The Mace
by:
Richard Pereira, Daniel Neves, and Jack Mercer
Senior 1
Canada
The Procedures:
Before a session, the Sergeant-at-Arms receives the mace from The Lord Chamberlain of the Household. The Sergeant-at-Arms bearing the mace comes in with the procession. The procession is strengthened by the present of the mace. After the Speaker bows thrice to the Chair the Sergeant-at-Arms puts the mace on the cushion which lies on the Clerk's Table with the orb pointing towards the government side of the Chamber. Then, for the whole session the Sergeant-at-Arms stands next to the Speaker.
When the house is not in session the mace is kept under the Table until the next one. The mace is also kept under the Table when the elections for the Speaker are going on, and that signifies that until the Speaker is elected the House is not properly constituted. No one knows why the mace is left under the Table and there are no records to explain it; it is just a tradition. When the Speaker-Elect (the new Speaker) goes to the appointment to hear Royal approve the Sergeant carries the mace on his left shoulder, and when they return the mace is carried in the normal position. When the Speaker-Elect is seated the mace is lifted from under the Table to the bracket on top of the Table.
After a session, the mace is left in the custody of the Messenger outside the Doors of Peers' Chamber. Then, he puts it under the Table and leaves. It is a long-standing tradition that the House of Commons cannot legally sit of conduct business without the Mace on the Table. When the mace is not present, they cannot make laws, change laws, repeal laws, begin a meeting, or do anything. Once a session was suspended because the mace was not present, but all along, the mace was right underneath the Table.
The Significance of the Mace:
The Mace is a parliamentary custom, an essential piece of furniture, and it has been used in parliament for many hundreds of years. Over that time, the Mace started to symbolize many things, but over all it symbolizes the Royal authority and approval of Her Majesty the Queen. It also symbolizes the authority of the Sovereign, the House of Commons, the Speaker and the Sergeant-at-Arms.
However, there is some controversy that the mace does not symbolize the authority of the Speaker or the Sergeant-at-Arms. Some people think otherwise, such as the late Lord Campion, who said that the mace does represent the authority of the Sergeant-at-Arms when with the mace, but not of the Speaker at all. He said that because the Sergeant-at-Arms has the authority to arrest anyone without a warrant when with the mace, but without the mace he needs to get a warrant from the Speaker. Other people say that the Sergeant's authority is only symbolized when the mace is borne before the Speaker, or during the process to and from the Bar of the Lords. Others believe that the mace does represent the Speaker and say when the Mace is left underneath the Table on the leaving of the Speaker its symbolism can only relate to the Speaker.
The History:
The mace was originally a weapon made for war and protection. It was so powerful it could dent the strongest armour and kill in seconds. Archers and other types of amounted warriors used the mace as a hand arm. In the Middle Ages it was used as a weapon to protect Kings and the bearers of the maces were called the Sergeant-at-Arms who were the body guards of the Kings. Gradually, it gained a ceremonial character. Bishops also carried heavy maces made of iron. They used them because their religion did not allow them to use weapons that would draw blood like a sword. However, the maces would leave huge bruises and dents.
By the thirteenth century, the mace began to be ornamented with jewels and precious metals (the origin of the modern mace). The shape changed and it no longer looked like a brutal Middle Aged war weapon. Now, it is purely ornamental and symbolic.
The original mace of Canada was a copy of the mace in the British House of Commons, but unfortunately, it was lost in a fire in 1916. The House used a temporary wooden replica of the original mace, and that same wooden mace still stands in the Speaker's office. On the anniversary of the fire, the Sergeant-at-Arms brings out the wooden replica. The present mace was introduced in May 1916. Every part of the new mace was new except for one portion that was found in the fire from the previous mace.
There have been a few cases where members and even the Speakers have tried to get at the mace, but all attempts failed. One example was in July of 1930 when a member, John Beckett, got up from his seat because he was mad and took the mace from its brackets. The Sergeant-at-Arms immediately took the mace back and put it back in it right full place. Another one was in 1920, the Speaker got up from the Chair and tried to get to the mace, but the Sergeant-at-Arms with the help of a mob of members also stopped him.
