Consecration to 1900
Although our Charter or Warrant from the Grand Lodge of England, signed by John Hervey as Grand Secretary and The Earl of Skelmersdale as Deputy Grand Master, was dated 29th October, 1878 the Lodge was not consecrated until Thursday, 29th January, 1880 by V.W. Bro. The Rev. J. S. Brownrigg, Past Grand Chaplain of England, one time Rector of Moulsoe. He consecrated no less than fourteen Lodges.
The Provincial Grand Master was Sir Daniel Gooch; Bt. The Lodge was named Grenville after the family of the Third Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1823 -1889).
The Founder Members were:-
The Rev. A. J. Riddle
J.R. Slator
J. K. Tibbetts
W. J. Gough
J. D. Clarke
A. Hopcraft
W. Ellis
J. Greenfield
T. J. Denton
This and other early meetings of the Lodge took place in the Buckingham Town Hall. It is interesting to note that after the Consecration Bro. J.R. Slator was not only invested as the first S.W. he was also appointed to the offices of Secretary and Treasurer. The Book of Constitutions would not allow this today!
The first regular meeting of the Lodge was held on Tuesday, 24th February, 1880 when five of the seven visitors were asked to act as Officers of the Lodge. Four Buckingham Candidates proposed at the previous meeting were then Initiated -
J. Christmas and T. C. Hudson, Bank Clerks, W. Carter, Stationer, and G. E. Reynolds, Grocer.
The same evening the following were proposed as future Candidates –
J. W. Thorpe, Manufacturer of Artificial Manures and P. Pringle, Draper.
Meetings were held at this time on the fourth Tuesday of the month. At the second meeting the W.M. was not present and his place was taken by a P.M. of Watling Street No. 1639 who promptly passed the first four Candidates. At the next meeting the same Master completed the promotion of the same four. The early Brethren of Grenville seemed to be determined to get on with the work. If more evidence is required, one of the four, Bro. T. C. Hudson, was J.D. by October and S.W. by January 1881.
In July 1880 there were insufficient Brethren present to form a Lodge. This occurred again in July 1881 and 1882. In May 1883 the meeting day was changed from the fourth to the third Tuesday of each month and the meetings for June, July and August were discontinued. September meetings were discontinued in 1900.
Egerton Hubbard, of Apollo Lodge No. 357 was elected a joining member in March 1882. Thus began a long association with Grenville of the Brother who in 1889 succeeded his Father as the second Baron Addington. He became Provincial Grand Master for Buckinghamshire in 1895.
In December 1882 it was agreed that Messrs. Nelson and Young, of Well Street should be paid one guinea per year for the use of the harmonium. Bro. H. Young was the organist.
In these early years the Installation Meetings were held in January, and the 1883 meeting shows a record number of twenty-two members and six visitors present who afterwards "Adjourned to the White Hart Hotel to keep the Feast of St. John”.
The work completed in the first three years:
1880 - 81 Seven Initiations; Seven Passings; Seven Raisings
1881 - 82 Six Initiations; Four Passings; Four Raisings.
1882 - 83 Four Initiations; Four Passings; Six Raisings.
In 1889 the Lodge voted for the dissolution of the combined Provincial Lodge of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire and the Provincial Grand Lodge of Buckinghamshire resumed in 1890. In 1895 Lord Addington, who had been a member of Grenville for thirteen years became Provincial Grand Master. His first Provincial Lodge meeting was held at the Grenville Lodge Masonic Hall in June 1896. Over a hundred Brethren attended, some travelling by special train from Aylesbury. A banquet was held in the Town Hall.
In April 1898 the Addington Chapter of Royal Arch Masons was consecrated. A loan of £50 at 3% per annum was granted to the Chapter from Lodge Funds. There is no record of this loan being repaid.