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, developed in the British Isles in 1889, which was itself derived from 18th-century documents from the Amsterdam Masonic archives.
The rituals and ceremonies 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 drawn from Old Testament times, beginning with Joshua, the fall of Jericho, and the story of Rahab. The 1st Grade tells the story of Rahab, who hid the Jewish spies from the King of Jericho. The 2nd Grade tells the story of Ruth, her marriage to Boaz, and her son Obed, the grandfather of David. The 3rd Grade surrounds the resolve of the Maccabees to retain their faith in the face of tyranny. The 4th Grade depicts the carrying of the Ark of the Covenant over the River Jordan and its entrance into Jericho. The 5th Grade surrounds Nebuchadnezzar’s attack on Jerusalem and accounts for the disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant. The 6th Grade is centered on the Maccabee’s fight for independence around 150 BC.
Several Brothers from the Grand Council of the AMD of the USA went over to England in 2008 and received the first 3-grades Grand Conclave of the Order of Secret Monitor of England and Wales by authority of the Most Worthy Supreme Grand Ruler Peter Glyn Williams. Then, at Masonic Week in 2009, Peter Glyn Williams conferred the 1st Grade upon 223 Masons. Then, on November 11, 2009, Peter Glyn Williams conferred the Preparation and Installation of a President Ceremony upon several members of the Grand Council of the AMD of the USA.
On February 13, 2010, the Grand Conclave of the Royal Order of Masonic Knights of the Scarlet Cord of the United States of America was formed by the authority of Brother William R. Logan, who was the Sovereign Grand Master of the Allied Masonic Degrees of the United States of America, under whom the Order of the Scarlet Cord falls under in the United States. In July of 2010, the Order of the Scarlet Cord in England became an independent body from the Order of the Secret Monitor, thus becoming the “Ancient and Masonic Order of the Scarlet Cord.” This body traveled back to the United States to confer the final two grades upon certain American Brothers. Later, the Order was placed under the aegis of the Grand Council of the Allied Masonic Degrees and has since become an integral part of the Grand Council’s work.
Click for a guide to the Scarlet Cord Regalia as used in England