The Lodge with the oldest records is believed to  be Lodge of Edinburgh #1, sometimes known as “Mary’s Chapel”.

Tradition says this Lodge was formed by skilled craftsmen brought over from the continent by King David I to build Holyrood Abbey in 1128 A.D.  It’s oldest minute is dated July 31 1599, but even at that time, the Lodge had been working for a considerable period.

The really remarkable fact is that from 1599 until the present day, only four years have been unrecorded by this Lodge.