Lodge Major Ness No. 948 Centenary.

On Saturday 10th. May 2003 Lodge Major Ness No. 948 celebrated their

Centenary in the Banqueting Suite at the County Buildings, Hamilton.

On that occasion Bro. Alex Kelly, P.M. No. 948 and Provincial Grand

Bible Bearer proposed the Toast to The Provincial Grand Lodge of Lanarkshire

(Middle Ward). The Toast was of the highest standard and the Editor

thought it would be of interest to readers of The Right Angle.

"The Grand Lodge of Scotland was formed in 1736 and immediately after

that it is on record that and I quote, "the principles of the Craft

had been so rapidly propagated through every part of the Kingdom that

it was found necessary to appoint Provincial Grand Masters over particular

districts". The outcome of this resolution and the first such appointments

by the Grand Lodge was of Alexander Drummond, Master of Lodge Greenock

Kilwinning on the 7th. of February 1739 as Provincial Master of the

several Lodges in the western shires of Scotland." This marks the

birth of what is now The Province of Glasgow but with a jurisdiction

at that time widely extended to include the Lodges then existing in

the County of Lanark. In 1747, Collector Mollison was appointed the

Provincial Grand Master of what was then specifically called the Glasgow

Province, and the Lodges recorded as under his jurisdiction included

those then meeting in Lanark, Coltness, Hamilton and Lesmahagow.

In the course of time, the need to further sub-divide the Provinces

arose and in the year 1769, the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Upper

Ward of Lanarkshire was constituted by Grand Lodge. This new province

still did not embody the whole of Lanarkshire and some at least remained

in what was termed the "Under Ward" which remained under the jurisdiction

of Glasgow well into the new century. It is on  record that on the

3rd. of May 1813, Bro. Sir John Maxwell Bt. of Pollock was appointed

Provincial Grand Master of Glasgow and Under Ward of Lanarkshire.

In the year 1801 Lord Alexander Hamilton was appointed P.G.M. of Lanarkshire

Upper Ward and there is no doubt Freemasonry flourished in the Upper

Ward during his leadership. An extract taken from the minute of the

Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge on 5th. August 1816, however

reads as follows,"That it would lend much to the interest of Masonry

in that part of the County were the Upper Ward of Lanarkshire (which

is widely extended) divided into two districts. Namely into the Upper

and Middle Wards of Lanarkshire - that he had the authority to say

that this object was sanctioned and approved by Lord Archibald Hamilton,

The P.G.M. " The Upper Ward retained 9 Lodges and acquired a newly

appointed P.G.M. in Bro. Daniel Vere, Esq. of Stonebyres. Lord Archibald

Hamilton transferred to the new Province of the Middle Ward and took

with him eleven Lodges. The Province has now had 14 P.G.M.`s since

its formation but I would like to concentrate on those Provincial

Grand Masters who have ruled the province since 1903 the year that

Lodge Major Ness was formed.

The Province had already been in existence for some 87 years when

Lodge Major Ness charter was granted on the 7th. of May 1903 by the

Grand Lodge of Scotland and allocated the number 948 and it was S.P.G.M.

Bro. Col. Peter Spence accompanied by a Provincial Grand Lodge deputation

that erected and constituted the Lodge and also installed the Lodge

Office Bearers on 26th. December 1903.

The Provincial Grand Master at that time was Bro. Robert King Stewart

of Murdostoun who was installed in 1892 and served in that Office

with distinction for some 38 years during which time saw the formation

of 12 new Lodges. During his tenure in Office Sir Robert saw to it

that Provincial Grand Lodge carried out its proper function as the

representative of Grand Lodge "on the ground". Regular Lodge visitations

and inspections were organized and carried out; Lodge bye-laws vetted

and corrected; and interpretations of Grand Lodge law were sought

and rulings given . January 1903 saw the formation and first election

of 12 members to a Provincial Grand Committee; later on in 1904 sub

committees were formed from this committee. Sir Robert brought great

honour to this province when he was installed as the Most Worshipful

Grand Master Mason    for three years. He was appointed Convener of the County 

of Lanark in January 1911 and in April 1918 received the K.B.E. at the hands

of His Majesty King George the fifth. In April 1921 he was appointed

Lord Lieutenant of the County. Maybe, just Maybe, Lodge Major Ness

conferred his greatest honour on him when on the 14th. of March 1916

he was made an honorary member of that Lodge.

In 1907, 4 years after the first formation of a Provincial Grand Committee

of 12 elected members, some doubts were cast as to its truly representative

character. A notice of motion proposing that every Lodge should be

represented was defeated by a narrow margin. I wonder why Brethren?

In 1918 and 1921 attention was drawn to "rough play" indulged by some

Lodges in the third degree. Provincial Grand Lodge ruled "that the

sheet be abolished altogether" on the grounds that it spoiled the

solemnity of the ceremony. Brother Sir Robert King Stewart died in

1930. Every mason in the Province mourned his passing. The Province

needed a new P.G.M. and who else but Sir Robert`s son Capt. John Christie

Stewart who was installed in February 1931 and ruled until 1966. Again

history would repeat itself when he brought great honour to the province

when he was installed as Grand Master Mason in 1942 a post he also

occupied for three years. Truly remarkable that both men held the

highest Masonic Office in the land whilst serving the province as

Provincial Grand Masters.  And so ended an era of 74 consecutive years

of a father and son leading this Province but a new and modern Provincial

Grand Lodge was about to emerge to the benefit of all concerned.

