The Plumb
A weighted line that finds true vertical, taught as uprightness of conduct. It is the Junior Warden's jewel.
Also called: plumb line · the Junior Warden's jewel
What it means
A Fellowcraft working tool. The operative mason used it to try perpendiculars; the lesson is to walk uprightly in every station before God and man. The image goes back to Amos 7, where the plumb line is set in the midst of the people.
It is the jewel of the Junior Warden, the officer in the South, who traditionally oversees the Craft at refreshment.
In context: The Working Tools of Freemasonry, Explained
Related Lodge offices: Junior Warden
Frequently asked questions
What does the Plumb mean in Freemasonry?
A weighted line that finds true vertical, taught as uprightness of conduct. It is the Junior Warden's jewel.
Who can wear the Plumb?
As a working tool or a gift it implies nothing. As a collar jewel it belongs to the Junior Warden during his term.
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)
- William Preston, Illustrations of Masonry (1772)