Companion Orders

The Degree of Mark Master Mason is open to all Master Masons. Therefore, if you are not already a Freemason, you will have to join a ‘Craft’ Lodge and go through all three degrees and become a Master Mason.

In the Mark, the ceremony in which a brother is ‘Advanced’ can be said to comprise of two degrees; the first in which he is acknowledged as a Mark Man, followed by the second where he becomes a Mark Master Mason; both of which are conducted at the same ceremony.

The Mark referred to in its title takes its name from the mark or symbol with which the stonemason identified his work and can still be found in many cathedrals and important buildings.

To find out more about the visit https://durhammarkmasons.org/

The Knights Templars came into being in the British Isles around the 1760’s and the present-day Templar ritual was introduced in the 1850’s.

A direct link with the original Templars is that they were granted their encampment in Jerusalem, on the site of King Solomon’s Temple. On 15th July 1099 the city walls of Jerusalem were breached, and the city captured by the Crusader army of the 1st crusade. In 1118, nine Knights under the leadership of Hughes de Payen, approached the patriarch of Jerusalem (King Baldwin II); having decided to dedicate their lives to the service of the Holy land. The patriarch subsequently assigned them a portion of the al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount (said to have been built on the original Temple of Solomon). This group of Knights subsequently took their name from this: Pauperes commiltones Christi Templi Salomonis (the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon). Thus, becoming known as the Knights of the Temple, and later, Knights Templar.

A newly Installed Knight will go through an extremely interesting ceremony, taking him through a pilgrimage and then knighthood as a Templar.

In the Province of Durham, there are fourteen Preceptories, if you are interested in joining (you must have been raised to the third degree and be a Royal Arch mason) and would like some more information visit https://www.durhamkt.org/ or follow them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProvincialPrioryofDurham 

The order, often known as the Cryptic Degrees, is open to those who are both Royal Arch and Mark Master Masons and consists of four highly dramatic degrees.  The Cryptic Degrees form a vital and interesting link between the Craft and Royal Arch, making the connection much more logical and completing the legend of King Solomon and his Temple.

The four Degrees are - Select Master, Royal Master, Most Excellent Master, and Super Excellent Master.

There are nine units throughout the District of Durham, and they are called Councils.
To find out more visit http://www.durhamrsm.uk

The Masonic Order of Athelstan in England, Wales and its Provinces Overseas first began life in 2005, the result of a meeting of several well experienced Freemasons who had an interest in the history of Freemasonry. This resulted in several members of the group concentrating their interests on the Saxon Chronicles, which in turn focused attention on the meeting at York in 926 AD, when a Master Mason was called to York to receive the ‘Ancient Charges’, and also on King Athelstan (924-939 AD), ‘The first King of all the English’.

From its early beginning’s, the Order has progressed at a very healthy pace, and now has Provinces in the USA, Australia, India, Spain, Greece, Bolivia, Brazil, S.E. Asia and France, with two further countries to be added to the list in the very near future.

Membership of the Order requires that all Brethren MUST also hold membership of the Craft and Holy Royal Arch Chapter (and remain members of both throughout their membership of the Order).

The Province of Northumbria consists of the Craft Provinces of Northumberland, Durham and Cumberland & Westmoreland, and holds regular Court meetings in all of those areas.

The Order is strictly ‘invitational’, but should you wish to obtain further information about the history, background, or objectives of the Order, please feel free to visit https://www.athelstan.org.uk/

The Rose Croix is the commonly used name for the Ancient and Accepted Rite, which is held under the authority of the Supreme Council 33°, whose headquarters is in Duke Street, London.  The Rite was established in the eighteenth century and consists of 33 Degrees of which the Rose Croix, or 18^th Degree, is the only one worked by Chapters.  The Degrees of the Rite amplify the teachings of Craft Masonry and instil the Christian values of faith, hope, and charity.  The District of Durham comprises nineteen chapters meeting throughout the province.  Chapters generally meet between two and four times a year.  Meetings are very friendly and relaxed and conclude with a festive board.

