About the Grand Chapter of Maryland
The Grand Chapter of Maryland marks 1797 as the year of the constitution, but historical records show that the Royal Arch degree was conferred in the state as early as 1787.
Unfortunately, records of the Grand Chapter prior to 1804 are virtually non-existent, with the exception of the few documents which have been discovered.
Concerning the Grand Chapter of Maryland
*(The first part of this article is wholly copied from “A History of Royal Arch Masonry” issued under the authority of the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, reprint of 1993, Everett R. Turnbull & Ray V. Denslow).
In 1797, the Grand Master of Masons in Maryland was David Kerr. There is in existence a dispensation that shows that in the same year, he was also the grand high priest of the “Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons for the State of Maryland.”
The Grand Chapter, claimed to have been organized in 1796 in Pennsylvania, was an appendage to the Grand Lodge of that state and did not become independent until the year 1824.
There are no records of the proceedings of this grand chapter which was in existence in 1797. It soon became dormant. in 1807, ten years later, it was revived. The evidence for that statement is to be found in a resolution presented in Concordia Chapter “at the city of Baltimore this 24th day of October, A.D. 1806. The resolution reads in part:
Whereas, a Grand R.A. Chapter for the purpose of regulating our internal economy…appears to be highly important to the interests of our Order; and
Whereas, this measure has not only been recommended but adopted by our sister Chapters in several states of the Union; and
Whereas, the Grand Chapter to which we were tributary has, for a considerable time, been dormant,
Therefore, Resolved that this Chapter use their endeavors to form a Grand Chapter of the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia; and
Resolved, that for the purpose aforesaid an appropriate letter be addressed to the several chapters…; and
Resolved that the foregoing proceedings be printed and transmitted with the subjoined circular letter to the several Chapters in the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland.
The “subjoined circular” signed by Philip Eckel, the high priest (of Concordia Chapter), contained the following:
Our chapters are held under the sanction of lodges that have no knowledge of our mysteries and that possess no power to correct any irregularity or abuse with which a Chapter or individual members may be charged unless to withdraw the assumed authority to work as R.A. Masons. An existence so precarious, control over our rights and privileges so unauthorized, threatens our system with innovation, if not immediate destruction.
And concludes:
With these sentiments, we take the liberty of addressing our sister Chapters, and should the plan of a convention for the purpose of forming a grand chapter meet with their approbation (as we trust it will), we request their concurrence in the laudable object before us.
The proposal met with a favorable response from 6 chapters—-Washington Chapter, Concordia Chapter, and St. John’s Chapter of Baltimore; Federal Chapter and Washington Naval Chapter of Washington; and Potomac Chapter of Georgetown. The convention of representatives met in Washington on January 21, 1807. It was—-
Resolved, unanimously, that this Convention, agreeably to the power and authority in them vested, do organize a Grand Royal Arch Chapter for the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
END OF BOOK COPY
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Officers were elected, and the Grand Chapter began its deliberations. The Constitution called for meetings to alternate between Baltimore and Washington. There were slight changes made to the original Constitution in 1814.
In September 1816, representatives attended the General Grand Chapter session in New York City and, in November of that year, reported favorably on union with the General Grand Chapter. Six years later, in 1822, several Washington Chapters requested a formation of a separate grand chapter for the District of Columbia. Companion DeWitt Clinton, General Grand High Priest, granted a dispensation for the formation of a new grand chapter. In 1824, the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons for the District of Columbia came into existence.
There were some disputes from some chapters surrounding D.C. as to which Grand Chapter they should belong. Finally, in September 1826, the Grand Chapter of Maryland relinquished control except for Potomac Chapter.
There is more concerning the effects of the Anti-Masonic movement on D.C., but that’s another story.
Fraternally,
Bruce G. Colburn, REGK
The Degrees included within the framework of Royal Arch Masonry are
- The Mark Master Mason degree, which is sometimes said to be an expansion of the Fellow Crafts’ second degree.
- The Past Master degree is bestowed because of the old requirement that only Past Masters of a Symbolic Lodge may join the Royal Arch. (This is a virtual degree created to conform with tradition, and it confers no rights as a Past Master in a Blue Lodge.)
- The Most Excellent Master degree, wherein the building of King Solomon’s Temple has been completed.
- The Royal Arch Mason degree, said by many to be the most beautiful degree in all of Freemasonry.
By joining the York Rite, a Master Mason may proceed to supplement and expand upon the degrees of the Blue Lodge.
The symbolism of the Royal Arch picks up where the Symbolic Lodge leaves off. The symbolism of the Blue Lodge degrees emphasizes the building of King Solomon’s. Royal Arch Masonry (known as Capitular Masonry) continues in this vein by emphasizing symbols and allegories of the Second Temple, the Ark of the Covenant, a further symbolism of Solomon’s temple completed, and the Lost Word (also called the Master’s Word) — which is given to the Royal Arch Mason.
Within York Rite Masonry, the Royal Arch Degree is described as the Master Mason’s Degree completed. This is due to the fact that up until 1767, the Master Mason Degree of the Blue Lodge contained the secrets of the Royal Arch. Nowadays, these same secrets form a part of the teachings of the Royal Arch.
In England, the Royal Arch Mason degree is automatically included in the Master Mason’s Degree. In 1813, the Mother Grand Lodge of England stated it in no uncertain terms: “Ancient Craft Masonry consists of three degrees and no more, namely, those of the Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason including the Holy Royal Arch.” It is a natural progression of the Freemasonry’s primary theme.
No other degree has been officially recognized by the Mother Grand Lodge — this landmark remains to this day. No additional Rites and Degrees can be bestowed upon a Master Mason until he has received the Royal Arch Degree. This is perfectly logical because a man is not a Master Mason until he receives the
Master’s Word. This is something a Mason can only receive in the Royal Arch. Within Capitular Masonry are contained the essentials of symbolism, allegory, and philosophy that a Master Mason requires in order to understand those teachings which have only been partially given to him in the Blue Lodge.
In architectural symbolism, the capstone is the crowing stone of an entire structure or wall. It is for this reason that Royal Arch Masonry is called “the Capstone of Ancient Craft Masonry” or the Capitular Rite.
After the degrees of Royal Arch Masonry, the second set of degrees within York Rite Masonry encompasses the degrees of the Council of Royal and Select Masters. These degrees expound upon the Royal Arch degree and, to a lesser extent, the Master Mason degree. They are often said to be among Masonry’s most beautiful and impressive ceremonies, complete one’s education in Ancient Craft Masonry. The degrees of the Council comprise what is called Cryptic Masonry or the Cryptic Rite because of a crypt or underground room figures prominently in the degrees. The symbolic foundation of these rites is the subterranean Vault constructed by King Solomon as a stockpile for certain secret knowledge which was guarded by a select priesthood.