Name/TitleGrand United Order of Free Gardeners collection
About this objectThe Lodge of the Grand United Order of Free Gardeners was established as a friendly society in Melbourne in 1864 after the Grand Lodge of Scotland granted a charter to open a Lodge in Victoria.
The order spread to most Australian States and eventually there were 25 in Victoria.
The origins of the order are obscure but are thought to to have started in Scotland in the 17th century as a fraternity to promote and regulate the trade of working gardeners. By the 19th century is was more active as a workers' benefit society providing sickness benefits, pensions and provision for dependents.
This collection includes examples of the Order's regalia, honour boards, shields, framed certificates and portraits, minute books, ledgers, treasurer's books, loose documents and accounts.
1. Loose documents include blank, generic papers such as mortgage and financial documents and rules and regulations for conduct of lodges as well as documents specific to individual lodges and the Grand Lodge.
2. Bound volumes include minutes of meetings of lodges from 1896 -2001, members’ registers (handwritten) of various lodges from 1865-1993, National Health Insurance Register 1939, and documents of the Grand Lodge 1896-2006.
MakerGrand United Order of Free Gardeners
Maker RoleCreator
Subject and Association KeywordsGrand United Order of Free Gardeners (Richmond, Vic.)
Subject and Association KeywordsFreemasons and Freemasonry
Subject and Association KeywordsFriendly societies
Subject and Association KeywordsPharmacists and pharmacies
Subject and Association KeywordsHonour boards
Subject and Association KeywordsPortrait
Named CollectionManuscripts Collection
Credit LineDonated by Grand Secretary Graham J. in December 2006
Object TypeDocument
Object numberMS 001800
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved
PDF FilesFree Gardeners finding guide.pdf