Grand Imperial Conclave

Some Pre-History

The earliest references to an Order of the Holy Sepulchre date from 1760's European masonic manuscripts in the Baylot collection, which contain traces of a specific degree of Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.

Council of the Trinity

The earliest record of the Red Cross of Constantine, was in the late 1700’s when the Early Grand Rite of Scotland actively conferred the ceremony as part of their series of 46 Degrees: it appeared as 23rd on the roll, the Holy Sepulchre being the 24th, and St John the Evangelist the 25th, all bestowed in a Council of the Trinity.

There is also evidence that London publisher, William Finch, was selling the ritual of ‘The Red Cross of Constantine’ in 1812, while another entitled ‘The Red Cross of Rome & Constantine’ was published by Richard Carlile in his Manual of Freemasonry in 1825. This contains excerpts of a ceremony remarkably similar to that in use today. As far as England was concerned however, there was no regular Masonic authority controlling the degree until 1865, when a Grand Conclave of the Order was established at Freemasons’ Hall in London, England.

Grand Conclaves

Since its emergence in London, more than a dozen sovereign Grand Conclaves of the Order have been formed around the world, including in Victoria. That in England remains the mother Grand Conclave for all others save those of Germany and Greece (as of 2023), though the latter are in amity. The grand body in Scotland continues with the older title of ‘The Grand Imperial Council of the Imperial, Religious and Military Order of Rome and the Red Cross of Constantine’, a designation which had been discarded in England by 1901.

The Order in Victoria

The first recorded Conclave of the Order in Victoria was instituted by a prominent English Mason, William Farquaharson Lamonby, who lived in Melbourne 1882-92, arrived with the rank of a Past Most Puissant Sovereign and zeal enough to foster the order in his new hometown. On 27 February 1884 a conclave was held under his authority, and after eight prominent local masons were admitted a petition was raised and sent to London. However, Melbourne Conclave n143 was not consecrated until 14 May 1885, the delay being due to local masonic politics of the day around a newly formed and short-lived Grand Lodge of Victoria (later replaced by the current United Grand Lodge of Victoria).

This politicking led to considerable ructions in Victorian masonry, with competition immediately arising from Metropolitan Conclave n144 (consecrated no later than January 1885, and possibly as early as February 1884) and Lowry Conclave n146, which followed soon after. These two were likely the initiative of Dr Bulmer, (refer under). However, Lowry quickly ceased labour, Metropolitan met for the last in December 1890 and Melbourne met a final time in June 1891 as the Victorian economy and masonic activity took a severe downturn. 

Lowry Conclave was to be revived however, in January 1908, and on 3 June 1910, the Melbourne warrant was also revived, but then to meet in Bendigo (and the name Bendigo Conclave was overwritten the former name on the original warrant in 1911). The 1891-1908 interregnum is also interesting, as an irregular Sovereign Great Priory of Victoria (KT) was working the Red Cross of Constantine degree, at least in 1900 ...

Meetings were sparse at The Bendigo Conclave for decades, it sometimes even being in abeyance, whilst The Lowry Conclave was the sole font for the Appendant Orders into the 1930's. Notwithstanding, Victoria was endowed with an Intendent-General from its earliest days: Englishman, Dr Thomas Sanderson Bulmer, MD, who was appointed Special Representative and Chief intendent-General for New Zealand, Australia, et cetera, in the late 1870's, and who was certainly working in Melbourne by 1881. The Division of Victoria (i.e. District) was formally constituted in 1891.

Further English Conclaves were consecrated in Victoria over the decades after WW2: The Brighton n195 (1949), The Eastern n230 (1963), Emmanuel n243 (1967), Maroondah n275 (1973), The Byzantium n371 (1983). For a period, the Victorian Division also controlled conclaves in South Australia (Way of the Cross n330, Cross of Calvary n343, Sign of the Cross n358, Holy Cross n361).

Grand Imperial Conclave of Victoria

The Victorian knights sought and received independence from England and the Grand Imperial Conclave of Victoria was erected on 29 February 1984. Subsequent warrants were issued to The Saxa Rubra n8 (1986), Light of the World n9 (1987), St Helena n10 (1989) and St Matthew n11 (1996). However, times and fortunes change, and with the overall and continuing decline in masonic memberships, not all these warrants are active today.

Following are lists of the Intendents-General under England, and the Grand Sovereigns and Grand Viceroys under this Grand Imperial Conclave, who have provided leadership to the Order in Victoria through the years...