Masonic lodges of the Irish Constitution in Bermuda have been very much in the limelight for the past several weeks with their brethren travelling island-wide and abroad. Now it's the time for lodges under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, who have begun their impressive annual ceremonies of installing Masters and officers for the ensuing year.

First off the mark was Lodge Somers Isles No.1503, where the new Rt. Wor. Master is now Bro. Gregory Sampson (seen close-up). He was installed by the outgoing Rt. Wor. Master Bro. Quinton E. Tuzo. Lodge Somers Isle meets in its own temple built more than 50 years ago on Hog Bay Level in Sandys.

In Hamilton, Civil and Military Lodge No. 726 installed Rt. Wor. Philip J. Seaman as its Master. It was his installing master Wor. Bro Stuart Lester Pearson who proposed Seaman for membership into freemasonry more than a decade ago, and coincidentally, they share the same birthday, January 17.

Lodges that come under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Scotland have been impacting on Bermuda since the late 1700s, when Lodge St. George, No 200 was founded. It meets in the historic Old State House in the Town of St. George. Civil & Military Lodge No. 726, was consecrated in 1896, the Temple of which is in King Street, Hamilton.

As an historian, there is something that has always fascinated this writer about Freemasonry. There's no great mystique about it, dating back most significantly to the building of King Solomon's Temple as recorded in the Holy Writ. It evolved through construction of the many great buildings erected by masons of the Middle Ages, focused mainly on the great cathedrals of England and Europe. Builders formed guilds concerned not only matters such as working hours and rules for their labour, but also about relief and assistance for workers in distress and for widows and orphans.

The term "Lodge" has two meanings, (not unlike what we in modern times ascribe to Trade Unions) according to a lecture given by R.W. Bro. D.H. Finlay of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, some time ago. First there were temporary buildings erected by Masons alongside their construction projects and used by craftsmen as places to rest, eat, plan the project, receive their wages, and to socialise. And secondly the term "Lodge" refers to individual groups of Freemasons, such as the Grand Lodges, Mother Lodges and subordinate lodges.

Studies of the histories of the various lodges, as well as the Friendly Societies in Bermuda reveal interesting insights into prevailing social climates. Up until the Emancipation of Slavery in 1834 the vast majority of black men in the western world did not qualify for membership in the emerging Masonic Lodges because one of the qualifications for membership was, one must have been free-born, etc.'

After Emancipation, there was another bar, the institution of racism and segregation especially in Bermuda and the Americas. Consequently blacks like Prince Hall, Bishop Richard Allen, Justice Thurgood Marshall and businessman Peter Ogden started their own lodges in order to promote the profound principles of brotherly love, relief and truth.

In St. George's, Lodge St. George counted a number of blacks as officers and members in the late 1800s. In fact, in 1848 black Bermudians managed to get a charter from the US to start Somers Pride of India Lodge of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows. It was consecrated under a Pride of India Tree in the old town of St. George's.

Regarding Lodge Civil & Military in Hamilton, John Alexander Campbell, a surgeon with the rank of Major in the British Army who was stationed at the Military Hospital in Prospect is credited with being most instrumental in the founding of that lodge. Two eminent members of the lodge Bro. David Cook a former Secretary, and historian John Amott, filled this writer in on some of the historical facts of the Lodge.

They said Surgeon Major Campbell had served in many parts of the world with the British Army before coming to Bermuda from a base in Jamaica.

He affiliated with Lodge St. George, but travel proscriptions and health factors (he was actually on half-pay with the Army) led him to seek a charter for a new Scottish Lodge in Hamilton. Dr. Campbell became the First RW Master of the Lodge in 1866.

The very first Tyler of the lodge was a tall, gangling black man, a picture of whom was lost when fire destroyed some of the artifacts of the lodge. Civil and Military got its first black RW Master in 1916 by the name of Bro.Bridle. He resided in Happy Valley and was personally known to Bro. Amott. And in the late 1800s a Portuguese man residing at Spanish Point became Lodge Secretary.

Significantly, the first meeting place of Civil & Military was in the black-owned Alexandrina Hall of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in Court Street, Hamilton, immediately and south of the Bank of Bermuda's Drive-in Branch.

Later the Masons met in facilities above Hinson's Paint Shop opposite the Magistrates' Court, and then at Lily Hall in Church Street.

In the late 1970 they purchased their own building in King Street and converted it into the beautiful temple that now exists.

We promised ninety-seven-year-old Mrs. Verona Trott we would set the record straight.

She was the lady in the photo last week showing 102-year-old Mrs. Smith awaiting the arrival of the Royal Party for which the latter played the National Anthem.

Mrs. Trott's name was incorrectly spelt in the caption. She is a retired school teacher and widow of the late well-known cabinet maker George Trott formerly of North Shore Pembroke.