Name/Title
Heavily worn painted truncheon c1880Entry/Object ID
975Description
Black painted wooden truncheon 16 inches (41cm) long with heavily worn paint and traces of decoration, possibly a crown at the tip end. The handle has a multi turned grip. Has an old circular collectors sticker on end of handle numbered "49". No makers marks.Use
For use by a police officer as 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 14-15 inch 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.
The size of this truncheon suggests that it is probably later 19th century c1880. The condition and lack of any maker's details make it difficult to be more specific or offer any indication of where it may have been used. The collector's sticker may indicate that it was part of a collection of similarly marked items in the museum that came from Sussex Police. It may even have come from a display that was known to have been in the old Brighton Wellington Street Police station until 1965.