This file is copyright (c) 1997 The Philalethes Society and all rights
including any redistribution rights are reserved by the copyright holder.
Permission to quote from, redistribute or to otherwise use these materials
must be obtained from the copyright holder directly by contacting The
Philalethes, Nelson King, FPS, Editor, 2 Knockbolt Crescent, Agincourt
Ontario Canada, M1S 2P6. Tel: 416-293-8071 Fax: 416-293-8634 or
nking@freemasonry.org or nking@onramp.ca




Fancy Dress in the Lodge

by Thorruls J. Bc~7y, MPS

Attending lodge in Scotland last year, I
noticed that one of the brethren seemed
to be wearing fancy dress. All I could see
was an old-fashioned three-cornered hat
and a bright blue coat.

At the end of the meeting I sought him
out and learned that he was the tyler of
Lodge Defensive Band No. 151, Scottish
Constitution. The story is that in the late
1700s, Edinburgh and its port, Leith,
were threatened byJohn PaulJones and
his fleet. The Burgesses and tradesmen
of the city formed a militia unit, called
the Edinburgh Defensive Band to meet
this threat. Later the unit was dis-
banded, but the members decided to
continue meeting and were granted a
charter from the Grand Lodge to meet as
Lodge Defensive Band.

The brethren decided that the Tyler of
the lodge should wear the uniform of the
Defensive Band, and so he does to this
day, wearing it in the lodge and on offi-
cial visits by the lodge.

The uniform consists of a black three-
cornered hat, royal blue coat with orange
facings, white breeches, and black leg-
gings. Another curious point is that his
jewel, which in most lodges is a sword on
a blue collar, is a musket on a bright blue
collar.


The Philalethes, April 1993

