William Newland Rudge was a member of the London Stock Exchange.
He was initiated on 7 November 1860 alongside Capt Greenhill and Henry Smith, the first regular meeting of the Lodge following the Consecration, and passed and raised in the two following months. He rose to be Worshipful Master in 1864 and he went on to be Director of Ceremonies from 1867 until his death in 1881.
He presented a wooden ballot box on his being raised in 1861 that is still in the possession of the Lodge, several items of furniture in 1864 and an oak chest the following year.
He was a member of the Royal Thames Yacht Club and a well-known yachtsman. He owned the 21 ton cutter Whisper, and raced extensively in Conrinthian races, those restricted to amateurs, members of the Royal Yacht clubs and the Royal Navy. He had a crew of ten when fully crewed for racing. He won the RTYC Thames Regatta in 1859 in the Corinthian Class.
His passion was reflected in many of his other pursuits. He supported the RNLI, collecting money from the Stock Exchange and his colleagues (over £700 on one occasion in 1865, the equivalent of £88,500 today). It was also the cause of his death; He caught a cold sailing off Harwich, which developed into “congestion of the lungs” resulting in his death in 1881. He left a personal legacy of £1000 to the RNLI.