The Stonemasons' 
Guild of St. Stephen

The Stonemasons’ Guild of St. Stephen 

 

As a guild of artisans, we were formed 1,088 years ago, but in the modern world, The Guild continues legally as a Co-operative and Community Benefit Society.

Our Guild, following in the tradition and pattern of The Great Guilds, was made a collegiate and company Guild in livery, with tripartite purposes (craft, collegiate and frith). It’s patron saints represent the natural material of our craft (St. Stephen being the patron Saint of Stonemasons, martyred by stoning).

Since its inception, The Guild has grown steadily in membership, strength and repute, it has been formalised by its members as a Co-operative and Community Benefit Society registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. 

The Guilds registered objectives are education around stonemasonry skills and craftsmanship, record-keeping (maintenance of an archive) and sharing of the intangible heritage of the craft (viz. its history, culture, skills  and traditions).  

Membership comprises a diverse group of working craftspeople comprising no less than 66% of members as well as patrons, scholars and champions of stonemasonry and traditional craft from across the world who support the Guild’s aforementioned objectives.

It  has developed numerous valued affiliations with craft and academic organisations and respected craftspeople and will broaden its membership and influence through the establishment of further Guild Lodges and offices in The Cotswolds, London, Ireland, Germany and France by 2026. From these international premises, The Guild will continue to work more broadly to protect and champion the global community and culture of stonemasonry: described and defined by UNESCO as the ‘intangible heritage’ of the craft. 

This, our Guild manifesto sets down our guiding principles, values and motivations. To our comrades in craft, they will be familiar and indisputable, to our detractors and foes, they serve as a reminder of our unity, integrity and strength: 

The Manifesto
 

➢ The Guild, by definition, does not, and can never, exist without its constituent members. The community of craftspeople at its heart are its raison d’être. 

➢ The Guild, in its work and customs, holds due respect for its rich and complex history but is paradoxically responsive and progressive. The Guild, in all things, acknowledges its history and tradition, both in the antecedent craft Guilds and in the accumulated knowledge of generations of craftspeople but it is never a slave to tradition. The Guild embraces the best innovations of each new generation and its members have as much of a place in modern society as anybody. 

➢ The Guild training environment is contrived to nurture elite level craftspeople who will become the best in their chosen field within masonry and whose output will exemplify the zenith of the craft. 

➢ The intention is for The Guild to become a world-class centre of excellence in both craft and academic disciplines. As well as seeking excellence in hand-skills and practical craft knowledge, it should become an unrivalled centre for scholarship and learning, amassing the best of world knowledge and building on it with the experience, research and discoveries of Guild members. 

➢ The Guild holds to exacting, objective definitions of mastery and excellence in the craft and will endeavour to maintain these definitions indefinitely. This will be achieved, as it has always been, by instilling a sense of pride, integrity, self-discipline and meticulousness in the next generation of craftspeople. In this way, the meanings of these terms of esteem and honour will never become diluted within the community of The Guild. 

➢ All Guild members hold some responsibility for educating the members of the public they come into contact with, during the course of their work, about The Guild and the craft of stonemasonry. Guild members are particularly encouraged to dispel myths and misunderstandings about The Guild and the craft where they find them and to take every opportunity to uphold The Guild’s reputation for excellence and prestige. 

➢ Stonemasons are, in historic tradition, itinerant workers; prepared to travel and seek the best training, work opportunities and natural resources. The Guild has physical Lodges where much of its work is carried out but also conducts meetings or committees in any location where it is possible for the requisite number of Guild members to convene - any such location is considered, for the duration of The Guild meeting, a Lodge (indicative of the fact that the definitive feature of a Lodge is the assembly of a number of Guild members therein). 

➢ Freedom of speech, dissent and open discourse are encouraged among all members and a fair, democratic process is imperative in any decision-making within The Guild (as stipulated in The Guild Rules). 

➢ The Guild recognises no personal factor (gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, background or politics) which would preclude an individual from Guild Membership. 

➢ The only personal factors precluding eligibility for a craft apprenticeship with The Guild are: a reasonable upper age limit (affording adequate time for the Apprentice to learn and realise themself as a craftsperson - which takes many years) a lack of commitment to the challenges of apprenticeship or absence of the requisite nature and capacity to learn the craft and co-operate harmoniously with the Guild community. 

➢ The Guild will never tolerate any action by or to a member of The Guild that constitutes abuse. The Guild defines abuse as any action that intentionally harms another, whether physically, psychologically, financially, sexually or by neglect. The Guild condemns all such behaviours and, if perpetrated by a Guild member, will take immediate disciplinary action and, depending on the seriousness of the abuse, may vote to expel the perpetrator from The Guild. Where the abuse has been found to occur to a Guild member, The Guild will do everything lawfully in its power to support and protect the individual. 

