The Formation of The Frederick Lawson Lodge
During the 1980s, Buckinghamshire’s Masonic community thrived, particularly in the southern part of the province. Lodges such as Hall Barn No. 8480, Seer Green No. 9055, and Penn and Tylers Green Lodge No. 5876 exemplified this strong membership. However, due to the high number of members, new initiates often faced long waiting periods before advancing to their first office within the Lodge.
Recognizing this challenge, a committee was established to assess whether the province could support the formation of a new Lodge while maintaining a steady influx of initiates and new members. The idea quickly gained momentum, and soon, 15 dedicated petitioners formed the foundation of the proposal.
The first formal meeting of these petitioners took place on Saturday, 5th October 1985, during which the Lodge’s by-laws were finalized. Leadership roles were also designated, with W. Bro. H.H. Deacon elected as Chairman and W. Bro. D. Ogborn taking on the role of Secretary.
When discussing the Lodge's name, the members unanimously agreed to honor the late R.W. Bro. Major General the Rt. Hon. Lord Burnham, a Past Provincial Grand Master of Buckinghamshire and father of the then-current Provincial Grand Master. Thus, The Frederick Lawson Lodge was born, with a commitment to following Emulation Rituals. The founding officers were established, with W. Bro. Henry Hazard (Harry) Deacon, D.F.C., serving as the Lodge’s first Master, W. Bro. Horatio Nelson Hall as Senior Warden, and W. Bro. Jack Cohen as Junior Warden.
The other Officers were as follows:
- Acting I.P.M. W. Bro. Colin James.
- Chaplain. W. Bro. Ted Taylor.
- Secretary. W. Bro. David Ogborn.
- D.C. W. Bro. Doug Bygrave.
- S.D. Bro. David Milne.
- J.D. Bro. Tom Jones.
- Charity Steward. W. Bro. John Zammit
- Almoner. W. Bro. Colin James.
- A.D.C. Bro. Doug Wiggins.
- Asst. Sec. Bro. John Peasgood.
- I.G. Bro. Dave Thomson.
- Steward. Bro. Bill Ridden.
The Lodge was to be sponsored by Hall Barn Lodge No. 8480.
The Annual subscription was set at £30.00 exclusive of the dining fee.
The Founders fee was £275.00 (Exclusive of first Annual Subscription)
and this was to cover the costs of the Centre, G.L. Warrant, Collars,
Working Tools and the Consecration cost.
The L.o.I. was set to meet at 19:30 on the 2nd and 4th Fridays in each month from September to June inclusive with every brother contributing 0.50p towards the cost of hiring the room.
By February 1986 arrangements were well under way with a timetable for rehearsals being set by the Province. Two applications for membership had already been received:
- Bro. Frank Carrie from Hall Barn Lodge No. 8480
- Bro. William (Bill) Shakespeare, a F.C.F.M. of the Kelvin Lodge, No. 3736 who was be raised in April 1986.
At the last Petitioners meeting before the Consecration, Mr. W. A. Jones was interviewed by the committee and was unanimously approved to be our First Candidate.
The Chairman, W. Bro. H.H. Deacon, presented the Lodge with a V.S.L.
A sketch of a proposed Coat of Arms had been submitted with approval already received from U.G.L.E. and by Lord Burnham.
Grand Lodge had advised that the Lodge number will be 9185.
