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The last Free Gardeners Lodge met in Scotland in the mid 1950`s more than 250 years after the first Gardeners Lodge was recorded at Haddington. The defunct organisation left a wealth of paraphernalia, regalia, jewels, minute books and other items of interest which over the period of time began to be lost. In 2002 a group of individuals who were interested in Free Gardenery decided to try to re establish the Order in Scotland by firstly setting up a Preservation Society whose aim was to stop valuable items of Scottish interest being lost. Free Gardeners Lodges were found to exist in South Africa and Australia and arrangements were made to contact Free Gardeners who were arriving in Scotland on holiday to meet together, form a Lodge and Initiate members. This was successfully achieved and a Lodge was founded. We are now the fourth Lodge to be established in Scotland and interest in the Order seems to be growing. Our objective is to research local Free Gardeners Lodges which have long since gone, but more importantly preserve their beautiful embroidered aprons, jewels and other items of interest. Our Lodge has so far been successful in this, we have located the first minute book of The Western Grand Lodge of Free Gardeners in the Mitchell Library which dates from 1859 to 1884. This book has revealed some very interesting facts about the early development and organisation of the Order. We have also been fortunate in that people have been very generous in donating to the Lodge, Free Gardeners paraphernalia. A Lady from Holytown donated fifteen Office Bearers jewels from Greengairs and Motherwell. Some of which can be seen by clicking on this link Bill Perry has identified five beautiful embroidered aprons from the original Adelphi Lodge No. 21, Baillieston. Recently, five other aprons were donated to the Lodge, including one from Douglas Dale Lodge No. 48 and another from Airdrie Green House Lodge which dates from 1812. Our Lodge decided at an early stage that we would wear the original Free Gardeners regalia where possible and so preserve the traditions of the Order. |
Objectives
of The Lodge.
