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Actions Displays	Ceremonial maces Remove from selection Add to selection Reproduction Download mediaDownload as zip file Object number21754.1115 TitleCeremonial maces DescriptionThese three ceremonial maces were made during the 19th century. They are staffs of office which would have been used during processions and on formal occasions by members of friendly societies. From the late 18th century, the industrial revolution saw great numbers of people moving from the countryside to towns and cities in search of employment. With no state provision for the poor or the sick, the idea of mutual aid took hold and friendly societies were created. For a small monthly payment to a mutual fund, people could rest easy in the knowledge that they would receive help in times of need – perhaps in sickness payments, a pension or to cover the cost of a funeral. All three ceremonial maces are made of pewter, simply decorated but carrying real weight: they are rich in symbolism. We have a pair of staffs each topped with a heart in an open palm. This is the Heart-in-Hand, which was first used as the personal seal of John Calvin, the Protestant Reformer. It symbolises charity and a loving welcome, given from the heart. It has also been used by the Order of Oddfellows. The third mace is topped with a shepherd’s crook, a symbol dating from the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs (the Egyptian god Osiris was known as a ‘good shepherd’). The crook has been and still is used as a religious symbol of care, often associated with a bishop’s crosier. It was also used on ceremonial staffs by the Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds. Production placeEngland Object nameMace MaterialPewter Dimensions Length: 725 mm

Reproduction

Download mediaDownload as zip file

Object number21754.1115

TitleCeremonial maces

DescriptionThese three ceremonial maces were made during the 19th century. They are staffs of office which would have been used during processions and on formal occasions by members of friendly societies. From the late 18th century, the industrial revolution saw great numbers of people moving from the countryside to towns and cities in search of employment. With no state provision for the poor or the sick, the idea of mutual aid took hold and friendly societies were created. For a small monthly payment to a mutual fund, people could rest easy in the knowledge that they would receive help in times of need – perhaps in sickness payments, a pension or to cover the cost of a funeral. All three ceremonial maces are made of pewter, simply decorated but carrying real weight: they are rich in symbolism. We have a pair of staffs each topped with a heart in an open palm. This is the Heart-in-Hand, which was first used as the personal seal of John Calvin, the Protestant Reformer. It symbolises charity and a loving welcome, given from the heart. It has also been used by the Order of Oddfellows. The third mace is topped with a shepherd’s crook, a symbol dating from the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs (the Egyptian god Osiris was known as a ‘good shepherd’). The crook has been and still is used as a religious symbol of care, often associated with a bishop’s crosier. It was also used on ceremonial staffs by the Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds.

Production placeEngland

Object nameMace

MaterialPewter

Dimensions

Length: 725 mm