The first step in gaining the Charter was a meeting of 14 Freemasons held at the Errol Arms Hotel on the evening of 9th December 1897. A list of 33 brethren residing in the Carse between Glencarse and Longforgan lay on the table. These villages may have been chosen as the westerly and easterly points beyond which regular travel to lodges in Perth and Dundee respectively was deemed impracticable.
Bro David Constable, Past Master of Lodge St David No 78, was called to take the chair and on so doing outlined the procedure to erect a new lodge. It was unanimously agreed that a Petition to Grand Lodge be prepared immediately and presented.
Agreement was reached upon fees. Initiation would cost £2/10/0d. (A huge sum in those days; Grand Lodge, however, may even then have mandated a minimum charge) while Life membership would be one guinea (£1/1/0). Life membership may have been set at that level to encourage most founder members to take up life membership, as indeed happened, thus generating as large a fund as possible for the new lodge.
Bro Constable was evidently so committed and/or confident that he undertook to lend the new lodge any shortfall that might be required.
A working committee of seven brethren was established and given a number of objectives, the most pressing of which was to identify a meeting place. Having decided that the new lodge be styled “The Carse of Gowrie” they approached Sir Wm Ogilvie Dalgleish of Errol Park for use of Miss Ross’s classroom in the High Street. Sir William is reported to have agreed, provided that the lodge met the cost of coal and light and did not disrupt the classes.
The Grand Secretary responded to the petition on 16th December 1897, setting out the conditions for grant of a charter and enclosing a form of Petition. By chance, two founder brethren had been present on the 17th December at Lodge Perth Royal Arch ( No 122 ) on the annual Provincial visitation. The Master and Wardens of No122 and Bro The Lord Breadalbane, Provincial Grand Master, signed the petition. Bro The Lord Breadalbane then stated that although Grand Lodge was adverse to a lodge having two meeting places, he would use his influence if the brethren of the new lodge so wished.
Subsequently Lodge Scoon and Perth No3 agreed to assist the embryo lodge and the Master and Wardens of that lodge also signed the petition. The committee then compiled a list of the first office-bearers under the Mastership of Bro David Constable. The next meeting was on 8th January 1898 when the office bearers designate formally notified their willingness to serve and the nominations were ratified. The lodge colour, crimson, was agreed. It was unanimously decided that subject to Grand Lodge, meetings would be held in both Errol and Inchture.
Several brethren present undertook to donate most of the necessary furnishings to minimise the initial costs.
The committee met again on February 5th to receive news that Grand Lodge had granted the prayer of Petition. Bro The Marquis of Breadalbane had expressed a desire to perform the opening ceremony of the new lodge. The final draft of the proposed Bye-Laws was submitted. These were revised in 1975, and further revision is now required in terms of Grand Lodge Laws.
A meeting was convened on February 12th, the Charter was produced and the Provincial Grand Senior Warden, Bro Thomas Chalmers, affiliated the R.W.M.-elect. Taking the chair of the meeting Bro Constable then affiliated seven office-bearers elect and a few members, then closed with some suitable words of congratulation on the start that the lodge had just made.
Two separate meetings took place 19th February 1898. The first was to make arrangements for the Consecration of the Lodge. Bro Morrison reported that he would supply the oats, geraniums and sawdust required. The lodge still retains the oats in a sealed glass container; a small sheaf of stalks several inches in length. This suggests that Bro Morrison had kept them from the previous year’s harvest with this purpose in mind. At the re-dedication ceremony a century later oil and wine were used, not geraniums and sawdust (neither of which survive) and we can only speculate on how the two ceremonies differed.
The new lodge set to work with a will and on opening the second meeting proceeded to initiate Messrs Peter Macfarlane and William Drummond, Cpl John Wallace and Messrs John McLaren and George Neish into freemasonry. It says much for our first R.W.M. and his office-bearers that they had both the zeal and skill to do this, as it does of the popularity of the craft in the late nineteenth century, that a Lodge found five candidates as soon as it came into existence. After the degree working the R.W.M. of Lodge Camperdown No317 presented a Charter-box, which has housed the Charter since.
