Carlisle Cathedral The Priory near the cathedral was founded in 1122 by King Henry I. There were earlier buildings on the site. Ten years later the priory church became the Cathedral and the Kind created the diocese of Carlisle. The building is constructed of red sandstone. Celebrated architect Ivo de Raughton who lived a few miles south of Carlisle designed the intricate masonry. Many interesting features are recorded about Carlisle Cathedral in tourist brochures and its homepage, however they do not mention the many mason’s marks clearly visible on the stone columns inside the Cathedral. There have been hundreds of marks recorded, some being similar to those on the Yarrowee Channel in Ballarat. A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle or star pentagon) is the shape of a five-pointed star. They were known as apotropaic or witch's marks and were thought to ward off evil spirits. Digital photographApotropaic mark carved into columncarlisle, cathedral, stonemasons, mason's marks, apotropaic mark, witch's mark