12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the History of Masonry

By: Hannah Smith
Photos: Jonathan Wilson, Wirestock, serkansenturk

You sat through hours of apprentice school, and probably spent more time on a wall than you’d like to admit. While laying foundations or finishing that masonry basement, did you ever consider how the masonry trade developed? What about the tools you use every day? How have they, or haven't they, changed over time?

Here are 12 facts from masonry history you probably didn’t know:

Winston Churchill Loved Laying Bricks

Arguably Britain’s most famous prime minister, Winston Churchill was also an avid bricklayer. He built most of the garden walls at Chartwell Estate, as well as several smaller garden cottages. In fact, there’s a commemorative tablet at the estate stating, “The greater part of this wall was built between the years 1925 and 1932 by Winston.” He found it to be both therapeutic and productive. It was one of his favorite and most enduring hobbies.
For Centuries, Masons Marked Their Bricks With Symbols to Get Paid

Throughout history, masons needed to prove they were the ones who made the bricks they used, or needed proof that they were the individual masons who laid a bit of wall. To do this, they would make marks on the bricks. Many of them were illiterate and would make a simple symbol. These masons would keep their mark for their entire career, and some of these symbols can be traced back centuries.
Archeologists Have Found Ancient Bricks With Paw Prints Pressed in Them

For millennia, bricks were made by hand and laid out to dry in the sun. Archeologists across the world have discovered bricks with various animal prints pressed into them. Can’t you just imagine a dog walking across the line of bricks drying on the ground during Roman times?
Medieval Mason Guilds Gave Their Members More Freedom Than Any Other Trades at That Time

For centuries, bricklayers and masons were the most sought-after tradesmen in Europe. They were the highest paid and had the most freedom of movement. Europe is known for its medieval guild structure, but the mason guilds differed from most. Because their skills were in such high demand, they could move from place to place following the work. Journeymen got their name because they often journeyed around Europe working at various job sites. Master masons were in such high demand that they would often be poached from one job site to run another.
Before the Iconic Blue Paper Blueprints, Architectural Designs Were Laid Out on Plaster-Covered Floors

Written blueprints weren’t in use until the 1400s. Before that, large-scale projects like Gothic cathedrals and royal palaces had their entire layouts marked on plaster flooring to show what would go where in that drawn spot. You can still even see traces of the chalk marks in Wells Cathedral in England.
Medieval Builders Used Iron Supports Much Earlier Than Previously Thought

After the fire decimated Notre Dame in 2019, archeologists discovered that when rebuilding, the medieval builders had used iron staples, bars, and ties. Using new scientific dating methods, they found the supports were from the 1160s. For years, historians thought they hadn't been used until centuries later to stabilize the aging structure.
Your Level Is Older Than You Think

The technology behind the mason’s level dates back to the ancient Egyptians when they discovered the plumb bob. Centuries later, the Romans improved it. But it wasn’t until 1661 that French scientist Melchisédech Thévenot created the spirit level. These days, masons still use a spirit level, but with a few material upgrades.
Masonry Terms Became Everyday Phrases in the 1800s

The American idiom “on the level” dates back to the late 19th or early 20th centuries. It was first used as a construction term and then by the Freemasons. But book publishers and newspapers began using the phrase to describe things as “genuine,” “aboveboard,” and “not deceptive.”
The World’s Oldest Mason-Built Monument Was Built Before the First Wheel Was Rolled

Gobekli Tepe is the oldest mason-built monument in the world. Historians date it to between 9600 and 9500 BC. Built in Southeast Turkey, it is many thousands of years older than the invention of the wheel, Stonehenge, and the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Lime Mortar Is the Oldest Green Building Material

Lime mortar was a prehistoric discovery. The oldest known use was in 6500 BC in areas of present-day Pakistan and northern India. In the 1990s, scientists found it to be much more sustainable than Portland cement. It can reabsorb levels of atmospheric CO2, reducing its carbon footprint.
Great Britain Taxed Brickmakers to Pay off International War Debts

After losing the American Revolution, Great Britain introduced a brick tax. The proceeds paid off their staggering war debt. Brick makers were required to leave their drying bricks in stacks outside to be counted. They were levied for every thousand bricks they made. The tax was repealed in 1850.
The 1850s Extrusion-Based Brickmaking Machines Radically Changed the Way We Make Bricks Today

The repeal of the brick tax encouraged masons and scientists to experiment with ways to make brick production faster and more efficient. All of them failed, ruining more bricks than they created usable ones. The introduction of extrusion-based brick-making machines in the 1850s changed the process entirely. It’s how we still do it today.

So, the next time you’re building a wall or chatting with some masons on your coffee break, remember that people have been doing the same for over ten thousand years.

12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the History of Masonry

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