FOUNDING
the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently
upon the house, and could not shake it: for
it was founded upon a rock.
("Luke 6: v. 48)
Two Master Masons, Bros. Angus McColl and John Young, when they met often conversed on affairs Masonic, and wondered if it would not be possible to start a Lodge in Riddrie. One night Bro. McColl went to see Bro, young, armed with a sheet of foolscap, on which he had written the names and addresses of all the Masons with whom he was acquainted and who resided in the district. Bro. young added his quota and then the list was halved, each brother undertaking to call on the brethren set out in his part of the list with the object of finding out if there was any desire or need for a Lodge in the district.
The outcome was that five brethren - Bros. Angus McColl, John young, Charles B. Philip, George S. Dick and James Purves - met in Bro. Young's house as and when required to discuss the feasibility of forming a Lodge. On these occasions Bro. Philip was in the chair.
As a result of these meetings it was decided to circulate all Masons in the district, inviting then to a meeting in the Mascot Tea Rooms, Riddrie, on Friday, 13th March, 1925, to ascertain what support would be forthcoming for the intended project.
Over a hundred brethren attended the meeting, which was addressed by Bro. W Stevenson Cochran, P.M., 3 bis, Provincial Grand Secretary of the Province of Glasgow, who in the course of his remarks gave much valuable information regarding the method to be employed in putting a petition to the Grand Lodge of Scotland for a Charter to be found for a Lodge and the necessary fess that would have to be paid.
Bro. Daniel Kelso, seconded by Bro James Fraser, moved that a petition be presented to Grand Lodge asking that a Charter be granted to a Lodge to be known as Lodge Riddrie, Glasgow.
It was agreed to form a committee of twenty-one brethren, with powers to proceed with the founding of the Lodge if Grand Lodge granted the necessary Charter.
The following brethren were unanimously elected:
W.G. Baker C.B. Philip
R.M. Charteris James Purves
G.S. Dick P. Reid
P. Farquharson A. Russell, Jun
H. Fitzgerald W. Service
James Fraser J.H. Small
R. Good James Stirling
D. Kelso A.M Welsh
R. Liggett Allan Young
A.M. Logan John Young
Angus McColl
It was agreed that the following Lodges be visited and that their support be requested by becoming sponsors for the proposed Lodge: Scotia, 178; St. Andrew, 465; St. Kentigern, 976; Stepps, 1213; And Alexandra, 1282.
It deputation, comprised of Bros. James Purves, James Fraser and George S. Dick attended Grand Lodge on 6th August, 1925, and a Charter, No. 1340, was granted, which states:
To All and Sundry to whose knowledge these presents shall come,
Lodge assembled, they were pleased to ordain a Charter to be issued in the terms underwritten.
Know ye, therefore that the Most Worshipful THE GRAND MASTER MASON OF SCOTLAND and the Grand Lodge thereof have constituted,erected and appointed, like as they herby constitute, erect and appoint the Master, Wardens and Brethren above named to be now, and in all time coming a true and regular Lodge of free and accepted Masons, under the name, style and title of Riddrie (Glasgow),Province of Glasgow, and appoint and ordain all regular Lodges to hold and respect them as such: Giving, granting and committing to them and those to be afterwards admitted members of the said lodge full power and authority to meet, assemble and convene as a regular Lodge: And to enter Apprentices, pass Fellow Crafts and raise Master Masons, upon payment of such compositions, for the support of their Lodge as they shall see convenient, but which compositions at their initiation shall not be under the sum of Five Pounds, Five Shillings, Sterling.
And with power also annually to elect and choose Masters, Wardens and other Office Bearers, recommending to the Brethren of the said Lodge to reverence and obey their Superiors, in all things lawful and honest; as becometh the honour and harmony of Masonry : And the said Brethren becoming bound, on no account to desert their own Lodge; Nor, upon any pretext whatever to make any separate or schismatical meetings, independent of the Master and Wardens, for the time; Nor to introduce any other orders of Masonry than those sanctioned by the Grand Lodge; Nor to collect funds separate from the common stock of their Lodge, to the prejudice of the Poor thereof; And declaring that the said Lodge and whole constituent members thereof, now and in all time coming shall, by accepting this present Charter, be bound in faithful allegiance to the said Grand Lodge as HEAD of the Masonic Body in SCOTLAND, and shall be obliged to obey and pay due regard to all Acts, Statutes and regulations of the said GRAND LODGE, already made and enacted or hereafter to be made and enacted for the utility, welfare and prosperity of Masonry; And generally to pay and perform whatever is required from them for the support and dignity of the Grand Lodge; And particularly to account and pay in to the funds of the Grand Lodge, at least the sum of Fifteen Shillings, Sterling, for each member initiated in their Lodge from and after the date hereof; which sums they shall cause to be annually remitted to the Grand Secretary, at Edinburgh, and at the same time transmit to him a list of the names of the members initiated in order that the same may be recorded in the Books of the Grand Lodge (which books they are hereby authorised and enjoyed to keep), this present CHARTER, their own regulations and bye-laws, and minutes of their whole procedure from time to time, so that the same may be better known and more easily observed by the Brethren, subject always nevertheless to the review and control of the Grand Lodge; And the said Brethren are hereby required to attend the whole General Meetings and Quarterly Communications of the Grand Lodge by their Representatives, being their Master and Wardens for the time, or by lawful proxies, in their names (providing such proxies be Master Masons of some established Lodge holding of the Grand Lodge) so that they, by their said Representatives, may act and vote on the Grand Lodge and by duly certiorated of the proceedings thereof; Declaring the said Lodge's presidency in the Grand Lodge to be form the date hereof; And, for the more effective preservation of these presents, the same are hereby appointed to be recorded in the Books of the Grand Lodge.
