There are many organisations and orders which form part of the widespread fraternity of Freemasonry, each having its own structure and terminology. Collectively, these may be referred to as Masonic bodies, Masonic orders, Concordant bodies, or appendant bodies of Freemasonry.
Differences between Rites or Concordant bodies and Appendant bodies A "Rite" or "concordant body" in Freemasonry is a system that includes various Masonic degrees, or ceremonies for initiating a newcomer. Some Rites include the three blue Lodge degrees (Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason), others do not (only offering degrees after Master Mason). In contrast, an "Appendant body" is an organization that is affiliated with Freemasonry and recognized by the Grand Lodge, however, members are not necessarily considered Freemasons. Appendant bodies do not include a system of Blue Lodge degrees or upper/side degrees.
Overview of relationships between Masonic organisations The basic unit of Freemasonry is the Masonic Lodge, which alone can "make" (initiate) a Freemason. Such lodges are controlled by a Grand Lodge with national or regional authority for all lodges within its territory. A masonic lodge confers the three masonic degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft (or Fellow Craft), and Master Mason.Coil, Henry Wilson; "Degrees," pp. 165–168; Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia; 1961, 1996, Macoy Publ. Co., Richmond, Va. Whilst there is no degree in Freemasonry higher than that of Master Mason, there are additional degrees that are offered only to those who are Master Masons. Most of these are supervised by their own "Grand" bodies (independent from the Grand Lodge).
The United Grand Lodge of England (which has no direct authority over other Grand Lodges, but as the world's oldest Grand Lodge, has a historical influence in terms of regularity and practice) defines "pure, ancient Freemasonry" as consisting of the three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason, including the supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch.Declaration prefaced to the Book of Constitutions of the United Grand Lodge of England. The degree of the Holy Royal Arch is of great antiquity, and has a special importance in many masonic systems, including those of all three of the oldest 'Constitutions' (masonic authorities), namely the Grand Lodges of England, Scotland, and Ireland, in all of which it is considered (by varying constitutional definitions) to be the completion of the mainstream masonic structure.
A number of other organisations, most of which are known as 'masonic' or have a title identifying themselves as masonic, require candidates for membership to be a Master Mason in "good standing" (subscriptions paid, and not under any form of discipline). In some countries, notably the United States of America, the Scottish Rite and the York Rite are the two principal routes available. In other countries, notably England, Scotland, Ireland, and many of the countries of the Commonwealth, a large number of 'stand-alone' Orders and Degrees exist, without the umbrella organisation of a "rite".Jackson, Keith B. Beyond the Craft: The Indispensable Guide to Masonic Orders Practised in England and Wales, 2005. Some of these masonic bodies use numbers as an informal way of referring to or identifying the degrees they confer, but the most important and therefore "highest" degree is always the third, or Degree of Master Mason. These other masonic bodies (sometimes known as 'additional degrees' or 'side degrees') are optional pursuits for those who wish to take their masonic membership and activity beyond the three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason.
History
Sometime before 1730, a trigradal system (that is, a system of three grades or degrees) started to emerge in Freemasonry, which quickly became the standard system in the lodges of England, Ireland and Scotland. This seems to have been accomplished by the rearrangement and expansion of the original bigradal system, particularly by the elaboration of the Hiramic legend, and its full exposition in the third degree, that of a Master Mason.Douglas Knoop, "The Genesis of Freemasonry", chapters 9–13, Manchester University Press, 1947 The emergence in the 1740s of "chivalric" degrees on the continent may be linked to the deliberate "gentrification" of Freemasonry in Chevalier Ramsay's Oration of 1737.Robert L.D. Cooper, Cracking the Freemason's Code, pp 128–132, Rider 2006
The formation of the Royal Arch occurred in the same period, developing the Hiramic theme with the rediscovery of the secrets lost with the death of the master builder. The Premier Grand Lodge of England (the "Moderns") remained ambivalent about the new rite, perhaps because a secret password was taken from their own third degree. The Moderns' supporters of the new rite formed their own Grand Chapter, probably in 1765. There is evidence that the official date of 1767 is the result of the alteration of the foundation document, to save Lord Blayney the embarrassment of founding a controversial organisation while he was still the Moderns' Grand Master.John Hamill, The Lord Blayney Mystery, Freemasonry Today, No 17, Spring 2012, p.26 The prime mover in the formation of the Grand Chapter was Caledonian Lodge, a lodge of Scottish Masons which had just joined the Moderns from the Ancients, and whose members included William Preston.
In 1751, as the Moderns increasingly alienated unaffiliated lodges, a few (mainly Irish) lodges in London formed the Ancient Grand Lodge of England (the "Ancients"), which rapidly became an umbrella organisation for unaffiliated lodges in England. Their second secretary, Laurence Dermott, believed the Royal Arch to be the fourth degree.Pietre-Stones The Fourth Degree in the Craft, Yasha Beringer, retrieved 19 July 2012 When the two Grand Lodges merged in 1813, Article Two of the Articles of Union agreed that "pure Antient Masonry consists of three Degrees and no more, viz., those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft and the Master Mason, including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch".
