THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL THE MAYOR OF DURHAM
Welcome to the Internet Site for the Mayor of the City of Durham, England
In the Municipal Year 2006/2007 - we will have the 404th Mayor of the City of Durham
HOMEPAGE
BIOGRAPHY
FOR THE MAYOR
THE ROLE OF THE
MAYOR
MAYOR'S
APPEAL
WEEKLY
DIARY
LIST OF FORMER
MAYORS
CIVIC
INSIGNIA
TOWN HALL (in
brief)
CIVIC
OCCASIONS (ADVANCE NOTIFICATION)
THE MAYOR'S
BODYGUARD
PROTOCOL
STAFF
OTHER CIVIC
OFFICES HELD WITHIN THE CITY OF DURHAM
CIVIC INSIGNIA
The Chains of Office
The Mayor's Chain of Office was presented to the City in 1870. A chain for the Mayoress was presented in 1901 by the immediate ex-Mayoress, Lady Anne Lambton. It was stolen in 1983 and not recovered; a replacement was specially made later in 1983-4 by Mr John M Sweeney of Newcastle, and officially worn for the first time by the incoming Mayoress, Mrs Gladys Shuker, on 15th May, 1984 at the Annual Meeting of the Council. In 1953 a Deputy Mayoress' badge was presented by immediate past Mayor Gordon McIntyre, then Deputy Mayor. The Deputy Mayor also has a chain of office, and the Deputy Mayoress a medallion.
The Mayor's chain - 44 inches long and 18 carat gold - was bought by public subscription and presented at a private ceremony at Mayor John Watson's North Bailey home in July 1870. The occasion was described in the Durham County Advertiser for 30th July, 1870, and the fund raising was apparently originally the idea of the Town Clerk, William Marshall. One of the leading participants, Mr John Coward, made the actual presentation. This chain is still worn by the successive Mayors of Durham, as intended.
The Civic Sword and Mace are carried by special bearers who do not belong to the Mayor's Bodyguard as such; these posts are remunerated.
The Mace
The Mace is an emblem of the power and dignity of the Mayor and of his authority and the office of Mace Bearer has a long history. In years gone by he/she may have been known by the ancient title of Sergeant at Mace; and as the title implies, this officer carries the Mace before the Mayor and is responsible for its proper care.
The origin of the Mace as a weapon of defence is well known and is accordingly the emblem of authority of the Mayor, therefore, immediately precedes the Mayor in all civic processions. Unless there is an overriding local custom to the contrary, no person should be permitted to walk between the Mayor and Mace Bearer.
When carried in procession, the Mace is usually, according to custom, carried at the "slope" on the right shoulder.
The Mace is always reversed in the presence of royalty because, as the symbol of the Mayor's authority, it becomes redundant in the actual presence of the Sovereign.
The Mace has four silver bands; each has the name of one of the Bishops who gave Charters to the City.
The Sword
There are two swords in the Guildhall the one on the left is the old Civic Sword dating back to 1895; the present one was given to the City in 1913 by the then Earl of Durham to commemorate his being made Mayor of the City. On this beautiful two-handed sword is the Royal Standard, with the Coat of Arms on the hilt. Above that are the City coat of arms, the County coat of arms, and the coat of arms of the Earl of Durham. The Scabbard is of purple velvet, the colour of the old Palatine of Durham. Following a Prayer by the City, on 3rd May, 1919 King George V granted "the privilege of bearing within the confines of the said City a sword ornamented with the Royal Arms which should be borne before the Mayor erect and sheathed and that the bearer of the sword might be attired in an appropriate cap or hat to which no special name or significance should be attributed". The original grant is in the Durham County Record Office.
The Civic Sword was cleaned and restored by the Wilkinson Sword Company in 1982, and on the 8th October, 1982 the City granted the University of Durham, in recognition of its 150th anniversary, the Perpetual Right to Process the Civic Sword of the City at its Annual Congregation for the Conferment of Honorary Degrees. This right was first exercised by the University in the Great Hall of Durham Castle, on 30th June, 1983 in the presence of the Mayor, Councillor Derek Hanson, and of the University's Chancellor, Dame Margot Fonteyn de Arias - a year to the day after her installation as Chancellor in the Cathedral.