Given at the Grand Lodge of Scotland held in Free Mason's Hall in the city of Edinburgh, the Sixth day of August in the Year Of Our Lord, One thousand nine hundred and twenty-five.
And of Light, Five thousand and twenty-nine.
By the Right Honourable The Earl of Stair, D.S.O., D.L., J.P., Most Worshipful Grand Master Mason of Scotland;
The Right Honourable The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, C.M.G., D.L., J.P., Right Worshipful Past Grand Master;
The Right Honourable Lord Blythswood, K.C.V.O., D.L., Right Worshipful Grand Master Depute ;
Joseph Inglis Esquire, W.S., J.P., Right Worshipful Substitute Grand Master ;
Sir Alexander Gibb, G.B.E., C.B., Right Worshipful Senior Grand Warden ;
The Master of Saltoun, M.C., Right Worshipful Junior Grand Warden ;
David Reid, Esquire, J.P., Right Worshipful Grand Secretary.
Greeting in God Everlasting :
Whereas upon the sixth day of August, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-five, a petition was presented to the Grand Lodge of Scotland, in the name of W. Stevenson Cochran, Angus B. McColl, John Young and others: Praying the same Grand Lodge to grant a Charter of Constitution and Erection, in the usual form, for holding a Lodge under the name and title of Riddrie (Glasgow), Province of Glasgow.
Which petition, with the requisite Certificates, therewith produced, having been duly considered in Grand
(Signed) STAIR,
Grand Master Mason.
ELGIN,
 Immediate Past Grand Master.
A.A. HAGART SPEIRS,
 Substitute Grand Master.
ALEXANDER GIBB,
 Senior Grand Warden.
C.C. FRASER, Master of Saltoun,
 Junior Grand Warden.
DAVID REED,
 Grand Secretary.
A home for the new Lodge was found in St. Enoch's Hogganfield Parish Church Hall.
Many of the furnishings of the Lodge were gifted by brethren, thus saving much of the initial expense. As donors thereof, we think it better not to hurt any feelings by some very important omissions, and so the little we are sure of is not set down here.
May we, however refer to the most important gift of all. Bro. Charles B. Philip made the present of a very beautiful copy of the Volume of the Sacred Law - The Holy Bible. As these chronicles may at some time be read by someone on the outside of our Order it might be as well to state that we cannot hold our Meetings unless we have a Volume of the Sacred Law open upon our Alter.
We know the word Alter signifies the place where sacrifices are made to the Gods of the officiating priest, and it is more than probable that our ancient brethren did use their alter in this fashion, but in these days, in Masonic Lodges the word "Alter" is wrongly used and merely signifies the place where the Volume of the Sacred Law is set and around which oaths of fidelity are taken.
The Volume of the Sacred Law is the greatest light in Masonry. It contains all the rules and regulations for the conduct of the brethren and therein is to be found a great deal of the ritual used. Our Order takes it's origin from the building of the Temple of King Solomon at Jerusalem and anyone interested has only to search the Scriptures to find out about the Three Grand Masters and the erection of the Sacred Edifice.
Other items gifted were : Master's and Wardens Chairs, Deacons' Wands and Stands, Complete set of Tools in Solid Silver, Ballot Box, Carpet, Alter, Charter Case, and three Mallets from old oak taken from the roof of Glasgow Cathedral
The meeting for the election of the initial Office Bearers was held on 25th August, 1925, when the following Brethren were duly elected:
Master Bro. JAMES PURVES
Substitute Master " CHARLES B. PHILIP
Senior Warden " JAMES FRASER
Junior Warden " GEORGE S. DICK
Secretary " ARCHIBALD RUSSELL, Jun
Treasurer " JOHN YOUNG
Benevolent Fund Treasurer " ROBERT GOOD
Chaplain " ROBERT M. CHARTERIS
Senior Deacon " L.L. FOTHERINGHAM M.B. CH.B
Junior Deacon " ADAM M. WELSH
Architect " PETER FARQUHARSON
Jeweller " RICHARD LIGGETT
Bible Bearer " ALEXANDER M. ESTCOURT
Director of Ceremonies " WALTER G. BAKER
Sword Bearer " ALLAN YOUNG
Director of Music " JAMES M. GRAY
Organist " JOHN H. WARDLE
Marshal " ROBERT MUNGALL
Standard Bearer " PETER STEPHEN
Provincial Grand Steward " DANIEL KELSO
Senior Steward " R.M. MACGREGGOR, B.L.
Junior Steward " ANDREW M. LOGAN
Inner Guard " ANGUS B. MCCOLL
Tyler " PETER REID
Bro. Purves named as his Depute, Bro. William Service, P.M., Lodge Thistle, Stewarton, No.127.
It was decided that Regular Meetings be held on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, except May and June, when only one meeting would be held on the second Wednesday ; and July and August, when no meeting would take place.
The colour of Lodge Clothing to be Royal Blue and Gold; and the following fees were decided upon :
Initiation, £8 8/- ;
Test Fee, 7/6d ;
Affiliation, £2 2/- ;
Life Membership, £2 2/-
Bro. W. Stevenson Cochran, P.G. Secretary, was thanked for all the trouble he had taken in keeping everything in good order during the initial proceedings and, as he had decided to become a founder member, he was asked to take first place on the roll.
In the year 1879 the Stevenson Cochran family took up residence in Riddrie in the house known as "Garrowbank." That house is no longer in existence but St. Enoch's Hogganfield Church and Halls are built on the site, and it must have given Bro. Stevenson Cochran gratification to be signing the founder's roll perhaps on the very spot where ha had climbed the apple tree in the days of his youth.
Unfortunately, the Lodge Secretary wrote in the names of other founder members, and already some of these brethren are no longer with us, and their signatures cannot be obtained.