About the Herts Scots Lodge

Herts Scots Lodge No. 9527 was consecrated in 1996, making it one of the newer lodges in Hertfordshire. Founded by a group of Freemasons with Scottish connections, the lodge was established to provide a home for those who wished to practice Freemasonry while maintaining links to Scottish traditions and culture.

The lodge was consecrated at Cheshunt Masonic Centre on 20th April 1996, with the ceremony conducted by the Provincial Grand Master of Hertfordshire. Since its founding, the lodge has grown steadily and now boasts a diverse membership drawn from across Hertfordshire and beyond.

Our name reflects both our location in Hertfordshire and our Scottish connections. Many of our founding members had strong links to Scotland, and we continue to celebrate this heritage through special events and traditions, including our annual Burns Night celebration.

While proudly maintaining its Scottish heritage through various traditions and social events, Herts Scots Lodge follows the rituals of the United Grand Lodge of England. This unique blend of English Freemasonry with Scottish cultural elements gives our lodge its distinctive character.

The Origins of Herts Scots Lodge No. 9527

The idea of forming a "Scots Lodge" or a Lodge with a strong Scottish ethos was the subject of debate in and around Halsey Masonic Hall for a long time.

The Cheshunt Centre had for many years hosted a Burns' Night near or on the Bards' birthday (January 25th) and had always been a popular and well attended event. From this annual celebration a spin off evolved in and about 1987 into a Burns Appreciation Society founded and formed along on more traditional Scottish lines i.e. all male and a regular evening event devoted to poems and songs "Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect".

The nine members of this society were only allowed two guests each, thus keeping the society small and intimate. Meeting at Halsey Hall, the participants were predominantly Masonic of character, which led inevitably to an even keener call for a Lodge of "Herts. Scots".

A further influence was the popularity of visits from Lodges of the Scottish Constitution, invited by Northumberland Park Lodge, the sponsoring Lodge of the Society, to work demonstration degrees. Portobello Lodge 226 visited the center on several occasions and Lodge Canmore from Dunfermline attracted interested Masons to Great Queen Street when they visited to demonstrate their work.

These occasions were attended by Scots from all over the Province and always at these events the conversation would inevitably turn to forming a Lodge of like-minded Scotsmen and friends in the English Constitution.

A speculative letter was sent to all who were thought to be interested and a working party of five set out to form the "HERTS SCOTS" (a working title originally suggested by a member of the Provincial Executive who came to advise in the early days and was ultimately adopted as the most conspicuous and apt name for a new Lodge).

A setback in the early months was the untimely death of one of the keenest of the Originals W. Bro. Robert Burns of the Northumberland Park Lodge No. 8916 and a Grand Officer. "Robbie" died leaving a legacy not only in practical terms, but of his enthusiasm which has stayed with the members of the Lodge to the present day and will always be remembered.

Being Scottish is not an essential qualification to become a member of the Herts Scots Lodge No 9527 but our Brethren who come from all walks of life and ethnic background share a love and appreciation of all things Scottish. Today, we no longer meet at Halsey Hall around which the ashes of a number of our members lay but we continue to promote this "Scottish Ethos" from Mayflower Place where we always celebrate and remember our Founders.

Herts Scots Friends Scheme

Over the years several Freemasons inspired by our ritual have become joining members so that they can be a part of and support our unique workings. There have also been several others, not able to make that commitment, but have nevertheless become "permanently invited guests" often standing in when we needed a capable Brother to take up a particular role or station.

Any Freemason who enjoys our meetings and wants to become more involved in helping to keep our Lodge and ritual alive without making the commitment of joining is very welcome to become a "Friend" of the Herts Scots Lodge.

Being a Friend entitles a Brother to the following:

• Receiving a summons to each of our meetings.
• Being treated as a permanently invited guest.
• Invited to join our WhatsApp group so they can keep in touch, contribute and make comments, etc.
• Informal membership of our Lodge of Instruction so they can attend when convenient to them.
• Invited / welcome to volunteer to participate in our regular Lodge meetings performing parts of our ritual.
• Informed and have an open invitation to come to and contribute to any of our GP Committee meetings.
• Receive copies of our meeting minutes for their comment and general information.
• Be kept informed of LOI functions and Burns Night events with a standing invitation.

Naturally Brethren may want to be more or less involved in their support of our Lodge, so we respect the degree to which they want to participate but whatever the level of their support and input they will always be most welcome.

We maintain a register of our Friends and invite them to renew their interest and contact details on an annual basis.

Naturally, we hope that being a Friend of our Lodge is a pathway to ultimately becoming a joining member. However, we respect their right to make their own decisions on membership and will not press any Brother to take up membership in the Lodge.

If you are interested in joining the Friends of Herts Scots Lodge scheme, please contact our Secretary via the Contact page.