Stonemasonry: Difference between revisions
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The art and craft of the '''stonemason''' has existed since the dawn of [[civilization]] - creating buildings, structures and sculpture using [[Rock (geology)|stone]] and other raw materials from the earth. Stonemasons may be distiguished from [[bricklayer]]s, but often the same [[craftsman]] works with stone and brick. These materials have been used to [[construction|construct]] some of the most long-lasting, ancient [[monument]]s, [[artifact]]s, [[cathedral]]s and [[cities]]. from a wide variety of cultures. Perhaps one of the most famous stone masons is the famous artist, sculptor, architect, [[Michaelangelo Buonarroti|Michaelangelo]]. Although many of his sculptures are famous, some of the most popular include [[La Pietà]] which is situated at the [[Vatican Museums]], and his sculpture of [[David]] in the Accademia Gallery in [[Florence]]. Some of the most awe-inspiring stone masonry includes the [[Easter Island]] statues, the [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] [[Pyramids]], the Greek [[Parthenon]], [[Stone Henge]] and more. |
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==Origins of the stonemasons guilds== |
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The medieval stonemason was usually a countryman, as very few stone buildings were built in the towns and cities, where most houses were built of timber. He was also a wage earner; at a time when most craftsmen were selling a product he was selling his labour. These two facts are often cited as possible reasons why masons did not form guilds until in [[1356]], considerably later than most of the other [[guild]]s. |
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There was in [[Saxon England]] almost no tradition of building in stone, and few of the wooden structures from this time have survived. Following the [[Norman Conquest]] the many building projects the invaders initiated would necessarily have been directed by master masons from the Continent. We know the names of a few of them, such as [[William of Sens]] who was appointed to oversee the rebuilding of [[Canterbury Cathedral]] following a disastrous fire in [[1174]]. He had previously been Master of Works at Saint-Etienne-de-Sens. Although he is remembered now for his work on Canterbury Cathedral, among his contemporaries he was renowned for his skill as a cutter of stone and for his knowledge of [[carpentry]]. He is also said to have devised a faster and more efficient method for loading and unloading boats. Given the paucity of roads in that era, water transport was vitally important. This shows something of the range of skills required of a [[Master Mason]] of that era. |
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However the use of [[France|French]] masons was a matter of choice rather than policy, for when William of Sens was incapacitated by a fall from a scaffold he was replaced by William the Englishman. |
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From the beginning of the craft in England, the rough and unskilled work was done by Englishmen, who with time and practice learnt the trade and eventually became skilled and capable craftsmen. Most of the training took place in the [[quarry|quarries]], where much of the stone was finished, at least partially, before being transported to the building site. As this happened, unskilled workers rose to positions of responsibility. It is possible to trace the careers of several men as they were promoted from the quarries to work on the actual buildings as layers or setters. <!-- references or see also? --> |
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If the medieval mason was working on a project for the king he was probably a "pressed man". Such was the scale and extent of the building work of the period that there was usually a shortage of craftsmen. In these situations the crown used its prerogatives to [[impress]] the men that were needed. The [[Sheriff]] of each county was instructed to select a certain number of masons and other tradesmen and send them to particular building operations. About 140 were impressed in this way to work at [[Westminster]] in [[1253]], [[Beaumaris Castle]] employed 400 pressed masons in [[1295]], whilst at the same time the builders of [[Caernarfon Castle]] were trying to get hold of another 100 men. |
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When [[William of Wykeham]] used the Crown's authority to recruit men to work on [[Windsor Castle]] in [[1359]], he was said to have impressed nearly every mason and carpenter in England so that there were no good craftsmen available for other work. This was probably the largest assembly of masons there had ever been in England. John of Sponlee in [[Gloucestershire]] was the Master Mason and Robert of Gloucester the Warden of the masons, so the code of practice would probably have been based on that in the west of England. When all these men dispersed they would have carried away both the further skills they had acquired and a knowledge of the mason's customs in most areas of England. We should not think of the medieval mason as being parochial. |
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Some 9000 parish [[church]]es, [[abbey]]s, [[monastery|monasteries]] and [[cathedral]]s were built in [[England]] during the [[Middle Ages]]. The "disease of building" as it was called began in [[Europe]] after [[1000]] AD, out of relief that the world had not ended, and continued until the decades after the [[Black Death]] in [[1348]]. |
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If it was suitable, local stone was used. In Northern France and the South of England including [[London]] they largely used a material called [[freestone]]. This is a form of [[limestone]] which is quite soft and easy to work when it is first quarried and then hardens with time and exposure to air. The men who worked the freestone were often called Freestone Masons. The earliest known use of the name Freemason was in [[1376]] in London. Four men were chosen to represent the city's builders on the Common Council of Trade. They were originally listed as [[Freemasons]] although the word is then crossed out and replaced with simply Mason. |
