The Haddenham Lodge emblem, depicts a village pond and witchert wall, both symbolic of our village
It was designed by Douglas Compton, once a Haddenham resident.
This Buckinghamshire Lodge received its warrant from the United Grand Lodge of England and Wales on 1st May 1980. It was consecrated by the then Provincial Grand Master of Buckinghamshire, the late Lt Col The Rt Hon Lord Burnham DL on 17th February 1981 at Hazell’s Hall in Aylesbury.
The consecration of the Lodge fulfilled a long term ambition of two well known villagers, namely the late George Morris and the late Frank Horner. These men had been members of Aylesbury lodges for many years and felt that a village lodge would attract considerable support. They were greatly supported in this approach by a “new boy” who had arrived in the village, namely Gerald Stonley. Frank, a retired headmaster of Haddenham Middle School, and George, the retired proprietor of a garage in High Street, were the recruiting officers and Gerald the doer and administrator. The necessary approvals having been given, by Grand Lodge and the Provincial Grand Lodge, 24 men who were already Freemasons agreed to be the founders of the Lodge.
It is noticeable that of the 24 Founders, 9 lived in Haddenham, 3 at Long Crendon, 2 at Princes Risborough, 1 each at Bishopstone, Chearsley, Butlers Cross, Radnage, Longwick, Terrick, Ford and Ibstone, and 2 from far away Aylesbury. This strong concentration of local members remains a feature of the Lodge.
Haddenham Lodge started life as a local village-based lodge and has expanded slightly to include the local area. Of the present 39 members, 20 are Haddenham residents, a further 11 live in Buckinghamshire and only 8 outside the County one of whom lives in the USA.
This has been a brief introduction to Haddenham Lodge, which was formed to fill a gap in the Masonic geographical coverage in West Bucks and draws its members predominately from the village of Haddenham and its environs. Surprisingly, the Consecration remains the only time that the Lodge met in Buckinghamshire, all other meetings having been held at the Masonic Hall at Thame! The Founders had hoped that the Lodge would eventually be able to meet in Haddenham itself, but decided initially to meet in Thame, just three miles away – and we are still there! There can be little doubt that Haddenham Lodge has developed as a truly village-based lodge as a direct result of the early – and inspired – decisions of the founders.
Our Lodge members meet each other – as a matter of course – in the village shops, the churches, societies and pubs (not necessarily in that order). This means that they are comfortable in each other’s company and talk freely amongst their friends about the Lodge. This helps recruitment and keeps the Lodge in the forefront of the village community.
Many of the members’ ladies already know each other through various village activities. They have always been considered an essential part of the Lodge. The Founders set the scene by instituting an annual Ladies Festival weekend and now the Lodge has a full and varied programme of social events throughout each year, to which wives, partners and non-Masons are invited.
2021 saw Haddenham Lodge celebrate its 40th anniversary which at the same time saw its 200th meeting. A special lapel pin badge was commissioned for its members to mark this milestone.
Haddenham Lodge 8944 ©