The governing body of freemasonry in Scotland is at the centre of a row over the sale and seizure of assets of a lodge that had acted as a community social club in a Berwickshire town.

A campaign, originally backed by leaders of the Lodge Blackadder 1350 in Greenlaw aimed to get the return by the Grand Lodge of Scotland of at least a share of the proceeds of its sale and and other assets, including fixtures, fittings and cash reserves estimated to run to nearly £100,000.

The aim was to either save it or create an alternative to the lodge which could be used as a replacement community centre.

The lodge had been renowned for its Saturday night social dances, community functions and wedding receptions with its two large halls, lounge area, two bars and kitchen.

Due to a drop in membership the lodge was declared dormant in October 2015, and since that time negotiations have been ongoing to achieve a settlement that is what is described as "proportionately fair to both the interests of the community and the Grand Lodge".

Gerry McCann, former chairman of the Greenlaw & Hume Community Council has been campaigning to have the community benefit from the sale of the property and assets has said that the Grand Lodge of Scotland response in rejecting the calls was "high-handed, dismissive, and at the same time unprofessional and disingenuous".

He has been considering legal action over the failure to reinvest the proceeds into the local community.

The lodge in Greenlaw (No 1350) is said to have been granted its charter in 1927, and held its meetings in a number of locations.

It is understood it moved to its current premises in 1977, and the purchase and subsequent extensions of the premises was funded wholly by lodge members.

Five years ago the seven remaining members of the lodge signed a letter expressing their wish that the assets were donated to the community.

The Herald:

The letter to Douglas Fergie, the then acting provincial grand secretary of the Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lothian & Berwickshire, was written to "formally document" their "express wish" that all the proceeds arising from the lodge dissolution, should be donated to the community of Greenlaw to fund projects that will "commemorate its masonic heritage, and make Greenlaw an even better place to live".

The letter said that Mr McCann had been acting in "full accordance" with the lodge members' instruction in the matter and that one project will be the creation of a Masonic Museum in the dome of Greenlaw Town Hall, which will display the lodge regalia and explain its history.

"ln this way Lodge Blackadder 1350 will be commemorated in an enduring way at the heart of the community in which it was situated," the letter from William Smith, the deputy master of Lodge Blackadder.

"I think the substance of this matter merits an early and full response. I wholeheartedly hope that it can be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties, and without the need for any litigation. lf you feel that a meeting would help expedite matters, please call me to make the necessary arrangements."

But it is understood that the lodge members withdrew their formal request - after the Grand Lodge of Scotland said all property and proceeds must be returned to them to comply with the constitution and laws of the organisation.

According to Lodge HQ, funds cannot be used for local community projects as it falls outwith the scope of assistance it provides. The Grand Lodge said that the seven signatories to the original letter expressed wishes without realising that legally they could not do as they asked.

The Herald:

Mr McCann said lodge assets had been stripped from the community and that fairness had not prevailed.

He said assets in question were the premises, fixtures, fittings and furniture, and cash reserves of over £23,000. In addition the lodge property was sold in July this year for £62,500.

He said the local Lodge had been developed over many years with no financial contribution from the Scottish HQ.

Membership had declined and those that remained were getting old and not prepared to continue doing all that was required so theScottish HQ stepped in to appoint an emergency committee. They then decided to terminate the lodge in a way that meant all assets became the property of the Scottish HQ.

Mr McCann said the local members only realised the implications of the dissolution of the lodge after the fact and raised their objections through him.

"It really is as simple as a notoriously secretive global organisation extracting substantial funds from a small rural community, which is desperate for inward investment," he said.

“We are very disappointed at the most recent response from the Grand Lodge of Scotland. Despite all our efforts to express our concerns, they remain adamant that 'all the assets of a dormant lodge become the property of Grand Lodge…'," he said.

The sad fact of the matter however, is that we are not in a position to initiate legal proceedings in this matter, simply because we cannot afford the expense.

"Therefore unless a QC is prepared to take the case on a 'pro bono' basis, we face the prospect of substantial assets being extracted from our community, essentially by strangers, and at a time when our community is fighting for inward investment to finance several much needed community projects, such as the recently proposed Greenlaw Men’s Shed.”

Willie Semple, grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, said: “While we sympathize with Mr McCann’s efforts on behalf of his local community, there are strict conditions in the constitution and laws of the Grand Lodge of Scotland which govern the disposal of assets when a lodge goes dormant.

“All property and proceeds must be returned to Grand Lodge to comply with these regulations.

“Those funds cannot be used for local community projects.

“In principle we have no objection to Mr McCann’s proposals but on this occasion our hands are tied by issues of governance.

“The original request for these funds was made by seven lodge members, one of whom has sadly passed away.

“The remaining six have since changed their minds...

“Mr McCann does not represent anyone from the former Lodge Blackadder.”