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Mayoral Tradition

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Civic Insignia

At Council meetings, important civic and certain other occasions the Mayor wears the Chain and Badge over the Mayoral Robe, and will almost always be accompanied by the Macebearer carrying the Mayor's Mace. For Remembrance Services, the second, Corporate Mace carried by the Deputy Macebearer will also be used, and will precede the Mayor's Mace and the Mayor. For less formal engagements, the Mayor will just wear the Badge of Office and Chain.

The Mayor's Badge and Chain

  • The Mayor's badge depicts the Coat of Arms and is 9 carat gold and enamel. The chain to which the badge is normally attached is also 9 carat gold and is an oak leaf and acorn design. Other insignia is worn by the Mayoress, Deputy Mayor, Deputy Mayoress and Mayor's Chaplain. 

The Robes

  • At Council Meetings and important civic occassions the Mayor wears the Chain and Badge over a Mayoral Robe. Robes are an outward sign of the particular office held by the wearer. The Mayor's robe is made of scarlet doeskin with imitation fur, has black velvet bands and is lined with white satin. It is worn with jabot (ornemental lace frill) and lace cuffs. The Mayor also has a cocked hat, decorated with gold lace. A Lady Mayor has a tricorn hat.

The Maces

  • Redbridge has two Maces, the smaller of which is known as the Mayor's Mace and is carried by the Mayor's Macebearer in front of the Mayor at Council Meetings and other civic ceremonial occassions. It is a convention that no-one should walk between the Mayor and the Mace and the Mace is only removed if the Meeting is adjourned or Council goes into Committee.

    The Mayor's Mace was orginally the Mace of the Borough of Ilford, presented to that Council by the Charter Mayor, Sir Frederick Wise in 1926 when Ilford became a Municipal Corporation.

    The larger Mace is known as the Corporation Mace and is carried in procession at major civic occasions like the Civic Service and the Service of Remembrance. It was presented to the former Borough of Wanstead and Woodford in 1937 by Sir Winston Churchill when that Authority became a Municipal Corporation.

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