What is a Mason

[bcd]

Hi
One of my great ancestors was a Mason in rural shropshire. What was a mason? Was it a builder? It was generally a mining/ farming community. Also in 1872 he appeared to buy a cottage for £125. What sort of money would this be today?
Thanks

[KGarrad]

A mason works in stone - and is usually referred to as a stone-mason.
He would have been a craftsman in the stone-cutting and shaping industry (who may also set the stones).

Don't think were such generalisms as "builders" back then?
Erecting a building required specialists - masons, carpenters, roofers, etc.

Estimating historical costs is extremely difficult!
But one guide gives a rough estimate of £175 in 1872 would be £9885 today.
Another guide says £13835?!

[GUT]

Hi
One of my great ancestors was a Mason in rural shropshire. What was a mason? Was it a builder? It was generally a mining/ farming community. Also in 1872 he appeared to buy a cottage for £125. What sort of money would this be today?
Thanks

Almost impossible to sort money, but think of it this way in 1870 average wage in England was around 50d a day, so 25s a week (6 day week) which is about 1 1/4 pound a week, so about 100 weeks wages for the house.

[Andrew Tarr]

As KG has said, a mason would have been a craftsman.  He would have served a 7-year apprenticeship, after which he would be a journeyman until such time as he became a master mason, when he would have taken on his own apprentices. As a skilled man he would have made a fair wage by the standards of the time.

The craft of course is very ancient and developed its own fraternity which became the Freemasons.

[sunflower]

You might find this site helpful.  Lists occupations.

http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/index.html

Carol

[Rena]

Even in a rural setting a mason would have plenty of work, inscribing headstones and maintaining the mill stones of the surrounding watermills/windmills.  We don't tend to look up when we go into the nearest town, but there's often a surprise if one does because there's plenty of evidence of architectural masonry work above eye level.