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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: bcd on Saturday 14 January 17 08:10 GMT (UK)
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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
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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?!
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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.
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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.
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You might find this site helpful. Lists occupations.
http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/index.html
Carol
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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.