Manitoba
The Manitoba Mace - traditional symbol of the authority delegated to Parliament by the people - plays an important role during sessions of the Legislative Assembly.
In solemn ceremony it is carried into the Chamber by the Sergeant-at-Arms and placed on a large table- where it remains while the Assembly transacts its business.
Made of gold plated metals, it is five feet in length and approximately 22 pounds in weight. The Royal Crown surmounting head of the mace is a symbol of the Monarchs the head of the State and the unity that is necessary between Crown and State to ensure the smooth functioning of responsible government.
The original mace of the Manitoba Legislature made its first appearance on March 15, 1871. It was introduced at Manitoba's first Legislature, at the home of Mr. A.G.B. Bannatyne, the merchant prince of the community. It was entirely made of wood. Its head was carved out of the hub of a Red River cartwheel and its staff was part of the flagstaff of the Wolseley Expeditionary Force. It was gilded by the Hon. Henry J. Clarke, Manitoba's first Attorney General and later he was the Premier for a short time. On December 3, 1873 the mace escaped a fire that destroyed the Legislature's first home. The original mace served Manitoba for thirteen years and then was replaced by the present mace we have today. The original mace still rests here in the Provincial Library on a faded blue cushion on which it had previously rested on the Table of the House.
The present mace made its appearance in 1884 and is intricately designed with emblems and insignia that tell the story of its background. The Rose, Thistle, Harp and Fleur-de-Lis, national emblems of England, Scotland, Ireland, and France symbolize the four mother countries of the men and women who laid the laws, literature and tradition.
The Beavers on the four arches of the Royal Crown indicate that Manitoba acknowledges Canada's sovereignty.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick's sterling silver mace is the symbol of parliamentary authority. The Hon. Murray MacLaren, lieutenant- governor of the province, presented it to the Legislative Assembly in 1937, the coronation year of King George VI.
On top of the cushion of the crown are the royal arms. On the head of the mace are the arms of the province on one side, and the first great seal of the province on the other. The Royal cypher GVIR is on both sides. There are also sprays of purple violets, the provincial flower. On the staff are representations of the purple violet, red spruce and maple leaves to signify the connection between the province and the Dominion.
The sergeant-at-arms is responsible for the safekeeping of the mace, and the furniture and fittings of the House. The sergeant-at-arms bearing the mace escorts the speaker and the clerks upon their entry into and withdrawal from the chamber. A desk is provided for the sergeant-at-arms on the floor and he or she is available at all times to enforce, if necessary, the orders of the speaker.
When the legislature is in session, the mace is placed upon the table. When in committee and when the speaker is not in the chair, the mace rests on brackets beneath the table. When not in session, the mace remains in the speaker's care.
Today in most Commonwealth legislatures, a mace will be found in the House. It is the symbol of the speaker's authority as a servant of the House.
The history of the development of the mace in British parliaments is both interesting and curious. In medieval times, it was a weapon of defense used in close combat, especially by ecclesiastics to whom the sword was a forbidden weapon. Later, when it came to be associated with assembled lawmakers, it served as an effective weapon for preserving order. Only gradually did it assume its present ceremonial role. The speaker's procession and the mace are the daily reminders that parliament won the battle for supremacy over arbitrary government.
Ontario
The presence of the mace in the House symbolizes the authority given to the Speaker to oversee the Legislature and the process of creating new laws in Ontario. Each day the house is in session, the Sergeant at Arms leads the procession into the Chamber. Over his right shoulder, he carries the mace, which is brought to the Clerk's table and placed on a cushion. The crown of the mace always faces the government, while the opposite end or the "club" faces the opposition.
British Columbia
The Sergeant-at-Arms is responsible for the care and custody of the mace, and carries it to lead the Speaker in the Speaker's Procession at the opening and closing of each day's sittings of the House. Centuries ago, the mace was the personal weapon of a Sergeant-at-Arms, and also his badge of office and authority, displaying the royal insignia to people who could not read. In more modern times, the mace has become the symbol of the authority of the House itself, and it must be present upon the table for the House to conduct its business. When the House is resolved into a Committee of the Whole House, the mace is moved to a position below the table.
