Kilwinning Abbey - The Masons

The Masons

The masonic link derives from the belief that the abbey was constructed by foreign free Masons, assisted by Scottish masons. The term Freemason derived from the right of these skilled workers to travel without the need to obtain permission from an overlord. These foreign masons brought the principles of their fraternity with them and initiated these principles in Scotland for the first time. The architect or Master Mason is said to have been recognised as the master mason of Scotland.

After the Battle of Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce is said to have attended a masonic festival at Kilwinning. King James I was a patron of the mother lodge of Kilwinning and presided as Grand Master whilst staying at the abbey. James II made the St Clair's of Roslin the hereditary Grand Masters of Scotland. The Tironensian monks were recognised for their skill in stonemasonry and architecture; many of the freemasons and architects were in fact monks.

In 1925 the Mother Kilwinning Social Club of Glasgow presented the Mother Lodge with a case made from wood said to have come from the roof of the Abbey. This case was made to hold the Master's jewel which had been given to the lodge by Patrick Montgomerie of Bourtreehill in 1735.