History Of The Lodge

Firm Foundations

Much of the information for this article was taken from a book "A Short History of the Saye And Sele Lodge From Its Inception Until Its Centenary", written by Worshipful Brother M H H Cash PAGDC AsstPGM, to whom we are endebted for this, and many other things.

The Lodge was consecrated on Wednesday 26th July 1882 by the then Provincial Grand Master, Rt. Hon. Viscount Holmesdale at Essenden House, Belvedere, where the large dining room had been converted into a Lodge Room for the ceremony. A petition had been signed just over a month earlier and lodged at Freemason's Hall by W.Bro J G Chillingworth, the Worshipful Master designate.

The Lodge takes it's name from a former Provincial Grand Master of Kent, whos family seat had been Belvedere Park which stood on the site of the Royal Alfred Merchant Seamen's Home, itself now demolished. The Lodge also borrowed its motto from the Saye and Sele family.

At the consecration, presided over by W. Bro Lucas, a past master of the Lion and Lamb Lodge, the first Worshipful Master was installed and officers appointed. All distinguished masons, they organised themselves into a committee to draft the Lodge Bylaws. One such bylaw which never made it into the book, was limiting the membership to a total of thirty. In his book on the history of the Lodge, W.Bro. M H H Cash mentions that by November of that year, the membership had already reached thirty four. At the end of the consecration meeting, ten joining members had been proposed and the Lodge was on the way to being a success.

A Structure Perfect In Its Parts

The second meeting was held just a week after the consecration. Four candidates were initiated into freemasonry, the first being Mr H A E de Pinna, who, having been initiated was appointed as Secretary of the Lodge. This was a highly unusual step and means that the newly initiated Bro. de Pinna must have been an extremely upright and trustworthy citizen.

Among those first initiates was another outstanding personality, namely Bro. Ayerst Henham Hooker FCS FIC. Before he could be raised, Bro. Hooker travelled to Egypt to help out during a cholera epedemic that was widely reported at the time. What was also widely reported as a consequence, was Bro. Hookers dedication to the plight of the Egyptians, for which he was awarded the Queens Gold Medal for Gallantry and Humanity and the Turkish Order of the Medjidieh.

Emergency meetings continued apace following the consecration, initiates and joining members were, it would seem, queuing to get in. One of the joining members was W.Bro Sir Charles Bright, Deputy Provicial Grand Master of Middlesex, and the Electrical Engineer who oversaw the first cable laying across the Atlantic Ocean. The Lodge has not been short of bright sparks since.

As 1883 turned to 1884, the members realised that they had outgrown their original home in Essenden House Belvedere and would need to find new premises. It was proposed that the old stables, in the grounds of the Royal Alfred Institution should be rented for the annual sum of £20.00, with a budget of £200.00 for the necessary alterations to develop it into a Masonic Hall.

The building works were quickly completed and the inaugeration took place on 15th December 1884. The first regular meeting of the Lodge in its new home took place on 19th January 1885 and meetings continued there until the Lodge moved from Belvedere in 1962.

By 1887, Bro. H A E de Pinna, first ever intiate of the Saye and Sele Lodge was installed as Worshipful Master. Indeed, for the year 1886 - 1887, every Brother who was appointed as an officer, with the exception of the Treasurer, was a Lodge Initiate.

Hard Times

Despite the huge success of the Lodge in its formative years, by 1890 things were starting to become difficult financially. Partly due to a loan being withdrawn, and partly to the fact that Belvedere was undergoing a social transformation and becoming less of a residential area as industry moved in to take advantage of the proximity of the river Thames, the Lodge finances were in a dire state.

A small band of members mobilised to pull the Lodge back to a sound financial footing. The WM at the time was W.Bro. Walter Reeve and he, together with W.Bros Wood, Dr A S Greenway, Dr J Elliot and Bro. F Corbett work tirelessly to restore the fortunes of Saye and Sele. In this year W.Bro. Rev. Canon J W Horsley became a joining member and took an active part in the running of the Lodge. WB Horsley was installed as Chaplain and was clearly an outstanding mason as, in 1906, he was appointed Grand Chaplain of the United Grand Lodge of England. He wrote "A Freemason's Prayer", and had interests in the etymology of Kentish place names and, it would apear, a fascination with snails.

In 1894, the GP Committee reported that it was necessary to raise £130 by voluntary contribution to make up the shortfall in the Lodge accounts. It is estimated that this equates to £14,500 at 2015 prices. A considerable sum. Along with the socail changes mentioned above, this debt was made worse by an issue regarding the wine consumed by the Brethren.

The Lodge received a letter from a wine merchant stating that they owed £29 in unpaid wine bills. During the discussions that followed, the wine steward resigned and the matter was referred to the Dartford County Court. The judgement saw the Lodge liable for a total of £88.00 in fines and costs, increasing the debts considerably. The wine merchant, himself a member of the Lodge, also resigned.

No small effort was required to dig the Lodge out of its financial woes, but various measures, such as opening a club house at the Masonic Hall, a loan from W. Bro. Poppleton and various money saving initiatives, such as hand written summons gradually brought the books into a healthier state.

In 1898, the Lodge moved its installation date to the thrid Saturday in October and the January and February meetings were moved to May and June, dates when we still meet today.