Seals of the Robert's Burns Tarbolton Lodge No. 174

Today marks the 265th anniversary of the birth of the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns. Exactly one year ago today, our museum discovered two seals of the Tarbolton Lodge No. 174, where Burns was initiated into Freemasonry. The Tarbolton Lodge operated in a very small Scottish town of the same name, but it turned out to be one of the key lodges in the United Kingdom. It is quite possible that these seals were issued during the lifetime of Robert Burns.

Tarbolton Lodge received its Constitution in 1773, and it also operated in the so-called "high degrees" distinct from the first three degrees of Freemasonry.

It is to these high degrees Chapters that the seals belongs. The inscriptions Grand Assembly and Grand Encampment on them indicate that they were made to seal the documents of the Knights Templar Order.

The existence of these seals used by the lodge confirms that it conferred Knights Templar degrees (and possibly Royal Arch degrees as well). Since it was forbidden by the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1800, we may infer that Robert Burns, who died in 1796, may have been a contemporary of these seals in his lodge.

At the same time, it is known that Burns received initiation into the Order of the Royal Arch in another place - in the Scottish St. Ebbe's Lodge in 1787.

Tarbolton Lodge changed its number in 1816 to 133. It still bears this number. This means that the seals are definitely dated earlier, even assuming that the lodge worked in these degrees, despite their prohibition in 1800.

In any case, this find is a significant contribution to the history of Freemasonry and culture, since it was believed that the life of Burns, including his Masonic biography, has been studied in detail. At the same time, until today there was no information about his possible initiation into the Templar degrees.