Saturday 28th February 1898 was chosen for the Consecration and Erection ceremony, to be held in the Victoria hall, Errol. Regrettably Bro The Lord Breadalbane, whose support had been of such value in securing dual meeting places, could not attend. The Provincial Grand Master of Inverness-shire, Bro John MacPherson Grant of Ballindalloch performed the ceremony in his stead. Upon the Consecration of the Lodge, the Master and his Office-bearers were installed. Again, it is interesting from this distance in time to observe that they had already initiated five gentlemen into their Lodge!
On April 27th the Lodge worked its first Mark ceremonial and a deputation from Lodge Albert No 448, Lochee, presented a fine set of stones. They have served the Lodge well from that first Mark until now.
The first meeting in Inchture took place on June 2nd 1898, in the schoolroom. A ballot was taken which proved clear and again five candidates were conveniently within hail. Messrs Archibald Jack, Thomas Hope, John F Kinnaird, William A Drummond and the Rev. John A Honey were the first of many to see Masonic light for the first time in 871 in Inchture.
In February 1899 Bro Lord Breadalbane presented one of our most treasured possessions, an inscribed gavel which been used by the Master at every meeting since then. Although unable to perform to opening ceremony, he had been a signatory to the Charter as Grand Master Depute.
Given this start under the leadership of Bro Constable, an inspiring figure, the Lodge in its first five years of existence initiated 65 candidates and affiliated 35 brethren, of whom 44 took life membership and an average of 33 paid annual test fees. In the early years of the 21st century, who would not wish to ask Bro Constable, from his place in the Grand Lodge Above, how he did it?
In the years before the Great War the lodge was very well attended and a noticeable feature of that time is the number of inter-lodge visitations made between 871 and Dundee lodges. How these were arranged is not recorded, but it was the golden age of rail travel, the Perth-Dundee railway runs through the middle of the Carse and at the time provided a connection to many now-vanished Dundee stations.
This affinity with Dundee Lodges ( most of the prime movers among the founders were from Dundee lodges ) compared to the support given by Perth lodges in the beginning is probably explained by the fact that the Dundee is in the Province of Forfarshire, whilst the whole of the Carse, with Perth, is in Perthshire East. Thus, while Perth lodges acted as midwifes to the new daughter lodge, Dundee was a natural attraction for visits.
An interesting episode is minuted in 1911. A special meeting on 25th March of that year considered a letter from the Chicago Board of Masonic Relief advising that the Police had lifted one James B. Forsyth, a member of the lodge, from the streets of the City. Doctor’s opinion was that he was violently insane, with very little hope of recovery. The Board wished to know if 871 would contribute to his upkeep in Cook County Asylum, or meet funeral expenses to avoid his burial in a pauper’s grave.
The lodge replied that should this brother die, they would meet the cost of a Masonic funeral. They were canny enough not to sign what would be a blank cheque and replied that if they could rely on the assistance of Provincial Grand Lodge they would pay a fair share of the cost of keeping Bro Forsyth, but needed to know what that might be.
We cannot know if Bro Forsyth was as crazy as the police doctor in Chicago believed him to be, since he wrote in person from Muthill ( about 40 miles from Errol ) on the 5th of July that year, asking for benevolence. Granted the sum of four pounds ( a lot of money then ) he disappears from view.
Another incident is recorded in the minutes of 17th December 1913. The R.W.M. informed brethren that on his chair had gone amissing several times recently, only to be found hidden in various places in the building. The following week it could not be found at all. Inquiries revealed the caretaker to be the culprit. So much did he covert the Master’s chair that he resigned on being instructed to return it.
The Advent of the First World War affected all lodges in the land, but 871 managed to initiate a fair number of candidates and the minute books of the period show patriotic calls on benevolence always answered.
