A History of
MARK MASONRY
A FIVE PART SERIES MASONIC EBOOK
THE WORLD-WIDENESS OF MASON MARKS
The Masonic historians Knoop & Jones point out that mason marks are found in a
great many lands. Consisting of marks or symbols carved on stones or impressed in clay
bricks, these identified their stone shapers or brick makers.
Such marks (Brindal:28) can be found going back 5,000 years or more. They are in Egyptian
pyramids, on Greek temples and in the preserved cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. They
are in widespread Roman ruins, Hindustan, Asia Minor and Central and South America. They
are common in the great ruins of England, France, Germany, Scotland, Spain, Italy and Portugal.
THE MIDDLE AGES
The Templars
The European crusades to regain control of Palestine from the Muslims began in 1095 AD.
Jerusalem was taken in 1099, but after eight crusades the Holy Land was completely lost by 1291.
It is known that the Templars, stern, strict and practical in their ways, had grades or
degrees, probably eleven, and elaborate rituals and ceremonies. Although it cannot be
proved the inference is that those Templars specialising in building used adapted grades and
ceremonies for the organisation and running of their building squads. If so it would almost
certainly have had to involve rules and usages on marks.
It is also possible to conjecture that the controllers, architects and master builders in a
building group were Templars and Cistercians, and that the stone workmen, ordinary builders
and labourers were locals drafted and trained for their tasks. It is even possible to think that
some Templar members of a building ‘lodge’ were non-operative, sitting in to keep a general
eye on things. There is no proof, but things have to begin and evolve from somewhere, and
this simple and relatively straight-forward possibility needs consideration.
Contents include all 5 eBook documents
in one eBook Collection
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ORIGINS - OPERATIVES AND MARK MASONRY
EARLY HISTORY - MARK MASONRY BEFORE 1813
MARK MASONRY BETWEEN 1813 AND 1856
THE GRAND MARK LODGE OF ENGLAND
THE GRAND MARK LODGE OF ENGLAND 1857 - 1998
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