Cambuslang Philanthropic Click on links for more information
The Gardener - Updated January 2006
September 2006
The
next Meeting of Adelphi Bluebell Lodge will be on
Friday 13th. October 2006 at
in
The
A
warm welcome is extended by The Worthy Master and Brethren to Free Gardeners
from other Lodges who wish to attend.
New
Members. Six new
members were admitted to the Order at the last meeting on 6th. June 2006. Thomas
McGibbney, Hugh Glen, George Martin, Edward McKirdy, David Bell, and William
Cullen were warmly received. The attendance at the last meeting was 36, which
was tremendous. Visitors included members
from Ayrshire Bluebell
No. 7 and Virginia Bluebell No. 8. Bro. Bill Boe, W.M. No. 7 gave a report on
the progress of the Ayrshire Lodge and a meeting was planned on the Isle of
Arran (see report over). Bro.
Saturday
1st. July 2006 was a historical day in the history of the Ayrshire Lodge. 17
members travelled to Lamlash on the Isle of Arran and held a meeting there. The
Brethren had a tremendous day on the island and such was the
enthusiasm for the Order that they Initiated 10 Candidates from the
island into Ayrshire Bluebell No. 7.
Unfortunately,
Worthy Master Bro. Bill Boe was unable to attend due to ill health, however Bro.
Bobby Laird, Past Worthy Master took the chair and conducted the business in a
very competent manner. Two visitors
were present at themeeting, Bro. Archie Hoey (No. 4) and Bro. Max Gasking from
Lodge No. 5 in
AGM. At the next meeting on Friday 13th. October the Lodge Secretary will present the financial statement to the Lodge. He will also report on the progress that the Lodge has made in the last year.
Ebay. Last
month a Free Gardeners Apron appeared for sale on Ebay. Amazingly the apron sold
for £290. It was described as a silk hand painted apron dated 1828. The apron
was from Adam`s Union Lodge but no number or Order
was given. Also on Ebay was an important booklet titled Rules of the Eden Parent
Lodge of England. The Rules were printed in 1841, but more importantly the Lodge
was Instuted in 1811 by Charter from the Caledonian
Thistle Lodge,
Death
Andrew
Reidford
Died
17th. August 2006 age 82.
Bro.
Ronnie McCarney, Worthy Master and the Brethren of the Lodge were sad to learn
of the sudden death of Bro. Andrew Reidford. Andrew joined our Lodge on 30th.
November 2005 and immediately took to the Order to which he had become a member.
He was a Brother who always found time to listen and give good advice. His
Service in the Royal Navy during World War 2 and the many stories that he had to
tell became the focus of great interest.
Andrew leaves his Son, Bruce and Grandson, Gordon as members of our Lodge. He
will be sadly missed.
Ayrshire
Bluebell No.7.
Bro.
Ronnie McCarney, Worthy Master headed a Deputation of twelve Brethren from our
Lodge to the Regular Meeting of
Ayrshire Bluebell Lodge No. 7 in Girvan.
Forty six Brethren in total attended the meeting and seven Candidates were
admitted into the Order. Bro. Archie Chalmers, Worthy Secretary gave an
excellent report on the workings of the Lodge over the last year. The Lodge
membership stands at 56 and
the bank balance is very healthy.
Interestingly,
the ten members of Ayrshire Bluebell Lodge who live on Isle of Arran are
interested in forming their own Lodge as travel to the mainland for meetings is
difficult during the week. This may become a reality next year.
Archie
Chalmers produced copies of a Ritual that Archie Hoey an original member of
Heatherbell Lodge No. 18 in
Installation.
Bro. William Boe, Worthy Master No. 7 reviewed his year as Master and thanked
the Brethren of both Lodges for their support. He then proposed that Bro. Hugh
Sanders, Depute Master be
elected as the new Worthy Master. This was agreed and Bro. Boe installed Bro.
Sanders into the chair of the Lodge. He also installed a full complement of
Office-bearers.
Summer
2006
Office
Bearers of The Lodge.
Worthy Master
Ronald McCarney
Depute Master Douglas Welsh
Secretary
James L. Jack
Conductor
Patrick Clarke
Assistant Conductor
Walter Dunn
Guarder
Scott Moore
Meetings
of The Lodge.
Meetings
are held at the discretion of the Worthy Master, usually twice per year in the
Spring and Autumn. Meetings alternate between Baillieston and Uddingston.
The next Meeting of Adelphi Bluebell Lodge will be on
Tuesday
6th. June 2006 at 7.30pm.
in
The Masonic Temple, Gardenside St., Uddingston.
A
warm welcome is extended by The Worthy Master and Brethren to Free Gardeners
from other Lodges who wish to attend.
New Master Installed.
