William St Clair of Roslin
William St Clair of Roslin, 20th Baron of Roslin (1700-1778) was a member of the Clan Sinclair.[1] His title, Baron of Roslin, was not a peerage but a Scottish feudal barony. He had an interest in sport and was a skilled golfer and archer. He redesigned the Old Course at St. Andrews to 18 holes thus affecting all golf courses since. He was the son of Alexander St Clair, 19th Baron of Roslin.[2]
Freemasonry
[edit]He was a Scottish Freemason, being Initiated in Lodge Canongate Kilwinning on 18 May, Passed on 2 June 1736 and Raised on 3 November 1736.[3] He is known as the first Grand Master (although his actual title is Grand Master Mason) of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. He became the first Grand Master Mason by acclamation on St. Andrew's Day of the same year (1736).[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Genealogie of the Sainteclaires of Rosslyn. By Richard Augustine Hay. Ed. James Maidment (1835). New edition edited by Robert L D Cooper (2002). P.xxi. ISBN 0-902324-63-2
- ^ Saint-Clair, Roland William (1898). The Saint-Clairs of the Isles; being a history of the sea-kings of Orkney and their Scottish successors of the sirname of Sinclair. Shortland Street, Auckland, New Zealand: H. Brett. pp. 292-293. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ History of the Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, No.2, compiled from the records 1677-1888. By Alan MacKenzie. 1888. p. 3.
- ^ The Impact of the Foundation of the Grand Lodge of England on Scottish Freemasonry. By Robert L D Cooper. Within: Reflections on 300 Years of Freemasonry. Ed. John S. Wade. 2017. pp. 355–368. ISBN 978-0-85318-546-8.
Sources
[edit]- "William Saint Clair of Roslin". Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- "Lodge Canongate Kilwinning". Retrieved 23 May 2017.
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