Cunningham, John, 1932-

Epithet: of Liverpool

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000844.0x000318

Title: 11th Earl of Glencairn

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000844.0x00031a

Epithet: actor and poet

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000750.0x0000d0

John Cunningham was one of the founders of the Masonic Lodge of Namur in Belgium, which became Lodge 160. The ascription to John Cunningham is based on the Lodge charter but must be regarded as very tentative.

James Adolphus Oulton, Andrew Alison, James Lind, George Syme and James Hunter who are described as signatories to the Lodge charter were in fact the Grand Lodge committee who accepted its incorporation into the Masonic Order of Scotland.

The commonplace book was originally a Renaissance idea to have a book into which favourite passages of text, sayings and quotations could be copied. Students created notebooks in their studies to compile a collections of ideas from their readings to be used in future speeches, compositions and if they were training for the ministry, sermons. These would provide a series of headings under which to organise the sermon, an aid to memory, and a store for useful passages of Scripture or commentary for future works.

From the guide to the Commonplace book ascribed to John Cunningham, 1771., 1771, (University of St Andrews)