Week 25: My ancestor was a stonemason

[Jill on the A272]

Week 25: Stonemason

Did someone in your tree work as a stonemason either building or as an ornamental mason?

This is an opportunity to showcase a stonemason from your family tree, you might want to offer a short biography and speak about their work eg
Name
Birth location/date
Family background
Where you've found them on the census
Their workplace/employer
Any tips on researching this occupation?

[Next week: Fisherman]

[Jill on the A272]

There are three generation of stonemasons in my family at Barnoldswick, then in Yorkshire but now n Lancashire:
7x great grandfather Thomas Broughton (bur 6 May 1749)
6x great grandfather Richard Broughton (born 1736)
5x great grandfather Stephen Broughton (1774-1823)

I don't know anything about their work, though another descendant wrote a local history in the early 20th century which mentions Stephen Broughton the mason and his sons building a bridge over a local beck, though it was 1838 so not my Stephen, but likely to have been the same family.

[Jill on the A272]

My husband's 8x great grandfather Richard Luxford of Fletching, Sussex (1636-1706) was a mason. I found and transcribed his will, the spelling is often phonetic and I can "hear" a Sussex accent in it. The local stone is sandstone, so relatively easy to work. His nephew Thomas Luxford left him fifteen shillings in 1696 but calls him a bricklayer, so I guess he could build in brick or stone as required.

My will transcript and a link to the original on Familysearch are below.

In the nam of god a men the 8 day of aprill 1706 acording
to the Compatition of the Church of England I Richard
Luxford of fletching in the County of Sussex masan being in
Good and parfeck mind and memary praised be to god for it
I doe mak and ordaine this to be my Last will and testement
revorking all other wills and testements made by me hear to foore
and first I do give and bequeath my soul into the hands of all
mighty god my maker hoping Through the meritorious death
and passion of Jesus Christ my only Saviour and redemer to
receve free pardon and for givness for all my sines past and
as for my body to be desiantly buryed at the discrestion of my
executrex hereafter named and as for my worldly goods I
dis spose of as followeth Item I give and be queath unto my dathter
mary now wife William Hodley of Chaille five shillings to be
paid by my Executrex Item I give and bequeath unto my
dafter faith now wife of William Allen of Linvell the sum of forty
shillings to be paid by my executrex within six months next
after my dis Cease Item I give and bequeath unto my son John
Luxford five shillings to be paid by my executrex Item I give
and bequeath to my well be Loved wife faith Luxford the sume
of twenty shillings to be paid by my executrex within one mounth
next after my dis ceas Item all the rest of my goods and Chtells
and corne a pan the ground I give and bequeath unto my to dathers
to be equelly divided be tween them Share and Share a Like that
is to say to my dauthter Elizabeth now wife of Richard
Balkcomb of houstted caines and my dauthter anne
Luxfurd and them I doe make and a poynt to be my full
and houle and Sole and Joynt executreces to this my Last
will and testement In witnes whear unto I have set my
hand and seal the day and year a bove written declaring
this to be my Last will and testament
The mark of Richard R Luxford
Sealed and bublised
in the presents of
Tho: Argles
Richard Page
The mark of Elizabeth X Herring

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61...929&cat=685691

[Caroline]

No masons in my lot but I went to an exhibition about the church in Arundel on Wednesday and spotted this so took this picture for you.

mason-marks.jfif

[Jill on the A272]

Caroline that's interesting to see some Sussex ones, thank you.