A pre-War social highlight was the annual summer picnic, which had to be abandoned until the end of hostilities. These took the form of a river cruise from Dundee to Newburgh or Abernethy or a rail excursion to destinations such as St Fillans, Pitlochry, Dunkeld and Blairgowrie, all of which remained popular spots for such outings until the mid -1950s. It was not uncommon for the secretary to be asked to book 50 or 60 people for lunch and high tea at a convenient hotel. This could be had for an all-in charge of 4/6d ( 23p ) per head in those days.
With the end of the War increased membership meant bigger attendances in the small classroom and a quest for larger premises was revived, having been in abeyance from pre-War days.
This was realised on the 3rd December 1919, when the R.W.M. Bro Benvie announced the intended purchase of a property in the High Street from the Trustees of the late Wm. Watson, farmer of Inchcoonans, for the then princely sum of £165.
At the time lodge funds stood at just over £86, nevertheless the brethren were asked to approve the purchase and authorise the taking of a £100 loan to complete the transaction.
A hall committee was formed and one brother was asked to examine the building and draw up conversion plans. Two brethren, T. Dingwall and W. Goodall, being in the building trade supplied the materials and skilled labour. The other brethren provided the unskilled labour.
The total cost exceeded £1400, which made further extensive borrowing unavoidable.
On 26th March 1921 the Consecration Ceremony of the new building took place. The Minute reads:
“ The brethren being assembled, the lodge duly opened and authority handed over to Provincial Grand Master of Perthshire East and his office-bearers having taken up their respective stations. The lodge was passed to the Fellow Craft degree then raised to the High and Sublime degree when a most interesting and touching ceremony was witnessed. The Provincial Grand Master proceeded to pour corn on the Lodge floor, the token of divine goodness, to pour wine on the floor to dedicate the lodge to virtue and finally to pour oil on the floor to dedicate the lodge to universal benevolence”
Thus began the normal working in our present Lodge rooms. Following the purchase and renovations, the lodge suffered many lean years. Ten years were required to discharge the debts incurred, during which several Solicitors’ letters were received.
On their annual visitation and inspection on May 22nd 1922 the Provincial Grand Lodge of Perthshire East found the Minute Book to be in such a bad state that they gave the Lodge one month to put matters right. The report stated, “ There are many things wrong, which require immediate and serious remedy” A new Secretary and Treasurer were appointed and the following year all was well.
At the regular meeting on 1st November 1922 a deputation from Lodge Perth Royal Arch No122 presented gifts of Master’s and Wardens’ Pedestals and Columns. These remain in use today, but the Wardens’ columns, having suffered much wear and tear over the years, were re-furbished with splendid new tops in 2002 by the I.P.M. Bro Howard Moon.
On 1st May 1923 a carpet was presented by Bro MacDonald, R.W.M. of Lodge Meigle No 1122. This served the lodge well for a remarkable 75 years. When Lodge Perth Royal Arch gave up their premises on Tay Street to move into Atholl Crescent with Lodge Scoon and Perth No3, their carpet was acquired. This was used from the first meeting of the 1998/9 season, held on September 2nd 1998.
The foundation stone for the new entrance to the Lodge was laid on 22nd April 1936. Inside is a sealed copper casket containing several coins of the realm, a copy of the Lodge Bye-Laws, a copy of the day’s Courier & Advertiser ( of Dundee, the local newspaper ) and a list of the names of the thirty-four brethren who attended the ceremony.
Bro John B. MacDonald, Provincial Grand Master, unveiled the completed entrance on 6th
was held on 1st May 1957. An annual Dinner-Dance was held at Inchture until 1996 and the Centenary celebrations of 1998 took place in the Inchture Hotel.
In spite of this, the period from the 1960s to the 1980s saw much activity. Brethren excelled themselves in inter-lodge visitations, both individually and in delegations. Strong links exist outwith the Province with Lodge Lindores No106, our nearest neighbour; only a couple of miles away as the crow flies, but on the other side of the Tay in Fife and some 45 minutes drive away. Often during the 1960s a double-decker bus would be required to accommodate visiting parties of brethren between the two lodges.
