When Grand Lodge met on 5th August 1747, they seriously considered the position of the Lodges throughout the “Kingdom”, those who acknowledged Grand Lodge, at that time and who had taken Charters from Grand Lodge, but due to the difficulties of travelling and the distances involved had never attended Grand Lodge meetings.
The problem was that they had not recorded their new members or paid their quotas for the subscriptions being levied for the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, nor had they appointed their Proxies.
It was therefore proposed that the Lodges throughout the Kingdom should be classed into districts or divisions, and some particular appointed person within each district or division enjoined to advise the members of the Lodges of their responsibilities to Grand Lodge, to send to Grand Lodge the Rolls of old and new members and to pay the common dues for such.
A Committee was appointed to meet and to decide on this issue. They reported to the Quarterly Communication on the 30th November 1747, when the Grand Lodge announced the various groupings of the Lodges, under the various nominated brethren to act for and to represent Grand Lodge in those parts of Scotland.
The minute details the grouping of the Lodges and their respective designated authorised Brethren or ‘Collectors’ as they were then called. The one, which concerns us in Forfarshire, is the following entry in the minutes: -
Professor Robert Thomson & John Cumming.
“By Professor Robert Thomson, or John Cumming. - The Lodges of Montrose, Bervie, The Operative Lodge of Dundee, The Ancient Lodge of Dundee and Aberdeen.”
According to an address given, in Dundee, by D. Murray Lyon the Grand Secretary in 1901 the Province was at that time titled the Province of Forfar, Angus and Aberdeen.
These brethren were not appointed nor were they specifically commissioned as Provincial Grand Masters: they were just given powers, by Grand Lodge to collect the fees, get the Lodges to renew their proxies on Grand Lodge and report their Rolls to Grand Lodge. In other words they only acted as local representatives from and with the authority of Grand Lodge for that purpose.
In some of the older versions of the list of Past Provincial Grand Masters for the Province of Forfarshire these two brethren are placed at the top, but, strictly speaking, cannot be thought of as early Provincial Grand Masters of our Province of Forfarshire.
I have no information on who Professor Thomson was – he was probably one of the members of an Aberdeen Lodge and a professor Aberdeen University.
As to John Cumming he is mentioned in the historical notes of Lodge Montrose Kilwinning No. 15 and is named as being the Right Worshipful Master of the ‘Masonic Lodge entitled Montrose Kilwinning’ for the year 1745. This Lodge only lasted from 1745 until 1747 when the Lodge of Montrose (1714) merged with that Lodge to become the Lodge we know today as Lodge Montrose Kilwinning No. 15.
John Cumming played an interesting part in Montrose, during the Jacobite uprising of 1745/46 (Read more).
In February 1756, Brother Charles Hamilton Gordon, Esq., Past Grand Master, made a motion at the quarterly communication – “That in order to have the affairs of the Grand Lodge put upon a better footing, it would be proper and necessary that Provincial Grand Masters should be appointed to visit the several distant Lodges, examine the books and to report back to Grand Lodge various particulars regarding the Lodges in their districts, i.e. Names of the Master & office bearers, dates and times of meetings, number of members, the state of their funds, the dues to be remitted to Grand Lodge, to get Lodges to nominate Proxies to represent the Lodge at Grand Lodge meetings and to report back to Grand Lodge on the state of the Lodges in general.”
The Grand Lodge at that meeting also resolved, that the following persons be named Provincial Grand Masters for executing the different matters contained in the above motion… Amongst the list was the name of: - Mr. David Dalrymple, Advocate
To the Lodges of: Peterhead, Aberdeen, St Machar’s Aberdeen, Bervie, Montrose, Glasgow Montrose (sic), Ancient Lodge of Dundee and the Operative Lodge of Dundee. (Strangely there is no mention of Arbroath or Brechin).
The beginnings of our Province
The one and only reference recorded regarding the appointment of a actual, ‘designated’ Provincial Grand Master to our part of Scotland, is that of David Dalrymple, Advocate, to the area covering Dundee and the shires of Angus, Kincardine and Aberdeen.
However as far as this brother is concerned, at this time, no other documentary information has been found about his activities and relationships with the Lodges under his jurisdiction from this appointment in 1756 up until 1797 the year when the next name appears on the Provincial Grand Masters list, that of George Paterson.
What David Dalrymple did, where he went, what influence he had, whether he performed the functions of his office, I don’t know. The Minute Books of Lodge St. Peter No. 120 in Montrose, which go back to 1769, certainly make no mention at all of any contact, dealings or correspondence with this brother.
David Dalrymple - Later Lord Westhall became Grand Master between1774 – 1776?
