Rosslyn is Masonic, albeit the connection is not so much that of modern 20 and 21st century freemasonry, but, as the result of initiations, ritual, and esoteric symbolism of early man, brought into a medieval context via the Knights Templar, as well as many other organizations /cultures and religions dating back to Egyptian times or beyond. Without any treasure or hint of treasure, Rosslyn is a place to be remembered by all Masons and their kindred spirits. it is a sanctuary that encompasses all of the craft, and not just the devoted Christian without demeaning Christian values or culture.

It is rumored to house the mummified head of Jesus Christ, a lost Gospel and even the Holy Grail. But now an eyewitness account from the 18th century of what lies in the vaults deep below Rosslyn Chapel is set to blow the myths to pieces. An Englishman employed by the Government to spy on the Jacobites revealed that the tomb, which has fired conspiracy theorists' imagination across the globe, contained nothing more than old bones. John Sleezer's story appeared in "An Account of the Chapel of Roslin," a book written in 1774 for the Masons, of which only a few copies still survive. The book is now being reprinted for the first time in more than two centuries in a bid to scotch the increasingly outlandish rumors that have surrounded the chapel. Slezer gives a detailed account of where the secret entrance to the tombs lay and - more importantly - what was in them.

Persecution 
"At the foot of the third and fourth pillars, between them and the north wall there is a large flagstone that covers the opening of the vault which is the burial place of the family of Roslin, where ten Barons of Roslin are now buried," he wrote. "The vault is so dry that their bodies have been found entire after 80 years and as fresh as when first buried of old in their armor, without any coffin." One of the original copies is held in the Grand Lodge of Free, Antient and Accepted Masons of Scotland headquarters in George Street. The organization has just printed 1000 copies for its members in a bid to lay to rest the elaborate legends that surround the building. One of the theories about the tombs states that in 1307 50 Knights Templar, fleeing persecution by the King of France, sailed from La Rochelle with sacred relics dating from the Crusades. Some are said to have landed in Scotland and it is claimed these knights carried the Holy Grail to Midlothian and buried it in Rosslyn Chapel. A claim that the head of Christ could be buried beneath the chapel has also been made by author Dr Keith Laidler in his book "Head Of God."

 The Knights Templar believe the likeliest relic to be hidden in the chapel vault is the Holy Rood of Scotland, supposedly a piece of Christ's cross brought to Scotland in 1086 by Queen Margaret.  Robert Cooper, curator of the Masons' Museum and Library in Edinburgh, said it was time to redress the balance. "I suspect a lot of people don't want to hear the truth," he said. "The book says the tomb has been opened and there is nothing in there apart from bones." He added: "There has been a lot of interest in Rosslyn Chapel, both from our members and members of the public. So we decided to reprint the book, for the first time in almost 200 years, for people's general information. "We are merely presenting this book to sit alongside the hundreds of others written about the chapel so people can make up their own minds which account is the most reasonable."