Conisborough Castle – The Mason’s Marks

The view of Conisborough Castle, which is given another column reminds me of a little story I heard some time ago about a certain local antiquarian. This gentleman, whose opinion by the way, is by no means lightly esteemed amongst the Sheffield brethren, was making some investigations in Conisborough Castle one day, when he came upon some curious hieroglyphics on one of the stone courses on the first floor. These marks he assumed to be the marks which masons put on stones they work, and of which, I suppose, only masons understand the meaning.

Of course this was a most interesting fine, no doubt our archaeologist chuckled to himself as he returned home, with that particular prehistoric chuckle which only archaeologist can show their joy. It may be that on subsequent days our friend took other antiquarian friends to see his great discovery and participate in his joy.

Those things went on swimmingly, and the marks in Conisborough Castle formula link in the chain of evidence, which proves that the practice of masons marking the stones dates back, as we know it does, to a very early period. I hope my readers will not for a moment think that what I am about to relate reflecting any way upon antiquarians in general or this antiquarian in particular, but that it only serves to show that there are still some things which are high and sacred, upon which it is well not to let the low and vulgar gaze.

Unfortunately for the masons marks at Conisborough there discoverer not only showed them to a party of unbelieving person (amongst whom was a member of the staff of the Independent), but even explained their meaning to them. As explanation proceeded, that member of the independent staff and much ado to restrain himself from breaking into while shouts of laughter, for what he saw before and were not “masons marks,” but the name of some person cutting the stone in Pitman’s well-known phonographic system.

The words, written in ordinary characters, are “Gerry Piper, Conisborough,” and “there they stand until this day to witness if I lie.”

When the antiquarians little discourse was over, the pressmen took him aside and lacking a little on Pitman system and those “masons marks” in particular.

I think we had better follow this topic no further