York Minster

The Minster Stoneyard benefits this autumn from the services of two ‘Journeymen’ and one ‘Companion’.

A journeyman is a fully qualified stonemason and member of a ‘brotherhood’, who promises to uphold the values of their Company – friendship, sharing work and learning about new cultures. Once started, they are not allowed to return within 60km of their home for a minimum of three years and one day.

Florian Wagner, 26, is from Lanshuf near Munich, Germany and has been a journeyman for about 18 months. He will leave the Stoneyard mid-December, returning to Germany for a few weeks to celebrate with one of their number that he has kept his promises. He then hopes to continue his work in South Africa.

Mattias Goetz, 27, who started in September 2008 alongside Florian, is from Biberach. He has been a journeyman for two years. He leaves York at the end of December, moving onto Aberdeen, the Shetlands and ultimately Trondheim, Norway.

Journeymen must always wear their uniform: their black hat is a sign of freedom and is taken off in respect only in church and when they eat. Their blue tie denotes to which brotherhood they belong and their badge shows they are qualified stonemasons. They also wear a waistcoat, which they must button up when they meet a fellow journeyman to show they come in friendship.

There are a number of ‘brotherhoods’ for all the ‘old’ crafts such as stonemasons, joiners, carpenters, tailors and goldsmiths. Florian and Mattias belong to the oldest ‘brotherhood’ of stonemasons established in 1891. The brotherhood is called Rolandbruder and is part of the Rolandshacht company.

Sebastien Gariston, 21, is part of another association called Les Compagnons, a brotherhood of craftsmen who literally worship work and believe that transformation of matter by a man’s hand is a noble calling. Their training is steeped in ritual, organisation and craft guild methods inherited from the Middle-ages. The brotherhood includes joiners, blacksmiths, carpenters and stonemasons, like Sebastien.

Sebastien has been a stonemason for five years now and will leave the Minster Stoneyard in July, after being here for one year. It is a custom of Les Compagnons that each year for nine years they must move on from one location to another. Sebastien hopes to move to Strasbourg next where he will continue his work.