Side Degrees
Becoming a Master Mason is just the beginning. For those who wish to explore further, Freemasonry offers a rich world of additional orders and degrees, each one deepening the journey started in the Craft Lodge.
What are side degrees?
The next steps in Freemasonry
Craft Freemasonry; the three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason forms the foundation of every Freemason's journey. But for those who wish to continue, there exists a wide range of additional orders and degrees, sometimes called "side degrees" or "appendant orders."
These are entirely optional, and no Freemason is ever pressured to join them. They are open only to Master Masons, and each offers its own ceremonies, symbolism, and philosophical teachings, building on the lessons of the Craft rather than replacing them. They are best understood not as a hierarchy of rank, but as lateral steps: parallel paths of exploration, each enriching a Mason's understanding of the Craft.
In England, the most common and widely recognised next step is the Royal Arch, so closely linked to Craft Freemasonry that the United Grand Lodge of England considers it part of "pure Ancient Masonry" itself.
The Masonic journey
Where side degrees fit
1
Entered Apprentice
The first step, an introduction to the principles, ritual, and symbolism of the Craft.
2
Fellow Craft
A deeper exploration of the hidden mysteries of nature and the sciences.
3
Master Mason
The highest degree of Craft Freemasonry and the gateway to all further orders.
4
Side Degrees
Optional orders open to Master Masons, each with their own ceremonies and traditions.
4
Side Degrees
Optional orders open to Master Masons, each with their own ceremonies and traditions.
The orders explained
Common side degrees in Ashby
Whilst there are many orders a Master Mason may explore, the following are among the most well-established in England.
The Royal Arch (Chapter)
The natural next step
The Royal Arch holds a unique place in English Freemasonry. The United Grand Lodge of England considers it the completion of the Master Mason's degree - together, the Craft and the Royal Arch form what is known as "pure Ancient Masonry." If the three Craft degrees are the first three episodes of a story, the Royal Arch provides the fourth - and reveals what came before.
Open to Master Masons of 4+ weeks
Meets 4 times a year
Mark Master Masons
The Mark degree is one of the oldest and most widely practised of the side degrees, governed in England by the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons. It develops the symbolism of the Craft further - focusing on the stonemason's personal "mark," carved into their work to identify it. The ceremony teaches lessons of integrity, honest labour, and the value of a good name.
Open to Master Masons
Members called Mark Master Masons
Royal Ark Mariners
The Royal Ark Mariners (RAM) is a side degree within Freemasonry that takes its theme from the biblical story of Noah and the Great Flood. The degree centres on Noah's construction of the Ark, the survival of his family, and the covenant God made with mankind afterwards, symbolised by the rainbow. It is considered a "side degree" because it sits alongside mainstream Freemasonry rather than forming part of a progressive ladder of degrees, it is appendant to the Mark Master Mason degree, and to join, a Mason must first be a Mark Master Mason.
Rose Croix
The Rose Croix, formally known as the 18th Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Rite, is widely regarded as one of the most profound and spiritually significant degrees in all of Freemasonry. It sits at the heart of the Ancient and Accepted Rite, a system of 33 degrees governed in England and Wales by the Supreme Council at Duke Street in London, and is the only degree within that Rite that individual Chapters are permitted to work in full.
Meet in a Rose Croix Chapter
Open to Master Masons of 6+ months
Knights Templar
The Knights Templar is one of the most historically evocative orders in Freemasonry, taking its name and imagery from the medieval military order of Christian knights who protected pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land during the Crusades. In Freemasonry, it is a Christian order, one of the few that explicitly requires candidates to profess a belief in the Holy Trinity, and it sits within what is known as the "chivalric" branch of the fraternity. In England and Wales it is governed by the Great Priory, and its local bodies are called Preceptories rather than Lodges.
Requires Royal Arch membership
Members called Sir Knights
Order of the Secret Monitor
The Order of the Secret Monitor is one of the lesser-known but genuinely charming side degrees within Freemasonry, built around the biblical friendship of David and Jonathan as described in the First Book of Samuel. The bond between the two, marked by loyalty, mutual protection, and a solemn covenant of friendship, provides the central theme of the order. Members undertake to look out for one another and to offer help and guidance whenever a fellow member is in difficulty.
The Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon
The Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon is one of the more historically fascinating and lesser-known orders within English Freemasonry, taking its name from the medieval Hospital of St. Thomas of Acre in the City of London. The original medieval order was founded in the late 12th century in the Holy Land, established by English crusaders at Acre (in modern-day Israel) in memory of St. Thomas Becket, the martyred Archbishop of Canterbury.
In Ashby
Side degrees at the Ashby Masonic Hall
The Masonic Hall on Lower Church Street is home not only to Ferrers & Ivanhoe Lodge No. 779 and Hastings Lodge No. 8695, but also to a number of side degree orders that meet here throughout the year - open to Master Masons who wish to continue their Masonic journey.
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Ready to find out more?
Freemasonry is open to men of all backgrounds over the age of 21 who hold a belief in a higher power. If you're seeking personal growth, lasting friendships, and a sense of purpose, we'd love to hear from you.
