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The Mace was originally a weapon of war made of iron and steel which could break through the strongest armour, in the middle ages, bishops carried maces to war instead of swords, as priests were forbidden to shed blood. Royal body-guards also carried maces to help them protect the king. Soon, the mace was regarded as a symbol of the King's authority and was made of precious metals and decorated with jewels.
In Jamaica, as in Great Britain, the mace is today regarded as the symbol of Parliamentary authority. There are two maces, one for the House of Representatives, the other for the Legislative Council. In the House of Representatives, ultimate authority rests with the Speaker, and the and the mace symbolizes his authority. The Speaker is preceded into the House of Representatives by a Marshal bearing the mace. When the Speaker is presiding over a normal sitting of the House the mace is placed on the higher of two racks. When the House goes into Committee, the Speaker comes down from his chair and the mace is removed to the lower of two racks. The same is true of the Legislative Council.
The two maces in Jamaica both date from the eighteenth century; one bears the date 1753, the other 1787. There is some evidence that there was a mace in Jamaica in the seventeenth century. Lord Windsor who was the second Governor of Jamaica brought out with him a mace and a seal in 1662. It is not known exactly what happened to this mace, but it is believed that it was lost during the great Port Royal earthquake in 1662.
The 1753 mace was ordered by the House of Assembly in that year; this mace is silver gilt, 5 feet 6 inches long, and both longer and heavier than the present mace in the British House of Commons. This mace is now used in the Legislative Council.
It is recorded in the Journals of the House of Assembly that on December 23, 1786, the House resolved to spend £300 on Speaker's robes and a mace. It is believed that this was done as part of the general attempt to give new dignity to the Legislature and prevent any further desire to move the capital from Spanish Town to Kingston. It was during this time, too, that
at the new House of Assembly was built in Spanish Town. This mace which was ordered in 1786, is almost surely the mace which is used in the House of Representatives today, and dated 1787. In design; it is similar to the older mace but its head is damaged by a blow . It is not known how this happened, although Frank Cundall in his book "Historic Jamaica" says, "This is not to be wondered at when we read of the stormy meetings held in the last century by the House of Assembly."
The two maces have not been in continuous use. The 1753 mace was first used by the Governor in Council and the 1787 mace was used in the House of Assembly. With the surrender of the Constitution in 1865, the 1787 mace went out of use. The older mace was however, used in the Privy Council until sometime between 1886 and 1874 during Sir John Peter Grant's administration. Both maces were then out of use. There is some doubt as to when the maces were put back into use.
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