The Order of Mark Master Masons is an appendant order of

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

that exists in some Masonic jurisdictions, and confers the degrees of ''Mark Mason'' and ''Mark Master''.

Purpose

Similarly to Craft Freemasonry, Mark Masonry conveys moral and ethical lessons using a ritualised

allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...

based around the building of King

Solomon's Temple Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple (), was a biblical Temple in Jerusalem believed to have existed between the 10th and 6th centuries Common Era, BCE. Its description is largely based on narratives in the Hebrew Bible, in which it ...

. The ceremonies of Mark Masonry require the candidate to undertake the role of a Fellowcraft, thus the degree is seen as an extension of the Fellowcraft Degree, and the philosophical lessons conveyed are appropriate to that stage in a candidate's Masonic development. While the Fellowcraft degree teaches a Mason what the historical wages of a Fellowcraft Mason are, the Mark Master Mason degree teaches a Mason how to earn those wages, how to prove his work is his own, and what the penalty for fraud was during the building of the Temple. The legend reconciles the Anglo-American version of the Hiramic legend with the 3,300 Master Masons of Anderson's constitutions, making them Mark Masters, or overseers. The candidate is helped to choose a

Mason's mark A mason's mark is an engraved symbol often found on dressed Rock (geology), stone in buildings and other public structures. In stonemasonry Regulations issued in Scotland in 1598 by James VI and I, James VI's Master of Works, William Schaw, state ...

, and introduced to another extension of the Hiramic myth, relating to the manufacture, loss, and re-finding of the keystone of the Royal Arch. The link between the degrees of Master Mason, Mark Master Mason and the Royal Arch is further demonstrated in the Order of Royal and Select Masters.Keith B. Jackson, ''Beyond the Craft'', 6th Edition, Lewis Masonic 2012 (), p. 41

History

The first record of Mark Masonry in England is in 1769, when Thomas Dunckerley, as Provincial Grand Superintendent, conferred the degrees of Mark Mason and Mark Master at a Royal Arch Chapter in Portsmouth.Phoenix Masonry
Bernard E.Jones, Freemason's Book of the Royal Arch, revised Carr, 1966, retrieved 20 October 2012 Following the Union of the Antients and Moderns Grand Lodges and the formation of the

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales, and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic Grand Lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron ...

in 1813, the articles of union stated that there would be three Craft degrees only, including the Royal Arch, excluding the Mark degree. For this reason, while in the rest of the world Mark Masonry became attached to Royal Arch chapters, in England it was actually proscribed from the Union until the 1850s. It was a group of Scottish masons who procured an illegal warrant from Bon Accord Chapter in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

to set up a Mark lodge in London. An attempt to add Mark Masonry to the approved craft workings was defeated in 1856, and a ''Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons'' was created in response. As Freemasonry spread around the globe in the 18th and 19th centuries, Mark Masonry expanded with it, with six daughter Grand Lodges and the degree being worked under alternative administrative structures elsewhere. In England, the current Mark Grand Master is

Prince Michael of Kent Prince Michael of Kent (Michael George Charles Franklin; born 4 July 1942) is a member of the British royal family who is 53rd in line to the British throne as of 2025. The younger son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Gr ...

Administrative structure

The administration of Mark Masonry varies greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, though in all jurisdictions, the candidate for advancement is nowadays required to be a Master Mason to be eligible for this degree. In Europe, Asia and Australia the Mark Degree is conferred in separately warranted Lodges under the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons.

By country

In North and South America, parts of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, and

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

, the Mark Master Mason degree is conferred as the first of the Capitular Degrees in a Royal Arch Chapter, the first appendant body in the

York Rite In Anglo-American Freemasonry, York Rite, sometimes referred to as the American Rite, is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. It is named after York, in Yorkshire, England, where the Rite was supposedly first practiced. A Rite is a series of ...

Australia

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, the administration of Mark Masonry varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction: In

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, the degree of Mark Master is conferred in a Royal Arch Chapter operating under the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Western Australia, and is conferred as part of the process of Exaltation to the Holy Royal Arch Degree. The Degree may also be conferred upon candidates in a Lodge formed under the Scottish Constitution, by warrant from the Grand Lodge of Scotland. In

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, the degree of Mark Master can be conferred by a Royal Arch Chapter under the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Queensland or by a Mark Master Mason's lodge under the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons in Queensland. His entry into the Chapter is preceded by a short ceremony of Mark Lodge Affiliation, if the candidate has already been advanced into the Mark degree. In

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

and the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

, the Mark Master Mason Degree is conferred by a Royal Arch Chapter holden under the United Supreme Grand Chapter of Mark & Royal Arch Masons. Warranted Craft Lodges holden under the United Grand Lodge of NSW & ACT confer a Mark Man ceremony which is not treated as a degree. The Mark Man ceremony is commonly believed to be the contents of what was removed from the original second degree.

Brazil

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, the governing body is The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Brazil, which also controls the Royal Ark Mariner degree; conferred in separately warranted Royal Ark Mariner Lodges.

Ireland

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, the degree of Mark Master Mason is required to join a Royal Arch Chapter. A Royal Arch Chapter meets as a Mark Lodge, confers the Mark Degree on a candidate making him eligible to become a Royal Arch Mason at a subsequent meeting. A Mark Lodge and a Royal Arch Chapter share the same Warrant within the Irish system.

Turkey

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, the governing body is Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Turkey and its Districts and Lodges Overseas which also controls the Royal Ark Mariner degree. The Order is administrated from Progresif Masonluk Dernegi, Istanbul Turkey.

United Kingdom

Structure of Masonic appendant bodies in England and Wales

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

, the governing body is ''The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales and its Districts and Lodges Overseas'', which also controls the Royal Ark Mariner degree. This is a separate degree conferred on Mark Master Masons. Each Royal Ark Mariner lodge is "moored" to a Mark lodge and shares its number. The Order is administered from Mark Masons' Hall, London. The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Greece and its Lodges Overseas, was formed on 7 October 1993 by the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales and its Districts and Lodges Overseas, presiding the then Pro Grand Master MW Bro. Lord Swansea. The Degree of the Royal Ark Mariner was put under the control of the Grand Lodge of MMM and the first Lodge of RAM was constituted in October 1996. In

Freemasonry in Scotland Freemasonry in Scotland in lodges chartered by the Grand Lodge of Scotland comprises the ''Scottish Masonic Constitution'' as regular Masonic jurisdiction for the majority of freemasons in Scotland. There are also lodges operating under the Sco ...

, the Mark Degree may be conferred in a Craft lodge and is interpreted as a component part of the Fellowcraft degree. The degree may also be conferred in a

Holy Royal Arch The Royal Arch is a degree of Freemasonry. The Royal Arch is present in all main masonic systems, though in some it is worked as part of Craft ('mainstream') Freemasonry, and in others in an Masonic appendant bodies, appendant ('additional') ord ...

Chapter as a prerequisite for progressing to the grade of Excellent Masters and then for exaltation to the HRA. Should a candidate for a Scottish Royal Arch Chapter already have taken his Mark Degree in a Lodge then he will affiliate to that Chapter before proceeding to the Excellent Master and then Royal Arch Degrees.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mark Master Masons Masonic organizations