Name/Title
Black painted police cape clasp c1950sEntry/Object ID
888Description
Black painted brass cape clasp and hook connected by a chain, with each part of clasp in the form of a Lion's Head.Use
To fasten a male police officer's capeContext
From the Victorian period police officers were issued with capes to wear over their tunics, during winter and at night. Whilst overcoats became more common in the 20th century, in some areas capes were periodically used until the 1980s, with both waterproof and woollen versions being available. Capes were last thought to have been issued in Sussex in the early 1980s.
The "Lion's Head" clasp was a generic design for uniform capes, not just those used by police, though this particular clasp was probably used in Sussex as it was obtained via a retired Sussex Police officer. Black painted clasps like this were used on capes in all of the Sussex police forces and by Sussex Constabulary so this example could have been used anywhere in the region.