The Order was formed in Monroe, North Carolina on March 13,1930. On June 6,1930 the Convent General of the United States of America was formed to administer the Order. Requirements for membership are that each proposed candidate for membership must have presided over a Lodge as a Master, over a Chapter as High Priest, over a Council as Illustrious Master and over a Commandry as Commander. Knights of the York Cross of Honour is a Honor Group of York Rite Masons who are dedicated to serving the Masonic Fraternity as a Labor of Love.
The meaning of membership in K.Y.C.H. can best be explained by a closing statement of Most Eminent Knight Donald E. Friend, Grand Master General, at his Convent General Session in 1995 , "As a Knight of the York Cross of Honour, you are a proven servant of the Masonic Fraternity , your inspiration has came from your Past, your duty is in the present , your Hope is in the Future, I ask you always to remember—In all you do , In all you say, In all of your actions, take a good look at yourself, you are someone impression of Freemasonry
The York Cross of Honour is a fitting climax to the Honors of the York Rite bodies, after having been bestowed the recognition of faithful service given to the Craft, and is one of the few Masonic groups in which membership must be earned, and even then there is no guarantee of election.