Jump to content
News Ticker
  • I am now accepting the following payment methods: Card Payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal
  • Latest News

    Recommended Posts

    I was successful at Lockdale's the other month and picked up this George III long staff at the auction for a relatively good price. The others being sold were Perth/Leith and Edinburgh High Constable Staves, but this one was unidentified, purportedly from 1805-1810.

    25 inches in length, it comes with the GIIIR cypher at the top and a printing of a house and 41. at the bottom. It's slightly difficult to get a good shot without getting that band of light over the picture, but I took a few to show the angles.

    deqma0.jpg

    2vn598o.jpg

    eil5c0.jpgamph7d.jpg

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Nightbreak - I think you have acquired a very nice - and collectable piece. Just to set the record straight - this is not a long

    staff. These were usually over 5feet long (150cm) and were carried by constables prior to about 1780. After, shorter staves and then truncheons came into use. What you have here is a ceremonial staff for one of the Scottish towns that had High Constables.

    These included Edinburgh , Perth, Leith and also, the Palace of Hollyrood House , in Edinburgh.

    I have found it very difficult to actually see detail on the photos - perhaps have another go - or, a rough drawing ? My feeling

    is that this could be an old staff for Hollyrood House - which is the Royal Palace when visits to Scotland are made. Mervyn

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Mervyn: Yes, sorry, I was just going by the auction description. It probably should have read Police Staff.

    I'm going to try and do something about a better picture, but the curve of the staff tends to attract the light source into a line at just the wrong spots on 'close up', while 'super closeup' is just a bit too close, it seems. I might have to get it in a more open, naturally lit area. It is a wide house, certainly, and has a chimney, what looks to be a path, and several windows.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    This has already been purchased. The description did say long stave, but my own measurements put it at 25 inches. I just double-checked the Lockdale's archive from August. So the mistake was at their end.

    Have reached out to an old contact in the Royal Collection Armory to see if he has any like it in the vaults.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 3 weeks later...

    Nightbreak - I have studied the pictures most carefully and have to be honest I can't work them out. What is the object - with

    what appears to be windows, above the numerals. Is it part of a Crown ? Perhaps try another picture where the whole

    staff can be seen - may make it a little clearer ? Mervyn

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Mervyn: It seems to be a house, of all things, with a long path in the middle (three or four stone steps at the end), one window on the left, two on the right, and a chimney at the top. The problem is that it goes around more than half of the shaft., so a straight-on image doesn't give us the full thing.

    I have not heard back from the curator at Holyroodhouse yet, unfortunately. The 'passed-on' request may have gotten buried in her inbox.

    Edited by Nightbreak
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The Holyrood House ones are quite distinctive - if my memory is correct. I am beginning to think that you have something far rarer -

    just possibly, the Gatekeeper or, more probably, the High Steward of a large Scottish Estate. If my surmise is corrrect it will probably

    be a Titled estate. With English large estates the landowner would be the local magistrate and a tipstaff would be in front of him

    when he sat as such. With Scotland - and it's history of Staves (or Staffs - the word is a plurality) I would not be surprised to

    find this on the Bench to show his authority.

    Now, where do we go from here ? Just a personal approach - I would have a nice leaflet witha variety of pictures of the staff -

    and send it to every Scottish museum asking for their help. Also, the author of a history of Scottish tipstaffs and truncheons died recently. At this time I can't remember his name - however, I expect some of our members will have bought the book and will

    be able to give details. There just might be a mention of this type of staff ? Best wishes Mervyn

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The Holyrood House ones are quite distinctive - if my memory is correct. I am beginning to think that you have something far rarer -

    just possibly, the Gatekeeper or, more probably, the High Steward of a large Scottish Estate. If my surmise is corrrect it will probably

    be a Titled estate. With English large estates the landowner would be the local magistrate and a tipstaff would be in front of him

    when he sat as such. With Scotland - and it's history of Staves (or Staffs - the word is a plurality) I would not be surprised to

    find this on the Bench to show his authority.

    Now, where do we go from here ? Just a personal approach - I would have a nice leaflet witha variety of pictures of the staff -

    and send it to every Scottish museum asking for their help. Also, the author of a history of Scottish tipstaffs and truncheons died recently. At this time I can't remember his name - however, I expect some of our members will have bought the book and will

    be able to give details. There just might be a mention of this type of staff ? Best wishes Mervyn

    Mervyn,

    The late John Green is the gent who published the book on Scottish Police insignia etc.

    Dave.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...

    Important Information

    We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.