Overview & Ritual Context in British Freemasonry
Speculative Freemasonry teaches moral philosophy by taking the physical iron and wooden implements of medieval cathedral stonemasons ('Operative Masons') and assigning an ethical meaning to each tool across the three Craft Degrees.
Primary Historical & Ritual Citations
- Emulation Working & Taylor's Ritual Working Tools Explanations (standardized post-1813 Lodge of Reconciliation).
- Samuel Prichard, Masonry Dissected (1730): records the earliest catechism of operative tools moralised for speculative gentlemen.
First Degree Working Tools (Entered Apprentice)
Presented immediately after Initiation: (1) The 24-Inch Gauge measures the work, symbolising the 24 hours of the day to be divided into prayer, labour, refreshment, and serving a friend or Brother in time of need; (2) The Common Gavel knocks off superfluous knobs and excrescences from rough stone, representing the force of conscience keeping down vain and unbecoming thoughts; (3) The Chisel refines and polishes the stone, representing education and perseverance.
Second Degree Working Tools (Fellowcraft)
Tools of testing and geometry: (1) The Square tries and adjusts rectangular corners of buildings, teaching morality and truthfulness; (2) The Level lays levels and proves horizontals, teaching equality and reminding us that all humans share the same nature and destiny; (3) The Plumb Rule tries and adjusts uprights whilst fixing them on their proper bases, symbolising justness and uprightness of life and actions.
Third Degree Working Tools (Master Mason)
Tools of the master architect: (1) The Skirret is a chalk-line working on a centre pin to mark out the ground for the foundation of the intended structure, pointing to the straight and undeviating line of conduct laid down in the Volume of the Sacred Law; (2) The Pencil draws the plans and elevations of the building, reminding us that our words and actions are recorded by the Most High; (3) The Compasses determine the limits and proportions of every part of the building, reminding us of His unerring and impartial justice.
Connected Masonic Orders & Degrees
Craft Freemasonry
Craft Freemasonry (often referred to as Blue Lodge Masonry) forms the foundation of all Masonic membership in the United Kingdom, comprising the three ceremonies of Entered Apprentice (First Degree), Fellowcraft (Second Degree), and Master Mason (Third Degree).
Mark Master Masons
Famous as 'the Friendly Degree', Mark Masonry extends the Fellowcraft degree of Craft Freemasonry, dramatising the operative stonemasons who carved their personal mason's mark onto every ashlar at King Solomon's Temple and the parable of the Keystone that the builders rejected.
Women's Freemasonry (OWF & HFAF)
Women have practised regular ceremonial Freemasonry in the United Kingdom for well over a century through two historic Grand Lodges: The Order of Women Freemasons (OWF) and The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons (HFAF). Both work traditional Craft ritual, wear identical regalia to male Freemasons, and sit alongside UGLE on the Council for Freemasonry in England and Wales.
Interconnected Symbols in the Masonic Knowledge Graph
Square and Compasses
The Square and Compasses is the universal emblem of speculative Freemasonry. Conjoined together, the stonemason's try-square represents morality, fairness, and earthly conduct ('squaring our actions'), whilst the compasses represent spiritual boundaries, moderation, and self-restraint.
Boaz & Jachin Pillars
Standing at the porchway or entrance of every Masonic temple are two symbolic columns adorned with lilies, network, pomegranates, and celestial and terrestrial globes: Boaz on the left and Jachin on the right, modelled on the two hollow bronze pillars cast by Hiram of Tyre for King Solomon's Temple.
Masonic Tracing Boards
Unique in their richness to British and Commonwealth Freemasonry, Tracing Boards are painted architectural and symbolic canvases displayed in the Lodge room during each of the three Craft Degrees to illustrate the historical lectures.
Frequently Asked Questions About Working Tools of Each Degree
Why do Scottish and American Working Tools differ slightly from English UGLE Working Tools?
In the English Constitution (UGLE), nine distinct working tools are presented (three per degree). In American Webb-Preston ritual, the Chisel and Skirret/Pencil are replaced in the Third Degree by the Trowel, which spreads the cement of brotherly love.