Difference between revisions of "History of the Scottish Rite"
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| + | [[File:McClenachan_1885_degree_04_regalia.png|thumb|right|320px|alt=Historical drawing of a triangular apron beside a collar with a key-shaped jewel.|Apron, collar and key jewel for Secret Master (4°), illustrated in Charles T. McClenachan’s 1885 book. This historical design is one example of Scottish Rite regalia; practice varies by jurisdiction.]] | ||
The '''Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite''' developed from the additional Masonic degrees circulating in eighteenth-century Europe and the Atlantic world. Its first Supreme Council was established at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1801. The history of these institutions is distinct from the ancient and medieval settings used in the degrees themselves.<ref name="hoyos-history" /> | The '''Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite''' developed from the additional Masonic degrees circulating in eighteenth-century Europe and the Atlantic world. Its first Supreme Council was established at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1801. The history of these institutions is distinct from the ancient and medieval settings used in the degrees themselves.<ref name="hoyos-history" /> | ||
Revision as of 17:48, 24 September 2026
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite developed from the additional Masonic degrees circulating in eighteenth-century Europe and the Atlantic world. Its first Supreme Council was established at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1801. The history of these institutions is distinct from the ancient and medieval settings used in the degrees themselves.[1]
Eighteenth-century origins
The word Scottish was associated with additional Masonic degrees before the present Rite existed. References to a Scots Masters' lodge in London occur in 1733. The name does not establish that the later system originated in Scotland: much of its development took place in France and the Caribbean.[2]
During the eighteenth century, French Masons collected and organised degrees beyond the three of Craft Masonry. These additional degrees are often called hauts grades, or high degrees. Their arrangements were not initially uniform. Étienne Morin received a patent in Paris on 27 August 1761 authorising him to establish higher-degree Masonry overseas. His work in the Caribbean helped transmit these degrees across the Atlantic.[1]
Henry Andrew Francken, acting under Morin's authority, carried the system to mainland North America. A Lodge of Perfection was established at Albany, New York, on 7 October 1767. This belonged to a twenty-five-degree predecessor of the Scottish Rite, usually called the Order of the Royal Secret or Rite of Perfection. It should not be confused with the later thirty-three-degree organisation.[3] Surviving manuscripts associated with Francken are evidence for the earlier system's transmission and contents.[1]
Supreme Councils
John Mitchell and Frederick Dalcho opened the first Supreme Council at Charleston on 31 May 1801. This established the governing form associated with the thirty-three-degree Rite. The precise stages by which the earlier twenty-five-degree system became the thirty-three-degree system remain a subject of historical investigation.[3]
The Northern Masonic Jurisdiction was founded in New York on 5 August 1813 under authority from Charleston. Emanuel de la Motta organised the new council, and Daniel D. Tompkins became its first Sovereign Grand Commander. The Northern organisation later experienced divisions; rival councils united in 1867.[3]
Jewish Masons participated in these early institutions. De la Motta, Sampson Simson and Moses Levi Maduro Peixotto belonged to the early Northern leadership. Museum research places their Masonic activity alongside their involvement in Jewish community life.[4]
Other jurisdictions
The Supreme Council for England and Wales was established in London in 1845 with a charter from the American Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. In England and Wales the organisation is commonly called Rose Croix, although that name properly belongs to its eighteenth degree.[5]
Prince Hall Scottish Rite Masonry has its own institutional history. Atlanta Consistory's account traces an African Grand Council in Philadelphia to 1820 and describes the later development of several African American Supreme Councils. Mergers between 1881 and 1887 produced separate Northern and Southern Supreme Councils.[6]
Historical books and later practice
Printed works record particular stages in the Rite's development. Charles T. McClenachan's monitor, first published in 1867, reflects nineteenth-century American material. Arturo de Hoyos relates its origins to the Northern councils' union of that year and notes subsequent revisions to the degrees. A later printing of an old monitor does not establish that its contents remained current.[7]
The articles on Scottish Rite degrees 4 to 17 identify their historical sources and distinguish them from present jurisdictional practice. Regalia likewise needs to be dated and attributed to a particular tradition rather than treated as a universal pattern.
See also
- Quatuor Coronati Lodge
- Masonic museums and libraries
- Rose Croix
- Scottish Rite degrees 4 to 17
- Charles T. McClenachan
- Albert Pike
- Prince Hall
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Arturo de Hoyos, History of the Rite, Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction; adapted from Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide (2010), pp. 77–111. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction, Where did Scottish Rite begin?. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Supreme Council, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, History of the Scottish Rite. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Jeff Croteau, New Acquisitions: Contextualizing the Lives of Early Jewish Scottish Rite Masons, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, 19 March 2013.
- ↑ Supreme Council for England and Wales, History. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Atlanta Consistory No. 24-A, History of Scottish Rite Masonry, Prince Hall Affiliation. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Art de Hoyos, False Accusations: Anti-Masonic Abuse of Scottish Rite Literature, Short Talk Bulletin, vol. 76, no. 6 (June 1998), reprinted in part from The Northern Light (May 1998).