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The most common materials used by stonemasons are [[marble]], [[granite]], [[travertine]], [[limestone]] and [[sandstone]] set with [[Mortar]] or [[Grout]]. |
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==Stonemasonry processes== |
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Stonemasons produce [[rock (geology)|stone]] products using a [[hierarchy]] of [[technique]]s: |
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*[[Quarry]]ing |
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**Trenching |
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**Drilling |
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**Wire sawing |
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**Flame jet cutting |
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**Explosive blasting |
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***Silent explosives |
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*Primary production |
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**Block trimming |
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**Slabbing |
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*Secondary production |
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**Stone finishing |
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***Thicknessing |
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***Honing |
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***Polishing |
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*Fabrication |
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**Customer relations |
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**Design considerations |
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**Templating |
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**Handling materials off-site |
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**Sawing |
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**Laminating |
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**Edge shaping |
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**Edge polishing |
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**Surface treatment |
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**Packaging for transport |
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*Installation |
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**Site preparation |
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**Handling materials on-site |
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**Temporary supports |
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**Metal fixings |
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**Adhesives |
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**Aligning edges and surfaces |
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**Finishing joints |
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**Cleaning up |
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*Conservation |
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**[http://www.icomos.org/australia/burra.html The Burra Charter] |
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==Stonemasonry tools== |
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Stonemasons use a wide variety of tools to handle and shape stone blocks & slabs (rough [[ashlar]]) into finished articles: These articles have [[symbol]]ic significance, derived in [[Freemason#Ritual_and_symbolism|ancient operative masonry]] and adopted by speculative [[freemason]]s. |
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* [[Hammer]] |
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* [[Chisel]] |
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* [[Trowel]] |
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* [[Compass]] |
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* [[Level]] and [[plumb-bob]] |
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Hand tools and automated machinery made from a variety of strong materials. |
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* [[Carbon steel]] tools |
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* [[Tungsten carbide]] inserts |
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* Raw [[diamond]] abrasives |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.myfuture.edu.au/services/default.asp?FunctionID=5050&ASCO=441613A Stonemason occupation information] |
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*[http://www.connexions.gov.uk/jobs4u/summary.cfm?id=151 Stonemason job summary] |
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*[http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/profiles/profile345/ A Stonemason's range of work] |
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*[http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/S/St/Stonemason.htm BBC Medieval Stonemasons] |
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*[http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/S/St/Stonemason.htm Medieval Stonemasons] |
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*[http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.teachingheritage.nsw.edu.au/c_building/resources/sto2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.teachingheritage.nsw.edu.au/c_building/banner_meta7.html&h=889&w=1000&sz=280&tbnid=J2Dr2sSeqa8J:&tbnh=132&tbnw=149&hl=en&start=1&prev=/images%3Fq%3Doperative%2Bstonemasons%2Bsociety%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN The Banner of the Operative Stonemasons' Society] |
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*[http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/lectures.htm Freemasonry symbols depicted on the Masonic Apron] |
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[[Category:Masonry]] |
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[[Category:Construction trades workers]] |
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[[Category:Construction]] |
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[[de:Steinmetz]] |
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[[nl:Metselaar]] |
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Revision as of 18:47, 19 March 2006
