|
For Robert Mason: Welcome to
the Sinclair net. I am not a Mason, but as a Commissioner for the Clan
Sinclair for many years, I have had a definite interest in the Septs and
Associated Families of our clan, though most of my questions remain
unanswered. One of our five sept names is Mason, and I have always
supposed that due to the great amount of building done by the Rosslyn earls in
the 14th century, the craft of masonry would have been a major player in the
Sinclair scheme of things. In the middle ages, large buildings were being
built of stone because woodworking tools had not been developed. Stone Age
man learned to shape and arrange stone in it's varied forms provided by nature
and the environment, so it's not unusual that people who followed this craft and
were called masons should have taken that as a family name quite early in the
course of human history. It follows that the Sinclairs needed many people
of that name to carry out their chapel and castle projects at Rosslyn, and that
close association with and in support of the Sinclairs would give the Masons
special consideration as a sept. They are entitled to wear the Sinclair
tartan and be members of the Clan Sinclair Association, U. S. A.
I had also assumed that the Masons
of the Middle Ages would have been centered around places where many of the
craft families were established for exceptionally long projects, such as Rosslyn
Chapel, and the building of the Sinclair Castle in the Orkneys. On the
other hand, they must have also been involved in many similar long-term jobs,
and the presence of a stonemason was not unusual anywhere in the world during
the past several thousand years. Why would one family wind up with the
name Mason?
I'm sorry I bring more questions
than answers, but if you find something which explains the name in connection
with Sinclair, I'm sure we would all like to hear about it.
|