Sketch Of The History Of The Mark Masters' Degree, &C.

some portions of the Mark degree were communicated to me in connection with the F . C . ' s degree . In the year 1813 , when the Athole Masons ¦ were ruled by H . R . H . the Duke of Kent ( the Queen ' s Father ) , as G . M ., and the other Grand

Lodge by H . R . H . the Duke of Sussex , happily a union of the two Orders was effected , under the present title of the United Grand Lodge of England—at which time the whole of the ceremonies of the Order were revised by a mixed body

called " The Lodge of Reconciliation . " The Royal Arch , which hitherto had been only worked as a separate degree by the Athole Masons , was recognised as part of " pure ancient Masonry , " but the Mark Masters' degree was

discarded as a separate degree , such portion as was deemed of importance being , as stated , retained , but incorporated partly in the degree of Master Mason , and partly in the ceremony of the H . R . A . The latter has , however , since that time

¦ been again revised , as we now have it , and no traces of the Mark degree are now to be found in it . Notwithstanding this decision , the Mark degree has never ceased to be practised , more or less , in various parts of England in connection with lodges under the jurisdiction of the United

Grand Lodge of England , as already shown , although this fact was probably unknown to the Grand Lodge , and , although thus ignored by our English Grand Lodge , the Mark degree has ever been recognised and regarded as an integral and

essential portion of Ancient Freemasonry by the -Grand Lodges or Grand Chapters exercising supreme Masonic jurisdiction in Scotland , Ireland , and America—indeed no English R . A . Mason can be admitted into a chapter in those countries

unless he be either a Mark Mason , or be obligated as such before his admission into the chapter . Bro . Laurie , the Secretary to the Grand Lodge of Scotland , has given much information on the Mark degree in his History of Freemasonry .

It appears that the minute books of many of the lodges in that country contain the Masons' marks of the members for a considerable period—some of them engraved in the work dating from the year 1637 ( page 451 ) , and the Supreme Grand

Chapter of Scotland , a comparatively modern body , having claimed sole authority over the Mark degree as appertaining to the chapter , the Grand Lodge , amongst other resolutions , passed one to the effect that it had been proved to the satisfaction of Grand Lodge that certain lodges have wrought

the Mark since their foundation , and previous to the existence of the Grand Lodge itself , aud have continued to do so till the present time ( 185 S ) , any interference with the rights aud privileges of lodges so situated was an invasion of the privileges

of those lodges which the Grand Lodge was bound to protect ; and that the Lodge of Glasgow St . John was in order in continuing to practise a ritual to which their ancient privileges entitled them ( p . 347 ) .

Under the unsatisfactory position of the Mark degree in this country , au attempt was made about 1855 to restore it to its former position in Masonry by obtaining its recognition by the United Grand Lodge of England , and a committee

of that body and of the Supreme Grand Chapter reported in favour of its recognition , not as a separate degree , but as a graceful adjunct to the second degree , to which it really belongs , although in the present arrangement of the degrees it is p laced as an intermediate link between the third degree and the R . A .

I happened to be present in Grand Lodge when this report was presented , the recommendation of which was unanimously adopted , and thus the Mark degree was agreed to be recognised . At the next quarterly communication , however , that

portion of the minutes relating to the recognition of the Mark degree was not confirmed , although it had been passed unanimously , and thus all that had been done was again undone . Upon this an independent Grand Lodge of the

Mark degree for England and the colonies was established in London , under Lord Leigh as the first Grand Master , in order to remove the anomaly then existing of Mark lodges beingworked in this country , under warrants from the

Grand Chapter of Scotland , and it was under the authority of this Grand Lodge of Mark Masters that the Fowke and Howe Lodges were established in this town and Leicestershire constituted

a province for Mark Masonry in the year ISoS . It appears that most of the old time immemorial lodges , as well as the lodges originally holdingwarrants from Scotland have acknowledged the supremacy of the Mark Grand Lodge , which has

also issued many warrants for new lodges in England and the colonies , ancl in many cases the Provincial Grand Masters in the Craft also hold the same office under the Grand Lodge of Mark Masters . For about two years after our local Mark lodges