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A carpenter's square and a pair of compasses interlocked, the emblem of Freemasonry.
Also known as: Masonic square and compass, Freemason symbol, Compass and square on a grave
The best-known Masonic emblem, and one of the few motifs on a gravestone that reliably identifies something specific: the deceased was a Freemason. Whether the letter G appears in the centre is a jurisdictional difference, not a decorative one.
The principal emblem of Freemasonry: a carpenter's square opening upward with a pair of compasses opening downward, the two interlocked.
On a monument it identifies the deceased as a Freemason. Unlike most gravestone motifs this is an identification rather than an interpretation, which is why it can be stated flatly.
Contexts: History
A letter G frequently appears at the centre in North American practice and is generally absent in English practice — a jurisdictional difference rather than a difference of degree or rank.
Masonic practice differs between Grand Lodges. The English constitution is not a description of Freemasonry everywhere.
The square and compasses are working tools given a moral interpretation within the order's own teaching. That teaching is the order's to state, and Symbolwise records that it exists rather than paraphrasing it.
A right-angled carpenter's square opening upward, interlocked with a pair of compasses whose two straight legs open downward, forming a diamond-shaped space between them.
Both are fraternal emblems that identify organisational membership on a monument.