The Order of the Secret Monitor (OSM) is an appendant order of

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

History

Structure of Masonic appendant bodies in England and Wales

The first known references to the Order of the Secret Monitor are known to be Dutch in origin, being first mentioned in 1778 as the Order of Jonathan and David in connection with an Order of Jesus Christ. However, the Masonic degree as we know it today, arose in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

around 1850, under various titles – "Brotherly Love," "Jonathan and David," and finally "Secret Monitor", as a side degree conferred by any

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

who had received it himself. It was taken to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Isachar Zacharie Isachar Zacharie (1825 – September 16, 1900) was a British-American chiropodist (podiatrist), plagiarist, and close confidant and advisor to President of the United States Abraham Lincoln. Born in England, he emigrated to the United States with ...

when he returned from America following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

in 1875. Under Zacharie's leadership a Grand Council was formed in 1887, and the ritual was expanded to include two extra degrees, one of which pertained to the chair of Supreme Ruler. The degree gained in popularity, however, unfortunately for Zacharie, the Grand Council for the

Allied Masonic Degrees The Allied Masonic Degrees (AMD) are a series of Masonic degrees conferred by ''Councils of the Allied Masonic Degrees''. The Allied Masonic Degrees form an appendant order of Freemasonry that exists in some Masonic jurisdictions; its degrees are ...

had empowered their

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body (or a similar name) to confer their version of the degree. This resulted in the Allied Grand Council denouncing the Grand Council of the Order of the Secret Monitor, and attempting to assume sole jurisdiction over the degree. However, in 1931 an arrangement was reached between the two orders, which saw the degree of the Order of the Secret Monitor being transferred from the Allied group of degrees. The Order is sometimes known as the Brotherhood of David and Jonathan. A Benevolent Fund was formed in 1901.

Qualification for membership

All Master Masons are eligible for membership of this Order, but must be invited from a member.

Ancient and Masonic Order of the Scarlet Cord

The Ancient and Masonic Order of the Scarlet Cord was at one time, an inner appendent order, of which all those who had taken their second degree were eligible for membership. The order was developed in the UK in 1889, and there are six classes or grades of membership. The first three grades meet in a consistory. In 2010, the order was re-established as a separate Masonic order in its own right. The current Grand Summus is Ian Currans.

Structure and organisation

The Order meets in Conclaves, each with a Supreme Ruler at its head. There are three degrees in the order, as practised in the UK. The first degree, the Secret Monitor in which the legend of David and Jonathan is acted out in the ceremony of induction. The second degree, Prince, the admission ceremony is derived from the Book of Samuel in the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

. The third degree, is the ceremony of installation of Supreme Ruler, and is normally carried out once a year at the installation meeting. The Order is administered from

Mark Masons' Hall, London Mark Masons' Hall in London is the headquarters of The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales, which is also responsible for the Royal Ark Mariner degree. It is located in 86 St James's Street in the central London district of St ...

References

{{UGLE Masonic organizations