It is a great pleasure and privilege to welcome you to the website of the The Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1² which I hope you find both interesting and informative.

Our Antient Lodge has a long and distinguished history and is reputed to be one of the oldest Masonic Lodges in Scotland if not "The Oldest".  We believe that our Lodge Forebears were the Operative Masons involved in the building of Melrose Abbey founded in 1136.

As Master of the Lodge, I can assure that any Brother who visits our Lodge will receive a very warm and fraternal welcome.  Thank you for visiting the website and please visit again soon.

Brian W. Lawson

Right Worshipful Master

On the 21 September 2023, The Right Worshipful Master of the Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis, Bro. Brian Lawson, along with Past Master Bro. Philip Titley, visited The Hawick Dementia Cafe which is held in the premises of the Hawick Lodge No. 111 and run by Bro. Jim Sykes, a Past Master of that Lodge.

Bro. Jim was instrumental in setting up the café in the Lodge as a similar facility was decommissioned a number of years ago, at the time when Jim’s late wife faced Dementia.

The café has gone from strength to strength.  They meet on the third Thursday of every month and have a full house every time.  

Jim and the dedicated team of volunteers welcome anyone (not just those from Hawick) who experiences the difficulties of Dementia along with their carers.  Lunch is provided and they always arrange some kind of entertainment to give them a good afternoon and let them go away happy & smiling.

The Dementia Café is purely self-funded through generous donations.   The Hawick Lodge No. 111, provide the use of their premises free of charge which is a fantastic help.

The Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis is proud to support this great cause and was pleased to present Bro. Jim Sykes with a cheque for £200. 

Should you wish to offer a donation towards the running costs or provide support in any other way, no doubt the team would be pleased to hear from you.   

More information >>>  https://www.facebook.com/groups/426135231322132

Pictured: L to R:  Bro. Brian Lawson, RWM of the Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis,  Bro. Jim Sykes, Past Master of the Hawick Lodge No. 111 and Co-ordinator of the Hawick Dementia Cafe and Bro. Philip Titley, Past Master of the Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1 bis.

On Saturday 24 June 2023 it was the Annual Installation of the Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis  in the Corn Exchange, Melrose, where Bro. Brian Lawson was installed as Right Worshipful Master for a second time.  

There were 77 from within and out with the Province in attendance including deputations from Lodge Dalkeith Kilwinning No. 10 which was headed by their Reigning Master, Bro. Paul Gilhooley and the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Scottish Borders, headed by the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master Bro. Andrew E. Forsyth.

The installation was ably conducted by Bro. George Donnelly PM, Past Master of Lodge St. Ebbe No. 70, a Past Provincial Grand Mater and Honorary Member of No. 1 bis  along with Bro. Duncan Taylor PM, a Past Master of  Melrose 1bis , assisted by Bro. David Jeffrey, Reigning Master of Lodge St. Ronan's No. 856, as Installing Senior Warden , Bro. Tim Slater, Reigning Master of Lodge Kelso & Tweed No. 58, as Installing Junior Warden and Bro, Lewis Young PM, Immediate Past Master of Lodge Dalkeith Kilwinning No. 10 as Installing Inner Guard.    Bro. Robin Wilson, Past Master of Lodge St. John Stow No. 216 provided musical accompaniment on his accordion.

After a successful ceremony of installation, 55 brethren joined the Annual Masons' Walk to Melrose Abbey which was lead by the Melrose Pipe Band, where Bro. Philip Titley PM, a Past Master of Melrose 1bis delivered a short oration to the assembled brethren and members of the public.

The procession returned to the Corn Exchange where the brethren enjoyed an informal harmony. 

Photo(s) Credit: Bro. James  Thom

On the occasion of the Annual Installation of the Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis, on 24 June 2023, the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master, Bro. Andrew E. Forsyth, had the pleasing duty of presenting a 60 year diploma to Bro. Hall Jeffrey, a Master Mason of the Lodge.

Bro. Hall is a well respected and dedicated supporter of the Lodge and always has the best interests of the Lodge at heart.  Pictured is Bro Hall with the RWPGM and the Master of No. 1bis, Bro. Brian Lawson, congratulating him on his notable milestone.   

Photo(s) Credit: © Bro. G. R. W. Duff

On Saturday 24 June 2023, Members of the Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis, met the 2023 Melrosian, Will Owen, at the site of the original Melrose Masonic Lodge at St. John's Wynd in Newstead.  

This was on the occasion of the Annual Melrose Festival Traditional Tour of Ceremonies marking the end of a successful Festival Week, where the Melrosian was presented with a print of the Old Lodge.

June 23 :: Photo(s) Credit: © Douglas Hardie / Melrose Festival Executive

Holly suffers from Rett Syndrome which is a rare genetic disorder that affects brain development, resulting in severe mental and physical disability.  It's estimated to affect around 1 in 10,000 girls born each year and is only rarely seen in boys.

Some children with Rett syndrome are affected more severely than others. Also, the age at which symptoms first appear varies from child to child.  A child may not have all the symptoms of Rett syndrome, and their symptoms might change as they get older.

The Lodge donated £200 to Friends of Holly to aid with Holly's continuing care.

Find out more about Rett Syndrome at: https://www.reverserett.org.uk/

The Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master, Bro. Andrew E. Forsyth had the very pleasing duty of presenting Bro. Alistair Little, Past Master of the Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis and the Provincial Grand Secretary with his 50-year diploma, which should have been presented last year, but was delayed due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

On congratulating Bro. Little, The PGM said that Bro. Alistair "was the Centrepin of the Lodge for many years " and "had a significant role in the creation of the new Province".  