Bro. Lt.- Colonel Kenneth O. Byers T.D. in 1966 was to become the

eighth P.G.M. and was to institute our modern bye-laws where by every

Lodge in the province would be entitled to nominate one brother to

represent them in P.G.L. and to have the opportunity to advance themselves

in the various offices, cumulating in the highest elected office,

that of Senior Provincial Grand Warden. He also recommended that the

term of office for the Provincial Grand Master should be five years,

thus allowing the office to be made available to more worthy Brethren

and to alleviate the onerous burden of running a province with the

ongoing problems that a huge organisation brings. Due thanks must be given to 

this forward thinking brother and to his eternal credit P.G.L. has become

the institution that all can be proud of, for we the brethren of the

Forty three Lodges are the P.G.L. Next in 1971 came Bro. David Straiton

to occupy the office, a tremendous Freemason and steeped in the ways

of P.G.L. Bro. Robert T. Syme who assisted to a great extent in the

formation of the Grand Lodge of Turkey to once again demonstrate that

we truly can reach across the world irrespective of religion, race,

creed or colour then succeed him in 1976. Then in 1981 Bro. Alex MacGregor

ascended to the chair, a mild mannered man but with a quiet assurance

and reserve. 1986 was the year that Bro. John S. Dorricot was to be

installed as our P.G.M. and I was personally honoured by his presence

when he attended the installation of Lodge Major Ness on the evening

I was installed as RWM in 1990. He was to stand for a second term

in 1991 but sadly ill health struck him badly, and to such an extent

that the onus of running the Province fell to his Commissioned Office-bearers

for most of the second term. Never the less many of us have nothing

but happy memories of a truly remarkable Freemason. The year 1996

was momentous for this Lodge in general and to me in particular, for

Bro. George R. Kelly, Past Master of Lodge Major Ness was installed

into the chair of the Provincial Grand Master by the Most Worshipful

Grand Master Mason, Lord Burton and the emotion that feels for your

blood brother runs deeper that one can ever hope to express. Unbiased

as I am he made a tremendous success of the office and earned the

respect of all the brethren in the province. And so to the present

incumbent Bro. Kenneth D. Kennedy who was installed in May 2001 at

Motherwell Civic Centre by the present Grand Master, Bro. Archibald

Orr Ewing. Bro. Kenneth is one of the brethren that I spoke of earlier,

he was elected by his mother Lodge to be their representative in P.G.L.,

incidentally for those who don`t know his mother Lodge is Robert King

Stewart No. 919 in New Stevenson, a name mentioned a lot previously.

He progressed through the various offices, attaining the office of

P.G.W.S.W.in 1991. If it had not been for the vision of Bro. K.O.

Byers restructuring PGL  would he be the PGM?

Brethren over the years when attending meetings as a member of PGL

the comment from some Lodge members is, I don`t know where you find

the time to be a member of P.G.L. I am quite sure that I speak for

all the PGL representatives when I say that I am quite sure that I

speak for all the PGL representatives when I say that it is an honour

and privilege to wear the green and be selected as the lodge rep.

For the heaviest burden of the work of PGL rest on the shoulders of

the Commissioned Office Bearers and one elected office bearer. Our

PGM, Depute, Substitutes, Chaplain`s all have hectic and challenging

schedules but they would agree that the commissioned P.G. Secretary

and elected P.G. Treasurer are the foundation on which the pyramid

of PGL rests. Their unstinting work on behalf of this Province cannot

be quantified in time but need less to say that they have our deep

appreciation and sincere thanks.

Through the one hundred years the PGL has both honoured and chastised

Lodge Major Ness, some are minuted others are but distant memories.

The Lodge is truly indebted to the PGL when they performed the erection

and consecration on 26th. of December 1903 by Bro. Col. Peter Spence

who incidentally was also our first installing master. They also assisted

us at our silver and golden jubilee`s in 1928 and 1953 and in 1978

carried out a 75th. rededication ceremony at the Fairhill Civic Centre

in a most capable manner headed by PGM Bro. Roy T. Sime and those

of us who were privileged to be present on that occasion can hardly

believe that twenty five years have come and gone.   

P.G.L. has been honoured by the presence of Lodge Major Ness brethren

for one hundred years now, some attaining the highest elected office

that of Senior Provincial Grand Warden, namely Bro. John Clements,

P.M., Bro. Allan Campbell, P.M., and some being commissioned by P.G.M.

namely Bro. Allan Campbell as S.P.G.M. and Bro. George R. Kelly receiving

three commissions as P.G. Secretary, S.G.S.M., and that of P.G.M.

Brethren, when proposing any toast at a special occasion such as this, you 

hope that you can do the subject justice and catch the proper

sentiment of the toast. PGL. is much more than an extension of Grand

Lodge administration, for we are a part of this living, breathing,

thriving lodge that affects all of our mother lodges either directly

or indirectly and like any good parent praises us when we perform

our duties to the highest standards but also scolds us when we transgress

the rules laid down. The good work that Provincial Grand Lodge of

Lanarkshire (Middle Ward) does extends from giving holidays at the

caravan at Monkton in Ayrshire to raising thousands of pounds for

worthwhile charities both Masonic and Non Masonic. From inter visiting

with our sister PL. Lodges thus exchanging different ideas promoting

and fostering the Craft in Scotland to visiting the daughter lodges

as unofficial deputations performing degree`s and spreading the cement

of brotherly love and affection. And above all they uphold our customs,

traditions and standards that set the "Freemasons" apart from any

other organisation aspiring to purport the ideals and aims of St.

John`s Freemasonry and to assist us to occupy the high moral ground

established by our illustrious predecessors.

And in conclusion brethren and gentlemen, in a few short moments I

am going to ask to charge and to be upstanding and assist me to toast

The Provincial Grand Lodge of Lanarkshire Middle Ward coupled with

the name of the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master, Bro. Kenneth

D. Kennedy."

                       Bro. Alex Kelly, P.M. Lodge Major Ness.