Hi there Anne.
At the present moment I can not put my hand on the details of the Worshipful Company of Stonemasons, (incorporated in the 13th Century) or of their address - but as soon as I do, I will send you all the details - as most Stonemasons belonged to a Guild no matter where they were based..
Masonry being one of the construction trades required the skills of both an architect and engineer and the eye of an artist as stonemasons were employed to work on both the interior and exterior features of buildings. They could be called upon to build or repair anything from a church doorway to a pavement prior to the development of the specialist monumental masons during the 18th century.
These highly skilled artisans were proud of the knowledge and manual dexterity that they had learnt through a system of apprenticeships, usually of seven years with a master mason and then two years as a journeyman craftsman. On completion of their training they could apply to become a master mason and take on pupils. Most of them became members of a GUILD or TRADE association and operated in a similar way to other craftsmen, although many aspects of both their organisation and working practices were unique.
The demand for the skill of the Stonemason who only had their labour to sell was small compared to that of Carpenters or Potters and, unlike in other trades, there was usually only one master mason employed on each project. The process of becoming a master craftsman often depended on being a burgess - someone who owned a certain type of property in a borough.
Masons usually worked on building sites and normally did not have a permanent workshop in town, they set up workshops or lodges on site which often doubled as places to hold trade association meetings. A mason or his wife who fell on hard times through sickness or old age, could expect a pension or a one-off payment from trade funds.
Masons, like other trade associations also contributed to the public purse and funded the construction of local hospitals or churches, and in many cases they might own benches in the church for the use of members who had paid their fees.
Sorry, but its a rather poor copy of their 'Coat of Arms'
