The Kirkwall lodge is called “Kirkwall Kilwinning Lodge”. It was founded in 1736 just before the founding of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. So did the lodge start without a charter, or was it chartered by another organisation?
The website of the lodge simply says: “Our Lodge Charter of 1740”. (1) Craven (see literature) gives a quote saying that: “John Berrihill, free Meason from the antient Ludge of Stirline, and Wm. Meldrum, from the Lodge of Dumfermline” and continues in his own words: “founded [the lodge] on the 1st day of October, 1736.” He says nothing about a possible earlier charter than 1740.
The website of Lodge Mother Kilwinning says (2):
Before the formation of Grand Lodge Mother Kilwinning was a Grand Lodge in her own right, issuing warrants and charters to Lodges wishing to enjoy the privileges of Freemasonry. Many Lodges still carry the name of Kilwinning to this day, but Scotland being a small country it was undesirable to have two Grand Lodges.
Thus suggesting that the Kirkwall lodge was founded from Kilwinning. The quoted text comes right after the paragraph title “Kilwinning Chapter 1771”, which seems to suggest that Kilwinning granted charges until 1771. Belton and Dachez, on the other hand, say (3):
In Scotland Mother Kilwinning left the GL of Scotland in 1744 and did not return until 1807, and in the intervening years warranted lodges across Scotland and probably also for other degrees (although they seem to deny that).
But we are talking 1736. There wasn’t even a Grand Lodge to leave at the time. Lodge Mother Kilwinning says to go back to the 1600’s, so at the moment I can do no better than suggest the strong possibility that the Kirkwall lodge was initially chartered from Kilwinning, hence the name that they still share with 30+ other lodges (of 600+ Grand Lodge of Scotland lodges). Not with the lodges in Stirling and Dunfermline though! There is something interesting about both of them though. According to Wikipedia (4):
The Lodge of Dunfermline, no. 26 on the Roll of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and formally Lodge St John claims that it is one of the most ancient masonic lodges in Scotland.
It connects directly with “the Ludge of Masons of Dunfermling” which held St. Clair Charters in 1598 and 1628.
Both are old and both are claimed to be on the St. Clair lists of lodges.
As we have seen, the Stirling lodge has brasses with ‘higher degrees’ on them), some of which can supposedly be found on the Kirkwall Scroll as well. It is too bad that these brasses can’t be dated using carbon dating (because they are made of metal).
There is something interesting regarding these ‘high degrees’. In High Knights Templar Rituals (5) Snoek writes (my emphasis):
The ‘Early Grand Encampment [of Ireland]’ (under its ‘Early Grand Master’) was older than its rival, the ‘Kilwinning High Knights Templar Encampment’ (under its ‘Grand Master’), both in Dublin. Both developed out of the ‘Kilwinning High Knight Templars Lodge’ (IC), warrented 8/10/1779 by ‘Mother Kilwinning’ (SC), and both worked the degrees ‘Excellent, Super-excellent, Royal Arch, and Knight Templar’.
So what if the name of the Kirkwall lodge came along the route of ‘high degrees’? Not directly from the Kilwinning lodge, but from an organisation naming itself after Kilwinning based on an old warrant? Judging the list of degrees of Snoek this is somewhat less likely, as we would miss the “super excellent” master from the degrees that were worked under these organisations and the scroll has a few more.
Interesting is that Belton and Dachez speak of a “Stirling Kilwinning Lodge” (6). They seem to say that this was a Royal Arch lodge/chapter, active since 1743 or 1745. They don’t say until when. Did Stirling have a “craft” and a Royal Arch lodge? Did Kilwinning?
What is certain is that the Kirkwall lodge was founded before the Grand Lodge of Scotland and (if Craven is correct) by members of two very old lodges. The name suggests that Lodge Mother Kilwinning has something to do with it, whether directly or indirectly.
(1) https://lodgekirkwallkilwinning.blogspot.com/p/early-history-of-lodge-kirkwall.html (accessed 7/8/2024)
(2) https://www.mk0.com/history/ (accessed 7/8/2024)
(3) See literature Belton, Dachez, p. 375
(4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry_in_Scotland (accessed 7/8/2024)
(5) High Knights Templar Rituals, Dublin (1795 and 1804) in the third volume of British Freemasonry, 1717-1813 (2016)
(6) See literature Belton, Dachez, p. 318