Discover the unique occasions that bring the Mark Masons of Worcestershire together, as we celebrate tradition, fellowship, and the milestones that make our province truly special.

1. Discover the True Link Between the Second and Third Degrees

Mark Masonry beautifully bridges the Fellow Craft and Master Mason degrees. The ceremony of Advancement gives you deeper insight into your journey, explaining symbols, phrases, and characters you’ve already encountered in Craft Masonry. It reveals lessons that help you conduct yourself wisely and constructively through life, making it a natural continuation of your Masonic development.

2. Experience the “Friendly Degree”

The Mark Degree is affectionately known as the friendly degree. Ask any Mark Master Mason, and you’ll find a ready smile. The atmosphere is warm, welcoming, and less formal than Craft Masonry. Brotherly love is at the heart of the degree, and you will always find true friendship and support among fellow Mark Masons wherever you go.

3. A Ceremony Rich in Meaning and Drama

The Mark ritual is one of the most engaging in Freemasonry. It combines humour, drama, and moral teaching as it tells the story of an ambitious stonemason striving to prove his worth. It is uplifting, memorable, and contains lessons that resonate far beyond the Lodge room—about perseverance, recognition, and just reward for honest work.

4. A Deeper Understanding of the Holy Royal Arch

The Mark Degree sheds light on the Royal Arch by filling in essential background to the story of the Temple’s construction and the significance of the Keystone. Without it, a Companion may find the symbolism of the Royal Arch confusing. In many constitutions around the world, the Mark Degree is even a required step before Exaltation into the Chapter.

5. A Bridge to Other Masonic Orders

Mark Masonry is not an end in itself, but a gateway. It opens the path to other fascinating Masonic Orders, including the Royal Ark Mariner. By joining, you gain access to a wider circle of Masonic learning and fellowship, each order adding to the richness of your journey.

6. Social Fellowship Beyond the Lodge Room

True to its reputation as the friendly degree, the Mark Order is full of social opportunities. From family luncheons and dinner dances to golf tournaments, cricket matches, lectures, and charity walks, there is something for everyone. The Order fosters friendships not only among brethren but also among families.

7. Charitable Giving with Immediate Impact

The Mark Benevolent Fund (MBF) is unique in Masonry for its principle of swift action: “He gives twice who gives promptly.” Established in 1868, it continues to provide rapid relief to those in need without excessive bureaucracy. Locally, Provincial funds like the Kent Mark Benevolent Fund ensure help is delivered quickly and effectively, supporting brethren and their families in times of difficulty.

8. A Celebration of the Working Mason

The Mark Degree is one of only two Masonic Orders that focus on the working stonemason. The tradition of each Mason having his own distinctive mark is brought vividly to life, emphasising accountability, craftsmanship, and integrity. This historical connection reminds us that we, too, are “living stones” building a spiritual temple of character and virtue.

9. Moral and Ethical Lessons for Life

At its heart, the Mark Degree teaches enduring values—resilience in adversity, humility in success, and recognition of honest labour. The allegory of the rejected stone and its eventual recognition as the keystone is a powerful reminder that true worth is not always immediately recognised but will, in time, be acknowledged and rewarded.

10. A Chance to Leave Your Mark

Perhaps the most personal reason of all: in the Mark Degree, you are given your own symbolic “mark”—a sign of your individuality and contribution. Just as operative masons once stamped their stones, you too symbolically leave your imprint on the edifice of Masonry. It’s a profound reminder that each of us has a unique role to play in life, and that together we build something greater than ourselves.

What is the Mark Degree?

The Mark is a practical, story-led step for a Master Mason that focuses on honest work, fair reward, and the value of leaving your name on what you build. Instead of abstract ideas, it uses a job-site setting—stonemasons on a project—to show how character shows up in decisions, deadlines, and dealings with others. The tone is warm, welcoming, and very human.

Passionate about supporting our local communities in projects both large and small, charity is very much at the heart of Mark Masonry.

