Grand Lodge of the Royal Order of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland
Hereditary Grand Master, The King of Scots
R.W. Deputy Grand Master and Governor, Sir Ewan Rutherford
We believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God and son of man, the gift of the Father’s unfailing grace, the ground of our hope, and the promise of our deliverance from sin and death. We believe that our faith should manifest itself in service.
Historical Sketch
by
R.W. BRO. C.C. NISBET,
Past Deputy Governor of the Order
1897 – 1921
Revised 2024
by
SIR JEFFREY M. WONDERLING
Provincial Grand Master,
Provincial Grand Lodge, USA
The Royal Order comprises two Degrees, that of Heredom of Kilwinning and that of the Rosy Cross. Tradition tells us that the former was established in Judea, in Palestine, but whether at the time of the Crusaders of much earlier origin, tradition is silent.
The word “Heredom” has been variously interpreted, but the most obvious derivation is from the Hebrew word “Harodim”, meaning “The Rulers”, and the name of Kilwinning refers to the re-establishment of the Order by King Robert the Bruce at Kilwinning, where he presided as its first Grand Master.
The Degree of Heredom of Kilwinning is a peculiarly interesting Degree and full of instruction to Craft Masons, as in its lectures it explains the symbolism and teaching contained in the first three Degrees of what is sometimes referred to as St. John’s Masonry.
The Rosy Cross Degree; tradition takes its origin on the field of Bannockburn on Summer St. John’s Day 1314 and was instituted by King Robert the Bruce, who having in the course of the battle for Scottish independence, received assistance from a body of sixty-three knights who may have been original Knights Templar and Freemasons. He conferred upon them, as a reward for their services, the civil rank of Knighthood. Each received a characteristic considered descriptive of his performance at Bannockburn. He granted them permission to confer the honor on such Scottish Freemasons professing the Christian religion and had shown themselves worthy of the honor. The number on whom the Knighthood might be conferred was limited to sixty-three, but over the years, owing to the large number of worthy Freemasons who coveted this honor, the Grand Lodge of the Order, when it found it necessary to establish Provincial Grand Lodges elsewhere than in Scotland, granted each Provincial Grand Lodge permission to promote sixty-three Freemasons of the Degree of Heredom to the honor of Knighthood under the Grand Lodge. In some of the Provincial Grand Lodges where the members of Heredom number many hundreds, special powers have been given to increase the number of Knights of the Rosy Cross. This Degree, as its name implies, deals more with the subject matter of the Rose Croix Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite than with that of Craft Masonry. The Degree of Knighthood can only be conferred in the Grand Lodge of the Royal Order, which has its seat in Edinburgh, or by the special authority by a Provincial Grand Master or his deputy. This authority is purely personal to a Provincial Grand Master, and cannot be transmitted by him to his successors.
By the Constitution of the Royal Order, the King of Scots is its hereditary Grand Master, for whom at every meeting of the Order, wherever held, a vacant chair or throne must be placed at the right hand of the presiding officer. The acting head of the Order is the Deputy Grand Master and Governor, who appoints a Deputy Governor.
There are no reliable records tracing the history of the Order from its alleged revival in 1314 to the middle of the eighteenth century when it appears to have flourished in France about the year 1735-40 under the adherents of the Jacobite Cause, who being refugees from Scotland practiced these Degrees no doubt for the purpose of maintaining a common bond of union among them in a foreign land. It is stated that in 1747, in a Charter which was in existence in 1840, granted by Prince Charles Edward Stuart to the Masonic Lodge at Arras, he described himself as Sovereign Grand Master of the Order of “Rose Croix de Herodim de Kilwinning”.
The ceremonies of the Degrees are peculiarly interesting, being different from those of other Degrees of Freemasonry, and part of the Ritual is rendered in an irregular versified rhyming form. The original French manuscript of the Ritual, rendered in that language, is in the possession of the Grand Lodge of the Order in Edinburgh.
It should be noted that from a historical viewpoint, The Royal Order of Scotland, as a Masonic System, is Senior to all other Degrees & Orders, with the exception of the first two Degrees of the Craft (Blue) Lodges. Documentary evidence exists in its archives indicating this Order was active as early as 1741.
