Sword
Halton Region Heritage Services
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| Nom de l'objet : | Sword |
| Catégorie de l'objet : | 5: T&E For Science & Technology |
| Sous-catégorie de l'objet : | Armament -- Edged |
| Discipline : | Local History |
| Matériaux : | metal, leather, brass |
| Numéro de catalogue : | 2009.5.20.1 |
| Numéro d'accession : | 2009.5 |
| Date absolue : | c.1980 |
| Description : | Sheriff's ceremonial sword. Silver metal blade with blunted edges and point. The blade is marked "Dominion Regalia Ltd." Sword has a decorative brass handle with a leather grip. There is a brass knob at the end of the handle. On the blade near the handle is an etched design with Coat of Arms and "By Appointment Wilkinson Sword Ltd. Made in England". |
| Commentaires : | Robert "Mac" Sprowl was the last Sheriff of Halton and held the position from 1964 until 1992. He held the position for the longest term in its history. Sheriffs in Canada deal with 109 Acts, mostly in civil law enforcement. During Sprowl's tenure, there were 28 murder trials. The dress uniform was worn for court, including the lace jabot. The deputy sheriff wore the bow tie instead of the jabot when in court, otherwise the uniform was the same. Both positions were required to wear a pair of black dress shoes with the uniform but the shoes were not specifically issued. They had to purchase their own. The dress uniform used for the Assizes Court and General Sessions of the Peace consisted of the dress coat, pants, vest, shirt, collar, jabot, tricorn hat, sword, this scabbard and black shoes. Wearing the complete uniform the sheriff entered the court and opened it by yelling "Order", laying the sword down in front of the sheriff's seat which was beside the judge, and then taking off his hat and laying it next to the sword. The clerk would then say "Oh Ye, Oh Ye, Oh Ye. All Persons Having To Do With Her Majesty's Court Draw Near And Give Your Attention." The crown attorney would be the first to speak, outlining the charges, person charged and witnesses to be called to trial. Then the defence attorney would speak to the court. Following this, the court session would proceed with the Crown calling the first witness. Following testimony by witnesses, the Crown would address the judge and jury, the defence attorney would address the judge and jury and finally the judge would address the jury. The judge's remarks to the jury could take up to two hours. When the court concluded, the sheriff stood up and was not required to retrieve his hat and sword. If the accused was found guilty, the sheriff transported the accused to the penitentiary. The sheriff picked up the person accused from the holding cell. The prisoner was hand cuffed and placed in leg irons. A guard accompanied the sheriff. The sheriff used his personal car to transport the prisoner. The prisoner rode in the back seat, on the opposite side to the driver (sheriff). The guard rode in the back seat behind the sheriff. Years ago, when there was a hanging, it was the sheriff's job to contact the hangman and have the scaffold built for the hanging. The sheriff's office was operated and administered by the Ministry of the Attorney General, and workers in the sheriff's office were employed by the Province. Penitentiaries were operated by the federal government and handled the more severe cases. Correctional Centres were operated by the Province and inmates received sentences of up to two years less a day. The sheriff wore a business suit for regular work days. Sprowl did not own nor was he required to carry any firearms. In 1990 the Sheriff's Office was on the second floor of the Halton Court House on Steeles Avenue in Milton. Visitors entered a general office area with a long counter. There were four smaller offices and a larger office for the sheriff in the back. In 1990 the Sheriff's Office served 10,000 papers. Four sheriff's officers served statements, claims, divorce petitions, subpoenas etc. Five women also worked in the Sheriff's Office. One looked after jury selection, one looked after the judgment section, one was a search clerk, one looked after the process section (divorce papers, subpoenas) and one was secretary to the sheriff and senior deputy sheriff. The sheriff also had a junior deputy. All paperwork was served in person. In 1992 the Sheriff's Office underwent a name change. It is now called the Office of Civil Enforcement. Today’s equivalent of the sheriff is the manager of civil enforcement. |
| Fonctions : | This sword is part of the sheriff's dress uniform that was worn by the last Sheriff of Halton who joined the Sheriff's Office in 1964 and retired in 1992. The dress uniform consisted of a tricorn hat, lace jabot, dress coat, pants, shirt, vest, collar, this sword and scabbard and black dress shoes. It was worn at court - for the opening of the Assizes Court and General Sessions of the Peace, both of which had juries. The sheriff had one senior deputy sheriff and one junior deputy. The senior deputy filled in when the sheriff was not available and could escort prisoners and open the court. br> Self defence training was not required for the sheriff's position. He took prisoners out of the Halton County Jail at 6:00 a.m. and would deliver them to the Kingston Penitentiary about four hours later. The sheriff's officers used their personal (private) cars to deliver statements and were paid mileage along with a small fee for the use of their cars. The sheriff wore a business suit for a regular day at work and was not required to own or carry a firearm, though some Ontario sheriffs elected to keep a revolver in their desks. There was a sheriff's office in every county and district in Ontario - a total of 41. The purchase and dry cleaning of the dress uniform was paid for by the Province. The deputy sheriff's uniform was the same as the sheriff's with the exception of the jabot. The deputy sheriff wore a bow tie. The sheriff and deputy sheriff were issued one dress uniform each. The sheriff and deputy sheriff were appointed by an Order in Council. It was not an annual appointment. |
| Longueur : | 91.000 |
| Largeur : | 15.000 |
| Unité de mesure linéaire : | CM |
| Établissement : | Halton Region Heritage Services |
| Ville de l'établissement : | Milton |
| Province de l'établissement : | Ontario |
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