Through the unfailing generosity of our member lodges, we support local charities directly within our communities and in turn we are supported by our National Charity the Mark Benevolent Fund which enables us to provide speedy support to members, their families and non Masonic worthy causes.

Mark Masonry makes a real difference to people’s lives on a daily basis, and we have recently donated over £600,000 to both local and national charities.

As part of our ongoing support the Province are supporting Acorns Hospice as the PGM’s charity of the year and also regularly give to churches and other houses of worship throughout Worcestershire on an annual basis.

What is the Mark Degree?

The Mark is a practical, story-led step for a Master Mason that focuses on honest work, fair reward, and the value of leaving your name on what you build. Instead of abstract ideas, it uses a job-site setting—stonemasons on a project—to show how character shows up in decisions, deadlines, and dealings with others. The tone is warm, welcoming, and very human.

The Degree of Mark Master Mason is open to all Master Masons. The ceremony, in which a Brother is ‘advanced’, comprises two parts: the first in which the Candidate is acknowledged as a Mark Man, followed by the second where he becomes a Mark Master Mason. The Mark referred to in its title takes its name from the mark or symbol with which the stonemason identified his work and historic examples can still be found in many cathedrals and important buildings. Much use is made of Holy Writ to instruct the Candidate in the story, the real message of which is one of contemplation of human strengths and weaknesses.

In chronological terms the Degree follows that of the Second Degree in Craft masonry. There is reputedly some evidence that the Degree is 400 years old, but the earliest English records stem from 1769 when it was first worked in Chapter of Friendship, Royal Arch Chapter No. 257 (formerly No. 3) in Portsmouth. However, a minute book dated 1599 of the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel) No. 1 states that several speculative brethren had appended their Marks after their names.

The first meeting of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales was held on Monday, 23 June 1856. The ordinary members’ regalia comprises an apron and breast jewel. The apron is of white kid with a triangular flap bordered with a two inch ribbon of light blue with crimson edges. It has rosettes of the same colour whilst Masters and Past Masters have the rosettes replaced with silver levels. The jewel of the order is a key stone appended to a ribbon which matches the apron and bears a mallet and chisel, which are the tools of the Order. The key stone, which bears certain characters, forms an integral part of the ceremony.

The ceremony of advancement to the degree of Mark Master Mason 

The Mark Degree is rooted in an age-old tradition: every craftsman would choose a unique mark to identify his work, ensuring he was fairly paid for his labour. From this simple but powerful idea flow the key themes of the degree — regularity, diligence, and discipline.

While the Second Degree of Freemasonry highlights the importance of learning, the Mark Degree takes it a step further by showing how that knowledge can be applied with wisdom — not just for personal growth and honour, but for the good of others.

It’s also a degree of encouragement. Life often brings misunderstandings, overlooked achievements, or even unfair criticism. Yet the Mark teaches that persistence, integrity, and faith in truth will see us through. Its guiding message comes from a single verse in Psalm 118: “The stone which the builders refused is become the headstone of the corner.”

Through the story of King Solomon’s Temple and its craftsmen, the ritual explores both the strengths and the frailties of human nature. The symbolism is carried through its regalia — a distinctive apron edged in dark red and blue, a keystone jewel, and even a special token known as the Mark penny, once used for the payment of wages.

Progression within the Degree

The Ceremony of Advancement allows full entry to all Master Masons of four or more weeks standing, with access to the “ladder” leading to the Chair of Adoniram.

There are more Offices in the progression than in Craft Masonry, but with only one Ceremony to learn, and that being of a less onerous nature than those of other Degrees, Brethren find the efforts more pleasant, and the results more readily achievable.

This may be why the basis of the Degree has always been considered a “happy” one! Candidates never fail to say how agreeable they found the experience. Having completed the year as Master, Provincial Grand rank is usually awarded after a further three years, with Grand Rank available to the industrious.

Come on in and join the Friendly Degree!