Copy of Charter
" To all and sundry to whose knowledge these present shall come. Greeting in God Everlasting."
" Whereas, upon application to the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons for the Kingdom of Scotland by Alex. Auld, John Hynd, John Gray, David Frew, James Crauford, Hugh Gilmour, Joseph Jamphray, John Smith, Charles Banks, John Auld, John Hunter, Alex. Gordon, John Robb, John Boyd, and Robert Frew, Members of the Kilwinning Lodge, Ayrshire, setting forth that there residence being at a great distance from the Kilwinning Lodge, and being by that means deprived of the fellowship of their Brethren at that Lodge at their Meetings, they therefore made humble application to the Grand Lodge to grant them a Charter of Constitution and Erection for holding a Lodge in the Toun of Stivenstoune, under the name, style and title of the Stivenstoune Thistle & Rose Lodge--- and they proposed the said Alex. Auld for Master; John Hynd for Depute Master; John Gray and David Frew for Wardens; James Crauford for Secretary; Hugh Gilmour for Treasurer; Joseph Jamphray and John Smith for Stewards; and Charles Banks for Tyler-therefore praying to grant them a Charter of Constitution and Erection in usual form; which Petition having been considered by the Grand Lodge with two ample certificates from Masters and Wardens of the Beith St. John's Lodge and Irvine St. Andrew's Lodge in favour of the petitioning Brethren, the present Charter was ordered accordingly. Know ye therefore that the Most Worshipful the Grand Master Mason of Scotland and the Grand Lodge thereof have Constituted, Erected and Appointed and hereby Constitute, Erect and Appoint the Master, Wardens and other Brethern Office-Bearers above named, together with the other constituted members of the said Lodge and there successors to be now and in all time coming a true and regular Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons under the title and denomination of "The Stivenstoune Thistle and Rose Lodge" and appoint and ordain all regular Lodges to hold, own and respect them as such;giving, granting and committing to them and there successors full power and authority to meet, assemble and convene as a regular Lodge, and to admit and receive Apprentices, pass Fellow Crafts, and raise Master Masons upon payment of such composition for support of their Lodge as they shall see convenient, and to elect and choose Masters, Wardens and other officers annually or otherwise as they shall have occasion; recommending to the Brethren aforesaid, to reverence and obey their superiors in all things lawful and honest as becomes the honour and harmony of Masonry. The said Brethren by accepting of this present Charter becuming faithfully bound not to desert their said Lodge so constituted, nor upon any pretext whatsoever to make any separate or schismatical meetings, without the consent of their Master and Wardens for the time, not to collect money or other funds separate from the common stock of their Lodge to the prejudice of the poor thereof, they and their successors in all time coming being also obliged to obey and pay due regard to all Acts, Statutes and Regulations of the Grand Lodge already made, or hereafter to be made for the utility, welfare and prosperity of Masonry in general, and to pay and perform whatever is stipulated or demanded from them for the support of the dignity of the Grand Lodge, and in particular that they do account and pay into the funds of the Grand Lodge half-a-crown for each entrant and member made in their Lodge from this date, and that the names of such Members, together with the dates of their admission, be transmitted to the Grand Secretary or Grand Clerk at Edinburgh, to be recorded in the books of the Grand Lodge, with the usual fee of the Clerk, and that they do record in their books (which they are hereby authorised to keep), this present Charter of Constitution and Erection, with their own Regulations and Bye-Laws, and their whole procedure from time to time as that shall occur, to the end the same may be more easily seen and observed by their Brethern, subject always to the review of the Grand Lodge. And also the Brethren aforsaid, and their successors, are hereby required punctually to attend the whole General Meetings and Quarterly Communications of the Grand Lodge by their Representatives being their Master and Wardens for the time, or by lawful proxies in their name, provided such proxies be Master Masons or Fellow Crafts of some established Lodge, holding of the Grand Lodge, to the end they may act and vote in the Grand Lodge and be duly certiorated of the proceedings therof; declaring always their precedence in the Grand Lodge to be from the date hereof;and to the end these presents may be more effectually kept and preserved, the same are hereby appointed to be recorded in the books of the Grand Lodge.-Given at the Grand Lodge held in the City of Edinburgh upon the Fifth day of November in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-Seven and of Light Five Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-Seven by the Right Honourable and Most Worshipful Lord Elcho, Grand Master Mason of Scotland; the Right Honourable and Right Worshipful Lord Torpichen, Depute Grand Master; The Right Worshipful Thomas Hay, Esquire, Substitute Grand Master; The right Worshipful Sir John Sinclair of Stevenston, Baronet,Senior Grand Warden; The Right Worshipful James Home, Esquire,Junior Grand Warden; The right Worshipful John Hay, Esquire, Grand Treasurer; and the seal of the Grand Lodge is hereto appended, in the presence of William Mason, Esquire, Grand Secretary and Robert Mickie, Grand Clark."
THOS. HAY, Sub. GM
JAS. HOME, J.G.W.
ADAM GULLIS,B.T
P.SANDERSON,for
JOHN HAT, G.T.
Witness, WM.MASON, G, SECY.
ROBT. MICKLE,G. Clerk