The second oldest minute, extant

Vltimo July 1599.

The qlk day George Patoun maissoun grenttit & confessit that lie had offendit agane the dekin & mrs for placeing of ane cowane to wirk at ane chymnay held for tua dayis and ane half day, for the qlk offenss he submittit him self in the dekin & mrs guds willis for qt vnlaw they pless to lay to his charge, and thay having respect to the said Georges humill submissioun & of his estait, they remittit him the said offenss, Providing alwayis that gif ather he [or] ony vther brother comitt the lyke offenss heirefter that the law sall stryke vpoun thame indiscreta wtout exceptioun of personis. This wes done in prcs of Paull Maissoun dekin, Thoas Weir warden, Thoas Watt, Johne Broun, Henrie Tailzefeir, the said George Patoun, & Adam Walkar.

Ita est Adamus Gibsone norius.

Paull Maisoun, dekin.

This facsimile and transcription of the oldest minute of the Lodge of Edinburgh, the second oldest Masonic minute in existence, is reproduced from a plate inserted after page 1926 of The History of Freemasonry by Albert Gallatin Mackey and William R. Singleton, published by The Masonic History Company, New York and London, in 1906. This copy, in the Grand Lodge Library, is numbered 171 of the Templar Edition, limited to 750 copies.

A paper on the oldest extant minute, that of Aitcheson’s-Haven Lodge is available through the Grand Lodge of Scotland.

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