The Grand Chapter remained, but other degrees from this time had to be administered by separate Masonic Bodies. The period from 1740 to 1813 saw a host of Masonic rites, orders and degrees emerge. These new rituals enlarged the scope of Masonry and encompassed many elaborations, some of which included elements which had previously been practiced within the craft. Many rites proved to be transient and died out (some being no more than a written record without evidence of having been practiced), but some proved more resilient and survived.
Rites, orders, and degrees
England and Wales
In England and Wales, after the degrees of craft freemasonry, there are a large number of separately administered degrees and orders open only to craft freemasons. Under the English Constitution, the Holy Royal Arch is the only degree formally recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) beyond the three degrees of craft freemasonry. Other orders and degrees are however referred to and acknowledged by the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, and all their members are necessarily masons subject to the English Constitution. Of Masonic appendant bodies, the following are among the most popular:
The Holy Royal Arch in England and Wales is practiced as a stand-alone degree, separate from Craft Freemasonry. Members meet in Royal Arch Chapters, which are each attached to a Craft Lodge and also bear the same number. The Order is administered by the Supreme Grand Chapter, which is based at the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England in Freemasons' Hall, London, and also has many officers in common with it. Craft lodges in England and Wales normally have a Royal Arch Representative, and newly raised Master Masons are actively encouraged to seek exaltation into the Holy Royal Arch before considering membership of any further Masonic organisation. The Order of Mark Master Masons. Under the English Constitution this degree is only conferred in Mark Masons' Lodges, which are independent from the United Grand Lodge of England and administered from Mark Masons' Hall, London. Within the Order, members may also join the Royal Ark Mariners. The Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia. An esoteric society that meets in Colleges, aspirants are required to be a Master Mason and to believe in the Christian Holy Trinity. The Order of the Secret Monitor. Under the English Constitution, the Order meets in Conclaves, each with a Supreme Ruler at its head. The Order is administered from Mark Masons' Hall, London. Within the Order, members may also join the Order of the Scarlet Cord. The Ancient and Accepted Rite for England and Wales, colloquially known as "Rose Croix". Under the English Constitution, the Rite meets in Chapters Rose Croix and is open to all Master Masons. Candidates are 'perfected' in the 18th degree, with the preceding degrees awarded in name only. Continuing to the 30th degree and beyond is restricted to those who have served in the chair of the Chapter. The Order is administered by the 'Supreme Council 33° for England and Wales' in London. The Knights Templar. Membership is by invitation only. Candidates are required to be Master Masons, Royal Arch Masons, and to believe in the Christian Holy Trinity. Knights Templar meet in Preceptories. The Order is administered from Mark Masons' Hall, London; members may also join the Knights of Malta or the Knight Templar Priests. The Order of Royal and Select Masters is administered from Mark Masons' Hall, London. It works the degrees of Select Master, Royal Master, Most Excellent Master and Super-Excellent Master which show the link between the degrees of Master Mason, Mark Master Mason and the Holy Royal Arch. The Order of the Red Cross of Constantine, the Holy Sepulchre and of St John the Evangelist, colloquially known as the "Red Cross of Constantine". Candidates are required to be Master Masons, Royal Arch Masons, and to believe in the Christian Holy Trinity. Members meet as a Conclave. The Order works three degrees, and also administers two distinct appendant orders which are both Christian in character. The Order is administered from Mark Masons' Hall, London. The Allied Masonic Degrees, a group of five formerly independent degrees, are conferred by invitation only. Candidates are required to be Master Masons, Royal Arch Masons and Mark Masons. Members may also be invited to join the Order of Knight Masons. The Order meets in Councils and is administered from Mark Masons' Hall, London.
Scotland The governing bodies are the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland. Under the Scottish Masonic Constitution, the Mark master's degree can be taken either within a Craft Lodge after having attained the degree of Master Mason, or within a Royal Arch Chapter, before taking the degree of Excellent Master. No one under the Scottish Masonic Constitution can be exalted as a Royal Arch Mason without previously having been advanced as a Mark Master Mason. A number of other orders are open to craft freemasons, of which the following are notable in Scotland: The Royal Order of Scotland The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite The Masonic Knights Templar The Red Cross of Constantine, which works five degrees.
United States In the United States there are two main sets of side degrees: The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. The York Rite (sometimes called the American Rite), which, together with the craft lodge, comprises three separate and distinct bodies: the Royal Arch Chapter (Capitular Masonry), the Council of Royal & Select Masters (Cryptic Masonry) and the Commandery of the Knights Templar.
Other Appendant bodies