The Pigpen Cipher is another example of a substitution cipher, but rather than replacing each letter with another letter, the letters are replaced by symbols. The cipher has an interesting history: although its true origins are unknown, it has been used by many groups. Most notoriously, it was the cipher of choice for use by the Freemasons, a secret society in the 18th Century. In fact, they used it so much, that it is often referred to as the Freemasons Cipher.
The encryption process is fairly straightforward, replacing each occurrence of a letter with the designated symbol. The symbols are assigned to the letters using the key shown below, where the letter shown is replaced by the part of the image in which it is located.
The key to the Pigpen Cipher is this easy to remember grid system. Letters are represented by the part of the grid they are in.
EXAMPLE:
“Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs”
Freemasons sometimes add messages to tombstones as seen below in an example from Trinity Church in New York.
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