A scarce and unusual presentation tipstaff, presented by James Smith Esq. The silver, un-hallmarked staff head embossed with the coat of arms of the City of London and the Lord Mayor & Sheriffs for the City of London in 1863-1864. The center section cast with the coat of arms of the City with the 2 dragons, the center marked Guildhall 1863, the top arms are of the Lord Mayor The Right Honourable William Lawrence Esq, the bottom arms are, on one side  the arms of Thomas Cave and on the other side the arms of Hilary Nicholas Nissen, the collar is engraved "LORD MAYOR & SHERIFFS COMMITTEE. JAMES SMITH Esq. 1863". Overall 5 inch by 2¼, on a 5 inch turned fruitwood wand.     #9748mo

See Alan C. Cook, Truncheons An Unequal Match, An Illustrated History of Decorated Truncheons and Tipstaves. Page 43, fig 4 for an illustration of this Tipstave.

The heraldry terms for the arms are as follows,

William Lawrence was a JP and Liberal Member of Parliement, Thomas Cave was a member of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle makers, Hilary Nicholas Nissen was an engraver and wholesale stationer and was Master of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers' in 1866, 

William Lawrence's crest is of the wolf's head, in heraldic terms this is "On a wreath Argent and Gules a wolf's head erased Argent crusily charged with a pair of compasses extended Sable" It would seem that the family had illegally assumed the crest as it was only later when his brother Sir James Lawrence of Westbourne Terrace was raised to the baronetcy that he decided to petition for a grant of arms and have the illegal crest made legal.

The central section with the 2 dragons are the City of London arms surmounted by the City Swordbearer's Muscovy Hat. Arms: Argent a cross in the first quarter of a sword erect point upwards Gules. Supporters: Two dragons wings expanded Argent charged on the wings with a cross Gules. Motto: Domine Dirige Nos. (Lord Direct Us)

Thomas Cave's arms again in heraldic terms are "A greyhound sejeant Or pelletée resting the dexter leg on a cross moline Gules" This crest was assumed by Cave of Queensberry House, Richmond, because they were not formally granted by the College of Arms until about 1880 to his son Thomas Bourchier Cave.

Hilary Nicholas Nissen's arms show a wing and a bird holding an olive branch. Not much is known about Nissen, he took out a British Patent, number 1466 published:29th June 1858, for a method of preparing paper for receiving stains or copies from letters and other writings. He also wrote a paper titled "Brief Remarks on the Punishment of Death" for the National association for the Promotion of Social Science.

I am grateful to Robert Harrison CStJ. Chairman of The Heraldry Society for the heraldic details.

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