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board was a board, sometimes on an easel, where the plans for construction were laid for apprentice masons to follow. In the 21st century, the trestle board remains a signature emblem of a man's journey through life and
Freemasonry. In this blog, we'll walk you through the significance of the Masonic trestle board, as well as explore the history of Masonic tracing boards.
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As different
Masonic jurisdictions established official, or standard, degree rituals the creation of new tracing boards by artists waned, and has since largely disappeared in favour of standard designs. Nonetheless, some masonic artists have experimented with very modern designs for the twenty-first
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One of
Freemasonry's oldest symbols is the Masonic trestle board. Often confused with its similar counterpart, the tracing board, the trestle board is, literally and figuratively speaking, the blueprint of which our ancient fraternity was built upon. In the days of the stonemasons' guild, a trestle
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In lodges under the UGLE, and many jurisdictions derived from
English Freemasonry, tracing boards are an essential part of lodge furniture, sometimes displayed flat on the floor, and sometimes vertically against a pedestal or on the wall. Sets of three boards, usually of older designs, may often be
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were then generally hostile to the creation of any physical representations of the ritual and symbols of the Craft, the time-consuming business of redrawing the symbols at every meeting was gradually replaced by keeping a removable "floor cloth" on which the various symbols were painted. Different
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sought to bring a measure of standardisation in tracing board design, and organised a competition in 1845, to which many different designs were submitted. Harris himself submitted at least two different sets to the competition, but one of his designs was the winner. Harris revised the designs in
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were added, often of a geometric type (such as a circle or pentagram). In many lodges the boundary shape may have been drawn by the Tyler, with the Master adding the symbolic detail. Later various symbolic objects were incorporated, examples including a ladder, a beehive, and an hourglass, and
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During the nineteenth century there was a rapid expansion of the use of permanent painted tracing boards, usually painted on canvas and framed in wood. Many artists produced competing designs, and most lodges commissioned sets of bespoke boards which were therefore of a unique design, despite
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portions might be exposed according to the work being executed. By the second half of the eighteenth century the
Masonic symbols were being painted on a variety of removable materials ranging from small marble slabs to canvas, to give a more decorative and elaborate symbolic display.
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and Royal Ark
Mariner degrees as administered from London, the tracing boards have experienced a great revival in popularity from the end of the twentieth century, and official rituals for the explanations of these tracing boards are again in regular use in English lodges.
813:, when an experienced member explains the various concepts of Freemasonry to new members. They can also be used by experienced members as reminders of the concepts they learned as they went through the ceremonies of the different masonic degrees.
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sometimes drawings were interchangeable with physical objects. At the end of the work a new member was often required to erase the drawing with a mop, as a practical demonstration of his obligation of secrecy.
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following common themes. Some designs became particularly popular, leading to some repetition of favoured design features. Boards by John Cole and Josiah
Bowring were examples of popularly recurring designs.
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met chiefly in private rooms above taverns, and the symbolic designs used in catechesis were chalked on the table or floor in the centre of the hired room, usually by the
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was initiated in 1818 and produced many different series of tracing boards, including a miniature set of 1823 which became popular after Harris dedicated the design to
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1849, and these "Emulation" tracing boards are today considered a definitive design within
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tracing board has fallen into disuse in most places, and examples are now rare. In the
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Dring, E.H. (1916). "The
Evolution and Development of the Tracing or Lodge Board".
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Dring, E.H. (1916). "The Evolution and Development of the Tracing or Lodge Board".
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933:"Masonic Tracing Boards and Trestle Boards: Their History and Significance Today"
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Haunch, T.O. (1962). "Tracing Boards: Their Development and Designers".
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An article on the history of the tracing board at the Masonic Trowel
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Tracing Boards of the Three Degrees of Craft Freemasonry Explained
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are painted or printed illustrations depicting the various
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1102:"Tracing Boards from St. Andrews Lodge No. 1817"
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960:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
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1034:"The Evolution of our Modern Tracing Board"
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1125:. Freemason Information. 19 February 2009
877:Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex
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1002:. Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076: 244.
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1021:. Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076: 24.
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1123:"Second Degree Masonic Tracing Board"
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1148:Haunch, T. O. (April 2004).
825:A Third Degree tracing board
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80:Regular Masonic jurisdiction
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302:Masonic youth organizations
153:Order of Mark Master Masons
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834:In the eighteenth century
85:Anglo-American Freemasonry
481:List of Masonic buildings
461:Mark Masons' Hall, London
286:Order of the Eastern Star
1080:"Masonic Tracing Boards"
1032:Spencer, Norman (1949).
456:Freemasons' Hall, London
368:Papal ban of Freemasonry
268:Masonic groups for women
178:Red Cross of Constantine
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887:(UGLE). Eventually the
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218:Royal Order of Scotland
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108:History of Freemasonry
65:Masonic lodge officers
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1104:. Phoenixmasonry, Inc
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529:Chamber of Reflection
281:Order of the Amaranth
276:Women and Freemasonry
193:Societas Rosicruciana
570:Volume of Sacred Law
509:Square and Compasses
1059:. Freemasonry Today
937:scottishritenmj.org
871:The English artist
854:Though the various
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426:John the Evangelist
118:Masonic manuscripts
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348:Anti-Masonic Party
163:Royal Arch Masonry
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693:Philippines
524:Hiram Abiff
421:Albert Pike
401:Prince Hall
55:Grand Lodge
32:Freemasonry
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918:References
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668:Luxembourg
582:By country
562:Dermott's
373:Taxil hoax
262:The Grotto
247:The Shrine
1129:21 August
1086:20 August
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753:Venezuela
728:Sri Lanka
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315:A.J.E.F.
49:Overview
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