Building in Medieval Times

Posted by Rachel Bellerby Aug 25, 2008

The stonemason was just one of dozens of different tradesmen who would work on an important medieval building. Various workers were needed at different points of the construction. Although stonework was heavy, most of the heaviest work was actually done by labourers before the stone even reached the site.

These quarrying labourers were amongst the lowest paid of building workers and their job was to hew the stone from the quarry and hack it into manageable blocks, ready for transport to the building site.

The stonemasons would work on the shaped blocks, using their skills to produce the size and shape of stone required. The master mason may never have touched a block of stone from one day to the next; his job was to oversee the building site and everyone working on it.

The work was seasonal and dependent on good weather. And with workers only paid for what they did, the job of stonemason was a precarious and uncertain one.