16/09/2026
To All Worthy Brothers: Know The Truth,
Know The Difference
With due respect to all, I would like to encourage every Brother to do a simple fact-check by visiting the official website of the Worshipful Company
itself: https://www.gardenerscompany.org.uk
On their own official history page, it is very clear: The Worshipful Company of Gardeners is a Livery Company of the City of London. It was originally founded in 1345, and received its Royal Charter later in 1605 to regulate the trade of gardening within London. It is a trade guild and a civic charity institution.
There is NO mention anywhere on their official website, their charter, or their archives of any connection to the Ancient Order of Free Gardeners (AOFG).
Let us be clear about the difference:
β
The Worshipful Company of Gardeners (London, 1345): An English Livery Company. Its purpose was trade regulation, apprenticeship, and civic duty in London.
β
The Ancient Order of Free Gardeners (Scotland, 1676): A Fraternal Order, similar to Freemasonry. The earliest documented Lodge, Lodge No.1, was in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland, in 1676. Its purpose was moral enlightenment, mutual aid, and brotherhood not trade regulation.
These are two completely different organizations, born in two different countries, in two different centuries, with two different purposes.
β There is NO Evidence, NO Proof, NO primary source that the Free Gardeners started in London in 1345.
Let us be vigilant with our posts and historical claims. When we share AI-generated content or unverified claims that "1345 BIS HEUTE β 681 JAHRE ARBEIT IM GARTEN" is the history of the Free Gardeners, we only confuse our own community and put our beloved Order in a difficult and embarrassing position.
Let us stick to verifiable sources.
Let us protect the true history of our Ancient Order.
In LWHT