During his 50 years in Craft, Bro. Alistair has been awarded distinguished service and has also been awarded Honorary Grand Rank in appreciation to his hard work and dedication to the Lodge, Province and the Craft in general.

Pictured is the RWPGM (left) Bro, Alistair Little PM (middle) and Bro. Brian Lawson (left), RWM, The Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis at the PGL Visit to the Lodge on 7 November 2022.

One final piece of Masonic Business our Outgoing Master had to attend to at the Installation Meeting on 25 June 2022 was to confer honorary membership of our Lodge on Bro. John W. Blackie. (AKA Jock)

Bro. Jock is a Past Master of the Galashiels Lodge No. 262 and the Immediate Past Provincial Grand Master of the The Provincial Grand Lodge of the Scottish Borders, a well respected Man and Mason with a vast knowledge and experience of Freemasonry has been a great supporter of our Lodge and its members. 

The privilege and pleasure of conferring honorary membership fell on Bro, Kenneth H. Ross, a very pleasing last duty as Master of the Lodge before our new Master was installed later on in the Meeting. 

Congratulations and Well Done Bro. Jock - very well deserved!

June 22

Border Women's Aid is a voluntary organisation comprising of a dedicated group of women who support women with a mission of supporting women to live empowered lives free from domestic abuse in all its forms, embracing the values of Equality, Respect, Commitment, Trust. Their vision is simple - having a community where all women & children can be safe and strong.

Our Master, Bro. Ken Ross, was keen to support this very worthwhile cause and with the help and support from Provincial Grand Lodge and a number of generous Lodges in the Province  raised £1, 900.  

The BWA said "we are thrilled about this and so very grateful that our service is being talked about and supported in this way".

To find out more about the great work this organisation does, please click on the image or download more information by clicking here

Broomlands Primary School is located in the Heart of the Scottish Borders, providing an excellent education provision for about 250 young learners. Further to a survey conducted by some of the Primary 7 Pupils, it was found that the majority of pupils wanted to see improved play equipment in the playground and voted to have Playground Climbing Frame Apparatus and immediately started fundraising under the name of “Project Playground”

The School has an active Parent Council, a small team of dedicated and committed parents and volunteers to support the school and pupils. Fundraising is part of the Parent Council’s remit, helping the school to purchase those nice to have items that the Local Authority is no longer able to provide, sadly, due to their program of fundraising activities being severely reduced because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis, they have been unable to contribute to Project Playground at a level they would normally have been able to do so.

Freemasons in the Borders became aware of the project and decided to help. The Borders Youth Support Scheme, a scheme operated by the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Scottish Borders, donated £250, Lodge Kelso & Tweed No. 58 donated £250 and The Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis also assisted by donating £200. Representatives visited the School on 12 October 2021 to hand over the £700.

Pam Guthrie, joint Chairperson of the Parent Council was delighted by the generosity of the Masons and thanked them very much for their support.

Pictured (L to R) Bro. Ken Ross, Master of the Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis, Bro. Mick Todd, Master of Lodge Kelso & Tweed No. 58, Paula Lowrie, member of the Broomlands Primary School Parent Council, Amy & Lauryn from the School, Pam Guthrie, Joint Chairperson of the Parent Council, Bro. James Thom, Depute Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Scottish Borders and Bro. Bill Heaney, Past Master of Lodge Kelso & Tweed No. 58

Started in 1936, Melrose Festival is held in the third week of June to promote an interest in the life of the community and to remind us of Melrose's historical past. A Melrosian and a Festival Queen and Court lead the town are appointed annually during Festival Week and represent the Town at neighbouring Festivals.

The Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis has a longstanding relationship with the Festival as the Master and members of the Lodge meet the Melrosian along with his supporters during the Tour of Ceremonies at the site of the original Melrose Masonic Lodge at St. John's Wynd in Newstead.

The Lodge proudly gave a donation of £250 to the Festival which was very much welcomed during this period where their fundraising activities have been curtailed.

Children 1st is Scotland’s National Children’s Charity. Providing practical and emotional support to children and families across Scotland to prevent, protect and support them to recover from trauma and abuse. 

During this period where fundraising has been very much curtailed, The Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis, is proud to give a small donation of £150 to this worthwhile charity, from which, so many children benefit.

Click on this link to read more about the great work they do:  https://www.children1st.org.uk/

Melrose in Bloom's principal aim is to keep the town looking beautiful throughout the year, with floral displays for locals and tourists alike. It has a large group of volunteers who plant, weed, clean and water, the latter using “Rosie”, the group’s much-admired watering vehicle.  This year the group is helping the Beavers with their gardening badge and has encouraged a local toddlers’ nursery to plant and look after planters. 

The Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis has been a regular supporter of Melrose in Bloom and as a small token of appreciation gave a donation of £50 to aid the great work done by the dedicated volunteers.

The Lodge of Melrose St. John No. 1bis has had a long standing relationship with Melrose & District Pipes & Drums as they have, for a number of years, lead our Torchlight Procession (Masons’ Walk) to Melrose Abbey immediately after our Annual Installation on St. John’s Day each year, sadly, with the exception of 2020 & 2021

Due to the continued COVID-19 Crisis, their fundraising activities have been significantly curtailed this year so to show our appreciation the Lodge donated £100 to the band for which they were most grateful.