The structure of the Rose Croix is very simple.  Between Supreme Council in London and Private Chapters, the District administration consists of two people, the Inspector General for Durham assisted by the District Recorder.  A brother wishing to join the order must have been a Master Mason for a full year.  If you would like to know more about the order, or may be interested in joining, please contact the District Recorder jjohnson.maidenlaw@gmail.com or visit www.durhamrosecroix.org.uk

The Red Cross of Constantine is a Christian Order and applicants must have been exalted in a Royal Arch Chapter.

Administered by Mark Masons Hall, the Order was founded in 1865. It was sometimes known as the Christian Royal Arch degree as candidates are admitted wearing their Royal Arch regalia. Obligations are taken in the name of the Trinity in Unity and on the Bible, reinforcing the Christian Connection.

The Order commemorates the acknowledgement by the great Roman Emperor Constantine of the Christian faith and the impact that his conversion had on the further development and global spread of the Christian religion.

The work of the Order is carried out in Conclaves, whose structure is like that of a Craft Lodge. There are two ceremonies, in the first an applicant is installed as a Knight of the Red Cross of Constantine. He is then admitted at a future meeting to the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and the Order of St John the Evangelist.

Progression is like many other Orders; beyond the Conclave are the Divisional and Grand Imperial Conclaves.

At the core of the Orders charitable work is the Grand Sovereigns Care for Children Fund to which applications can be made by the Division for grants to worthy registered children’s charities.

By joining the Red Cross of Constantine, the Order will help explain to a Brother & Companion the underlying and symbolic allegories of the Craft and Chapter in their original Christian context, and enable them to have a deeper understanding of Masonry in general.Want to know more? Email your enquiry to rcc.durhamdivision@gmail.com

The Order of the Secret Monitor ceremonies, principles and watchwords are founded upon grand examples set by two worthy Hebrew Princes David and Jonathan around 1000 BC as recorded in the Jewish history of the Bible hence it's also known as the “Order of David & Jonathan”. 

This Companion Order is framed upon principles of self-sacrifice; of mutual trust, watchful Brotherly care; of warning in time of danger; solace in time of sorrow; and skilful and effective friendly advice in every circumstance of life.  The Order's U.S.P. Is the unique roles of Visiting Deacon and Provincial Grand Visitor by which these principles are formally assured. 

There are three Degrees in the Order; Induction ceremony, Princes or admission Degree and the Third Degree which is when a brother is Installed as a Supreme Ruler of his Conclave. At this point he is also commissioned as a Supreme Ruler within the Order. This entitles him to conduct ceremonies in any Conclave.

Qualification to join is simply to be a Master Mason in a Craft Lodge. There are 14 Conclaves meeting across the Northeast and in the Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham area at Hartlepool, Barnard Castle, Shiny Row, Durham City, Stanley and Gateshead masonic halls. Further information can be obtained directly from the Provincial Grand Recorder (Secretary) Ian Dixon recorderNEProvince@outlook.com.

The “Operatives” is an invitational body dedicated to the preservation of the history and workings of operative guild masonry.

We are a Masonic Society which exists to perpetuate a memorial of the practices of operative Free Masons existing prior to modern speculative Freemasonry.

Membership of the Society is restricted to those who are Master Masons, Mark Master Masons and Holy Royal Arch Companions in good standing.

The Order is governed by three Grand Master Masons.

The Society has ordinarily generated considerable loyalty and affection among its members and, in addition to the merits of its ceremonies and practices, one reason is that the Society fills a notable gap in the masonic structure.

Speculative masons are happy to trace their origins to the practices of the ancient stone masons, but many then tend to forget all about them.

The purpose of the Worshipful Society then is to perpetuate the ancient operative workings to the extent that they can be established beyond doubt.

In this respect, membership of the Worshipful Society can greatly enhance a speculative freemason’s understanding of the ceremonials in which he has participated and of the rituals that he has learnt.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the work of the Worshipful Society provides an important, if not essential, conclusion to the work of the Craft, the Mark and the Royal Arch.

Moreover, it also relates directly to the work of the Cryptic Rite and some of the Allied Masonic Degrees.To find out more visit https://www.theoperatives.org

The Order is a re-birth of an 1889-founded Order developed in the British Isles two years after the inauguration of the Order of The Secret Monitor and titled the Royal Order of Knights of The Scarlet Cord. This inextricable link exists to this day.

