January 12, 2021

From the Collections of the McAlester Scottish Rite: Masonic Patents

By T.S. Akers
 
A few pages into Rudyard Kipling’s Kim, the story of the orphaned son of an Irish colour-sergeant and nursemaid set in India following the Second Afghan War, is the following passage:

…O’Hara drifted away, till he came across the woman who took opium and learned the taste from her, and died as poor whites do in India. His estate at death consisted of three papers – one he called his ‘ne varietur’ because those words were written below his signature thereon, and another his ‘clearance-certificate.’ The third was Kim’s birth-certificate. Those things, he was used to say, in his glorious opium-hours, would yet make little Kimball a man. On no account was Kim to part with them, for they belonged to a great piece of magic – such magic as men practiced over yonder behind the Museum, in the big blue-and-white Jadoo-Gher – the Magic House, as we name the Masonic Lodge.

The “ne varietur” that Kipling references here is most certainly the Masonic membership patent of Colour-Sergeant Kimball O’Hara, Sr.
 
According to Robert’s The Old Constitutions: “…no Person hereafter, which shall be accepted a Free-Mason, shall be admitted into any Lodge, or Assembly, until he hath brought a Certificate of the Time and Place of his Acception, from the Lodge that accepted him…” In 1755 the Premier Grand Lodge of England made reference to such certificates or patents, stating that all must be sealed and signed by the Grand Secretary. The signature line, with the words ne varietur, a Latin phrase meaning “it must not be changed,” served as a security feature whereby a Brother’s signature could be checked against the patent to prove he was indeed who he said he was.
 
Masonic Lodges in America began issuing credentials in the form of patents to initiates in the late 1700s. With a patent in hand, a traveling Brother could gain admission to a Masonic Lodge where he was not known. Patents not only helped to prove a Freemason was in good standing, as they could also be used to apply for relief or charity by the Brother, his widow, or orphan.
 
Patents today are largely symbolic, replaced by wallet sized dues cards, and often make for wonderful décor in a man’s study. While they are no longer typically carried by Brethren, many Masonic orders still issue patents to their members today.
 
The Scottish Rite
 
Patents issued by the Scottish Rite are among some of the most impressive. This example, the larger of the two styles, dates to 1927 and features a Latin inscription.
 
The smaller version of the Scottish Rite patents, featured here, remains in use today. This example from 1923 has double seals, the second being that of Indian Consistory at McAlester.
 
This Scottish Rite patent, which belonged to William E. Crowe, includes the signatures of Brethren Crowe may have held in high regard. Of note are the signatures of past York Rite grand officers Leslie H. Swan, James W. Greathouse, and Harold B. Downing. Crowe himself had served as Grand Commander of Knights Templar in 1940.
 
The York Rite
 
It is common for grand jurisdictions to exchange representatives and such positions are usually accompanied by patents. When the Grand Commandery of Louisiana appointed Daniel M. Hailey as their grand representative, they also bestowed the honorary rank of Past Grand Captain General upon him.
 
The York Rite has come to include several invitational bodies, such as the Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests. The order was formally established in the United States in the 1930s, a movement in which several Oklahoma Brethren took part. It is for this reason that Joseph of Arimathea Tabernacle has the extremely low charter number of IV.
 
The Allied Masonic Degrees are another Masonic order that was formally organized in the 1930s for the purpose of bringing “detached” Masonic degrees that had been practiced at some point in the history of Freemasonry under the purview of one body. An honor the order brought over from England in 1933 was that of The Royal Order of the Red Branch of Eri. 

The Oklahoma Past Commander’s Association was established in 1973 as an honor for men who had served their respective Commanderies of Knights Templar as Commander and conferred the Order of the Temple during their term of office.
 
Other Patents 

The Masonic Society was formed in 2008 for the purpose of fostering the intellectual, spiritual and social growth of the modern Masonic fraternity. Their quarterly journal publishes papers on Masonic history, leadership, esoteric themes, along with Masonic photo essays.

The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels is not a Masonic organization, but like many institutions, they present their members with patents. The first honorary Kentucky colonels were commissioned by Governor William O'Connell Bradley in 1895. The colonels commission is awarded in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments, contributions to Kentucky society, remarkable deeds, and outstanding service to a community, state, or nation.

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