Some Notes Concerning A Dormant Lodge On The Scottish Border.

Alle . vandei- Baillio , Belfoni Patrick Murray of Cherrytrees Esq . Both of the number of the first founders of this Lodge And on St . John's Day 1746 This Book was begun to bo subscribed by the Society of free masons , And these are the Brethren ' s Subscriptions following , with their following their names . " There are nine signatures with marks appended upon this ] iage ; upon the next

are eig ht , and upon the next five , in all twenty-two signatures ; but these did not constitute the whole of the members at that date , as about the middle of the book we find a register as follows : — " From This Part is a List of all the Brethren belonging to the Lodge from its first beginning , viz ., on January 3 rd , 1745 , with an account of the day and the year of their being admitted , into the Society of Free Masons ; " and we find that in December , 1746 , there were

twenty-six members , and up to the end of the century there were entered altogether eighty-seven members . Deducting the names of the two brethren deceased , there ought to have been twenty-four members subscribing the book on St . John ' s Day , 1746 . The following is a specimen of the official list of members : —

1746 The names of all members belonging to the Lodge These j I Alexander Bai'llie , Bolfoorcl Dyed February 1746 Six Brothers meet 2 Patl . ick Mm . my rf ChBrryixees Esq . Dyed March 1746 Yetholme 3 Henry Davidson in Mowhaugh January 3 rd 4 . William Davidson Kirk Yetholme

an [ i 5 John Young in Belfoord that Day 6 William Kerr in Yetholme These Three were made " ' Jolm Willkei' To ™ Yeltholme free Masons 8 Robert Kerr Tomi Yelfcliolme ThaTLy 9 J ™« Walker Hayhope

These . Three being Masons before J ° Thomas Jordan Toun Yelthome but not incorporated with any ii Wal ter Davidson Kirk Yetholme Lodge joinecUhis Lodge { % Botat Jortan lYmn Yetbohne These i 3

Two was made free William Walker HaHerburo Masons on Eastern ' s Even * i , i . wmiam Alexander Lintoun 1745 . It will be seen by the above that the lodge was first formed by six brethren , who were joined by three others at the first meeting , when three candidates were made Masons . There were other two initiations or making in 1745 and

, ten the year following ; in 1747 there were four entered , and five in 1748 , the number of meetings in each year being four . Further on we come to another * Eastern ' s Even or Shrove Tuesday , a day still celebrated in many towns and villages on the Borders by foot and hand ball matches ; " Bsi day " as it is often called . In Melrose and Jedburgh the game is played in the principal streets , and for the protection of their windows the shopkeepers have to put up their shutters . Every village urchin can tell when Fastei-n ' s

E'en or "Ba day " comes by the following rhyme : — " First comes Candlemas , Then the new moon , The first Tuesday after Is Fastci-u's E ' en . "