Lodge Coupar o' Fife  No 19

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Brethren & Friends,
Welome to the website for Lodge Coupar o' Fife: No.19. On behalf of our Right Worshipful Master, Bro Graeme Bain, Office Bearers, and Brethren we wish you all warm and fraternal greetings and we hope your visit is one of profit as well as pleasure.

RWM Graeme Bain 2019
(click photo for link to Installation pic)

Welcome from Graeme Bain RWM

Can I take this opportunity to welcome you to our web site at Lodge Coupar o’Fife No.19. registered on the Roll of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, having received our charter in 1758.
Our premises are located at 72 Bonnygate, Cupar, within the original County Town of Fife, which boasted the Administrative Offices of the Council and our own Sheriff Court until recently.
The Masonic Hall is over 200 years old and has been in use as such since 1811, hosting mainly Masonic events. We have been custodians of the building and strive to keep a roof over our heads, major work having just been completed to ensure that is the case for a few more years.
We have endeavoured to modernise our premises, while keeping true to the original fabric of the building, the character of which has been the same since I was young.

Please try and visit our premises and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. As you enter take in the bespoke cabinet at the foot of the stairs and walk through the decorated arch to the upper floor, where the Icelandic memorabilia is on display from our links with that Country. As you enter the Lodge Room, you will see the East Wall, a truly exceptional piece of artwork.
There are other highlights to see, but come and discover for yourself.

Come and witness the Ritual work practised within its walls, it hasn’t changed much in those 208 years, we feel it’s a ‘constant’ in an ever changing world.
We meet on the first and third Wednesday of the month, September through to April and look forward to meeting you.

For non Masonic patrons, we encourage people to visit and enjoy an evening in our company, when we can discuss what Freemasonry is about, dispel rumour and perhaps interest you in our Community Association.

Fraternally yours
Graeme D. Bain

Planned meetings	What	by or for	notes
24/5/2019	Mark Master Mason Degree	one candidate	PM Kevin Thompson as RWMM

Alex Cowe as RWM
Dougie Abercrombie as RWM
Kevin Thompson as RWM

Sad Loss
Sadly John Dewar one of the stalwarts of the Lodge and a Pass Master, passed to Grand Lodge above suddenly on the 7th February.

John has been a mainstay of the lodge since the 1980s and was RWM twice. His last role was as minute secretary and he will be greatly missed by all in the lodge and beyond. Our thoughts are with his family.

A Lodge of Sorrow was held for John in our last meeting in April. This was well attended and was a fitting tribute to a good man and mason. RIP bro.

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Past Highlights
News 1
News 2
Minneapolis
USA Visit
Dublin Visit
Beamish
Travelling Gavel
Newry

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See/sign our Guestbook

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New Mural for the Lodge
Created and completed in 2016 our fabulous new mural by Stewart McLaren has drawn many compliments

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First Degree Worked by WSW
Graeme Bain our WSW took the gavel for the second time working a first degree with a mixed team. It went superbly well! Congrats to all involved.

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Icelandic Visit
In November 2017 with Douglas Abercrombie as RWM we had 100 Icelandic brethren come to visit us! We had a fabulous week, performed a first degree in Grand Lodge and had a superb harmony afterwards

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Lodge Number
The enumeration of Lodge numbers is a complicated subject, but it has been researched and we have some good information relating to this Lodge which we now call Coupar o' Fife. In 1737 just after Grand lodge was formed we were No.21. In 1747 the lodge name was Cupar in Fife, with Cupar being spelt the same way as today. The original charter issued by Grand Lodge in 1758 is made out with the name of the Lodge being Coupar of Fife and the number 21. New numbering issued in 1809 left us as No.21, in 1816 No.18, 1822 we were given No.17, and finally in 1826 No.19.

One of the old aprons from the period between 1822 and 1826 when we were No.17 St John, has survived and is thought to be quite valuable to collectors of Masonic memorabilia. Strangely, two lodges at that time - both called St John - were issued with the number 17!   St John of Dunkeld were numbered 17/1, and Lodge St John, Cupar, 17/2.

In the last enumeration in 1826 the No.17 was given to Lodge Ancient Brazen, Linlithgow.     The lodge name as well as the numbering has changed over the years and records show that in 1836 we were Cupar in Fife (19) with Cupar as in the current spelling, but there is no date for when we changed to today's name of Lodge Coupar o' Fife with the older style for the spelling of Cupar.

Note the Ram's head , which we have adopted as a symbol of the Lodge. From it, every visitor to the Lodge is offered a pinch of snuff as a token of welcome. The exact details relating to it's history are either lost or have gone unrecorded, because despite a search of many old minute books, we can find no confirmation of it's origin. However it is believed that in the late 1800's, a German called Gustaf Vogel arrived in town, and set up his business in Kirk Wynd as a sausage skin manufacturer

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Gustav with dog

We do know from the minute books that he took his three degrees during 1902 and 1903, and went on to become an office bearer in the lodge for a brief time soon after. Whilst we believe that he was the supplier of the Ram's head, there is no further trace of this in the minute books. Gustaf also worked in the local slaughterhouse, and he met an untimely death by contracting anthrax when being cut by a knife.

The other part of the mystery lies in the casket for the snuff which is set into the Ram's head. It bears the inscription - Presented to Lodge Coupar o' Fife - Bro. Wm Davidson September 1891 - Mounted by the Lodge. This of course pre-dates Gustav Vogel's association with the Lodge. Was this Ram's head a replacement for one which was there when Gustav joined the Lodge?      The condition of the head today is quite remarkable when you think it has spent it's life on a mantlepiece shelf originally above the fireplace which used to be in the West wall. That mantlepiece contains Masonic symbols, and can still be seen on the landing where you sign the tyle before entering the Lodge. It would also be hard not to notice that the Ram's head has now been incorporated into the new Lodge carpet, as well as being used on the Mark penny.