Rose Croix - A History
From the beginning...
As Europe moved from the medieval world into the early modern age, society’s way of thinking shifted dramatically. Gothic crafts, monastic learning and the authority of the Church gradually gave way to printed books, scientific curiosity and the Enlightenment’s desire to understand the workings of the universe. This transition transformed many parts of life, including the long-established system of trade fraternities that oversaw the training and livelihoods of craftsmen.
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Among the most significant changes occurred within the building trades. For centuries, construction sites had been governed by master masons, highly skilled individuals who combined the roles of architect, engineer, mathematician and artist. They designed cathedrals and fortifications, trained apprentices, and safeguarded the customs and teachings of their craft. Documents such as the medieval Regius Poem still reveal their blend of geometry, biblical knowledge, philosophy and practical instruction.​
As Enlightenment thinking spread, gentlemen with an interest in science and philosophy began to frequent the old masons’ lodges. Over time, their presence shaped a new kind of fellowship. Traditional stonemasons’ customs merged with the scientific and sociable spirit of the age, and out of this fusion grew the Freemasonry we recognise today. By 1717, when four London lodges formed the first Grand Lodge, the Craft was already well established across Britain.​​​
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The 1700s saw an explosion of fraternal societies, masonic and non-masonic alike. Alongside Craft lodges emerged groups promoting additional or alternative teachings. High Grades, or Hauts Grades, began to appear, exploring themes beyond the Old Testament narratives of Craft masonry and drawing instead on New Testament symbolism, medieval knighthood, chivalric traditions and, at times, the political tensions of the era. Many of these degrees described themselves as “Scottish”, though they bore no real connection to Scotland.
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As these systems spread across Europe and the wider world, attempts were made to bring structure and coherence to them. The most influential step was the publication of a formal constitution, later mythologised but historically rooted in early nineteenth-century attempts to bring order to the varied High Grades. This constitution eventually shaped what we now know as the Ancient and Accepted Rite (AAR).​​
Our Grand Patron - HRH The Duke of Kent
The first Supreme Council was formed in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1801. Others soon followed across the United States and Europe. The Rite arrived in London in 1845, where a Supreme Council for England and Wales was established under charter from the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the USA. Today, the Anglo-Welsh Supreme Council, based in Piccadilly, governs Chapters throughout England, Wales and several overseas districts.​​Within our jurisdiction, the Ancient and Accepted Rite is commonly known simply as the Rose Croix, after its central and best-loved degree.
The Rite contains a complete system of thirty-three degrees, with the Craft degrees regarded as equivalent to the first three. The 18°, or Ceremony of Perfection, is the heart of the Order in England and Wales, richly symbolic and rooted in the imagery of medieval Christianity, pilgrimage and knighthood. For many, it offers a depth of history, meaning and beauty that complements and elevates their experience of Freemasonry as a whole.
Rose Croix in Wiltshire
In Wiltshire, the Rose Croix is organised under its own District, overseen by the Inspector General, V.III. Bro Richard Legge, working under the authority of the Supreme Council in London. Chapters across the county welcome members from a wide variety of Craft Lodges and Royal Arch Chapters, united by a shared appreciation for thoughtful ritual and a calm, reflective atmosphere.
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Brethren are Perfected into the 18°, having received the preceding degrees (4°–17°) in an abbreviated form. It is within our Wiltshire Chapters that the striking and beautiful Ceremony of Perfection is worked, creating Knights of the Pelican and Eagle and investing them as Princes of the Order of the Rose Croix of Heredom. This single degree forms the living heart of the Rite in our District.
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The history of the Rose Croix is long, complex and richly coloured, but its spirit is remarkably at home in Wiltshire: dignified, sincere and rooted in centuries of masonic tradition. Those who join our Chapters become part of a lineage that stretches from medieval craft symbolism through Enlightenment philosophy to the thriving, vibrant Order we practise today.
