
The High Constable was the most important official of the Anglo-Saxon county division known as a hundred court. High Constables were charged with maintaining order and managing administrative affairs of the parish. Turned, carved and elaborately painted truncheons were emblems of their authority, used in ceremonies.


The name of greatest local import was John Harvey, whose High Constable plaque is engraved with the date 1838. Harvey was the founder of Harvey’s Brewery, the oldest independent brewery in Sussex. In 1838, he built a brewhouse and hung out his shingle for the first time as Harvey & Sons. It was the brewery that bought this lot at auction.
Miles Jenner, joint managing director of Harvey’s Brewery, said: “The hammer price reflects how unique this item is. It relates to an historic area of the town, the parish of Cliffe, that had an independent system of local government until 1881. It was the commercial heart of the community and the names on the tipstaff are those of local tradesmen.
The fact that these include the founder of Harvey’s Brewery, John Harvey, and his son William bears witness to their prominence at that time. We felt it was essential that it should remain within the parish and are delighted to have secured it.”
* This article was originally published here