The vision of the re-birth of the Order came to fruition after many months of research at Freemasons’ Hall, Mark Masons’ Hall and Duke Street of the ancient rituals and relevant paperwork. It became evident that those original rituals were very dated and would not work in today’s Masonic environment and have subsequently been edited and rewritten using modern day language. On the 21^{st of} July 2010 the Ancient and Masonic Order of the Scarlet Cord was inaugurated in the Grand Temple at Great Queen Street.

There are six Grades in total with each relating to a biblical story or event, ranging from spies in the city of Jericho, the events leading to the Battle of Jericho itself, and to the Old Testament story relating to mortality and rising again, to mention just three. It comes as a surprise to new members that the lives of two female personages feature heavily in two of the six Grades, both of whom come from diverse backgrounds. One of those females goes on to marry Boaz, which together with the line of descendancy helps to “fill in the gaps” for those wishing to glean more understanding of Craft ritual.

Qualification to join the Scarlet Cord is to be a Master Mason of a Craft Lodge, and to be a Prince or holder of the second grade in the Order of the Secret Monitor.

The Order is ruled by a Grand Summus, Deputy Grand Summus and Assistant Grand Summus and in the Provinces by a Provincial Grand Summus, Deputy and Assistant Provincial Grand Summus. In this region, we have the Provincial Grand Senatus of Durham and Northumberland. Regular meetings of Consistories in Durham are held in Dunston, Hartlepool, Stanley and Shiney Row. More details and information can be obtained from our website at pgsdn.org.uk or the Provincial Grand Recorder (Secretary) Reece Valentine at reece7120@sky.com.

The Commemorative Order of St Thomas of Acon was revived in the 1970’s after research was done in the Guildhall Library in London by our first Grand Master who was also the Secretary General of the S I R A. He felt compelled to revive the Order after learning of the Installation of the Orders Master in 1510 which was unique.

It is a story very familiar to Knights Templar, that of the Third Crusade and the siege of Acre and it was there that the humility and caring of some Knights encouraged others to form their own, very English, Chivalric Order. As is often the case the name Acre was anglicised to Acon where we get our name.

This Order was extremely successful and William, the Chaplain to the Dean of St Paul’s was able to build a church which he dedicated to the recently martyred Thomas Becket. King Richard I acknowledged their bravery by according them the status of an Order of Chivalry. Once back in England the Order bought land belonging to the Becket family and built a chapel and their headquarters.

To become a member a candidate must be a Knight Templar, he will experience a unique ceremony. The Master, as mentioned above, also undergoes an installation ceremony unique in masonry. This Province of Northumberland and Durham was split from Yorkshire in 2022 and there are five Chapels of the Order within its boundaries, being in Sunderland, Chester-le-Street, Jesmond, Ashington and Berwick on Tweed. Please contact the Provincial Secretary if you would like further information mailto:toanandd22@gmail.com

In the Nineteenth Century there were several degrees outside Craft Masonry worked by Lodges under warrants issued to them by the Ancients, these were often known as additional or side degrees. However in the 1870’s there were a number of degrees in which no existing Grand Body had any interest, that were being worked in various parts of the country. In order to prevent the wasting away of these historic degrees and to ensure the use of standardised rituals it was decided by the Grand Secretaries of the Craft, the Mark and the Grand Secretary General of the Ancient and Accepted Rite to form a “Grand Council of the Allied Masonic Degrees in England and Wales and the Colonies and Dependencies of the British Crown” based at Mark Masons Hall, London.

Originally Councils were warranted to work four Orders, namely the Grand High Priests, St. Lawrence the Martyr, the Red Cross of Babylon and the Knights of Constantinople. In 1893 the Order of the Grand Tilers of Solomon was added to the list. Each of the different degrees or orders have different morals and messages from which all mankind may learn. The requirements for joining The Order of the Allied Masonic Degrees are that all candidates must be a subscribing member of the Craft, Royal Arch and Mark degree, and it is open to any faith. For further information contact the Provincial Secretary, Graham Bainbridge Grahambainbridge3@gmail.com