Letter of William Gemmell, Secretary, unnamed Lodge held in the Royal Horse Artillery,...

Letter of William Gemmel, Secretary, unnamed Lodge held in the Royal Horse Artillery, Plough Inn, Colchester to Robert Leslie apologising for not responding to the Grand Secretary's letter due to the Expedition [Peninsular War in Portugal] which almost dispersed Lodge members. Notes that members joining from lodges meeting under the Grand Lodge of Scotland and Ireland need to pay a joining fee of three shillings and sixpence each but the Lodge was unaware of this expense. Although the Lodge listed thirty one members on a preliminary return, by the time the warrant was received twelve or thirteen members were on foreign service and provides a list of members present and serving overseas. With additional letter signed by James Thompson, Worshipful Master, John Neen, Senior Warden and James Harley, Junior Warden and William Gemmell, Secretary concerning a membership certificate required for a member from the Grand Lodge of Ireland and a certificate for Peter Lighton who was initiated on 2 July 1809. With draft response of Robert Leslie and an unknown clerk, 28 Token House Yard, near Bank, London, providing instructions for completing blank annual return forms with details required about members, explains that members joining from other Antients' lodges need to pay the usual fee but those from the Grand Lodges of Ireland or Scotland need to pay three shillings and sixpence for registration and a further nine shillings for a certificate.

This unnamed lodge was granted a warrant by the Antients' Grand Lodge in 1809 as No. 156(B) in the Royal Horse Artillery Barracks, Colchester, Essex. In 1811 the Lodge moved to the Plough Inn, Plough Corner, Colchester. After the union between the Antients' and the Moderns' Grand Lodges in 1813 to form the United Grand Lodge of England, the Lodge met as No. 189. In 1814 the Lodge met at the Duke of York, Magadalen Street, Colchester. The Lodge was erased on 5 March 1828.