Since British Columbia became a province of Canada in 1871, there have been three successive maces in the Legislative Assembly. The first was used from 1872 to 1897; it was made by Mr. C. Bunting in gilded, carved wood, with a carved crown and Grecian cross. The second mace was first used on 10 February 1898 at opening of the newly completed Parliament Buildings, and was made of brass by Winslow Brothers of Chicago.
The present mace of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia was adopted in 1954. It was entirely handmade by Jefferies & Company, Victoria silversmiths, from native British Columbia silver, plated with 24 carat gold, weighing 11 pounds. The traditional design has a long shaft topped by a deep bowl surmounted by a representation of St. Edward's Crown and the Royal Cypher. The bowl bears the coats of arms of Canada and British Columbia, and four embossed scenes depicting the province's forestry, fishing, agriculture and mining industries. These scenes are similar to the murals in the main rotunda of the Parliament Buildings.
When the Legislative Assembly is sitting, the Sergeant-at-Arms or a deputy is always present in the Legislative Chamber, and enforces the instructions of the Speaker in the event of any disorder in the House, the lobbies and corridors, or the public galleries. Under the authority of the House, the Sergeant-at-Arms may take into custody any persons who misconduct themselves. The Sergeant-at-Arms may also, when instructed by the House or upon the issuance of a Speaker's Warrant, ensure the attendance at the Bar of the House of any persons who are summoned to account for behaviour that breaches Parliamentary Privileges.
The Sergeant-at-Arms is a permanent Officer of the House, whose functions have evolved over several centuries of parliamentary tradition, beginning with the appointment of the first Sergeant-at-Arms for the British House of Commons in the year 1415. In the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, the Sergeant-at-Arms has responsibility for the ceremonial aspects of the House, the "preservation of order," and related administrative and supports functions.
The Sergeant-at-Arms ensures that the House, its Committees and Members are able to conduct their business without disturbance or interruption. He manages access to the Public Galleries of the House and other parts of the Parliament Buildings, and is responsible for managing the Legislative Security Staff and providing security services to the Parliament Buildings complex, its occupants, and the public. Related functions of the Sergeant-at-Arms include custody of the Legislative Chamber and its furnishings, custody of Bills prior to introduction, timely distribution of Legislative documents, parking facilities, and messenger and courier services.
Alberta
The mace, the ceremonial staff that the Sergeant-at-Arms carries into the Chamber each sitting day, is the symbol of the Speaker's authority and, therefore, the authority of the Assembly. When the Assembly is sitting, the Sergeant-at-Arms places the mace on the Table with the orb and cross facing the government side of the Chamber. When the Speaker leaves the Chair and the Assembly sits as a committee of the whole, the mace is moved to brackets on the underside of the Table. Although the mace has no constitutional significance, it is so important as a symbol that the Assembly cannot conduct its business unless the mace is present.
Like so many other features of the Legislative Assembly, the Mace has a history going back to medieval England. When soldiers went to battle for the monarch, they were armed with swords, while the bishops who went with them carried maces with the royal coat of arms engraved at the bottom of the shaft. Far from being merely decorative though, the earliest maces were lethal weapons with spikes and blades that could penetrate armour.
Two kings of the 12th century, Richard I of England and Philip II of France, armed their bodyguards with maces, which were used both in battle and in royal ceremonies. Gradually the Mace became a symbol of the monarch's authority instead of a real weapon. As the mace developed symbolic stature, its appearance changed accordingly. Jewels, precious metals, and other lavish decorations replaced the spikes and other warlike apparatus, and the royal coat of arms became the mace's most important emblem. As a result, the coat of arms was made larger and moved from the bottom of the shaft to the top.
The mace probably appeared in the British Parliament as early as the 14th century, when the monarch first ordered a Sergeant-at-Arms to enter the Chamber with the Speaker. As the monarch's power decreased and Parliament's grew, the mace became Parliament's symbol as well. The modern mace thus represents the authority of a parliament or assembly as well as the monarch's.
Both Britain and Canada have long recognized the symbolic importance of the mace. In Britain, King Charles I tried in 1626 to close Parliament by demanding the surrender of the mace, and Oliver Cromwell made sure it was removed when he forcibly dismissed a Parliament in 1653. In the 19th century, the British House of Commons had to delay a daily sitting when the keys to the cupboard holding the mace went missing. Here in Alberta, the First Legislature was caught off guard just before its first sitting: there was no mace. Because nobody so much as suggested that a sitting could be held without it, Alexander Rutherford's Liberal government ordered the rush construction of one from Watson Brothers jewelry in Calgary.
