HistoryChapter 1                           579St Bryde 

At a meeting convened at the request of Bro. W.H. Lindsay Crawford and held in Mr. Latta`s Magdala Place on 12th. of October 1875 it was suggested and proposed by Bro. Crawford that a new Masonic Lodge be opened in Uddingston.

Bro. McMurdo was duly voted to chair the meeting, Bros. Shields of Bellshill and Baker of Motherwell attended the meeting at the request of Bro. Crawford to afford information in relation to the object in view. After Bro. Crawford`s proposition had been fully discussed in all it`s bearings , the following agreement was drawn up by Bro. Crawford and was approved and signed by the Brethren present. viz ;

Uddingston, 12th. October 1875. 

" We the undersigned Brethren assembled together in Mr. Latta`s Hall on the above date , do hereby pledge ourselves to use our best endeavors to further any measures that may be adopted in opening a Lodge in Masonry in Uddingston and we further promise to become bona fide Members thereof. In witness hereof, we the undersigned do adhibit our respective signatures ; 

Signed ;

W.H. Lindsay Crawford No. 233 Hamilton.
John Shields No. 118 St. Bride, Douglas.
Thomas Marshall No. 187 St. John, Carluke.
Thomas Shortt No. 21 Old St. John, Lanark.
William Hay No. 233 Hamilton.
David Dryden No. 557 Blantyre Kilwinning, Blantyre.
James Robertson No. 21 Old St. John, Lanark.
Robert Rae No. 258 Quhytewoolen, Lockerbie."

The above is the actual minute of the first meeting held to discuss the formation of a new Lodge in Uddingston. At their next meeting on 4th. December held in Mr. Bruce's School Room, Bellshill Road, it was proposed that a Public Meeting of the inhabitants of Uddingston and Bothwell should be called to test the feeling, favourable or otherwise, for the formation of a new Masonic Lodge in Uddingston.

The following Brethren were requested to undertake the following office,
Bro. Shortt, Treasurer.
Bro. Crawford, Secretary.

It may seem a strange way to form a Masonic Lodge by calling a Public Meeting to test the feeling of the inhabitants but this was indeed the way in which those original eight Brethren formed the Lodge.

Billposters were printed calling a Public Meeting in Mr. Bruce's School Room on 9th. December 1875.

The Minute read, Bro. McMurdo was called to chair the meeting and gave a succinct and lucid exposition on Masonry, after which Bro. Crawford proposed and seconded by Bro. Short that the time had arrived when in his opinion a Petition should be then and there drawn up and signed by the Brethren present, praying for a Charter to Grand Lodge, as their subscription sheet showed in their favour £30. An amendment, was suggested by Bro. Baird and Bro. Marshall that further delay was necessary to collect more funds and not commit themselves to an "uncertainty". After some desultory discussion had taken place Bro. McMurdo put Bro. Crawford`s resolution to the meeting - which was duly carried by a show of hands. Bro. McMurdo then requested those M.M.'s present to sign the petition viz :

Bros.
J. Walker, Hamilton No.233
J. Robertson, Old St. John No.21, Lanark.
J. Baird, Cambuslang Royal Arch Lodge No.114.
T. Halkett, St. Mark`s No.102, Glasgow.
J. Parker, Biggar Free Operative Lodge No.167.
W.H.L. Crawford, Hamilton No.233.
W. Easton, St. John No. 3 bis, Glasgow.
W. Watson, Thistle ∧ Rose No.73, Glasgow.
W. Ryle, St. John No.3 bis, Glasgow.
J. Ruddock, Hamilton No.233.
D. Dryden, Blantyre Kilwinning No.557.
T. Shortt, Old St. John No.21, Lanark.
R. Rae, Quhytewoolen No.258, Lockerbie.
T. Marshall, St. John No.187, Carluke.
W. Walker, St. Bride No.118, Douglas.
J. Shields, St. Bride No. 118, Doulglas.
M. Burnside, Biggar Free Operative Lodge No.173* (see note at end of Chapter)

After the above Brethren had signed the Petition Bro. McMurdo took the somewhat unusual step of inviting all those non - masons who were in favour of a Lodge being formed to come forward and sign their names "pledging themselves to become members of the Mystic Tie".

Twenty four non - masons signed their names, including one James Patrick of whom we shall read of later. The Chairman then requested that "all non - masons retire and only Masons remain". The first election of Office Bearers then took place and the following twelve were appointed,

R.W.M., Bro. Wm. J. Easton, S.M., Bro. Wm. Walker, W.S.W., Bro. T. Halkett, W.J.W., Bro. J. Baird, Treas., Bro. J. Shortt, Secy., Bro. W.H.L. Crawford, S.D., Bro. J. Walker, J.D., J. Robertson, I.G., J. Ruddock, Tyler, Bro. R. Rae, S. Steward, Bro. D. Dryden, J. Steward, Wm. Watson.

Thus Bro. Wm. Easton, a member of Lodge St. John No.3bis, was duly elected as the first R.W.M. of the new Lodge. Bro. Marshall proposed and Bro. Baird seconded that the designation of the new Lodge should be "St. Bryde" after the Patron Saint of Bothwell - Unanimously accepted.

It is believed that the name St. Bryde was chosen because St. Bridget (or St. Bride as she was known) was a favourite Saint of the Douglas family who owned Bothwell Castle Estates and whose family Church was the Parish Church St. Bride`s of Bothwell which dates from 1398. Also the first Master and Founder Bro. Wm. Easton was at that time Factor of the Bothwell Castle Estates.

It was proposed that the initiation fee be £2 2/- , an amendment was put forward the fee should be £2. A vote was taken and the proposal was carried 11 votes to 6. It was also proposed that the 24 candidates who had put their names forward that night be admitted into the Craft at the reduced fee of 32/6d. The Annual Fee was set at 2/6d, it was also agreed that in the case of an emergency meeting for Initiation, Passing or Raising an additional fee of 10/6d would be charged to each Candidate. Another curious rule was made, that if a Brother wished to Affiliate the Fee would be 12/6d, however if he resided in or close proximity to Uddingston and could have availed himself of the privileges of Initiation in Lodge St. Bryde but subsequently joined another Lodge, his application would be increased to 21/-.

Later meetings confirmed that the colour blue, being the "constitutional colour of Masonry", was the colour approved of by the Lodge for Regalia, and that 9th. March 1876 be the day appointed for the Consecration.

It is interesting to note that the Charter was granted on 7th. February 1876 and that the sponsoring Lodges were Hamilton Kilwinning No.7 and Hamilton No.233. Hamilton No.233 provided three founder Members but Hamilton Kilwinning No.7 had no Members signing the Founders Roll.

The Consecration and Erection of the Lodge St. Bryde, granted the number 579 on the Roll of the Grand Lodge of Scotland took place in Latta`s Hall, Magdala Place, Main Street, Uddingston on Thursday 9th. March 1876 at 7pm. Bro. Clark Forrest acting Provincial grand Master presiding, the Lodge Office Bearers were Installed and Bro. Easton was Installed as the first R.W.M. of the Lodge.

* Note. Bro. H. Douglas appears to have signed the Petition giving his Mother Lodge as Biggar F.O. No.173. I have made enquiries with Grand Secretary regarding the No.173. He replied thus; Lodge Biggar Free Operative No.167 was Chartered by Lodge Ancient Brazen, Linlithgow in 1727 but in 1786 received a Charter from Grand Lodge. Over the years the Lodge was Numbered 222, 165, 167 but at no time do our records show it having the Number 173. We can only assume that the Brother concerned made an error when signing the Petition.