The meeting of the Lodge on Wednesday 30th. November
2005 was a milestone in the history of Adelphi Bluebell Lodge No. 4. Bro. James
L. Jack, Worthy Master demitted office in
favour of Bro. Ronald McCarney as our new Worthy Master. Bro. McCarney was
Installed as the second Worthy Master of our Lodge by Bro. Jack. In his address
to the new Master Bro. Jack praised the enthusiasm of
Bro. Ronnie McCarney who was one of the original Founder
Members of the Lodge. Bro. Ronnie had served as Depute Master for over
three years.
Bro. Douglas Welsh was Elected to the Office of Depute Master and was Installed by Bro. Jack. Bro. Bill Perry stood down as Secretary, a position that he has held since the formation of the Lodge and Bro. James L. Jack was elected into this position. Bro. Ronnie McCarney the new Worthy Master installed Bro. Jack. Other Office-bearers remain unchanged. This Election of a new Worthy Master is an important step in the development of our Lodge, now as we move forward the original Office-bearers who founded and organised our Lodge most be thanked for their efforts in re-establishing the Order in this part of the country. We look forward to the Chairmanship of Brother McCarney and hope that under his guidance, No.4 will go from
New
Members. The membership of our Lodge continues to grow, with a steady supply of
Application Forms read at our meetings. At the meeting on 30th.
November eleven Candidates received the Apprentice, Journeyman and Master
Gardener Degrees. The reason
for this unusually high number of Candidates was to try to reduce a growing
backlog of Applicants waiting to join.
In the photo are new members
John McKie, John Best, Raymond Dow, William Campbell, Gerard Furlong, Norman
Telfer, Andrew Reidford, Andrew
Martin, Andrew McAllister, Robert Tait and Allan Duffy. We are delighted that
Andrew Reidford has joined the Lodge, he is now the third generation of that
family to have joined. His son Bruce and grandson Gordon Reidford are already
members.
Other Lodges. We keep in
touch with other Free Gardeners Lodges and regularly receive news from Ayrshire
Bluebell No. 7 and Virginia Bluebell No. 8. Both Lodges are doing particularly
well. Members from No. 7 regularly visit our meetings and we have visited No. 7.
Last September George Kelly and Jim Jack visited No. 8 in Strasburg, Virginia
and were warmly welcomed as the first visitors into their Lodge. We have reported an
interest in establishing a Lodge in Colorado, we had friends visiting last year
who were keen to be involved and we hope that this interest will develop into
another Lodge. But what of No. 5 ? The Cheshire Bluebell Lodge has been unheard
of for more than a year and we are
concerned that it may have folded. The Lodge No. 4 newsletter and the notice of
our meetings are still being sent to our members who formed No. 5, but we have
not heard anything from the Lodge
or its members.
Annual
Report. At the 30th.
November meeting Bro. Jack gave a very encouraging Annual Report. Our Lodge
membership was continuing to grow, our finances are secure and we have ordered a
supply of Lodge aprons, ties and lapel badges.
On the research side of our activities, Bro. Archie Hoey has discovered two of his original St. Andrew`s Order rituals. They have been copied and these copies are available to members.
We
have also discovered a complete set of Office-bearers jewels from the 
Daisy
Lodge, Bellshill, Lanarkshire.
Daisy Lodge was Chartered by The Western Grand Lodge of Free
Gardeners on 7th. July 1876 and these are thought to be the original jewels of
the Lodge. This was a fantastic piece of work by one of our new members, Norrie
Telfer. The jewels are in the possession
of the family of the last Secretary of the Lodge, they have been handed down
from generation to generation and are in excellent
condition. The jewels were photographed for of records and
will appear on the homepage at a later date for everyone to see.
Bro. Archie Hoey also discovered his original St. Andrews Order lapel badge which is quite unusual and can also be viewed on the Homepage.
Merchandise.
Lodge ties and aprons will be
available at the next meeting. We also have just received a new stock of
Bluebell lapel badges. These badges are specially manufactured for our Lodge.
Visitors.
At our next meeting on Tuesday
6th. June we will welcome
two of our friends from Virginia. Bro. Wayne Price, Worthy Master and Bro.
Raymond Steel, Depute Master of Virginia
Bluebell Lodge No. 8 will be visiting their Mother Lodge again. We look forward
to their visit and their news of the progress that the Order is making in
America.
Congratulations.
As
we know, Freemasonry is an Order unconnected to our Free Gardeners Lodge but we
have members who are Freemasons.
We are delighted that our Bro. James L. Jack has been elected to the office of
Provincial Grand Master of Lanarkshire (Middle Ward). His Installation by The
Grand Master Mason will take place on Saturday 10th. June at 2 p.m.
in Motherwell. Bro. Jack has subsequently Commissioned
two of our members, Bro. Bill Perry as Substitute Provincial Grand Master and
Bro. William Craig as Provincial Grand Secretary. The congratulations of our
Lodge of Free Gardeners are extended to our members in their new roles in
Freemasonry.
30th.