Robes
The current Mayor's robe was presented to the City of
Durham by the University of Durham on the occasion of
their 150th Anniversary (1983). The robe was trimmed with
fur
(replaced with synthetic fur in 1997).
The Deputy Mayor also wears a robe of a slightly different colour and design
The Mayor and Deputy wear Jabots at the neck and white gloves.
Hats
Traditionally a male Mayor wears at black cocked hat and a female Mayor wears a black tricorn hat. The Mayor's hat is embellished with gold trim and the Deputy Mayor's hat is trimmed in silver.
The City Seal
The City Seal in silver, still in the possession of the Council was presented in 1606 by Matthew Pattisonne, son of a burgess and is an excellent example of mediaeval art. As is to be expected of that period, it represents a bishop, vested mitred and holding his staff in his left hand, the right hand raised in the attitude of blessing. He stands in a niche under a trefoil arch with canopy rising to three spires between which are the sum and the moon. On either side of the shafts of the niche is a shield of England ensigned with a mitre, and, below the figure of the bishop, are the Arms of the City.
The Armorial Bearings
The Council of the City of Durham was formed in 1974 following the Local Government Act of 1972 and comprised the Durham Rural District Council, Durham City Council and Brandon and Byshottles Urban District Council. The Garter Principal King of Arms agreed to the transfer of the Coat of Arms of the former City of Durham to the new authority but because the new authority in terms of acreage, population and rateable value was so much greater in size than that of the former City, the Coat of Arms for the Grant Transfer would include a Crest and Supporters. The grant is displayed in the Guildhall, Town Hall, where the original design by Mr Keith Robinson of Newton Hall is recorded.
The purpose of the Armorial Bearings is to identify the holder, in this case, the Council of the City of Durham.
The design incorporates the original shield of Durham, the Crest, the Bishop's Mitre and the Supporters. The Shield is based upon the arms of St. Augustine (a silver cross on a black shield) with a red cross superimposed to show the link between the City and St. Oswald, the founder of the See of Durham. The Bishop's Mitre also links the City and the Church. The Supporters are two of the Golden Lions which were the symbol of St. Oswald. The Miners' Lamps were included to indicate that much of the City's prosperity and history was, in the past, based on the mining industry, although this has declined rapidly in recent years. The Bishop's Mitre is upheld by two arms to signify the people of the City who, by their efforts of physical work and intellectual labour, uphold all that is good and excellent in the City. Faith, Forsight and Industry was the motto of the former Durham Rural District Council; the other constituent authorities of the new City of Durham did not have mottoes. The badge comprises a Crown, originally incorporated into the City Arms when William the Conqueror allowed Durham to become and independent Palatinate, through which pass a Bishop's Crozier, referring to the Diocese, and a Sword, referring to the Palatine history of Durham.
Ceremonial Robes
In 1986, to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the passing of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, and to further develop the Council's corporate image, the then Town Clerk and Chief Executive, Mr C G Firmin, suggested the provision of ceremonial robes for Members of the Council and Chief Officers.
This suggestion was accepted by the Council and robes, based on the then Town Clerk and Chief Executive's design which used the colours of the City Shield, were commissioned through the local firm of W L Gray and Sons. The robes are based on the black academic gown and trimmed, in the case of Members of the Council, with a two inch broad red band and a half inch silver band of material on the front edges of the robe with the red band also repeated on the sleeve. The City Shield is displayed on both lapels. On the Chief Officers' robes, the red and silver colours are reversed.
The robes were generously donated by Coca Cola Great Britain Ltd, which has a plant in the City and which was celebrating its centenary in 1986.
The robes were handed over to the Council on 9th October, 1986, at a ceremony in the Town Hall and were first worn at the Founders and Benefactors Service in Durham Cathedral on 5th November, 1986.
Civic Plate
A permanent display of Civic Plate is housed in the
Guildhall, Town Hall. Also on display is the silver of
the Durham Light Infantry and Freemen of the City.