Watson Brothers hired Rufus E. Butterworth, a Canadian Pacific Railway employee from Calgary, to do the job. He came up with Alberta's first Mace in only a few weeks' time, and it was made entirely of scrap. Its shaft was plumbing pipe mounted on a toilet tank float, some ornamental decorations around the orb were made from old shaving mug handles, and bits of an old bedstead and other scraps of wood formed the rest. A piece of red velvet and a coat of gold paint provided the finishing touches, and the mace was sent to Edmonton in time for the Legislature's March 15, 1906, opening ceremonies at the Thistle curling rink.
Remarkably, the makeshift mace was used for 50 years. It was finally replaced on February 9, 1956, when the provincial employees' union presented a new mace Legislative Assembly as an expression of loyalty and in commemoration of Alberta's Golden Jubilee 1905-1955."
The new mace was designed by L. B. Blain of Irving Kline Limited, Edmonton, and built by an English silversmith, Joseph Fray Limited, Birmingham. It is about three feet long and contains 200 ounces of sterling silver overlaid with gold. Engraved on the shaft's surface are some of the emblems and symbols of Alberta, including wild roses, sheaves of wheat, and a coloured shield. The crown features a hand-carved beaver, engravings of wild roses and sheaves of wheat, and a ring of precious stones that spell "Alberta": Amethyst, Lapis Lazuli, Beryl, Emerald, Ruby, Topaz, Aquamarine. Two coats of arms adorn the ball of the mace, those of Canada and of the British monarch.
Nova Scotia
The mace is the elegant and ancient symbol of the Royal Authority, delegated in Nova Scotia to the House of Assembly. Originally a battle weapon, carried by the royal bodyguard when medieval English kings conducted their own assemblies, the mace became emblematic of the transfer of power to the English Parliament. As the Speaker became responsible to the House rather than the King, the power of the Crown was represented in the ceremonial mace. When the Nova Scotia Assembly is in session, the mace is the Speaker's authority to conduct the business of the House, and is always in the care of the.
The present mace was a gift to the House of Assembly, in 1930, from the Chief Justice of Nova Scotia, the Honourable Robert E. Harris and Mrs. Harris. It is silver gilt and four feet tall. Depicted in the glittering surfaces of the mace are the Royal Crown, the Armorial Achievement of Nova Scotia, the Great Seal of the Province, and the floral emblem of Nova Scotia, the mayflower.
Newfoundland
The mace is another symbol closely associated with the Speaker. It embodies the ancient authority of the Crown, today exercised by the Assembly. In the House, it also represents the authority of the Speaker, because "the authority of the Speaker and of the House are indivisible."
In the Middle Ages, the mace was the weapon of the Sergeant-at-Arms, who was then the King's bodyguard. It was heavy enough to smash armour and was used to defend the King's person from any attacker. It was also used in summoning accused persons before the King for judgment. In the thirteenth century, the mace began to be ornamented with jewels and precious metals, the origin of the elaborate modern mace object.
Nowadays the mace is an integral part of parliamentary decorum. Without it, the House is not constituted and proceedings cannot begin. It is borne on the shoulders of the Sergeant-at-Arms when the Speaker processes from place to place, and when the Speaker is seated in the Chair, the mace rests on the Table. When the House sits in Committee of the Whole, the mace is placed below the Table on special brackets.
Northwest Territories
At the beginning of each day's sitting of the Legislative Assembly, a procession enters the Assembly Chamber. Everyone in the Chamber stands respectfully as the Sergeant-at-Arms, carrying the mace on his right should, leads the procession, followed by the Speaker and the Clerks.
Without the mace, no proceedings may take place in the Chamber. The mace is a symbol of the authority of the Legislative Assembly and its Speaker.
The origin of the mace goes back many centuries in history. Ancient traditions surround the mace, an essential part of the Regalia of the British Parliament.
