To the left is an entry from a minute book with the date 1731 to be seen halfway down the left hand side. Written in “Auld Scots” work is underway to “translate” the entries into what we know and understand. Assumption is that the names below make up the tyle. What is notable is a wide-ranging array of the skill set of the attendees. Carefully written signatures to that of a “mark” on the right hand side.
TheBook is about 4 inches thick and is bound in cowhide and affectionately known as the “Hairy Book” It shares its time between its home Grand Lodge Museum, the lodge safe and the Secretaries house when being “decoded”
Currently being “decoded” are the dates around about the Jacobite uprisings 1745. It is hoped that this will yield some interesting results in the lodge’s history.
A later block has been decoded and a brother had missed a fair few lodge meetings and indeed had not paid his dues. Further investigation showed that he has lost his life in the Great War 1914 – 1919. I hope the treasurer wrote it off.
It’s just as well Tech has moved on since then. I shudder to imagine what the written hand will look like now if DORICS WBro Secretary was asked to write the minutes for one last time. Again various dates can be seen ranging from 174? to 1787
The minute belongs to Lodge St Ninians 66 on the role of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. Although numbered 66 we like to believe we are the 12th oldest lodge in Scotland. The high number came about as Scotland actually had 2 Grand Lodges but eventually came back to having just the one. This goes to show the numbering of the lodges in Scotland are “all over the place”. There is a lodge 0 and 3 lodges with the number 1 and 2 with the number 3.