Why are the square and compasses sometimes seen without the letter “G”?
The letter “G” is a well-known symbol of Freemasonry, though not a very old one. The time of its adoption is unknown, but it was probably not much before the middle of the 18th century. The use of the letter “G” is not derived from the ancient constitutions and charges of the Medieval Freemasons. It is not mentioned in any of the early exposes of ritual prior to Samuel Prichard’s Masonry Dissected of 1730, and even there its significance is not fully developed. It will surprise some to know that it was not until about 1850 that the letter “G” was placed in the center of the interlaced square and compasses for pins and badges as commonly represented today, and that is supposed to have originated as a jeweler’s design and not by action of any Masonic authority. (Source: Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia, 1995) [Editor’s note: It will be interesting to many Pennsylvania Freemasons that the Grand Lodge Masonic Temple, completed in 1873, has a square and compasses in the stonework over the rear e
