when was the mark degree first formally recognized by the grand lodge of england

Under the Articles of Union of 1813–1814, the English Craft agreement explicitly excluded the Mark degree from the formally recognized series of degrees 1. This exclusion prevented its inclusion within the English Craft system and subsequently led to the establishment of the Mark Grand Lodge to govern the lodges working the ceremony 1.

The supplied sources do not record any subsequent formal recognition of the Mark degree by the United Grand Lodge of England.

The formal recognition and independent governance of the Mark degree occurred after the Articles of Union of 1813–1814 1.

The Articles of Union explicitly excluded the Mark degree from the series of degrees officially recognized within the English Craft agreement 1. This exclusion meant the degree remained unacknowledged within Craft governance at the Union, which eventually prompted the formation of the Mark Grand Lodge nearly fifty years later to organize and rule over the lodges working the ceremony 1.

The exact year of formal recognition is not stated in the passages, but the Grand Lodge of Scotland came to recognize the Mark working after subordinate lodges—such as Lodge St. Clair No. 3 bis and Lodge Journeymen No. 8—demonstrated that they had granted the Mark for many years, forcing an acknowledgment 2.

Under an agreement established by a Joint Committee of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter, the Grand Lodge agreed to permit its subordinate craft lodges to work the Mark on the understanding that it be treated as a portion of the Fellow Craft degree, conferred only upon Master Masons 12. Under this arrangement, the Supreme Royal Arch Chapter simultaneously recognized it as the fourth degree in Masonry 2. The Grand Lodge itself disclaims responsibility for any specific ritual on the subject and takes no active role in its administration beyond issuing Mark Master Diplomas upon request 12.