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Many Ancestry researchers have discovered previously unknown links with the so-called secret societies, Freemasonry, The Royal Arch and The Knights Templar. However, those connections have never really been secret. They have merely been overlooked, ignored or side-lined as ‘unimportant.’ Many members of the Masonic Orders are often unaware of their family links to the orders.

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Robert Low was a life member of The Freemasons, The Royal Arch and The Knights Templar, however, research through the Royal Lineage and Ancestry links have uncovered connections to the Knights Templar dating back more than 300 years.

Robert’s father James, and uncles Robert and William were Freemasons in Dunfermline, Fifeshire but Robert he was the only one of three brothers to join Masonic Orders. Although well aware of his family’s Masonic connections, it was the 1990s before Robert applied as an Entrant to Lodge St. Mars, Kilmer’s, 1398 in Ayrshire, becoming a Life Member in 1992, before moving from the Province as Worshipful Senior Warden in 2005.

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In 1992, he was regularly introduced as a Master Mason in Good Standing on the floor of Lodge Acacia 832 in Bamberg, Germany.

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He then became a Life Member of Stewarton Royal Arch 867 in 1998, before joining Ayr Preceptory and Priory 11, becoming a Life Member in 1999, and then was elected as Venerable Preceptor in 2002. Following his move to Whithorn in 2005, Robert affiliated to Lodge Leucophibia 602 and was elected Right Worshipful Master for three consecutive years, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

It was not until 2019 that an historical connection with the Knights Templar came to light following research into Templar titles bestowed on family members during the last 300 years.

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It was already known that Sir William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Orkney was the designer and builder of Roslyn Chapel, and had long connections with the Knights Templar.An application of conveyance to Robert Low was granted on July 4, 2019,  for the Royal Barony of Waterbeach with Denny in the County of Cambridge, England.

 

Current historical research is showing that the small Denny Abbey was within the site of Ely Abbey, and was one of the last three Knight Commanderies to be seceded to the Crown by various religious orders between 1100 and 1350.

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The old templar title for the Barony of Denny, has been re-instated to an individual who was invested as Venerable Preceptor of the Order.