November 2005
Lodge
Adelphi Bluebell No. 4
W.M. Bro. James Jack, welcomed Bro. William Boe, W.M.
of No. 7 and Bro. Bobby Laird, P.W.M. No.7.
Eleven Candidates, John McKie, John Best, Raymond Dow, William Campbell, Gerard Furlong, Norman Telfer, Andrew Reidford, Andrew Martin, Andrew McAllister, Robert Tait, Allan Duffy were admitted into the Order.
W.M. Bro. James Jack gave the Annual Report. The
balance sheet was very healthy and the stock of ties, badges and aprons had sold
well. Bro. Jack reported on the Installation of Bro. Bill Boe as W.M. of No. 7
in Girvan. No. 4 
were well represented at the meeting. He also
reported that he and Bro. George Kelly had visited Virginia Bluebell Lodge No. 8
in Strasburg, Virginia and were warmly received by the Brethren of the Lodge.
Installation. Bro. Pat Clarke, Conductor presented Bro. Ronnie McCarney (photo left), D.M.. Bro. James Jack, W.M. praised his fellow Founder Member for the hard work Bro. Ronnie had carried out since the formation of the Lodge 3 years ago. Bro. Jack duly Installed Bro. Ronnie McCarney as the second W.M. of the Lodge. Bro. Jack then Installed Bro. Douglas Welsh as Depute Master and Bro. Ronnie McCarney Installed Bro. James Jack as Secretary.
December 2004
Lodge
Adelphi Bluebell No. 4
At
the meeting of the Lodge on Tuesday 23rd. November 2004, ten new
members were admitted into the Lodge.
Back
Row L to R. James Weir, David MacLean, John Nisbet, Andrew McNeice, George
Kelly.
Front
Row L to R. Wayne Price, Raymond Steele, David Greenshields, Donald Mathieson,
James Gold.
New Lodge. Members of Lodge Adelphi Bluebell No. 4 who live in America decided to form another Lodge. The new Lodge is believed to be the only Lodge of Free Gardeners in America and is situated in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. Bro. Wayne Price was Installed as Worthy Master by Bro. James L. Jack, Worthy Master No. 4 and Bro. Raymond Steele was Installed as Depute Master by Bro. James Clow-Nichol Worthy Master of Lodge No. 1. Virginia Bluebell Lodge is the eighth Lodge to be formed since the restoration of the Order in 2002.
Back Row L to R: Alan McLeod, W.M. No.2, James L. Jack, w.m. No.4,
James
Clow-Nichol, W.M. No.1
Front Row: Wayne Price, W.M. No.8, Raymond Steele, D.M. No.8.
_________________________________
Thistle Lodge of Free Gardeners Kilbirnie 48 Ayr
An
interesting photo of Thistle Lodge
of Free Gardeners Kilbirnie 48 Ayr.
We
are unsure which Order this Lodge belongs to, No.48 being occupied in the Roll
of The Western Grand Lodge as Douglas Dale. Note the distinctive embroidered
aprons and . . . what is the significance of the “made up” member in the
centre photo?
__________________________________________
Close up of the Kilbirnie aprons.
__________________________________
Bro.
Jim Morrell donated this excellent jewel to our collection.
The inscription
reads, Presented to Bro. Robert Miller P.M. by New Stevenson Hawthorn Lodge for
services rendered. 1924 – 25.
Hawthorn Lodge New
Stevenson is mentioned in the last minute book of Cambuslang Philanthropic Lodge
as one of the last Lodges in Lanarkshire. Laterly it was a member of The Western
Grand Lodge, its origin and number are unknown.
 |
Presentation of Free Gardeners Tracing Board from Thomas Coulson, Cheshire Bluebell No5 |
A new Lodge of Free Gardeners has been established in Uddingston after an absence of over one hundred years. Adelphi Bluebell Lodge No. 4 was Founded in October 2002 by James L. Jack, Ronnie McCarney, Bill Perry and Pat Clarke who had previously joined The Countess of Elgin Lodge No. 3 in Kirkcaldy.
The Order which
traces its history to a Lodge at Haddington in 1676 was completely dormant in
Scotland in the early 1950`s and a Preservation Society was established in 2002
to research and maintain the traditions of the Order before they were completely
lost.
Locally, Lodges
existed in nearly every town and village in the area and the new Lodge has been
successful in preserving aprons and jewels from local Gardeners Lodges.
At the first Regular
Meeting on 11th. February, three visitors were present from Lodge No. 3 and six
candidates were given the Degrees of Apprentice, Journeyman and Master Gardener
by W.M. James L. Jack.
New Members 11th February 2003
If you are interested in the Free Gardeners, a power point lecture on their history will be given by James L. Jack at the Regular Meeting of Lodge St. Bryde No. 579 on Wed. 23rd. April at 7.30pm.
This Presentation
will be available for viewing on this web-page in the near future.