A ‘brotherhood of the rink’? Curling, Freemasonry and the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, 1600–1939

This article examines the relationship of the sport of curling with freemasonry and associated customs. Prior to the 1840s local curling societies and clubs initiated members in their organisations using ‘mysteries’ such as a ‘word’ and a ‘grip’; some held a ceremony known as a ‘curling court’, used for initiations as well as adjudicating unwritten rules of conduct. The formation of the Grand Caledonian Curling Club—later the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC)—in 1838 was an effort to reconcile the various traditions of ‘mysteries’ more than it was an attempt to draw uniform rules for the sport. RCCC officials enforced these rules because they believed that these quasi-masonic traditions represented an attempt to forge intra-class socialisation; their strength of belief, however, was sometimes reflective of their own status as freemasons. Ultimately, it is questionable that these ‘mysteries’ were successful in achieving an egalitarian culture in curling. Many Canadian curlers, whose clubs had a significant presence in the RCCC, either refused to take part in them or were altogether ignorant of them (and it was impossible for the RCCC to enforce them). A large number of Scottish curlers did not initiate. The presence of women in the sport, banned from mainstream freemasonry, further indicates accommodations with non-masonic culture.