Fundamental inquiries must be raised and addressed regarding Robert MacGregor-Reid and his order during its peak in the 1950s: what was his character like; what were the beliefs and rituals practiced by him and his fellow Druids; and how did their interactions with the general public and the civil service evolve following their prominent role at Stonehenge?
MacGregor-Reid exhibited both physical and mental characteristics that were reminiscent of his father’s son. He possessed a strong physical presence and a formidable demeanor, deriving satisfaction from assuming leadership roles. Additionally, he exhibited a conspicuous dark mustache, albeit of the toothbrush variety rather than the walrus variety. Regrettably, his physical stature had a tendency to disperse laterally rather than being proportionate, as observed in his father’s situation, through a combination of muscle mass and height. Ithell Colquhoun, an artist who held him in high regard, made remarks about the ‘bulky white-draped figure’ he created at Stonehenge. He described how he would ‘wallow’ his way to the stones while being subjected to jeers of ‘Moby Dick!’ from onlookers.
Colquhoun also expressed his profound interest in ritual magic, as seen by his outburst to her, “Doesn’t it come to your attention that the Druid Order is the enduring entity of the Golden Dawn?” In his endeavor to establish links between the two entities, MacGregor-Reid informed her and others about the previous presence of several Druidical factions in the realm of ceremonial magic that have no documented existence. These include the Ancient and Archaeological Order of Druids, previously mentioned, an enigmatic ‘Nuada Temple’ in London during the 1910s, and a Druid lodge led by the occultist John Brodie-Innes, known as ‘An Tigh Geatha Darrach’ or ‘The Gate House of the Gods’. It is now impossible to determine the extent to which any of these existed beyond the boundaries of fiction.
MacGregor-Reid expressed a profound admiration for Aleister Crowley, whom he asserted to have encountered on multiple instances. Undoubtedly, the aspiration to establish a connection between contemporary Druidry and Victorian ceremonial magic was a shared preoccupation among those who had congregated around Smith in the AODH. The 1953 edition of Smith’s journal featured a pseudo-historical account that recounted the establishment of Mount Haemus Grove at Oxford in 1245, which persisted until the late nineteenth century until its acquisition by occultists. The article posits that the individuals in question were responsible for the leadership of the Theosophical Society, the Golden Dawn, and the Universal Bond, all of which originated from the Mount Haemus Grove.
Ithell Colquhoun, the guy responsible for documenting this material and with extensive knowledge about late Victorian occultism, saw that the individuals identified as these leaders were actually individuals whom the Druids now desired to assert as ancestors, in a manifestation of their desires.
MacGregor-Reid can be differentiated from his father in various aspects. The individual in question had comparable levels of self-assertiveness, audacity, and ruthlessness to Smith, but at a higher cost. However, he demonstrated superior skills in negotiation and diplomacy, as seen by his previous actions on behalf of his father throughout the 1920s. The necessity of engaging in employment greatly facilitated his livelihood. The older Reid’s previous ability to maintain a steady occupation was rendered irrelevant upon entering the realm of private finance. Through the act of disinheriting his son, he compelled him to persist in earning his livelihood until his demise.
This circumstance likely facilitated Robert’s later career as a civil servant, particularly in his interactions with the Office of Works. Despite the existence of a tumultuous connection between the two individuals over the final decade of the elder individual’s life, Robert maintained an official sense of pride in George Watson Reid and his enduring legacy. Ultimately, he asserted his rightful succession, based on both lineage and election, and purportedly reinstated the system established by his father.
Robert’s adeptness in diplomacy resulted in another notable characteristic of his order that distinguished it from the previous Universal Bond: his passion for fostering connections between it and other factions and influential individuals. Partially, this was motivated by his desire to surpass Smith, however it persisted even after his triumph over him. During the meeting held in 1946, Gerald Gardner, a retired colonial administrator, was appointed as the chief. Gardner continued to hold a significant position within MacGregor-Reid’s order until the early 1950s.
Gardner subsequently emerged as the primary propagandist, and maybe the principal originator, of the contemporary pagan witchcraft tradition known as Wicca. By 1950, MacGregor-Reid had established communication with sympathetic persons in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, who expressed a willingness to align themselves with the order and create the perception of a membership that extended across the British Isles. Lewis Spence, the most renowned author on the hidden secrets of old Druidry, was the one who decided to give his name to it in Scotland.
In 1951, the group welcomed Gerald Yorke, a renowned occultist and former associate of Crowley, along with two ministers from the Church of England, as guests at Stonehenge.28 In 1956, Crowley’s biographer Charles Cammell, who was one of his disciples, was invited to lead a ritual at Stonehenge.