Ancient Landmarks

The Corporation of the Seven Wardens has adopted the following Ancient Landmarks to be used as fulfilling the intent described by Rudyard Kipling in his notes:

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Hammer:  A machinist ball pein hammer having been used and abused in work;

Anvil:  A small size blacksmith’s anvil of standard pattern with an honourable working record;

Chain: A chain of honourable tradition tried and tested in service, endless, and of length sufficient for the hands of all candidates;

Rings:  Suitable for the little finger of the working hand and obtained from one certified source to ensure uniformity and security;

 

Concerning the ring, Kipling wrote:

 

“The Ring of Obligation shall be of wrought iron, unpolished, in the shape and thickness of a wedding ring, but no great width. It shall carry no mark. It shall be worn on the little finger of the right hand except where the Candidate is left-handed, for the Ring shall always be upon the working hand. It is not to be worn upon the watch chain (viz: as a piece of jewellery). It is a ring, not a charm.”

 

“It (the Ring) is rough, as the mind of the young person. It is not smoothed off at the edges, any more than the character of the young. It is hand-hammered all around – and the young have all their hammering coming to them. It has neither beginning nor end, any more than the work of an engineer or, as we know, space itself. It will cut into a gold ring if worn next to it, thus showing that one had better keep one’s work and one’s money-getting quite separate.”

 

Camp Book:  Provided by the Corporation of the Seven Wardens for each Camp includes Charter, Ceremony, Notes, the Rule of Governance, and other information gathered from time-to-time pertaining to the constitution of any Camp and the carrying out of the Ceremony. Aside from the camp charters, after 2016 the content of the Camp Book has been superseded by the later versions of the Manual of Camp Practice.

 

The anvil, hammer and chain used by Camp 15 for the Obligation Ceremonies at the University of Waterloo are Ancient Landmarks and were presented by one of the original Camp Wardens, Mr. M.A. Montgomery of Canadian Blower/Canada Pumps, prior to the first ceremony.

 

The anvil and hammer used by Camp 15 for the Obligation Ceremonies at Conestoga College are Ancient Landmarks and were presented by the first student Candidates of Conestoga College prior to the inaugural ceremony on November 5, 2010.