Name/Title
East Sussex Constabulary painted truncheon c1880sEntry/Object ID
2178Description
Very worn originally black painted wooden truncheon, retaining some paint, 15 3/4 inches (39.5cm) long. The handle has a multi turned grip and a leather wrist 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.
Though the paint has mostly worn off, this truncheon is thought to be one of a number of similar known examples from East Sussex Constabulary and dating to the 1880s. It is known that the force adopted shorter 14 inch truncheons to be carried in trouser pockets during the summer in 1882 (Kyrke 1969 page 78). However this example and other painted ones are longer and may represent a more permanent move to shorter truncheons after the adoption of new winter tunics in the county after 1886 (op cit page 79). It is identical in shape and size to a number of truncheons painted with the letters "ESC" and came from Sussex Police. The style and lack of a maker's mark suggests that these truncheons were locally made.