What are the historical records of the Lodge of Edinburgh?

The existing minute books of the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) No. 1 commence on 31 July 1599 1. Although the extinct Lodge of Aitchison's Haven holds entries dating back to 9 January 1598 1, Mary's Chapel possesses the oldest continuous records of any active lodge in the world 12.

In its 16th-century minutes, the Schaw Statutes of 1599, and early 17th-century charters, the lodge was recorded simply as "The Lodge of Edinburgh" 2. It was assigned precedence over Mother Kilwinning in the Schaw Statutes of 1599 3. The lodge later used several titles, such as "The Lodge of Mary's Chapel" and "The Society of Freemen Masons in Edinburgh," before petitioning the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1770 to formalize its historic designation as "The Antient Lodge of Edinburgh" 2.

The oldest minute book records early entries for notable non-operative members 2. Among these early admissions are John Boswell of Auchinleck in 1600, Lord Alexander and Anthony Alexander in 1634, Henry Alexander in 1638, General Alexander Hamilton in 1640, Sir Robert Murray (initiated at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1641), and Sir Patrick Hume of Polwart 2. The minutes also feature signatures and records of William Schaw, King's Master of Works 2.

In the early 18th century, the lodge's records reveal the practice of initiating public notaries and legal writers so they could serve as Lodge Clerk 2. Minutes from 1706 and 1709 show William Marshall and Robert Alison being admitted as Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts specifically to perform clerking duties 2. Alison served as Clerk through the transition into modern speculative Freemasonry, recording transactions in a guarded style that left details of this vital period shrouded in secrecy, and later became Clerk to the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1736 2.