A Masonic gravestone.

This richly carved gravestone is to be found in our local graveyard. The stone was setup in the 1850s by Robert Stephen who was a shipmaster. Many old Scottish gravestones are carved with symbols commemorating the trade or profession of the deceased. That is not the case here, instead the symbols record that Robert Stephen was in life a member of a Freemason Lodge.

Not being a Mason myself I cannot really tell you what the symbols mean, I can but repeat what I have read on the subject.

The Freemasons use all kinds of symbols to represent the practices and beliefs of their order. Many of these Masonic symbols originate from the mediaeval masons' trade and from the Christian Bible. The following symbols are carved on the gravestone.

The builder's square: Used by stonemasons to measure perfect right angles. In Masonry, this is a symbol of the ability to use the teachings of conscience and morality to measure and verify the rightness of one's actions.

The compass: Used by builders to draw circles and lay off measurements along a line. It is used by the Masons as a symbol of self-control, the intention to draw a proper boundary around personal desires and to remain within that boundary line.

Sun, eye, moon, and stars: These images are combined to describe God, whom the sun, the moon, and the stars obey. The sun and moon are also to remind the officers of the lodge to govern the lodge with regularity.

Book of Constitutions: The Book of Constitutions is the code of Masonic laws that govern the operation of lodges.

Jacob's ladder: In the book of Genesis, Jacob dreamed that he saw a ladder stretching from Earth to heaven, and angels climbed up and down it. In Masonry, the ladder is described as having three main rungs, representing faith, hope, and charity. Other rungs include temperance, fortitude, prudence, and justice. Taken together, these rungs are the guiding virtues of Freemasonry.

Plumb: A device with a string and a weight at the bottom (called a plumb bob) to help a workman determine if a vertical wall or surface is level. The plumb line always points to both the center of the Earth and to the heavens. It's a symbol of justice, rectitude, uprightness, equity, and truth.

Level: A building tool similar to the plumb, the level measures the levelness of horizontal surfaces. It reminds Masons that they're all living their lives upon the level of time.

The letter G: This letter represents the initial of God, or the Grand Architect of the Universe, as well as geometry, the basis of Freemasonry's origins. Uniting the concept of God with geometry is a way of connecting the spiritual world to the physical world.

The coffin: Reminds Masons that everyone shall eventually die and turn to dust.

The setting maul: A heavy wooden hammer used by stonemasons to set finished stones into proper alignment. In Freemasonry the maul is a symbol, in the Third Degree, reminding Freemasons of the death of Hiram Abif, the Master Builder of the Temple, which is said to have been effected by this instrument.

How true any of this is, I have no idea!