Rare truncheon with strong connections to Lewes and Ringmer expected to sell for more than £1,000 at upcoming auction

Gorringe’s said a rare William IV turned wooden painted tipstave, is going up for sale in the Militaria and Medals auction on Monday, November 2, at 15 North Street, Lewes.

The auctioneers said the item was made for G. Hoey, Constable of the Hundred of Ringmer, and is dated 1832 ‘with strong Lewes provenance’.

John Harvey is one of the names inscribed onto the 35cm tipstave, which is often referred to as a ‘tipstaff’.

Gorringe’s said the artefact ‘bridges the historic civic life of the High Constable with the exact golden era of Lewes’s development’. The auction house said this era of Lewes history was ‘championed’ by figures like John Harvey, who founded Harvey’s Brewery in 1790.

James Hancox, auctioneer and valuer at Gorringe’s, said: “With inscriptions dedicated to John Harvey, as well as a member of the Cliffe Volunteer Fire Brigade, this tipstave is an important piece of Lewes local history and we are delighted to be presenting it for sale at Gorringe’s.”

Gorringe’s said the truncheon has small silver labels ‘dated variously to 1879’ and said each is engraved with the names of 15 subsequent Constables and High Constables and their years of office. Gorringe’s said the largest of these labels is engraved ‘B. Thorpe High Constable 1868 – Cliffe Volunteer Fire Brigade Estd. 1864’ with an engraving of a fireman standing by his engine.

The auction house explained that a tipstaff is a traditional ceremonial baton that was carried by law enforcement and judicial officers to show their official authority to execute orders and make arrests.

Gorringe’s said the one up for sale on Monday is expected to sell for £1,000 to £1,500.