The Galashiels Lodge No 262

Haughfoot Lodge Founder Members Jewel

No 1824

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THE GALASHIELS LODGE No 262

2nd Mondays Sept - April Summer Meeting - Last Tuesday June	8 Gala Park, Galashiels, TD1 1EU	7.00PM (Business) 7.30pm (Visitors)
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The Galashiels Lodge (In its present form) has been in existence for nearly 200 years, however, records show that Freemasons were active in Galashiels as an independent body before 1794. We do not know exactly how many freemasons there were at or before that date as no records exist documenting their activities. There is reference, however, in The Peebles Kilwinning Lodge No 24 records where in 1794 we have proof positive that The Galashiels brethren had deputed their Chief Office Bearers to make a Petition to the Peebles Lodge - praying to be admitted as a branch of Peebles Kilwinning Lodge. It is therefore clear that masonry was being practised in Galashiels before 1794. The Haughfoot Minute Book is our next prior reference to "The Galashiels Masons" as an entity where on 20th January 1742 the Haughfoot Minute book states that "The Galashiels Masons separat from the Brethren at Stow being met day forsd and rols made and marked". So although it cannot be proven with other documents we have good reason to conjecture that when the Haughfoot Minutes stop in 1763 that the Masons based in Galashiels did not simply stop being Masons or indeed "Making Masons" within an organised Mason's Society in Galashiels

Galashiels is a busy Borders town on the A7 road from Carlisle to Edinburgh. It lies in the bottom of the steep-sided valley of the Gala Water - tributary of famous the River Tweed. Galashiels' history has been closely tied to the fluctuating fortunes of the textile industry in the Scottish Borders.

population of Galashiels declined in the late 1890s following problems with trade to traditional markets in the USA, and stood at 13,600 in 1901. The slow growth over the following decade followed improvements to Galashiels' environment, and the construction of a secondary school and a technical college, which given its focus on textiles was perhaps inevitably known locally as the "Woolly Tech"

Today's Galashiels has successfully diversified away from its old dependence on textiles. Elsewhere in the town, companies have set up engaged in fields as varied as medical research; software development; the production of leather clothing; and fish processing.

The best known of the local mills was Waverley Mill, sadly now demolished, the former home to Lochcarron. All operations are now moved to Selkirk which with 140 workers is Scotland's largest producer of tartan clothing.