Tennant Lodge

Meetings:

Second Monday in

October,

November,

March and

April (Installation)

Marmaduke

Tennant Chapter

No. 1992

A brief history of the Chapter.

In 1894, following a request from the members of the Tennant Lodge and with the blessing of the other two Chapters which met in Cardiff at that time, i.e. St. Johns Chapter, No. 36 and Sir George Elliot Chapter, No. 960, the then Deputy Provincial Grand Master and Most Excellent Grand Superintendent, M.E. Companion Marmaduke Tennant gave permission for the formation of the Marmaduke Tennant Chapter which made it the seventh in seniority amoung the Chapters in the Province.
The Consecration took place on Thursday, 31st. May 1894, at the Masonic Hall in Working Street, Cardiff and was deliberately arranged to coincide with the annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Chapter and was presided over by the M.E. Grand Superintendent, Marmaduke Tennant.
The majority of the original members were from the Tennant Lodge with the first of many Exaltees from Llangattock Lodge, No2547 being exalted in October 1895. At that time, the Exaltation fee was three guineas, the joining fee one guinea and the annual subscription was ten shillings and sixpence (52.5p).
The Chapter continued to meet throughout the two world wars but there is very little reference in Chapter documents to the events which took place during those traumatic times, except for the fact that dining was suspended during the emergency in the 1939/1945 war. In respect of the 1914/1918 hostilities, the minutes of the March, 1917 meeting recorded a message of congratulations to Companion T.P. Gough who was presented with a Gold Medal by the Lord Mayor of London as part of the team that shot down a Zeppelin over London. The ancient ceremony of the Passing of the Veils, which preceded an exaltation ceremony, was discontinued in 1919.
It was in this year that the Chapter saw the first exaltee from the Cardiff Exchange Lodge, No. 3775 and a Brother from this Lodge who joined in 1922, was to become a very distinguished Mason, namely, Companion Edgar Rutter, recorded as being aged 30 and a Coal Exporter. He was later to be installed as First Principal in April, 1934. His progress continued and at the installation meeting of 1963, he was installed in the office of Second Grand Principal by Ex. Comp. R. P. St. John Charles who took over as First Principal for the ceremony. In 1966 Ex. Comp. Edgar J. Rutter became Provincial Second Grand Principal in charge and then on the 14th March of the same year, was appointed M.E. Grand Superintendent.
In 1973 another member of the Chapter, Ex Comp. H.H. Harrison, was promoted to Provincial Second Grand Principal for a one year term.
The Centenary of the Chapter was celebrated at the installation meeting on 11th. April, 1994 and was attended by the then M.E. Grand Superintendent, The Rt. Hon. The Lord Swansea, C.St.J., D.L., and many other distinguished guests.