The Allied Masonic Degrees.
The Order of the Allied Masonic Degrees consists of five unrelated degrees. Candidates are admitted into the Order in the degree of St. Lawrence the Martyr, after which the four remaining degrees can be conferred in any order. The officers of the Council are established in the degree of St. Lawrence, but the offices of the other degrees are often filled according to the preference of the members. The regalia of the order consists of a breast jewel representing each degree, which can either be worn as a bar of five jewels, or as a single jewel combining the symbols of all five degrees. No apron is worn.
The degrees of the order.
The degree of St. Lawrence the Martyr is a remnant of an old operative ceremony, known to have been worked in Lancashire and dating back at least two centuries. It appears that it was designed to distinguish the true operative craftsman from a speculative Mason. A quaint touch reflecting the degree's derivation is to see the WM addressing the SW as "My Lad"! Councils are always opened and closed in this degree in which all administrative business is conducted. The legend of the degree relates to the martyrdom of St. Lawrence and has no thematic Masonic connection apart from its teachings of fortitude and fidelity. The jewel of the degree represents the gridiron on which St. Lawrence was martyred.
The degree of the Red Cross of Babylon relates the efforts of Zerubbabel in securing the protection of Cyrus and Darius in the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem and has particular relevance to the Holy Royal Arch. Outstanding features of the degree include crossing a bridge over a river, which has esoteric significance, and the establishment of the maxim ‘great is truth’ in accordance with passages from the Apocryphal First Book of Edras .
The degree of Knight of Constantinople was originally a ‘side degree’, when one Brother would take another aside and informally communicate the secrets to him. The degree attempts to connect the Roman Emperor Constantine, who was a convert to Christianity, with the Masonic fraternity. Its teachings are of universal equality and humility and has clear operative elements.
The degree of Grand Tylers of Solomon is closely similar to the Select Master degree in the Order of Royal and Select Masters. The candidate represents a craftsman who, due to negligent tyling, innocently intrudes into a secret vault in which the three Grand Masters are in council. His summary execution by King Solomon is prevented by the intervention of another of the Grand Masters. The lesson of the degree is of vigilance and secrecy.
The degree of Grand High Priest concerns the Blessing of Abraham and the consecration of Aaron the brother of Moses. The ritual is an amalgamation of two degrees and is complex. During the ceremony the candidate is ‘set apart’ with due ceremonial to the Holy Office of Grand High Priest. In many jurisdictions this was either a prerequisite or an honorary degree for those attaining the office of First Principal in a Holy Royal Arch Chapter.
Candidates for the Allied Degrees must be Master Masons and members of the Mark and the Royal Arch.
The jewels of the order.
- St. Lawrence the Martyr: a seven-pointed star on which are two crossed swords.
- Red Cross of Babylon: a gold seven-pointed star bearing crossed swords on a green circle.
- Knight of Constantinople: a Maltese Cross surmounted by a crescent. The ribbon of the jewel supports three poignards.
- Grand Tylers of Solomon: a triangle of black enamel edged with gold and inscribed with the number 27 in Hebrew characters. On the ribbon is a hand holding a poignard.
- Grand High Priest: a mitre on a golden triangle.
