Royal Order of Scotland

Template:Freemasonry2 The Royal Order of Scotland is an international fraternity linked to freemasonry. Membership is an honour extended to masons by invitation.

Organization

The Grand Lodge of the Royal Order of Scotland is headquartered in Edinburgh, with a total of 85 Provincial Grand Lodges in several locations around Britain, and in a number of countries around the world. The order claims the King of Scots as hereditary Grand Master. The Deputy Grand Master and Governor of the order is currently Brother The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, Andrew Douglas Bruce. In times in which there is no King of Scots, the Deputy Grand Master and Governor is the worldwide leader of the Order.

The ROS Grand Lodge and the Provincial Grand Lodges confer two degrees:

Heredom of Kilwinning
Knight of the Rosy Cross

History

The order has existed since at least 1741, based on records in the archive of the Grand Lodge demonstrating activity in London, with a further charter being granted in 1750 to work the degree at The Hague. The holder of that warrant, William Mitchell, moved to Edinburgh around 1752/3, using the charter to establish a Provincial Grand Lodge there. In 1767 this body became the Grand Lodge of the Royal Order of Scotland.

Activity appears to have dwindled with the Order nearing extinction in the early 1800's but a resurgence culminated in the establishment of further Provincial Grand Lodges by 1843.

The legends of the order date its origination to the reign of King David I in the 12th Century in the Heredom degree, with the Rosy Cross degree originating in 1314 following the Battle of Bannockburn, though both of these legends are known to be eighteenth century inventions.

Membership

Qualification for membership varies but is typically by invitation, having been a Master Mason for 5 years. Other restrictions may include, but are not restricted to:

Active membership of the 18th degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite and at least one other Christian Order. OR
Membership of the Holy Royal Arch and at least one other Christian Order. OR
In the United States membership in the Knight Templar (Order of the Temple) in the York Rite, or the 32° in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. The candidate must also be a Trinitarian Christian by faith. Please refer to http://www.yorkrite.com/roos/rqmts.html for the full list of requirements.