Scottish Castles Association

The SCA now has an ongoing programme to gather and collate "Masons' Marks" i.e. those marks cut into the visible surfaces of dressed stones built into ancient structures. These personal identification marks appear in most old buildings, sometimes very frequently, and will have shown which Mason cut which stones either off-site or in-situ. There is much speculation as to their purpose but we believe that they would probably have allowed due payment to be made for work done. Analysis of the "marks" may show that they are traceable between structures, places and times.

We are asking that Members record any marks that they know of and actively watch-out for marks during their visits.

To ensure our data base is accurate we are using a standard format We need Castle or building name, location of the property, sketch or description of where in the building, which particular building if there is a complex of structures, date of the structure or part of the structure, if known. Shown here is the set of marks from Balgonie Castle as shown in Newsletter No 2. The example above gives a guide as to how we can record and submit our findings.