The Devil, the Cat and the Curious Story of the Skulls

On October 13th 1307 while the Templars were beingplace, which is largely ignored in Scottish History. In
arrested the Templar Fleet stationed at La Rochelle1309 while the south of Scotland was overrun by the
quietly slipped away. According to tradition and a lot oftroops of Edward II the trial of the Knight Templars
evidence it carried the records of the Order, and thetook place. It is from this trial that some curious light is
treasure of the Templar Preceptory of Paris, takingthrown upper the inner life of the Order. The details of
them to the West and East coast of Scotland. Somethe trial ordered by Clement V is given in a very rare
of these ships must have come to Leith as Berwickbook entitled "Concila".
was in English hands.The inquisitors were perhaps a bit impatient to hear
Let us leave the Templars for a moment to tell twoabout the devil, the cat and the curious story of the
strange stories concerning Sir Robert Logan ofSkulls.
Restalrig. The first one concerns the discovery of theThere is a strange story told which is traditionally linked
skull of Sir Robert Logan during the restoration ofwith the Templars: A great lady of Maraclea was
South Leith Church in 1848. A coffin was found at theloved by a Templar, a lord of Sidon, but she died in her
West end of the North aisle, under a room used byyouth and on the night of her burial this wicked lover
the Kirk Session. The inspector of Works brought it tocrept to the grave, dug up her body and violated it.
the attention of Dr David Robertson and they decidedThen a voice from the void bade him to return in nine
to open it. The coffin was covered with purple velvet.months time for he would find a son. He obeyed the
A few taps of a hammer knocked the lid intoinjunction and at the appointed time he opened the
fragments. Within the coffin they saw a mass ofgrave again and found a head on the leg bones of the
human bones huddled together and in the middle, askeleton-a skull and crossbones. The same voice bade
human skull. The strange thing was that no lower jawhim to guard it well for it would be the giver of good
was found although the skeleton was otherwisethings. And so he carried it away with him and it
complete. The conclusion they came to was theseprotected him from his enemies. It passed into the
were the mortal remains of Sir Robert Logan. Aspossession of the Order" (This version of the story is
according to history the skeleton of Sir Robert Loganfrom War, freemasonry and the ancient Gods, p305)
was put on trial for his involvement in what was calledThis story became connected to the Order and is
the Gowrie conspiracy against James VI andmentioned in the inquisitions records and in the versions
disinherited. The remains being reburied at South Leithheld by the freemasons, which adopted the skull and
Church. However, would the remains of a mancrossbones and often employed it as a device on
accused of high treason been buried at South Leithtombstones.
Church? Some historians don't think so, and if theyWhen Sir Logan's skeleton was rediscovered at South
were, the question is why?Leith Church. During the restoration of the Church in
Could there be a darker reason? Near to Dunbar lies1847- 48. The Jaw bone was missing and an
Fast Castle. By marriage the Logan's held the castleexplanation of this can be found in the ceremony of
between 1552-1606. In 1594 John Napier of Merchistoninstallation in the Masonic cross degree of the Knight
was asked by Sir Robert Logan to find treasure thatTemplar of Jerusalem under the obligations of the
was said to have been buried within the castle. TheMasonic Order. The obligation starts "In the name of
contract between them is found today at Trinitythe blessed trinity and in commemoration of St John of
College, Cambridge. Not only did John Napier inventJerusalem, the first faithful soldier of and martyr of
Logarithms as a method of calculation, he was alsoJesus Christ. I do solemnly promise and swear that I
involved in the Black Arts. He hoped to find thewill never illegally reveal the secrets of a Knight
treasure by supernatural means. The contract was toTemplar to a Royal Arch mason...if ever I willfully
be destroyed once all the conditions were fulfilled, andviolate this, my solemn compact as a brother Knight
as the contract was never destroyed and providingTemplar, may my skull be sown asunder with a rough
the search actually took place, it is assumed thesaw, my brains be taken out and put on a charger to
treasure was never found. According to Napier in hisbe consumed by the scorching sun and my skull in
memoirs the search did take place. He went to theanother charger in commemoration of St John of
dreary castle with Sir Robert Logan and the wild EarlJerusalem, that first faithful soldier and martyr of our
of Bothwell both armed to the teeth. So what was theLord and Saviour..." The penal sign, which is to draw
connection between the supposed treasure at Fastthe forefinger or the thumb across the forehead, is
Castle and the remains of Sir Robert Logan at Southindicative of the penalty of having the skull sawn
Leith Church? How could someone accused ofasunder.
treason be buried in consecrated ground? TheSo who could have removed the jawbone and carried
chances are he never was a traitor.the sentence of the Order? Suspicion must be placed
As Laing, a famous historian of the last century said: Inon David Lindsay (1560-1613), the first protestant
regard to Logan himself, it was well known thatminister of South Leith Parish Church. He was chaplain
according to a barbarous custom of the time when itto James VI, and married him to Anne of Denmark in
was determined to implicate him by means of forged1589 and baptised his children. Lindsay was the only
letters...in the Gowrie Conspiracy was disinterred andone to believe that there had been an attempt made
brought into court..."on the life of the King at the house of the Earl of
The connection is the fact that Sir Robert Logan andGowrie, Perth. In fact he conducted a service of
the de Lestalric's before them were Templar Knightsthanksgiving at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh for the
to a man, and what Sir Robert Logan was trying toKings safe return. However, none of David Lindsay's
find at Fast Castle was Templar treasure, the treasurefellow ministers believed a word of it and said so. If the
from the Preceptory of Paris. This was the reason heGowrie conspiracy was a hoax then the trial of the
was disinherited. So what was the significance of theremains of Sir Robert Logan was also a farce and
skull with no jawbone, and why was he buried ateveryone knew it. The trial however did take place
South Leith Church? To answer this we must go backand that is a historic fact, but it wasn't done for the
to 1309 and Trial of the Knight Templars at Holyroodreasons stated, it was for his actions at Fast Castle in
Abbey.trying to find Templar treasure and because of this he
When Elias II was Abbot of Holyrood an event tookwas condemned.