to describe antimasons
in many parts of the world.
Whatever the ‘real’ meaning of the word COWAN it is certainly part
of our traditional ritual and in such a way that it refers to someone
who should not be permitted into lodge.
108
THOMAS LYNCH—UNRECORDED MASONIC
SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION.
By Keith Stockley
Now to someone no-one has ever heard of. What is known of course
is that nine Freemasons signed the American Declaration of Independence,
including Masonic heavyweights such as Benjamin
Franklin and John Hancock.
Thomas Lynch Jnr was also a signer of this declaration, but he is not
listed as a Freemason. Was he in fact on the square? Judge for
yourself.
Admittedly there is no written evidence of his Masonic membership
either in America where he was born, or England where he was educated,
but I am grateful to Bro. R.A.N. Petrie who presented the results
of his research of certain University Lodges in England in accordance
with which I believe it can be said with some degree of
confidence that Thomas Lynch Jnr was in fact on the square and if
indeed this proves to be the case then he can be described as an
“Unrecorded Masonic Signer of the Declaration.”
He was born in Prince George's Parish, Winyaw, South Carolina on
5 August 1749. His father, Thomas Lynch Senior, was a member of
the first and second Continental Congresses and a signer of the Articles
of Association of 1774. He entered Eton College in England on
9 June 1764 and was entered as a commoner at Caius College,
Cambridge on 18 May 1767.
He was a member of the first and second Provincial Congresses, the
Constitutional Committee for South Carolina, the first State general
Assembly and the second Continental Congress.
What about his possible Masonic membership?
Ronald E Heaton in his “Masonic Membership of the Founding Fathers”
examines the Masonic membership of the signers of the Articles
of Association, the signers of the Declaration of Independence,
the signers of the Articles of Confederation and the signers of the