Should the Minute Book be opened at random in the 1980s, reports of visits to numerous lodges during the previous fortnight will be found. For instance the minute of April18th, 1984 shows eight visits.
In order to generate income after WW2, the ground floor of the building had been let to the village doctor as a surgery. When a new surgery was built elsewhere in 1970s, Bro J Lawson, now Secretary and a PM, converted the area into a lounge, with bar and kitchen facilities, giving us a fine harmony and social area. The original main door, however, had to be blocked off.
In 1998, prior to the lodge centenary, Bros Howard and Colin Moon donated the missing link in the lodge’s furnishings, three magnificent hand-carved chairs for the Master and Wardens to use at the ceremony and thereafter in the lodge itself. No doubt these will serve the lodge for at least the next century of its existence.
The Centenary celebration was held at the Inchture Hotel on Saturday 21st February 1998. A large number of 871 brethren and representatives of 18 sister lodges attended, a number of whom also represented the PGL of Forfarshire. The deputation from the PGL of Perthshire East was led by the PGM Bro John Hutcheson. Bro Brig Sir Gregor MacGregor Bt., then Immediate Past Grand Master Mason, headed the Grand Lodge deputation and took the gavel for the ceremony.
In a chamber packed to capacity, a moving and efficient ceremony was conducted with corn, oil and wine being poured forth to re-dedicate the lodge to the next 100 years of its life. One difference to note from the consecration of the lodge buildings in Errol is that on this occasion the floor ceremony was carried out by the Grand J.C., conducted by the Grand D.o.C., whereas the minute of the former shows the P.G.M. performing this element of the ceremony.
The company then passed to harmony when a meal was enjoyed elsewhere in the hotel and both the Provincial Grand Master and Immediate Past Grand Master Mason addressed the assembled brethren. A history of the lodge was delivered by Bro J M Strachan MBE.
At the regular meeting of September 2nd 1998 Bro Ian Rae PM received his jubilee certificate recognising his 50 years service to Freemasonry and the lodge. Bro Ian, the senior surviving PM, is an Inchture man who provides a link with days of regular meetings at Inchture. Bro G Jack PM is the last member still attending to have been initiated at Inchture.
In keeping with much of the Craft’s experience, the last decade of the 20th century was challenging for 871. Falling attendances, few candidates and the need for a great deal of remedial work on the fabric of our building made for a testing number of years, relieved by the high point of our Centenary year. Apart from the celebrations themselves, a number of interesting events took place under the R.W.M., the late Bro Douglas Patterson, including a Fellow Craft degree worked by the Provincial Grand Lodge.
As we enter this new millennium we are quietly encouraged by developments. Slowly we are making improvements to our premises and we have again a reasonable number of applications for initiation. Attendances, whilst still low when measured against the past, are holding steady or improving. Most encouraging of all, many of those expressing an interest or making application are from the younger generation, who have widely been felt, mistakenly, to be uninterested in the Craft and the values it seeks to sustain.
For over 100 years of continuous good and wholesome Freemasonry in the Carse we owe our founders a debt of gratitude. They were, present at the founders meeting on 9th December 1897:
David CONSTABLE James WATT John MORRISON
William TAIT Roderick McKENZIE Thomas BARNETT
James ANDERSON James STRACHAN John LIDDELL
David WYND Lawrence MELVILLE George WATSON
James GREIRSON Alexander ANDERSON
And our first Office Bearers:
R.W.M. David Constable PM No78
D.M. John Liddell No349
S.M. Wm. McLeish No78
W.S.W David Wynd No47
W.J.W. George Watson No768
Secy. Lawrence Melville No317
Treas. Wm Tait No3
S.D. J.Morrison No400
J.D. Thomas Barett No78
I.G. John Stewart No78
Tyler James Watt No137
Chaplain James M. Strachan No3
From a Presentation at the Lodge Centenary Celebrations by Bro J Strachan MBE, then I.P.M.