The early history of this Christian Order is obscured by the fact that it was known by many other names:

Order of Melchisedec
Pillared Priest
White Mason
Order of Holy Wisdom
Templar Ne Plus Ultra

Like many other Orders in Freemasonry, the origin of the Knight Templar Priests is shrouded in mystery, there is a doubtful claim that it existed in the late 17th Century.  However, firmer evidence exists of it being worked from the end of the 18th Century and operated in Ireland, the hills of Ayrshire, in Lancashire and in Newcastle upon Tyne.

It spread to being worked in York, Bristol, Bath and Salisbury and by the early 1800s, the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of Ireland issued some forty Warrants for the Order to meet at venues mainly in Scotland.  However, overall, the Order made little progress during that century and almost died out but for a revival in 1895 when the sole remaining members in Newcastle rallied support from other areas.   A prominent Mason, Henry Hotham, who was, apparently, the last known Knight Templar Priest, revived the Order by creating a sufficient number of Knight Templar Priests in Newcastle to form a Tabernacle.  As a consequence the first of the modern Tabernacles, Royal Kent, was formed.  After a short period of control by the Allied Masonic Degrees in London, the Order became an independent body.  It is administered by a Grand College located in York, England.

The development of the Order was very slow at first, but soon began to take on its now extensive international form, with the first New Zealand Tabernacles in 1930, 1942 and 1944 and Australia joining in a few years later.

Earlier, in 1931, Grand College had sponsored the setting up of the Order in the United States as an independent authority and to this day, this is the only other Grand College in the World.

Progress of the Order continued very slowly but steadily from 1951 for the next 10 years, but in the early 1960s, under dynamic new leadership, the pace of expansion increased, and has continued to this day, with the number of Tabernacles now exceeding 200, spread throughout England, Scotland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, the Bahamas, Hong Kong, Holland, Germany and Jamaica.

An independent governing body, the Grand College, was established in York in 1923 and thereafter the Order prospered.  Conclaves spread steadily, both in the British Isles and overseas and up until 1969, the Grand Council in London administered all Conclaves in England.  Then a Province was constituted for Lancashire and Cheshire followed by others for Yorkshire and the South West Counties.

There are now 168 Tabernacles working in thirteen countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The dress of the Order is a white mantle, a tunic as worn by Knights Templar, and a mitre.  The K.T. mantle is permitted, but the white mantle preferred.

The title of the Order indicates that membership qualification requires candidates to be Royal Arch Masons and Knights Templar and is only open to brethren who are Installed Masters of a Craft Lodge.

To be admitted to the Order you have to be invited and fulfil the following conditions:

1.  Have been regularly installed Master in, and a subscribing member of, a regular Craft Lodge.

2.  Be a subscribing Royal Arch Mason.

3.  Be a subscribing Knight Templar.

REGALIA:  Tunic - Mantle - Mitre