Reflections from the Pew 123

As it’s St Fillan’s 900th anniversary I’m looking at Rev. Rutherford’s children’s address, where he talks about the history of the church, this one is for 19th November 1967, and he is talking about Mason Marks.

In the past I have talked about the massive pillars in the church. In the time that the church was a ruin they were battered by the wind and rain but they are in a wonderfully preserved. If you look at them closely you can see some curious little diagrams on some of the stones. They are the type of this a boy would sketch with a knife. These same diagram is repeated of different stones. Have a look at them afterwards. They are not the scratching of boys, they are what is known as mason’s marks.

The master masons in medieval times were proud of the work they did, and they wanted in a not too ostentatious way to let people know who could carve the finest stone, and left their small insignia, so that others would know. To the practices eye they said ‘John of Durham carved this stone’, ‘Henry of Yeaveley carved this stone’.

Later on it is thought that the marks on the stones were used a a means of paying the masons – so many stones, so much money. Those stones were carved around 1520, and they show that the masons were proud of their work. We do not know who they were or what other building they built, but they certainly left something they were proud of.

The masons of those days were famous for doing things well and making things to last. Many had a motto which can be found in the book of Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. A hymn writer put it another way, Teach me my God and King, in all things thee to see, and what I do in anything, to do it unto thee.

These would be good mottos for us too. Sometimes we say, it doesn’t matter, it won’t be seen from the front,  it will never be looked at, this one won’t be looked at.

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