Even though publications with ‘high degrees’ are first known from France, such as Le Parfait Maçon from 1744, it appears that these degrees started to appear first in England shortly after the launch of the third degree by the “Moderns” (ca. 1723). In time, a wild variety of degrees existed, some exclusive to specific lodges, some became more popular and spread. Here and there ‘systems’ of these ‘high degrees’ arose. They were combined, ordered and sometimes even published. Because the early French texts often have seven degrees, for a while, this was the number to aim for.
From what is nowadays the United Kingdom, we know several of such systems/compilations, but I will start with a French one.
Chapter of Clermont (1754):
- Craft Degrees
- 4 Maitre Ecossais (Scotch Master);
- 5 Maitre Eleu (Master Elect or Knight of the Eagle);
- 6 Maitre Illustre (Illustrious Master or Knight of the Holy Sepulchre);
- 7 Maitre Sublime (Sublime Master and Knight of God).
The names of the degrees and the translations come from The Rediscovered Rituals of Freemasonry by David Harrison (2020),
I mention this first, because “The Rite of Seven Degrees” of Pierre Lambert de Lintot was heavily influenced by the French text according to Harrison in the same book. That Rite of De Lintot had to squeeze the degrees together a bit in order to come to the number of seven. He grouped his degrees into three “lights”.
- the ‘first light of the Law of Moses’ (‘degrees’ 1 to 5),
- the ‘second light upon the Law of Christ’ (the sixth ‘degree’),
- ‘third light upon Nature’ (the seventh ‘degree’).
- the sixth ‘degree’ he called ‘the Metropolis of Scotland and Colledge [sic] of Heredom or Royal Order of Heredom’. It consisted of a Heredom degree, a Templar degree and a Rose Croix degree.
The source of the above is again Harrison.
It is interesting to note that De Lintot worked this system under the Grand Lodge of England, South of the River Trent, which was a “daughter Grand Lodge” of the Grand Lodge of All England at York (Snoek, British Freemasonry part 3, p. 373). On page 315 of the same book, Snoek calls York Grand Lodge a “schismatic off-shoot” of the ‘Moderns’.
In the introduction of the same volume it says that: “In this context it is certainly no accident that Lambert de Lintot requested for the high-degrees chapter linked to his ‘Lodge of Perfect Observance’, in 1782, from the Royal Order of Scotland ‘a constitution or diploma, under the name and title of the Perfect Observance of Scotland of Heredom of the seven degrees’.”
So apparently he created a “lodge” (craft degrees) and a “chapter” (‘high degrees’) warranted by two different organisations.
Snoek also presents a list with degree of De Lintot’s system (p. 315/6):
- Apprenti;
- Compagnon;
- Maitre;
- Élu;
Architecte, Prévôts et juge;
Grand Architecte;
Compagnon de l’arche royale;
Grand Élu
Sublime maître Parfait Écossois; - Chevalier d’orient et d’occident;
- Chevalier de l’aigle, pélican, Rose Croix de St. André d’Heredom triple croix, or Chevalier Rose Croix;
- K.D.S.H. (= Kadosh).
Snoek compares these degrees to those mentioned in A Word To The Wise (1796) which he calls a “York/Harodim” ritual.
- [Entered Apprentice];
- [Fellow Craft ];
- [Master Mason];
- Elect of Nine;
Elect of Pérignan;
Elect of Fifteen;
Noachites;
Architect or Excellent;
Grand Architect or Super Excellent;
[Royal Arch];
Scots Masters or Super Intendant; - Knights of the Sword or of the East;
- The Order of Rosicrucians, or the Neplus Ultra;
- Knights Templars.
It would, in fact, most likely be precisely the ‘Modern’ and ‘Antient’ Brethren who plundered the rich sources of the York/Harodim workings and created English ‘higher’ degrees out of them.” (Snoek British Freemasonry part 3 p. 310)
Then there was the “Baldwyn Rite” (1780, Bristol) which Harrison also places in the the “Moderns” camp (Rediscovered Rituals, p. 37)
- Three Craft degrees which are classed collectively as one degree;
- Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch;
- Knights of the Nine Elected Masters;
- Ancient Order of Scots Knights Grand Architect;
Order of Scots Knights Grand Architect;
Order of Scots Knights of Kilwinning - Knights of the East, the Sword and Eagle;
- Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta;
Knights of St John of Jerusalem;
Knights Templar; - Knight of the Rose Croix.
The “Baldwyn Rite” existed within an organisation called: “The Supreme Grand and Royal Encampment of the Order of Knights Templars of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller and Knights of Malta, etc.”, from around 1780 (Belton/Dachez, p. 359). Hence: Southern English Templars and -as mentioned- “Modern”.
