Name/Title
East Sussex Constabulary painted truncheon "150" c1880sEntry/Object ID
1188Description
Black painted wooden truncheon, 15 1/4 inches (38cm) long, with black painted letters "E.S.C" within a gold shield, under which is the number "150" painted in gold. The handle has a multi turned grip and no strap.Use
For use by a police officer for protectionContext
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 police 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.
However by the 1870s the public were well used to the concept of uniformed police and the need for such decorated truncheons declined. By 1880 warrant cards were issued as a form of ID and the truncheon became less symbolic. At the same time there was a move towards smaller 14-15inch truncheons, that could be carried in a pocket sewn into the trousers. By 1890s most police forces had discontinued decoration in favour of plain truncheons of this shorter length.
This truncheon is one of a number of similar known examples from East Sussex Constabulary and is thought to date to the 1880s. It is known that in 1882 the force introduced shorter 14 inch truncheons to be carried in trouser pockets during the summer months (Kyrke 1969 pages 78-79). However painted "ESC" truncheons like the one pictured, tend to be slightly longer and may represent a more permanent all year round adoption of shorter truncheons in East Sussex, after the adoption of new winter tunics in 1886. The fact that some "ESC" truncheons are thought to have been re-issued during the first world war, makes it unlikely that they date from before the 1880s. The style and lack of a maker's mark suggests that these truncheons were locally made. The painted number probably represents an officer's collar number.
Sometimes truncheons of this period from East Sussex have the letters "SC" and numbers stamped on the end of the handle, this example does not.