Ancient History of Bothwell Hawthorn Lodge (1796), Ancient Order Free Gardeners

The Bothwell Hawthorn Lodge was founded in 1796 in Bothwell, Scotland, as a lodge of the Ancient Order of Free Gardeners. It was one of several new lodges created in the late 18th century, expanding the reach of the fraternal organization beyond the older, more localized Haddington (1676) and Dunfermline (c. 1715) lodges

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Origins and early purpose

Established around 1796: The lodge was founded in 1796, alongside new lodges in Arbroath and Cumbnathan. This marked a period of growth for the Free Gardener movement, which was spreading across Scotland and establishing new, local fraternities.
Members: The lodge was established by the "operative" gardeners who worked on the large estates of
Bothwell Castle. This distinguished it from the
Dunfermline Lodge, which readily admitted non-gardeners and elites. The Bothwell Hawthorn Lodge
likely remained focused on working gardeners and local tradespeople.

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Famous Members of Bothwell Hawthorn Lodge (1796)

Bothwell Hawthorn Lodge

The Hawthorn Lodge was founded in 1796 by the working gardeners who maintained the estates around Bothwell Castle.

Early membership:
For the most part, Free Gardener lodges were focused on providing mutual support for their members rather than attracting high-profile individuals.
The aristocratic owners of Bothwell Castle, such as the Earls of Douglas, were prominent, but they were associated with the castle's ownership, not the Free Gardener lodge.

The Earls of Douglas

were one of the most powerful and influential noble families in Scotland during the late Middle Ages. While the Bothwell Hawthorn Lodge (1796) was founded by working gardeners on the Bothwell Castle estate, the castle itself had a long and complex history with the Douglas family centuries before the lodge's establishment.

The founders of the Bothwell Hawthorn Lodge were the "operative" gardeners and other local tradespeople who worked on or lived near the Bothwell Castle estate. The lodge was a working-class benefit society, distinct from the noble landowning family who had been part of the area's history for centuries.