| | | | The Maces
| Maces are symbols of authority, having evolving from close protection weapons carried by the Sovereign's personal bodyguard. Those on show at the Jewel House in H.M. Tower of London were all made in the latter half of the seventeenth century and are larger and more ornate than most of their counterparts elsewhere.
There are ten on display at the Tower of London and a further three on loan to the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the Lord Chancellors Office. None of the maces are in their original state as, over the years, repairs have been made by cannibalising from other maces. Most weigh in the region of 23 pounds and are some 5 feet in length, but the Trumpeters Mace and those in the Palace of Westminster are smaller and lighter.
The important part of a mace is the head, which normally carries four panels decorated with the royal badge and the royal cypher. On top of the head is a coronet, which consists of a band on which are set alternate crosses and fleur-de-lis.
Two maces are carried in procession at a Coronation and also at the annual State Opening of Parliament. In the time of Charles II, there were as many as sixteen Serjeant-at-Arms each requiring a mace. Now though, only five maces are in use, leaving the remaining eight on display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.
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