Day 7. Carpenter's Marks

Timber-framed buildings comprised a lattice work of timbers which were jointed together. The simplest buildings had four 'frames' or sides; internal frames were added at intervals for longer buildings.
The timbers were crafted individually in the carpenter's yard, then each was marked before transport to the building site to aid assembly. The marking system was based on Roman numerals and each frame had an extra identifying mark on its timbers. These carpenter's marks were always marked on the outer side of the frame, or for internal frames, the side facing the centre.

Use of carpenter's marks. The bottom line shows variations for different frames.

Carpenter's marks can be revealing when studying alterations to a building. For example, if the timber marked 'I' is no longer at the end, the building has been lengthened. If the outermost timber is marked 'III' it has been shortened.

Carpenter's marks on the timber-framed barn of Park Farm: horizontal timbers 4, 5 and 8 respectively. The wooden pegs which held the joints in place can be seen. These timbers have  suffered the least exposure to the elements.