A Little History: Knights of St. Andrew

It is said that at the Battle of Bannockburn a small army of Scots led by King Robert I (The Bruce) faced overwhelming odds and a far superior English army on a field near Stirling Scotland.  Accounts of the actual numbers of soldiers who met in battle vary, depending on who tells the story of this pivotal moment in the history of Scottish Independence.  According to the Legend, the turning point of the battle can be attributed to a number of outcast Knights Templar who were taking refuge in Scotland after the demise of the Order.  It is said that a small number of Knights and some light cavalry, led by William Sinclair charged over some nearly impassable terrain to surprise and devastate the Archers and Heavy Horsemen of King Edward II’s Army. 

To honor these brave Knights, the Legend goes on to say that Robert the Bruce created the Order of St. Andrew of the Thistle also known as the Royal Order of Scotland.  The actual number of Templars who were at the Battle of Bannockburn varies by story teller, but the most accepted version says that there were 63 Knights who fought valiantly.  There was also the Royal Order of Heredom which was later established to honor the many operative masons who made up a large portion of King Robert I’s army.  According to Mackey’s 1898 History of Freemasonry, our tradition links the current Masonic Knights of St. Andrew to these events nearly 700 years ago.

Back to the Blog

Yes, I have been lax in posting things to my blog.  I apologize to anyone who may have missed my rants, though I doubt anyone out there is actually reading this.   It has been a rather busy summer with a lot of great things going on.  I won’t bore you with all the details, not all of it has been Masonic, possibly because there is really life outside of Masonry…..really there is!    I was accepted to Northeastern Illinois University’s Graduate program in History.  So that will take a lot of time!  I became an appointed officer in the Scottish Rite’s Chapter of Rose Croix.  I am the new Tiler!  That is quite exciting, but even better is the fact that I am ne new Knight Warden for the Valley’s Chapter of the Knights of St. Andrew.  I am assisting in getting this new, subordinate organization up and running. 

 

In addition to moving into the Senior Deacon seat at Wayfarers Lodge and assuming an officer’s seat in each of the Evanston York Rite bodies, I will have my hands full.  Unfortunately the York Rite doesn’t do much, I wish they did as I really like the idea of the York Rite and what it represents.  Because of the level of activity, I have gotten very involved in the Scottish Rite.  They are very active, they need good men to take on active roles and they are a vibrant community.   Blue Lodge will always come first and we are improving, but motivating people to get really active is still difficult.

 

I will be blogging again, keep looking for more to come!

 

Bill