"The ancient art of stone cutting began when a caveman got really really bored..."
—Cedric, the I.H.E.A./H.O.D.A. Patriarch
and official Jack of all trades.

(Did you know that Cedric can also blacksmith, carve wood, build big cookfires, build stone walls and probably birth a baby?)

The role of the stonecarver and of the mason was a very important one in the Medieval community. They were responsible for producing:

The blacksmith and the stoneworker occasionally worked together: The blacksmith would make and maintain the stoneworker's tools, while the stoneworker probably assisted the blacksmith by building and maintaining his chimney and forge.

Stone workers also worked as part of the guild system. Boys would be apprenticed out at an early age. By the time they were teenagers, they could support themselves and perhaps a growing family with their handiwork.

Stone working tools have changed little over the centuries but safety has! - Modern stone workers use safety glasses, masks, and respirators to protect their eyes and lungs from stone chips and dust.

Medieval stone workers probably did not and would as a result, have had silicoses, a respiratory disease and many miserable eye problems!

Ariel is working on a delicate stone carving of a celtic knot. Female stonecarvers were rare or nonexistent in Medieval times - guild restrictions and different social mores kept them out of the building trades. However, there may have been wives and daughters who assisted their male relations "under the table" whenever there was a rush job or a labor shortage.

This completed face might have once been earmarked to decorate a cathedral, a fountain, or maybe a bridge. -Now it might find itself built into a garden wall or a fountain.