Name/Title
East Sussex Constabulary painted truncheon "186" c1880sEntry/Object ID
885Description
Black painted wooden truncheon, 16 inches (40.5cm) long, with black painted letters "E.S.C" within a gold shield, under which is the number "186" painted in gold. The handle has a multi turned grip, to which is attached a leather wrist strap. On top of the handle is stamped "SC 391".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. These truncheons are the commonest decorated examples from the whole of Sussex. The style and lack of a maker's mark suggests that they were locally made. The painted number probably represents an officer's collar number and the stamped marks, are thought to date from around the period of the First World War. The "SC" mark most likely stands for Special Constable" or "Special Constabulary" and the number could either be a special constable's number or an asset number. These later "SC" marks and numbers are a common feature of these painted "ESC" truncheons and could indicate that they had been kept in storage following earlier use as constables's truncheons and that they were re-issued during the First World War. At this time when there was a huge national increase in the numbers of Special Constables, resulting in shortages of equipment which may explain their re-use. It was only with the Special Constables Act of 1914, that a permanent special constabulary was formed. Prior to that special constables could only be sworn in for very short periods of time if there was an imminent risk of disorder.
East Sussex Constabulary began to issue shorter truncheons of approximately 14 inches in length, designed to be carried in trouser pockets in 1882 (Kyrke 1969 page 78). These were for summer use as new lightweight jackets were introduced that unlike those used in the winter had no tailcoat pockets. It is not known whether these are the same ones as those marked "ESC", which are longer, but as mentioned above in the mid 1880s police forces began following the lead of the London forces in adopting shorter examples carried in trouser pockets, and East Sussex Constabulary adopted short truncheons for all year use in 1886, with the introduction of new winter tunics (op cit. page 79). A clue to the date of this particular truncheon may lay in the number "186". In 1894 there were only 179 officers within the East Sussex force, which by 1920 had increased to 226 (Kyrke 1969 page 125), suggesting this example dates from sometime after 1894. The fact it may have been used during the first world war would suggest that it does not date to any earlier that the 1880s.
A very similar truncheon with the "ESC" shield but marked "SERG 25" was sold at Bohams in 2008.