SCHAW, WILLIAM [SSNE 1572]

Surname

SCHAW

First name

WILLIAM

Title/rank

MAISTER OF WARKS

Nationality

SCOT

Social status

GENTRY

Religion

CATHOLIC

Text source

William Schaw was born in 1550 and died in 1602. He is most famous for being the 'Maister of Warks' in the household of King James VI from 1583 to his death. In 1599, William Schaw compiled the 'Schaw Statutes', the founding document of modern Freemasonry. Murray-Lyon believes that Schaw's appointment as Maister of Wark was due to his skills as an architecht and theoretical mathametician. Schaw was appointed to receive Danish ambassadors 1585 and also spent the winter of 1589-90 with the royal couple of Scotland in Norway and Denmark. He left Denmark in February 1590, arriving in Scotland in mid March with orders regarding the Queen's entry to Edinburgh. Upon her arrival in Scotland, William Schaw acted as the Chamberlain to Queen Anna.

D. Murray-Lyon, The History of Freemasonry in Scotland (Edinburgh, 1873), passim; DNB; T. Riis, Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot (Odense, 1988), II, p.73; Gibson Craig, Papers Relative to the Marriage of King James VI, pp.29-31.

Service record

DENMARK-NORWAY,

Arrived 1589-01-01

Departed 1590-03-31

Capacity MASTER OF WORKS, purpose CIVIL SERVICE