HISTORY OF THE FORMATION
For eighty years three lodges served the purposes of Masonry in Guelph. By the middle of the twentieth century the population of Guelph had approximately tripled and the excessive work which the three lodges carried on indicated the need of a fourth lodge.
Morley J. Wright, Past Master of the Prince Arthur Lodge, Arthur, Ontario, Earl Wilson and John F. Heap, both Past Masters of Speed Lodge, took the initiative in organizing a new Lodge. These men, along with several others from Speed Lodge, some from Waverley, one from Guelph and members of the craft who had recently come to Guelph, made up the charter members of the new Lodge.
Early in the deliberations necessary for the formation and institution of the new Masonic Lodge in Guelph, arose the need for a suitable name. The members were anxious to be original, to maintain an association with the name Guelph, and to indicate our loyalty and respect for the land of our forefathers. Happily, the name of Wyndham was selected. There is no other lodge in Ontario so named and this name has a distinct Guelph connotation. The first Masonic building in Guelph, known as the Masonic Block, was on Wyndham Street - which is one of the oldest main streets in Ontario. The name Wyndham is probably named after the Right Honourable William Wyndham (1750-1810) the colonial secretary in Lord Pitt's cabinet.
Macaulay, the great English historian, described Wyndham as the first gentleman of his age, of athletic physique, intelligent, ingenious, high souled and chivalrous. Should later historians describe the brethren of Wyndham Lodge in equivalent terms, the hopes of those who gave Wyndham Lodge its name will be accomplished.
Post Script:
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Guelph: Origin of City Street Names, researched by Ross W. Irwin, President, Guelph Historical Society, January 1998, lists Wyndham Street as being named after George Francis Windham, 4th Earl.
A search on the Internet (15April2009) provided the following information:
George Francis Wyndham, 4th Earl of Egremont was born on 30 August 1785. He was the son of Hon. William Frederick Wyndham and Frances Mary Harford. He married Jane Roberts, daughter of Reverend William Roberts, on 14 November 1820. He died on 2 April 1845 at age 59 at Silverton Park.
