History of the Mayor

The badge carries the coat of arms of the borough of Basingstoke and Deane. The design consists of the simplest form of armorial bearings, a shield of Arms without crest or supporters. This was the earliest form of civic arms and is taken by several ancient corporations including; Winchester, Lincoln, Canterbury, York and Durham as well as many modern boroughs such as Fareham, Epsom and Ewell.

The shield forms a kind of heraldic map with the two former rural districts of Basingstoke, Kingsclere and Whitchurch symbolised by two beech trees, a predominant feature of the natural scene on a background of gold representing agriculture.

A narrow blue wave in the form of a chevron suggests the Test, Bourne, Loddon and other local rivers flowing through the district. Below the chevron is St Michael and the dragon, which is featured in the ancient seal of the former borough of Basingstoke and has been used in the past instead of a coat of arms. This is as shown in recent versions except that the staff in his left hand is topped with the distinctive St Michael’s Cross, with rounded ends, as it is in the ancient seal. This cross can be seen prominently displayed in St Michael’s Church, Basingstoke.

The Mayoral robes, which are edged with synthetic fur, are kept for ceremonial occasions such as the Annual Meeting of the Council, Mayor Making, Remembrance Day, Civic Sunday and Freedom of the Borough ceremonies. When the robes are worn the Macebearer must attend.

In 1978, Basingstoke District Council successfully petitioned the Queen to be made a borough and the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane was formed.

The Mayor’s Chain and Badge was purchased by local companies (listed below) and presented in 1979. The chain is made of gold links and was made by Thomas Fattorini of Birmingham.

This is a recent acquisition and is gold plate. The design is copied from the Mayor’s previous chain of office which after 1979 was worn by the Mayoress. However, this became too delicate and a copy was commissioned from Thomas Fattorini. The rose is the Hampshire rose and is linked by gold chains.

At the end of the mayoral year the outgoing Mayor and Mayoress are presented with a Past Mayor and Past Mayoress’ badge. These are to be worn on civic occasions.

The use of ceremonial maces has its origins in the use of the mace as a weapon of war. Today’s ceremonial maces are a highly ornamental descendant of the prehistoric club or bludgeon. As the King’s Serjeants-at-Arms and subsequently the Serjeants and similar officers allowed to attend on Mayors gradually became less the armed personal bodyguard, and more the messengers to convey the Royal Orders to local authorities, so the Mace with Royal Arms inscribed on it which he carried became the obvious and visible token of Royal authority.

Over time, the hitting end of the mace fell out of use and the handle end increased in importance. This end became highly decorated and the maces became entirely covered with or made out of precious metals. The mace was then no longer a weapon of offence but a symbol of authority. Today’s ceremonial maces are therefore carried upside down.

Today the absence of the mace from a Council meeting would not invalidate the outcome of the business. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, a Mayor could not be sworn in unless the mace was present. The Mace precedes the Mayor when entering and leaving the Council Chamber and lies in front of the Mayor when Council is sitting. When the Mayor is settled, the Mace rests horizontally before him with the crown to his right hand, or in the more important direction. Although no longer used today, in St Michael’s Church there is a holder in the Civic pews for the Mace and in this instance the Mace was placed in an upright position.

The Mace is always reversed in the presence of Royalty because the Mace, as the symbol of the Mayor’s authority, is redundant in the presence of the Sovereign.

The King Charles (small) Mace

This is very fragile and is not used now. It was given to the borough by King Charles I in 1641 and is made of silver gilt.

The Queen Anne Mace

This is the mace used now for ceremonial occasions and was presented to the borough by Queen Anne in 1710. It is made of silver gilt.

List of Mayors since the Town of Basingstoke first had a Mayor in 1641:

Previous Mayors to 1989-90(PDF) [304 kb]