Corn, Wine and Oil
The wages of a Fellowcraft and the elements poured out at Masonic cornerstone ceremonies: nourishment, refreshment and joy.
What it means
The three are named in the Fellowcraft lecture as the wages the craftsmen received, and they are used in public at the Masonic laying of a cornerstone or the dedication of a hall: corn for nourishment, wine for refreshment, oil for joy and peace.
Cornerstone ceremonies are public, and many Grand Lodges still perform them for civic buildings. If you have seen Masons in aprons at a courthouse dedication, that is what they were doing.
Related Lodge offices: Senior and Junior Stewards
Frequently asked questions
What does Corn, Wine and Oil mean in Freemasonry?
The wages of a Fellowcraft and the elements poured out at Masonic cornerstone ceremonies: nourishment, refreshment and joy.
Who can wear Corn, Wine and Oil?
This is a lesson rather than a badge. It turns up on Lodge charts, prints and gifts, and owning or displaying one says nothing about rank. On a lapel most people will read it as Masonic.
Sources
Drawn from the published monitors and from what the bodies concerned publish about themselves. Nothing here comes from, or goes beyond, any obligated material.
- Thomas Smith Webb, The Freemason's Monitor; or, Illustrations of Masonry (1797)