Ritual , Secrecy , and Civil Society
which was one of the primary goals of its founders . The risks were large , and Aimée Bothwell-Gosse ’ s proposals were therefore not adopted in full . The restructuring was pursued , of course , and the British Federation was created in 1926 . But Annie Besant remained as president and with the same operating procedures : the position of Grand Secretary was held by Annie Besant ’ s daughter , Mabel Besant-Scott , who was totally committed to the Theosophical Society . The structure was to be modified , but it remained under the absolute influence of the theosophical members of the Order . And the solemn declaration of adogmatism and the rejection “ of convictions that are not compatible with the universality of its members ,” as stated by the Supreme Council on April 25 , 1926 , came too late . 7
By 1924 , Aimée Bothwell-Gosse had left the Theosophical Society , as she could not accept the on-going scandal created by the presence of Leadbeater and Wedgwood 8 at the highest levels . She was equally angry that nothing had been done to correct the situation of Co-Masonry in England . She nonetheless remained loyal to the Supreme Council and asked it to grant her a charter to create a federation that would be separate yet remain under the authority of the Supreme Council .
The Supreme Council was not able to respond favorably to her request , as it violated the exclusive territorial rule defined by the International Convention of Supreme Councils in 1875 , to which it adhered in order to maintain the coherence of the Scottish Rites . Hence , with a tremendous sense of regret and despite the reciprocal esteem and many links , Miss Bothwell-Gosse finally decided to cross the Rubicon : she left the “ Human Duty ” and founded the Order of the Ancient , Free and Accepted Freemasonry for Men and Women in early 1925 . With the assistance of the Most Enlightened Brother Victor Hendrycks , 33 rd degree , and the Enlightened Brother Pickersgill , 32 nd degree , she granted the necessary degrees to three Brethren of the 30 th degree and three others holding the 18 th degree , thereby obtaining the nine members required for a Supreme Council , in compliance with the Lausanne Constitutions .
It is important to note that she wanted to respect to exclusive primacy of the Suprême Counseil Mixte International “ Le Droit Humain ,” and did therefore not created a mixed Supreme Council , but a Supreme Council for Women in the United Kingdom and the Empire , the first of its kind in the world . It did , however , include several men , including Brother Hendrycks , so it was decided that the Supreme Council had the right to admit “ a Grand Chaplain or any other eminent man that would bring honor to the order or who would be useful .” 9
The lodge itself included men and women at every degree . Depending on the nature of the lodges , Patents and Charters were immediately issued to five Craft Lodges , a Lodge of the Mark , a Chapter of the Royal Arch , and a Rose Croix Chapter . The Supreme Council administered the 30 th to the 33 rd degrees of the Scottish rite , as the need arose . Very soon after , a Patent was issued to a lodge in Sydney , Australia , which then developed into a women ’ s lodge only . It was also agreed that all the lodges would freely choose their own status , whether they would admit men and women , or just women . As more and more women were admitted as members , the number of mixed lodges decreased . In the 1960s , there were only three left , all part of the London Orient .
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7 See the appended text of this declaration . 8 Gregory Tillett — The Elder Brother . 9 Andrée Buisine — La Franc-Maçonnerie anglo-saxonne et les femmes , p . 130 .
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