Name/Title
West Sussex Constabulary leather belt 1901 - 1912Entry/Object ID
269Description
Broad black leather belt 2 inches wide, with round nickel silver clasp and adjustment buckle, marked "West Sussex Constabulary" with King's Crown centre. Marked on rear of one side of clasp "15"Use
Used as a uniform belt over a tunic or overcoat.Context
Belts were first introduced when police forces abandoned the tail coat in favour of a tunic in the 1850's. They smartened the appearance of the long tunics then worn and were used to hang leather truncheon holders, occasionally small swords and at night oil lanterns. When used at night they would often have leather guards attached to prevent the oil lamps from burning or staining the uniform.
This particular belt has a King's Crown on the clasp which dates it from 1901, when Edward VII came to the thrown. Broadly similar style belts can be seen in photographs from the 1857 formation of West Sussex Constabulary onwards, all be it they would not have displayed a King's Crown. In 1912 the new Chief Constable, Captain Williams, introduced a number of changes to officer's uniforms, including the discontinuing of belts worn over tunics. This suggests that this belt dates from between 1901 and 1912. It is not known whether West Sussex Constabulary retained belts for night duty.
The use of belts nationally, declined in the 1920's, and they were often only used for ceremonial occasions. It is known though that some police forces retained them for night use until the 1960's, presumably to hang battery powered lamps that replaced oil lanterns in the 1920's.
Photographs show that many of the Sussex police forces issued elaborate belts like this one in the 19th and early 20th centuries, sometimes supplementing their use with plain examples with generic "snake's head" clasps (see item 1269).