➢ The Guild will never tolerate any Guild member found to be acting towards another in a manner that constitutes: bullying, persecution, oppression, subjugation, domination, coercion or intimidation. Such behaviour will prompt a final warning and if found to be repeated or continued, will result in the expulsion of the culpable member/s from The Guild. 

➢ The Guild structure is that of a flattened hierarchy. The attainment of rights, privileges, honours and notoriety within The Guild is determined by duration of meritorious servitude to the craft and The Guild. Craft Guild members of any class are generally held in greater esteem than redemptive members inasmuch as they are the future custodians of the craft and the central reason for the formation of The Guild. Notwithstanding this, a general observance of formal modes of respect for all others and specific courtesies to those in more advanced classes of membership and especially those with significant experience as a craftsperson are expected among all Guild members (in keeping with the common traditions of crafts guilds). 

➢ Advancement through classes of membership is achieved through commitment of the appropriate duration of service within The Guild. The required duration of service for redemptive Guild members is greater than for those in craft practice. This, in part, reflects The Guild definition of ‘meritorious servitude’ and, in part, the esteem of craftspeople - at any stage of attainment - above others within the community of The Guild. 

➢ The Guild Master recognises and takes consideration of the variations in character, learning needs and learning styles of individuals and tailors training appropriately for each Apprentice. 

➢ The profits of all the commercial work and the total cumulative assets of The Guild belong to the frith fund (or trust fund) of The Guild. This fund exists primarily for the welfare of contributing Guild craft members but agreed sums can, if a meaningful majority of the membership vote in favour (as outlined in The Guild Rules), be put towards appropriate charitable or humanitarian projects. 

➢ The family life of Guild members is nurtured and supported by The Guild. One of the inviolable Rules of The Guild is that members should have full freedom of choice about the time they devote to their family, particularly where more care is required (e.g. with young families or in the event of illness). 

➢ The Guild Lodges are intended as a safe environment where children of Guild members may be brought and cared for. 

➢ Senior Guild members will always be open to discussing the family needs of Apprentices and other Guild members with a view to achieving the best balance between work, rest and family life for the individual. 

➢ Notwithstanding the fact that Guild members’ family life is encouraged and, to an extent, integrated into their Guild life, it is imperative that family members are discouraged from conducting business alongside one another within the Guild. At all costs, Nepotism and conflicts of interest arising from family members or close friends working together on matters affecting the whole Guild must be avoided. As an example, siblings will not usually be permitted to sit on the same Guild committee. 

➢ One of the most important objectives of The Guild is to plan and build an Academie*: a school that befits the future education of Guild members’ children, a physical testament to the scope and value of the skill and knowledge within the craft of stonemasonry, a centre for the celebration and custodianship of Guild culture and heritage and an enduring beneficent legacy to the future Guild community. 

➢ The Academie, as well as being optimally functional, should not look or feel utilitarian but should stand equally as a thing of beauty; beautiful, nurturing and stimulating not only in its overall form but in its every design feature and decorative detail. It is envisaged that many and varied top craftsmen will be employed in the construction of the fabric of The Academie. 

➢ The curriculum and the teaching philosophy of the Academie will be developed as part of a broader Guild research project to outline the principles and framework of the traditional Guild School education. The Academie is intended to become a great and inspirational centre of learning for all its visitors where many future generations may benefit from a holistic Guild education. 

➢ The Guild will always welcome craftspeople of every nationality into its community and will encourage all members to share with and learn from other craftspeople, especially in respect of foreign craft techniques and craft culture. The Guild will never seek to alter or influence any native or indigenous craft practices or culture but rather will seek to celebrate and preserve the diversity of individual and global craft techniques. 

➢ The Guild will strive to develop working affiliations with other crafts bodies such as The Compagnons, Journeymen and Société des Maçons. 

➢ The Guild will protect, uphold and share the rich cultural heritage of the craft through maintaining records of regional traditions associated with the culture of Stonemasons (e.g. music, dance, poetry, oral folktales, literature and customs) and educating others about our regional and Guild-specific cultural traditions. 

➢ The Guild will uphold the use and study of Bearlish and other masons’ argots/cants among its craft members. 

"Timendi causa est nescire"

​

MAY THE GUILD FLOURISH ROOT AND BRANCH

*Although this term has its roots in Middle English (academy) , Latin (academia), Greek (akademeia, akademos) and French, the use of the French spelling 'Academie' is a continuation of a long held Guild tradition and distinguishes the educational organisation as being in this specific cultural and theoretical lineage. It describes a centre for study and training that aims to promote and maintain exacting high standards.