The mace was originally a weapon, designed to be capable of breaking through the strongest armour. Sergeant-at-Arms of the King's Bodyguards, established by both French and English kings in the 12th century, were equipped with maces to protect the King. Because the duties of these officers include apprehending people threatening to the King and summoning people to the royal presence, the mace came to be regarded as a symbol of the King's authority.
Later, the mace developed its ceremonial significance and, in the 13th century, maces were ornamented with jewel and precious metals. In addition, in that century, mayors and civic authorities were given the right to carry ornamented maces. By the 16th century, they were in general use. It is not known when a mace was first carried before a Speaker in the British House of Parliament but its use probably dates from before the separation of Parliament into the House of Lords and the House of Commons in the 14th century. It is probable that when the King appointed a Sergeant-at-Arms to attend the Speaker, a mace went with him as a symbol of royal authority delegated to the Speaker.
In other Parliaments of the Commonwealth, maces, following a similar design to the original maces, are also used to symbolize the authority of the legislative body.
In the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, the mace, carried by the Sergeant-at-Arms precedes the Speaker, on entering and leaving the Chamber.
When the Speaker is in the Chair and the Legislative Assembly is sitting in formal session, the mace lies the Table of the House, resting on cushions. When the Speaker leaves the Chair and the Assembly sits as committee of the Whole, the mace is removed and placed in brackets below the Table.
In 1956, the Right Honourable Vicent Massey, then Governor General of Canada, decided the Council of the Northwest Territories should have its own symbol of authority. He had a mace made and presented to the Council during its session held in Ottawa on January 1956.
The mace, made almost entirely of materials found in the North, was to include symbols of the history and life of the Northwest Territories. It was made by eight Inuit craftsmen from Cape Dorset, under the directed of well-known artist James Houston. The 1.7 metre long, 15 kilogram mace was completed in 21 days.
The most difficult detail of its construction was the crown at the head of the mace. A 36 block of native copper was brought to Cape Dorset from the Central Arctic to be used for the crown. The copper was pounded into sheets with rocks and a sledgehammer and these sheets were then cut and hammered into shape using rocks and forms. When the crown was completed, one of its projections broke off but the copper, by then, was gone.
One of the women in the community donated a large copper kettle brought to Cape Dorset in 1921 by reindeer herders from Lapland. The copper from the kettle was used to replace the damaged section and the woman later received a new kettle as a gift from the Governor General.
Above the crown is an orb made of whalebone left on the shore of Baffin Island a century earlier by Scottish whalers. Below the crown, also carved of whalebone, is a circle of bowhead whales and another showing a muskox, polar bear, caribou, walrus, wolf, white whale, hunter and mother and child. A third ring represents Arctic fox pelts, staple of the northern economy. As well, the head of the mace includes four muskox horns from the High Arctic and four discs of pure gold from the Yellowknife mines. Two decorative bands of porcupine quillwork were made by a Dene woman from Fort Providence.
The mace's shaft is a narwhal and at the foot is another set of rings, one of whalebone showing seals and another of oak. The oak was salvaged from the wrecked of HMS Fury, British explorer Sir William Parry's ship, which ran aground on Somerset Island in 1825. The wood was found in the early 1940's when the RCMP patrol vessel St. Roch successfully navigated the Northwest Passages. Carvings in the oak depicted European sailing ships and the entry of explorers and traders into the Arctic.
After it was completed, the mace was displayed extensively across Canada in provincial legislatures and as a part of a Hudson's Bay Company display. During the 1956 and 1957, it was viewed in every province except Quebec.
Following its official presentation at the Council session in Ottawa in January 1956, the mace was shipped north for sessions in Inuvik, Frobisher Bay and Chesterfield Inlet.
The constant moving from the south to the north and back, with rapid changes in temperature and humidity, caused cracks to develop in the whalebone. Before more damage could result, it was decided a replica be made.
This took two years to complete and cost $3,000. The replica was made of gold-plated brass, along with a narwhal tusk, muskox horns and porcupine quillwork. With the brass, it is two kilograms heavier than the original but can withstand changes in humidity and temperature and the vibrations of travel.
The replica has been use at all Legislative Assembly sessions since 1956. The original mace, considered now to be priceless, is kept at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife.