THE SCARLET CORD

The current Ancient and Masonic Order of the Scarlet Cord is based on an earlier Order, The Royal Order of Knights of the Scarlet Cord, which was developed in the British Isles in 1889. This earlier order was derived from 18th Century documents found in the Amsterdam Masonic archives.

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The rituals and ceremonies of the Scarlet Cord Order were rewritten and enriched by His Honour Judge Fredrick Adolphus Philbrick, KC, and were performed as appendant grades to the Order of the Secret Monitor. The rituals of the Order are taken from Old Testament times, starting at the period of Joshua, the fall of Jericho, and the story of Rahab. The main purpose of the Order was to raise considerable sums of money for the Secret Monitor Benevolent Fund, which still plays a significant role in Masonic welfare provision today. The Order ceased working in 1929.

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A paper on the original Order written and delivered in 2001 by Peter Glyn Williams, the then Grand Supreme Ruler of the Secret Monitor, generated interest in the long-forgotten rituals. In 2006, a Secret Monitor Conclave was Consecrated with the sole purpose of reviving the old Order and conferring updated versions of the original six grades, some of which only remained in fragmented form. A strong interest in the grades among Secret Monitors led to the Order being inaugurated as a separate Sovereign body in a grand ceremony in the Grand Temple at Freemasons’ Hall on July 21, 2010.