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United Grand Lodge of England         Provincial Grand Lodge of Gloucestershire      Foundationlodge No 82

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The Lodge was consecrated at 3 PM  in the Pillar Room of Cheltenham Town Hall on Monday, 25th March 1957.

The Consecrating Officer was the then Provincial Grand Master RW Bro The Hon WRS Bathurst, TD MA, FSA.

He was assisted by  W Bro Capt PMC Hayman, JP PGD, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master and other officers of the Provincial Grand Lodge.

The Lodge was called off for tea and called on at 4.45 PM when the Master was installed and his officers invested.

The Consecrating Officer and his deputy were elected Honorary Members of the Lodge.

The original officers of the Lodge were:

WM        W Bro CH Weaver           PrSGD

IMP       W Bro RR Lewis            PAGDC

SW          Bro EC Kelly

JW          Bro FE Taverner

Chaplain  W Bro Ven Arch WT Wardle  PGChap

Treas     W Bro F Goodridge

Sec       W Bro HH Vincent          LGR

D of C    W Bro FL Miles            PGStB

Sen Deac    Bro JWH Crabb

Jun Deac    Bro WTH Brinkworth

Almoner   W Bro CD Dillon           PAGDC

Organist  W Bro PHA Ingram          PPrSGD

Inner grd   Bro T Hall  

Stewards    Bro GE Robinson

            Bro T Honeyman

            Bro EE Long

Tyler       Bro RC Bowman

Background to The Mercurius Lodge N° 7507

  The arrival in Cheltenham during the early 1950s of that part of the Foreign Office known as GCHQ made an instant impact on the everyday life of the town and soon developed into a major source of employment, which is evident to this day.

  Among the early staff arrivals were a number of Freemasons from the London area, Bletchley Park, and elsewhere, who needed to find a new Masonic home and were soon regular visitors to the existing lodges in the area.  Eventually there were sufficient  Freemasons at GCHQ to form a new Lodge and this became the nucleus that formed The Mercurius Lodge No 7507 meeting at the Cheltenham Masonic Hall - a unique building being one of the very few purpose built Masonic Temples in the World. Although the Mercurius Lodge may have begun  its life with members taken almost exclusively from GCHQ, it is not, and never has been, a Lodge that took its members solely from GCHQ or the Civil Service.  Indeed, its current membership reflects almost every walk of life.

The Mercurius Lodge No 7507 was consecrated at the Pillar Room of Cheltenham Town Hall on Monday 25th March 1957.  The name Mercurius is derived from Mercury, the messenger of the Gods  who was also the God of science and travel, all of which activities represent part of the responsibilities of staff at GCHQ.

The Consecrating Officer was the Provincial Grand Master of Gloucestershire, RW Bro the Hon WRS Bathurst TD MA FSA, assisted by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, W Bro Capt PMC Hayman JP PDG and Officers of the Provincial Grand Lodge.  (The consecrating team consisted of the Provincial Grand Master supported by 15 Provincial Grand Officers).

 The guest list included eight Grand Officers and 19 Past Provincial Grand Officers.  Brethren attending (including Founder Members) made a total attendance of  365 - of which 170 Brethren attended the Festive Board.

History of The Mercurius Lodge N° 7507