In another little book (The Lost Rites and Rituals of Freemasonry 2017), Harrison describes what John Yarker (1833-1913) called “The Lancashire Rituals”, texts of which he found in Manchester and which appear to go back to the “Royal Encampment of Knights Templar” of the same city, founded in 1786. Harrison’s chapter about this rite opens with a quote from a letter of the encampment saying that it accepted both “Antient Mason”s and “Modern” Masons. Yarker copied the texts that he found in Manchester at least twice and his headings give an idea of the degrees that were worked in this system:
- Craft Lectures;
- Templar Lectures;
- K.T. Priest;
- Rosy Cross;
- English Templar Kadosh.
So far the lists have little in common with the degrees that are (supposedly) displayed on the Kirkwall Scroll. Things get more interesting with “The Early Sheffield” rituals that also Jan Snoek describes in volume 3 of British Freemasonry and which I have mentioned before. Harrison compares the “Lancashire” Rituals with those of Sheffield.
Harrison refers to Christopher Powell (in AQC 126, 2013) who concluded that the Royal Arch part of the Sheffield rituals can be traced back to the earliest “Moderns” Royal Arch chapter in York.
The Knights Templar ritual has also been determined as being of a “Moderns” origin and even though written 15-20 years later by a different hand, points to a continued use of the book as a source for ritual revision and practice. (Harrison Lost Rites p. 98)
This is a significant remark, since, as we will see, the Sheffield Templar ritual is -as far as I know- the best comparison to the degrees on the Kirkwall Scroll.
The “‘Sheffield’ Knight Templar Ritual (c. 1800)” had the following degrees (list from Snoek):
- 1st / 2nd / 3rd degree;
- Mark Degree;
- Excellent Master / Super Excellent Master;
- Royal Arch;
- Knight Templar / Knight Rose Cross.
If the assigned degrees, from bottom to top, on the Kirkwall Scroll are correct, that would come to the following list:
- Craft degrees (panel 8);
- Mark and Excellent Master (panel 7);
- Royal Arch (panel 6);
- Templar degrees (panel 5);
- Ark Mariners and Red Cross (panel 3, not too certain);
- “purely Christian degrees” (panel 2 the panel rather has Royal Arch and Templar symbols).
Most notable are the presence of the Mark degree and the absence of Scots Master. This seems to suggest that the scroll must come from ‘Templar circles’ which I -so far- attributed to the “Antients”, but -as we saw- the Sheffield rituals are probably “Modern”.
This poses a new problem, since the Kirkwall lodge was founded from two ancient lodges, not “Antient”, but certainly not “Modern”. William Graeme was most likely initiated in an “Antient” lodge in London, so where would all the degrees on the Kirkwall Scroll have been picked up? Let’s look at a little map.
I noted a few places of interest.
Graeme travelled from London to Kirkwall. Some 1000 kilometers. Should Graeme travel by land, he would pass Sheffield (and visit a “Moderns” Templar lodge), Manchester (“The Lancashire Rituals” no similarities), York (where the Sheffield rituals may originate and where De Lintot worked his rite of seven degrees). He was pass the birthground of the “Harodim” tradition according to Belton/Dachez (county Durham), but the Kirkwall Scroll does not seem to have Harodim influences. Crossing the border to Scotland, he could pay a visit to the Ancient lodge of Stirling, which appears to have known some high degrees, under which the “Redd Cros” which some say can be found on the Kirkwall Scroll.
Still no real clues for a definite answer. Did Graeme’s “Antient” lodge take him to Dublin where two rival Templar organisations were active in his days? The “High Knights Templar Rituals, Dublin (c.1795)” contain a few degrees that are also on the Kirkwall Scroll, but (notably) no “craft” degrees. Also the “Early Grand Encampment” appears to have worked no “craft” degrees, so the Irish connection is less likely.
I guess the question is now is there were also “Antient” (or independent) Templar lodges that had degrees similar to those in Sheffield. Or did Graeme visit “Modern” lodges in spite of his “Antient” background (in general, this is known to have happened)?
Is my (and Cooper’s) hypothesis that the Kirkwall Scroll comes from English “Antient” circles still tenable now that it seems that the most similar systems appear to be “Modern”? But what about the apparent “Antients” seal?
Perhaps the thought that the scroll comes from Graeme’s (probable) mother lodge may have to be abandoned (as well), since so far I have found no clue of “Antient” Templar Masonry. He might have encountered the degrees (or the scroll!) during his travels.
We really need to learn more about the man William Graeme for new clues about where the origin of the Kirkwall Scroll can be found.