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The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland
Grand Master Mason Brother Alexander Moncrieff
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Grand Lodge Quarterly
This is the quarterly newsletter of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. Within this newsletter you will be provided with updates on the Scottish Craft from the Grand Master Mason, the Grand Secretary and the Grand Almoner. There may also be feature articles from our Districts and Grand Superintendencies Overseas, as well as other interesting topics for your perusal.
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Grand Master Mason’s Message Brother Alexander Moncreiff
Brethren, as your new Grand Master Mason, I am delighted to be able to write to you via this quarterly release from the Grand Secretary’s office at 96 George Street in Edinburgh. This is an important tool which allows our brethren worldwide to be informed of what is happening within
The Grand Lodge of Scotland, and within the Lodges of our Districts, Provinces, and Grand Superintendencies. It has been around nine weeks since I was installed as Grand Master Mason in late November 2025.
In early December, The Glasgow Phoenix Choir performed their annual Christmas Concert in our Grand Hall. The Depute Grand
Master, Brother Alistair Henderson, was kind enough to host the evening, and I gather that it was hugely enjoyable and very well attended. As always, we are
so grateful to the choir who provides us with wonderful music year on year.
On 17th December 2025 our Immediate Past Grand Master, Brother W. Ramsay McGhee, was in
Jamaica to consecrate Lodge Ambrose. We wish our new Lodge the very best of luck for a bright and successful future, and
a worthy addition to our wonderful Scottish craft.
On 18th December our Grand Almoner, Brother Thomas Davidson, had arranged for the Grand
Secretary and I to attend a cheque presentation meeting in the Grand Committee Room.
Representatives from The Teapot Trust, Tourette Scotland, Personal Recovery Unit, Combat Stress, The National Literacy
Trust, Scottish Veterans Residences and Prostate Scotland were all in
attendance and it was a great privilege to be able to hand over cheques on behalf of all of the
Brethren of the Grand Lodge of Scotland to these incredibly worthy causes. I made a point of
requesting that all the charities keep us informed via the Grand Almoner as to how our donations
have been able to help each charity.
To close my Masonic activities for 2025 I was delighted to attend the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s
Chapel) Number 1’sInstallation Meeting where I had a hugely enjoyable time. It is worth noting that Brother W. Ramsay
McGhee hasrecently attended a regular meeting at the Lodge of Edinburgh. The Brethren were very keen to thank Brother McGhee for all his work as Grand
Master Mason and therefore presented him with a set ofsilver cufflinks and a special bottle of whisky as a mark of their gratitude. The new year of 2026 started with a visit to Lodge Prestwick No. 1060 in the Province of Ayrshire with our Grand Director of Ceremonies, Brother Ronald Forbes. We were treated to an excellent Mark Ceremonial and thereafter I was
pleased to be able to present BrotherJames Bell, Past Master, with his certificate and jewel to mark his fifty years as a Scottish Freemason. The list of
his achievements was very extensive as well as impressive, and he continues to serve our craft as the Provincial
Grand Master of Ayrshire.
The same week I was delighted to lead a Deputation from Grand Lodge to attend Dunbartonshire
Kilwinning Lodge No. 18 to celebrate their tercentenary. It was a hugely happy day and all the
Brethren in the Deputation enjoyed the event and the wonderful harmony that followed. We wish
the Lodge health and prosperity going forward. In the second and third weeks of January I have been hugely grateful to
both the Provincial Grand Master of Glasgow, Brother Alan Cuthill, and the Provincial Grand Master of Edinburgh, Brother Alan Dickson. Both Brethren have kindly entertained me at their annual dinners held for the Lodge Masters of their respective Provinces. Both
events were very enjoyable and a superb opportunity for all attendees to relax on an informal evening without the worries or formalities of a
Lodge meeting and performing ritual.