In August 1758 Grand Lodge was of the opinion that several Provincial Grand Masters should be written to, entreating them to report by the November Quarterly Communication on the state of returns from the Lodges. ‘It therefore seems obvious that some of the Provincial Grand Masters are not fulfilling their duties and that the Lodges are forever slow in sending in their dues. The Provincial Grand Masters were advised they should accept the most easy composition from the Lodges in Arrears.’
There were threats that those Lodges who had not paid by the November Quarterly should be immediately struck off at the August Meeting in 1764.
There is no further mention of Provincial Grand Masters in Grand Lodge Minutes until May 1784, when a certain Brother Brown moved that the number of Provincial Grand Masters should be increased. No details are given and consideration was delayed until a future Quarterly Communication.
In September 1792, the Substitute Grand Master was given the task at the earliest opportunity to find out proper persons to fill the offices of Provincial Grand Master where it may be thought expedient throughout the different Districts of Scotland to place them. Whether he investigated the possible Provincial Grand Masters or Districts is not known. There is certainly no report minuted.
However five years later on the 25th January 1797, (The same year as the Battle of Camperdown – 11th October) the four Dundee Lodges, - Operative, Ancient, St. David, and, Thistle Operative – met in the Lodge room of Thistle Operative and drew up a petition to Grand Lodge for the appointment of a Provincial Grand Master to the Dundee District, which also was intended to cover the county of Angus and also the Mearns.
Extract from the Minutes of Lodge Ancient No. 49 of 25th January 1797 records – “That the Grand Lodge had proposed to appoint three Provincial Grand Masters for the North of Scotland, viz. One at Inverness, one at Aberdeen, and one at Perth. A copy of two petitions being produced, read and considered and in order to petition the Grand Lodge that a Provincial Grand Master might be nominated for Dundee as being a proper situation considering so many Lodges in the said town and vicinity, the meeting agreed to the second petition produced in conjunction with the other Lodges. The thanks of the meeting was also given to Brother William Marshall of the Operative Lodge for his diligence in bringing over & communicating the above intention of the Grand Lodge, to this place.”
Extract of the Minutes of Lodge Ancient of 22nd February 1797 - At this meeting the Right Worshipful (Master) reported that the petition to the Grand Lodge, mentioning a former meeting 25th January last, had been properly draw up, signed by the Masters of the four Lodges in Dundee and transmitted, which was graciously received by the Grand Lodge, the prayer thereof granted, and he produced their answer the tenor whereof is as follows.
Edinburgh 6th February 1797, A Petition was presented signed by the Masters of the Four Lodges of Dundee, which after having been read by the Grand Clerk, it was intimated from the chair that an apology had been sent to the Substitute Grand Master from the Most Worshipful Lord Downe, regretting that it was not in his power to attend the meeting, but that he highly approved of the Dundee Petition, and proposed George Paterson Esq., of Castle Huntly to be the Provincial Grand Master for said District. Which proposal the Grand Lodge agreed to, and hereby declare the Dundee District to be confined to the Lodges in the Counties of Angus & Mearns only. (Extracted and signed Thomas Sommers, Grand Clerk.)
Upon receiving the above, a meeting of the Four Masters attended with a committee from their respective Lodges was agreed upon to meet in the house of Brother Roderick Ormond (R.W.M. of Lodge Ancient No. 49) in order to draw up an address of Congratulations to George Paterson Esq. Of Castle Huntly upon his being appointed Provincial Grand Master to the Dundee District. Brother David Gall to attend as Clerk to the meeting. No other business occurring, the evening was cheerfully concluded with a glass and a song.
Copy of the address sent to George Paterson Esq.
“Brother,
“We the Masters of the four Lodges in Dundee, in name and by the authority from the members of our Respective Lodges, take the earliest opportunity of congratulating you, on your appointment as Provincial Grand Master over the several Lodges in the Counties of Angus & Mearns; which took place, at a Quarterly meeting of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, held in Edinburgh on the 6th instant.
Your character as a gentleman & attachment to the Craft, justly pointed you out to the Grand Lodge as a proper person to fill that high and important office, and if the Petition presented by us tended in the smallest degree to promote your appointment, and in fixing Dundee as the residence of a Provincial Grand Master, we feel peculiar pleasure, and trust, that under your auspices Masonry will flourish; to promote such valuable purposes, may you be long spared among us as a blessing to the Craft, to your family & to the World at large, We are with much esteem and regard.”
“Your most obedient servants
Signed Thomas Matthewson, Master of Operative Lodge.
Roderick Ormond, Master of Ancient Lodge.
William Scott, Master of St. David’s Lodge.
Charles Haggart, Master of Thistle Operative Lodge.
Dundee 18th February 1797 & of Masonry 5797.”
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