From France, the Order seems to have been taken up in England, where it flourished for a few years, probably from 1741 to 1750, and on 22nd July of that year, the Grand Lodge of the Royal Order of Scotland was reconstituted in Edinburgh, where it has ever since had its headquarters.
From that time, the Order has continued to prosper. Many men, distinguished not only in Freemasonry but in other walks of life, have held the highest office and presided over the Order as Deputy Grand Master and Governor.
| 1741 – 1766 | No clear record |
| 1766 – 1776 | James Ker, Writer |
| 1776 – 1778 | William Baillie (Lord Polkemmet) |
| 1778 – 1786 | William Charles Little, Advocate |
| 1786 – 1789 | William Mason, Writer |
| 1789 – 1816 | Dr. Thomas Hay |
| 1816 – 1839 | No record |
| 1839 – 1857 | Houston Rigg Brown |
| 1857 – 1858 | George Arnott Walker Arnott of Arlary |
| 1858 – 1883 | John Whyte-Melville of Strathkinness |
| 1883 – 1891 | Francis, 4th Earl of Rosslyn |
| 1891 – 1917 | George, 11th Earl of Haddington |
| 1917 – 1925 | Algernon, 9th Earl of Kintore |
| 1925 – 1934 | Edward James Bruce, 10th Earl of Elgin and 14th Earl of Kincardine, KT, CMG, TD, LL, LLD, JP |
| 1934 – 1936 | H.R.H. Edward, Prince of Wales and Duke of Rothesay |
| 1936 – 1966 | Edward James Bruce, 10th Earl of Elgin and 14th Earl of Kincardine, KT, CMG, LL, LLD, JP |
| 1966 – 1970 | Alexander, 7th Lord MacDonald of Sleat, MBE, TD, LL, JP, MA |
| 1970 – 2009 | Andrew Douglas Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin and 15th Earl of Kincardine, KT, CD, JP, MA, LLD |
| 2009 – 2020 | Archibald Donald Orr Ewing, Bart., MA |
| 2020 | Ewan Rutherford, MIMI |
Originally, membership in the Order was limited to Scotsmen or those of Scottish descent, but later the privilege was extended to Master Masons of other nationalities. The Order has now, besides Provincial Grand Lodges in Scotland and in England, Provincial Grand Lodges all over the world, including the United States of America, where the Order is very highly prized and is not conferred on anyone who has not received the Thirty-second Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, although this may be waived if the petitioner is a Knight Templar.
The Order is one which is, from its historical associations, particularly interesting to Scotsmen. Each year on the 4th of July (old style), the anniversary of the day on which the Battle of Bannockburn was fought, the Grand Lodge of the Order, as well as some of the Provincial Grand Lodges, continue the ancient custom of the Order by holding a festival at which the Toast to the Immortal Memory of King Robert the Bruce, the hero of Bannockburn and Restorer of the Order, is proposed in an oration by one of the Brethren and honored in silence. The Degrees of the Order are most beautiful and impressive and inculcate the three great principles of Freemasonry – Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth.
There is evidence of an early Provincial Grand Lodge in the United States of America at Norfolk, Virginia, but no record of it survives. The Provincial Grand Lodge of the U.S.A. was constituted on May 4, 1878. Sir Albert Pike was the first Provincial Grand Master and was appointed in 1877 and served until 1891. Others who have served as Provincial Grand Master are as follows.
| 1891 – 1902 | Josiah Hayden Drummond |
| 1903 – 1914 | James Daniel Richardson |
| 1914 – 1917 | Leon Martin Abbott |
| 1917 – 1919 | George Mayhew Moulton |
| 1919 – 1927 | George Edgar Corson |
| 1927 – 1932 | Samuel (Sam) Poyntz Cochran |
| 1932 – 1953 | James Henry Brice |
| 1953 – 1997 | Marvin Edward Fowler |
| 1997 – 2014 | Edward Henry Fowler, Jr. |
| 2014 – 2024 | James Ernest Winzenreid |
| 2024 | Jeffrey M. Wonderling |
Address of the Order in the United States of America
Provincial Grand Secretary
PO Box 255
Belle Vernon, PA 15012