when did the supreme grand chapter of scotland formally recognise the royal arch degree

The Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland was constituted and formed in 1817 to govern and control the Royal Arch degree in Scotland, as a paper read before Quatuor Coronati Lodge notes. Royal Arch Masonry itself was historically not officially recognized by the Grand Lodge of Scotland, even following the establishment of the Grand Chapter in that year 1.

The available sources do not record subsequent formal agreements or changes in official recognition between the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter beyond its 1817 foundation.

Prior to 1817, Royal Arch Masonry in Scotland had developed through fragmented and often unchartered practices, largely outside the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, which consistently refused to recognize or charter degrees beyond the first three 23. Early Scottish chapters and craft lodges had worked the Royal Arch degree informally or under their own authority from as early as 1743, with lodges like St. Andrew’s requesting Royal Arch charters from the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1756 only to receive no official authorization 3.

Around 1800, several Knights Templar Encampments established in Scotland under Irish charters began actively conferring the Royal Arch degree 2. Other independent chapters continued working without charters 2. This arrangement changed in 1811 when a Grand Encampment was established in Scotland by a charter from the Duke of Kent 2. This new body prohibited Templar Encampments from conferring the Royal Arch degree 2.

As a result, Royal Arch Masonry was left in an irregular and disorganized condition, even though a substantial number of active chapters continued to operate independently throughout the country 2. To address this lack of central governance and establish regular authority over the degree despite ongoing Grand Lodge opposition, representatives from thirty-four chapters gathered at a General Convocation in Edinburgh on August 28, 1817, where they formally established the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland 23. Following its constitution, the new Grand Chapter adjusted the seniority of forty-one existing chapters and issued official warrants to bring them under uniform governance 3.