Object: Collection of items relating to freemasonry in Scotland, including regalia and jewels.

Title:

Collection of items relating to freemasonry in Scotland, including regalia and jewels.

Object name(s):

Museum collection level; Collection, Scotland

Brief description:

The Library and Museum holds a large collection of items pertaining to freemasonry in Scotland, numbering approximately 500, the bulk of which is craft regalia and jewels, followed by a smaller number of Royal Arch jewels and regalia and of Ancient and Accepted Rite regalia and jewels, and a small sample collection of jewels for the Mark, Royal Ark Mariners, Knights Templar and Cryptic degrees. The collection also holds a number of Scottish jewels and regalia from the 18th and 19th centuries. Scottish freemasons wear a rectangular apron with a flap and apron devices, such as rosettes or levels. Each Scottish lodge wears an apron of their own colour design, which may be one colour, two colours or even a tartan design. Lodges can also change their apron design. The colours of their aprons are then are reflected in their jewels, which are issued to past masters. A Scottish past master is usually (although not always) denoted by a set square, compass and section of a circle, sometimes framing a star or other device. Provincial, District and Grand Officers wear a uniform regalia in dark green and with the badge of office. The Library and Museum also holds a small collection of regalia of the Grand Lodge of All Scottish Freemasonry in India. The Grand Lodge was formed in 1847, born out of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Western India, and was in reality a very large district. Their regalia is dark green with gold lace trim.

Collection:

Museum of Freemasonry

Associated concept:

Regalia--Scotland

Associated concept:

Jewels--Freemasonry--Scotland

Comments:

The Grand Lodge of Scotland was formed in 1736 and today governs over 1800 lodges both in Scotland and countries overseas, including the Caribbean, India, Canada, New Zealand, Guyana and many countries in Africa. It is recognised by, and enjoys close links with, the United Grand Lodge of England in London. In addition to craft freemasonry, a number of other Masonic orders are also practised in Scotland: Royal Arch Freemasonry, Ancient and Accepted Rite, Knights Templar, Red Cross of Constantine and Holy Sepulchre and St. John the Evangelist, and the Royal Order of Scotland, which is ‘shared’ with English Constitution freemasonry (see catalogue entry for Royal Order of Scotland.)

Comments:

To find out the colour of the regalia of a lodge in Scotland, or to search for a lodge by the colour of their regalia, go to Draffen's Scottish Masonic Records, 1736-1950 at http://www.freemasonry.dept.shef.ac.uk/draffen/. See also, http://www.grandlodgescotland.com/.

Comments:

This catalogue entry is intended to provide an overview of the collection discussed. There are 40 collection catalogue entries in total, which give an introduction and a context to different areas of the collection, as well as providing examples of that collection. They are primarily intended as an interim measure before each item in the Library and Museum’s collection is catalogued individually, due to be completed by 2017. However, it is also hoped that they will provide the user with an entry into freemasonry and its material culture. Only 10 per cent of the Library and Museum’s collection is on display at any one time but the rest can be viewed upon request

Comments:

it is hoped that these catalogue entries with encourage our users to do so.

Comments:

All items from the Library and Museum's collection of Scottish freemasonry are available to view upon request with 72 hours notice.

Content - description:

Tartan, Compass, Section of a circle, Sun, Keystone, Pelican, Crosses

Object name:

Museum collection level; Collection, Scotland

Object number:

COLL/Scotland

Object production date:

c1780-2---

Object production place:

Scotland

Reproduction format:

Digital image

Technique:

Woven

Technique:

Cast metal

Technique:

Plated

Persistent shareable link for this record: https://museumdata.uk/objects/46a330e4-2808-302f-b7c9-aa960b11d301

Use licence for this record: CC BY

Attribution for this record: https://museumdata.uk/objects/46a330e4-2808-302f-b7c9-aa960b11d301, Museum of Freemasonry, CC BY

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