Name/Title
Decorated police truncheon c1870 -1880Entry/Object ID
974Description
Wooden heavily worn decorated truncheon, with plain multi turned handle, 16 inches (41cm) in length. The body is painted black with a large crown painted at the top, over a large red and gold cartouche, inside which is the remains of a number "6" in gold paint. No strap or maker's marks.There is an old circular collector's sticker on handle numbered "47".Use
For use by a police or parish constable for protection and as a symbol of their authority.Context
The earliest police truncheons tend to be 17-20 inches (43-51cm) long and are often highly decorated usually with a crown and sometimes with the addition of a royal coat of arms. This was because in the days before warrant or ID cards, the truncheon was the officer's badge of office and symbolised his authority from the crown for carrying out his duties.
There was no single style of truncheon or design of decoration in the 19th century and individual police forces chose whatever they liked, some adopting truncheons of a reasonably standard design, made by a large supplier, and others purchasing more unique styles made by local manufacturers. As well as being a symbol of authority decorated truncheons were designed to be used in self defence and were not just ornaments.
The truncheon pictured though heavily worn can be made out as a crown at the top over a red cartouche or plaque, both recognisable standard elements on decorated truncheons. However it is not quite a standard design as normally you would expect to have a royal cypher under the crown, which appears to be missing and in fact there seems no room for such a cypher, as the cartouche is larger than normal.
At 16 inches in length this truncheon is smaller than many decorated examples which may suggest it is latter in date c1880. The collector's sticker suggests it may have been part of a collection which may have included other similarly marked objects in the museum. The fact that it came from Sussex Police indicates that it may have been used somewhere in Sussex. It may have come from a collection that was housed in the old Brighton Police station at Wellington Street until 1965.
By the 1870s the public were well used to the concept of uniformed police and the need for decorated truncheons declined. In the 1880s warrant cards were issued as a form of ID and he truncheon became less symbolic. At the same time there was a move towards smaller 14-15 inch truncheons that could be carried in a pocket sew into the trousers. By the 1890s most police forces had discontinued decoration in favour of plain truncheons of this shorter length.