lOS Congress of British Archmologieal Assnciafion at Devizes. 



Homer ; and in the Bible ; and the staff was used at all times, 

 so to speak, as a standard or rallying- point. The maces then 

 were not exactly of the pattern of those they saw before them, and 

 they only assumed that form after the Restoration of King Charles 

 the Second. The earliest mace, he believed, was to be found at 

 the little town of Hedon, and there was also a very early one at 

 Tenterden, in Kent. Maces originally were not crowned, but were 

 sometimes used as cups. One of the maces before him was in very 

 good condition, and was bolder than the earlier maces, for as cor- 

 porations became more and more loyal, after the Restoration, they 

 increased the size of the crowns, iintil they developed into the bold 

 maces of the time of George the Third. The two maces belonging 

 to the Devizes Corporation were of the usual type, and were made, 

 it seemed, by order of Thomas Davis, who was Mayor of the town 

 in the year 1660. By what right and title the Mayoress of Devizes 

 used a mace, perhaps Mr. Birch would tell them, when he read the 

 records. Maces, as a rule, were sometimes used as drinking cups. 

 They had an example of such a one at the Duke of Beaufort's, called 

 " The Godwin Mace," which on unscrewing became a cup. The 

 maces before him were chased with rose, shamrock, and thistle, 

 and were carried before the Mayor on all occasions to represent 

 dignity and power. They were of very good type and in very good 

 condition. There was also a cup, and cover called a Hanap. Cups 

 were called Hanaps because they were mostly taken care of in rush 

 baskets, hanaper being at one time a common expression, from 

 which we get the word hamper, a basket. The cup, which was of 

 the ordinary type, of the time of James the First, 1606, bore 

 the names of various Mayors, and was a very good specimen of 

 work. He might call attention to the fact that the foot was the 

 exact pattern of those fine old Elizabethan chalices which they had 

 seen in the Church at Bratton. It bore the London mark, and 

 must have been made in London for this town. It was generally 

 carried before the Mayor and Corporation by the ancient verderer, 

 who bore the office also of town crier and beadle : they had seen that 

 officer on the previous Sunday morning, dressed in red and wearing 

 the Cap of Maintenance, as the King's Verderer. He had endeavoured 