Brethren, we are about to commence our doors open days within our Lodges. The initiative is
entitled: ‘This Is Our Story.’ This is a hugely important opportunity for us to showcase Scottish
Freemasonry and its relevance in today’s society. Please note that by being out there we provide
the public an opportunity to speak to us both as individuals and as an organisation. If this initiative
allows us to attract new candidates, encourage existing Brethren to continue to enjoy their
Freemasonry, or to encourage Brethren who have not attended their Lodges for a while to return,
then these can only be positive outcomes. I do hope that while hosting these events all of you will
ensure that any ladies who attend can be equally informed about Freemasonry so that they know
what their husband or partner might be joining. Without their blessing it makes membership of our craft rather more
difficult. Finally, I would like to record in writing my thanks on behalf of all the Brethren of the Scottish Constitution to our Immediate Past Grand Master, Brother W. Ramsay McGhee. He has given quite extraordinary service to our organisation
and has had to deal with some extremely challenging times, particularly the pandemic. His dedication to kickstarting our Craft after lockdown, and
the many miles that he has covered to attend our meetings has been incredible. I know that his wealth of
experience and generosity of spirit will provide me with sound advice and assistance in going forward as his successor. As we know, he has taken on the role
of First Grand Principal of The Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland. We wish him every success, as well as great enjoyment and fulfilment in this next stage of his Masonic career.
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Grand Secretary’s Message by Brother William M. Semple
Welcome to 2026, and thanks for joining us for this New Year edition of the Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted
Masons of Scotland Newsletter. I hope you enjoyed a very happy festive break with those closest to you. As we step into the year ahead, I’m genuinely
looking forward to the opportunities, connections, and good work we’ll share together in the months to come. This
is Our Story We start the New Year by opening the doors of Scottish Freemasonry around the world. During the month of February, we encourage every Lodge in the Scottish Constitution to open their doors and invite the public inside to learn about
the good things we do and show how relevant we are to our local communities in the 21st Century. Don’t stop there, publicise these events through local
news outlets and share images on social media platforms. I personally look forward to watching this initiative
unfold throughout the month of February. If we don’t tell our story, nobody else will.
New IT Project
In the last years Autumn newsletter, I explained we have teamed up with new technology partner to completely revamp our
members website and back-office operations at Freemasons’ Hall. What
does this mean? First and foremost, we will have a brand new members database for the entire
Scottish Constitution around the world. We will also smooth out and digitise the way we work at
Freemasons’ Hall, improving processes and removing the opportunity for mistakes. Work has now
started in earnest to critically look at these issues with our project team and our staff. As the new
system starts to emerge, we will bring in practitioners from Lodges, Provinces and Districts to test
and approve the technology before we go live. Our timeline to have the new platform up and running is September this
year. New technology may change the way we do things in the future so watch this space for more updates going forward.
New Benevolence & Charity Manager
Late last year Dawn Oliff retired from Freemasons’ Hall following a tremendous 40 years serving
Scottish Freemasonry. You’ll be glad to know that Dawn keeps in touch and is always available for
any questions that might arise. She has also been into the office to welcome and hand over to her
successor, Mikel Stoops, who started with us this February. Mikel brings a strong and very credible background in Masonic
benevolence to Grand Lodge from his time in Kansas, USA, where he’s a Past Grand Master and led on the development of benevolence and charity. Together with
Mikel and Grand Almoner, we look to review our own approach to Masonic benevolence and general charitable pursuits, ensuring we are fit for purpose in the 21st Century.
Heritage & Collections
Liza Giffen, our Heritage & Collections manager, has undertaken the mammoth task of cataloguing our possessions held
at Freemasons’ Hall. This is no small commitment, and we are casting out the net looking for suitably skilled volunteers to help. If you fit the bill with
an eye for detail and the ability to use a laptop then Liza wants to hear from you. Get in touch here
hcmanager@grandlodgescotland.org and Liza will provide more detail. In the absence of Masonic
volunteers, we’re working with interns from Scottish and American universities to help on this
project and give them the added benefit of hands-on experience in their chosen vocation.
To Conclude
As we embark on the journey ahead, let’s carry this spirit of openness, innovation, and shared
purpose into everything we do. Whether we’re telling our story to the world, embracing new
technology, strengthening our charitable work, or preserving our rich heritage, each of us has a role in shaping the
future of Scottish Freemasonry. Together, we can make 2026 a year of meaningful progress, renewed connections, and pride in the Craft. I look forward to all
that we will achieve side by side and always united in service. Thanks for your support and remember, enjoy
yourself!!
