Masonic Regalia
Masonic Regalia
If you look at a picture of a Masonic officer, you’ll see that he wears several marks of distinction that he wouldn’t be wearing outside the lodge. First of all, he’s dressed in formal wear. In most lodges the suit would be a tuxedo, but in Rural Lodge it has been tradition to wear a white tie and tails.
Each officer wears an ornamental collar that rests over the shoulders and bears the symbol of his office. These are the Square for the Master, the Level for the Senior Warden, and the Plumb for the Junior Warden. There are other collars with appropriate symbols for the other officers. These ornamental collars may be old – notably a few lodges own collars that were crafted by our former Grand Master, the patriot Paul Revere.
The officers each wear an ornate apron appropriate to their office, which bears the symbol of their office. They each carry an instrument: the Master holds a gavel that he uses to rap and control each meeting, Stewards carry long staffs, Wardens carry truncheons (or batons) and the Marshal wields a baton.
The Pocket Jewel is the most spectacular item of regalia. Made of precious metal and perhaps bearing a glittering jewel, it inserts into the top pocket of the suit, and hangs down over the pocket. It is awarded by the lodge to the Master, and is worn with great honor by Past Masters.
All officers wear white gloves. It is a charming conceit that Masons wear gloves so that during a handshake, you cannot tell whether a Brother has the rough hands of a working man, or if he has the soft hands of a professional worker. The likely explanation is that our predecessors, the lodges of the working stonemasons actually issued gloves to the brethren to protect hands from rough stones.
What about the Sideliners?
The brothers who sit on the sidelines are not current officers in the lodge, and do not wear formal dress or gloves – a lounge suit of jacket and tie are sufficient. They must however wear aprons – either special aprons denoting they held office, or a simple white apron. They may sport a lapel badge, denoting a special Masonic award or affiliation, or they might proudly wear a Masonic ring. These items of jewelry are available from many sources, but notably one of our Rural Lodge officers can handcraft a custom ring for you… indeed he can make all kinds of Masonic regalia from pocket jewels to collars!
If you look at a picture of a Masonic officer, you’ll see that he wears several marks of distinction that he wouldn’t be wearing outside the lodge. First of all, he’s dressed in formal wear. In most lodges the suit would be a tuxedo, but in Rural Lodge it has been tradition to wear a white tie and tails.
Each officer wears an ornamental collar that rests over the shoulders and bears the symbol of his office. These are the Square for the Master, the Level for the Senior Warden, and the Plumb for the Junior Warden. There are other collars with appropriate symbols for the other officers. These ornamental collars may be old – notably a few lodges own collars that were crafted by our former Grand Master, the patriot Paul Revere.
The officers each wear an ornate apron appropriate to their office, which bears the symbol of their office. They each carry an instrument: the Master holds a gavel that he uses to rap and control each meeting, Stewards carry long staffs, Wardens carry truncheons (or batons) and the Marshal wields a baton.
The Pocket Jewel is the most spectacular item of regalia. Made of precious metal and perhaps bearing a glittering jewel, it inserts into the top pocket of the suit, and hangs down over the pocket. It is awarded by the lodge to the Master, and is worn with great honor by Past Masters.
All officers wear white gloves. It is a charming conceit that Masons wear gloves so that during a handshake, you cannot tell whether a Brother has the rough hands of a working man, or if he has the soft hands of a professional worker. The likely explanation is that our predecessors, the lodges of the working stonemasons actually issued gloves to the brethren to protect hands from rough stones.
What about the Sideliners?
The brothers who sit on the sidelines are not current officers in the lodge, and do not wear formal dress or gloves – a lounge suit of jacket and tie are sufficient. They must however wear aprons – either special aprons denoting they held office, or a simple white apron. They may sport a lapel badge, denoting a special Masonic award or affiliation, or they might proudly wear a Masonic ring. These items of jewelry are available from many sources, but notably one of our Rural Lodge officers can handcraft a custom ring for you… indeed he can make all kinds of Masonic regalia from pocket jewels to collars!
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