Lodge Charter

Below is a reproduction of the Lodge Charter which was issued on 6th February 1758. The charter itself is in a fairly poor condition due to being stored above an open fireplace for many years. The backing (vellum or parchment) is faded and cracked, and the characters dim. What has been reproduced here is in the nearest equivalent typeface to the original. Some parts are unreadable and have been left as space; by clicking on the charter itself you can now see a typed version, with all the blanks completed! This was compiled from a copy attached to the book of Bye-Laws, dated 1901.

A couple of points of interest – although the Lodge was present at the formation of The Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1736, this charter was not issued till 22 years later. The charter mentions meetings of “one hundred years past of assembling as a regular Lodge”, and of “Declaring their precedency in the Grand Lodge to commence from the thirtieth day of November 1736”. (St Andrews day)

The Lodge name is recorded as “Lodge Coupar of Fife” and on the bottom line, “Number of this 21 on the Rolls”. See the brief history of the Lodge on this website for further details on the Lodge name and numbering.

Click the charter below for a translation.