Structure of the Order

Grand Senatus

The Ancient and Masonic Order of the Scarlet Cord in the British Isles and its Districts and Consistories Overseas is presided over by the Grand Summus, who, along with his Deputy and Assistant, and the other Grand Officers form the Grand Senatus, which in the UK meets annually, usually in London on the 1st Thursday in May.

The current Grand Summus of the Order in the British Isles and its Districts and Consistories Overseas is Ian Stanley CurransVI, with Francis SpencerVI as his Deputy Grand Summus and Howard Saul MarkhamVI as the Assistant Grand Summus.

Provinces

As with other parts of Freemasonry, the Order is further divided into a number of Provinces, each with a Provincial Grand Summus, his Deputy and Assistant and corresponding Provincial Grand Officers, all forming a Provincial Grand Senatus.

The Provinces generally correspond to those of the Order of the Secret Monitor, and where there may be insufficient Consistories to form a Province, then an Inspectorate is formed, headed by a Grand Inspector, his Recorder and Director of Ceremonies.

Consistories

Individual units of the Order of the Scarlet Cord are called a Consistory, and meet usually two, three or four times a year, sometimes, but by no means always, in conjunction with a Conclave of the Order of the Secret Monitor, although unlike the common association between the Mark and the R.A.M., they will not share the same number or even, except rarely, the same name.

Each Consistory is presided over by a President who is elected annually.
Before he can be installed, however, he must first prove his competency in the first three Grades of the Order in a special “Preparation” ceremony, usually worked by the Provincial Officers, following which he receives a Patent from the Grand Summus authorising his eventual installation, and this Patent must be present in order for an installation to proceed.

The President is assisted by the Primus of Lectores and Primus of Ostiarii and these three are respectively responsible for conferring the first three Grades of the Order within their Consistory.

The other principal officers of a Consistory are the Episcopus or chaplain, the Recorder and Treasurer, the Director of Ceremonies and his Assistant, both armed with swords, and four Lecturers who form an integral part of the work. They are assisted by the Registrar, Herald and the Guarder who sits at the door. Outside the door is the Watchman.

The offices are not strictly progressive, although in general one would progress through Guarder, Herald, the Lecturers (from 4^th to 1^st) and then the Primus of Ostiarii and finally Lectores before arriving at the Chair.

In London it is the general policy to Prepare anyone who becomes a Primus, usually in their own Consistory in the “non-installation” meeting by a Provincial team.