William Schaw served as Master of Works to James VI of Scotland.
His writings, known as the Schaw Statutes, are particularly important in the early development of Freemasonry. In 1598 Schaw published "The Statutis and ordinananceis to be obseruit by all the maister maoissounis within this realme." According to the text, the statutes were the result of a convention of the craft.
With reference to the Old Charges, Schaw provided and outlined a hierarchy of wardens, deacons and masters, as well as several rules that members of the trade needed to follow.
Examples include the number of apprentices a master mason could take on at any one time and who needed to present to enter a mason into a Lodge. Today, Schaw's work remains highly regarded in the history of the Craft.
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