The Worshipful Company of Masons

 

There are over 100 City Livery Companies of which the Masons’ Company is ranked 30 in order of precedence. It has close associations with many of these Livery Companies, especially those related to the construction industry. The Masons’ Livery Company also has a peculiar but special relationship with the Mercers, the Cooks and Broderers Companies called ‘The Associated Companies’ relating to the financing of the development of Londonderry in Northern Ireland.

 

From the History Page you will note that its fortunes have waxed and waned over the centuries and it is no longer a trade guild, a role, which has been taken over by the Stone Federation of Great Britain.

 

The Masons’ Company is one of the smaller City Livery Companies with a membership of about 150 compared with the average of about 225 and some modern Livery Companies with upwards of 600 members.  For information on other City of London Livery Companies click here.

 

We are growing - The Company has recently revised its target membership to 175. 

 

Organisation - The Company is governed by a Court of Assistants led by an annually elected Master and two Wardens. The executive administration is under the control of an appointed Clerk. Membership of the Livery is available to applicants, preferably connected with the construction industry or the City of London. See Membership and Fellowship.

 

The main activities of the Company are directed towards furthering the craft of stonemasonry and the support of more general charities, and to this end the Company administers two registered charities.

 

The Craft Fund, provides support for apprentices and trainees in the craft of stonemasonry.

 

Through the Masons’ Charitable Trust the Company makes donations to the more general charitable causes connected with both the City of London and wider national causes. To find out if we are able to help your cause go to our Charitable Criteria page.

The Company also supports The Associated Companies’ joint venture charitable scheme.

 

 

The Company is dedicated to its programme of training in the use of natural stone for construction purposes and will seek to extend the present level of student sponsorship both in volume and levels of skills to be attained.

 

In 2007 it launches the Duke of Gloucester Awards to encourage skilled stonemasons and craftsmen from all over England to further develop their careers by recognising their contribution to the craft of stonemasonry. These new Awards will be launched at The Natural Stone Craft Awards in October 2007.

 

In common with other Liveries of the City of London the Company will maintain its ancient traditions and continue to take its due part in the governance of the City.

 

For further information please contact the Clerk.

There is some evidence that the original Freemasonry movement in this country, if not the world, originated in Medieval Times from this Masons’ Company plus perhaps other masons’ trade guilds around the country and Europe. 

 

The stonemasons, builders of our great cathedrals and churches, banded together in guilds to practice what they called “the operative art” of masonry. They were an elite class who could travel freely between cities to practice their “art”, unlike serfs who were carefully controlled and restricted.  Hence the term “free mason” came into use and fraternity lodges were formed.

 

However, by the 18^th Century the nature of Freemasonry had changed and lodges began to accept members who were not stonemasons and so they became “speculative” rather than “operative” lodges and over the next two and a half centuries the lodges have completely moved away from the craft of stonemasonry apart from referring to Masons’ tools and artefacts in some of their rituals.

 

There is now no direct link between the Masons’ Company and Freemasonry.