60 Notes on the Corporation Plate and Insignia of Wiltshire. \ 



WOOTTON BASSETT 



is an old prescriptive borough. 



In 1835 the corporation consisted of a mayor, two aldermen, I 

 twelve capital burgesses, a town clerk or recorder, with two sergeants- j 1 

 at-mace, a constable, and a crier. The corporation is now dissolved. 11 

 The robes worn by the mayor were of red cloth trimmed with black ' | 

 velvet; those of the aldermen and burgesses being of dark blue or ; 

 purple camlet trimmed with black velvet. 



. '\ 



The Maces. These, though much alike, are not an exact pair. 1 

 They bear no hall-marks. They are of silver with iron cores, and \ 

 the heads are heavily loaded with lead. Both are much damaged, 

 and have been frequently mended. ;|!, 



No. 1 is 15in. long, No. 2 being 14J-in. They have plain semi- J \ 

 globular heads with a cresting of fleur-de-lys and plain slender shafts \ 

 with only bands for bosses. Projecting from the grip at the bottom I 

 are five well-developed flanges precisely of the pattern of the flange 5j 

 of the old war mace. Mace No. 1 has these five flanges silver-gilt j 

 and all of one pattern — while No. 2 has lost one, and has two< L 

 engraved with Elizabethan foliage. On the caps are engraved plain I 

 shields of the royal arms as borne by James I., silver-gilt. There i 

 is no mantling or initials or crown, only the date 1603 over the 

 shield. Mace No. 1 has the shield engraved a much larger size i 

 than that on No. 2. Both have the initials E. S. on the under 

 part of the bowl of the head. 



The Sword was presented by Mr. John Attersol, one of the| I 

 Members for the borough in 1812, while his colleague — Mr. James I 

 Kibblewhite — gave the robes. Each gift is said to have cost one j 

 hundred guineas. It is really a very handsome thing, and the 

 workmanship of the gilt brass mounts is good. 



It measures 45 Jin. in length. The " grip " is of ivory bound 

 with silver wire. The "pommel," "guard," and "chape" are oi 

 gilt brass deeply engraved with leaf- work — the scabbard being oi 

 crimson velvet edged with silver braid. The blade is straight and 

 plain without mark or inscription. 