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Grand Almoner’s message by Brother Thomas Davidson
I wish all Members and their families a Happy and Prosperous New Year. As I write this report it is trying to snow, and I
can only hope that all Brethren in the North and East of Scotland who have had exceptional snowfall recently are beginning to recover some degree of normal
travel again. At Grand Lodge things have continued to be busy right up to Christmas and into the new year with both established projects and trying to bed-in new projects.
GRAND MASTER MASON’S CHALLENGE 2026
At the Installation of Grand Office-bearers and Festival of St. Andrew in November the Grand Master Mason issued a
challenge to all Provinces, Districts and Grand Superintendencies to bring forward projects to benefit either Local Brethren or Local Communities as part of
a matchfunding scheme which could see up to £2,000 of matchfunding from Grand Lodge for approved projects. Project details were issued to all Provinces, Districts and Superintendencies in early December, and applications need to be submitted
electronically by 31st January 2026 for assessment and approval. No late submissions will be considered. Successful proposals will be informed by
mid-February.
PROSTATE SCOTLAND LEGACY PROJECTS
Prostate Champions and Prospacks, We are over two years into these projects; the Prostate Champions have offered talks on
Prostate Awareness in all areas of Scotland but still have patches where there has been no uptake. Roughly half
of the Lodges have either had the opportunity for an area talk or an individual Lodge talk. Ten per cent of men over 50 years of age in Scotland are at risk
of Prostate Cancer, access the symptom checker at www.prostatescotland.org.uk and if you recognise the symptoms - get the information - don’t delay - get to your GP for guidance and testing – early detection is the key to better outcomes. We are now trying to
expand the scheme by delivering talks to other organisations for both men and women (Rotary, Probus, British Legion, Regimental organisations, Mens’
Sheds etc) pass the word around and we will provide a speaker.
The Prospack distribution has been slow in some health board areas, if you are undergoing surgical procedures for
prostate disease ask for your consultant if a Prospack is available.
Further planned reviews of both the Prostate Champion and Prospack Project will take place with
Prostate Scotland later in January. Research into “Living with an Enlarged Prostate”
The researcher has only been working on this project since August 2025, it is a two-year project, so
it is still early days, we expect early conclusions later in the year.
OTHER PROJECTS
Armed Forces Covenant, We hope to be in a position to apply for our Gold Level Award before the end of January 2026.
Again, I appeal to any Brethren who are employers to consider signing-up their companies for the Armed Forces
Covenant to provide support for members of our armed forces both as Regulars leaving the forces or Reserves working in civilian posts. The skills brought by
these men and women can prove invaluable to your company. Masonic Literacy Champions
The pilot has brought successful initiatives in some of the Provinces and the project is evolving to
meet local needs in each Province. We are seeking to assess this project in Spring 2026.
PhD Project – Robert Burns and Freemasonry
This project is progressing steadily and Patrick Jamieson, our PhD Scholar is scheduled to address a Burns Conference at
the University of Glasgow on 17th January. The subject of his paper - ‘I’m here, a pillar o’ Thy temple’: Freemasonry, New Lichts, and the Masonic Kirk
Satire. We wish Patrick every success in his presentation. Teddies for Loving Care (TLC)
Following the very successful project in Ayrshire, Grand Lodge is seeking to facilitate and support
other Provincial Grand Lodges seeking to be involved with this project to provide Teddy Bears to
children undergoing treatment in their local hospitals. There are already a further couple of
Provinces in the central belt and four provinces in the highlands in the process of getting involved
in this initiative. If your province is interested in participating in this initiative, contact the
Benevolence Department at Grand Lodge.
PRESENTATION OF CHEQUES
On 18th December Grand Lodge hosted a successful event to present cheques, on behalf of all
Scottish Constitution Freemasons, to several charities. Traditionally these cheques would have been presented at the
Festival of St. Andrew. Cheques were presented to the following charities:
Children’s Charities Teapot Trust £2,000, React
£2,000, Health Tourette Scotland £2,000
Prostate Scotland £10,000, Literacy National Literacy Trust
£5,000, Veterans Personnel Recovery Unit £3,000, Combat Stress
£3,000, Scottish Veterans Residences £10,000
I again encourage all Brethren to keep up the good work that you have been doing in projects to
support your local communities throughout Scotland and in the Districts overseas. I particularly
congratulate those Brethren working in support of foodbanks, you are doing a great job, well done.
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