PGM

Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons

North & East Yorkshire

Welcome to the Mark Degree web page of North & East Yorkshire.

The Mark Degree is a separate entity with its own Grand Lodge, which was founded on the 23 June 1856. In Scotland, New Zealand and many other countries, the Mark Degree is part of either the Craft or Royal Arch Masonry and a candidate may be given the Mark Degree as soon as he has become a Fellowcraft.

For many, Masonry ends with the Craft or Chapter but this need not be the case. There are many Masonic Degrees open to those who wish to study the science, the Mark Degree, just one of them, is the third largest Order in Freemasonry.

The Mark Degree is one of hope and encouragement and is built around a single verse from Psalm 118, 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the headstone of the corner'. It deals with the building of King Solomon’s Temple and the various Craftsmen employed, but its real message is one of contemplation of human strength and weakness. The Degree contains many messages for the discerning man and illustrates that the wisest of men can be mistaken, that the experts are often wrong, that the weakest often display perseverance far better than the strongest, that the insignificant has potential for distinction and that we all have a part to play in the Building of Life. It is for each to put his own interpretation on the message that the degree proclaims, but there is clear encouragement that no man is beyond redemption and the possibility of distinction is always within our power.

When do we meet? Some Lodges have 6 meetings a year, others 5 or even 4 with a few Lodges meeting only three times in the year. Consequently, our subscriptions are far less, usually about a quarter of that of a Craft Lodge. To be a Mark Mason you need only to be a Craft Mason and a single ceremony of Advancement is all you will take. The Chair of a Lodge of Mark Masons is open to all members - it is not a prerequisite that you have been through the Chair of a Craft Lodge.

Brethren, if you really want to extend your knowledge whilst enjoying your Freemasonry, then join us in the Mark. Don't just take my word for it - ask any Mark Mason and they will tell you that the Mark truly is 'the friendly Degree'.