What does the Newbury mayor’s chain represent? Read on

Newbury’s mayoral chain is the town’s crown jewels.

It is valuable, and kept secretly under lock and key when not hanging around the mayor’s neck for civic functions.

But the chain also serves as a fascinating historical reference to the town’s commercial past.

Local Democracy Reporter Niki Hinman went to meet Garry Pouslon, the recently installed mayor’s attendant, who is the guardian of the chain.

It’s clear, sitting with Garry Poulson, that he is extremely proud to hold the role of mayor’s attendant.

He looks after the mayor when on formal duties, and the civic regalia – which includes the chain.

“We make sure the chain is securely deposited over the mayor’s head – and step back!” he explained.

But why are there chains at all?

“We should go back a millennia really,” he explains. “If we see ancient images of, say, pharoes, kings and queens, they often have something to adorn themselves, and that was placed around their collar.

“It depicts wealth and importance and signifies power, and everybody recognises them as something a mayor would wear now.”

The Newbury mayor’s chain stands out among mayors’ chains as it has enamelled badges on it showing the coats of arms of various important trading companies over the years.

Most other chains are simple, engraved plates.

“If we go back to 1883, Mayor Johnson went to the Guildhall in London, and came back to Newbury saying the town needed a chain of office too.

“What came about was to have a chain of office by public subscription. And people decided to make a contribution to it.”

One of the badges is the coat of arms of the Earl of Carnarvon, who at the time was the high steward of Berkshire.

It is blue and red with three rampant lions and a coronet.

Interestingly, the chain has eight bundles of sticks around an axe – a fascist image adopted by Hitler and Mussolini.

But the image goes further back than that as a Greek symbol of authority.

Bartholomew Yate – the first mayor of Newbury in 1596 – has his coats of arms on the chain too, shown as three four bar gates.

So does Elizabeth I who granted Newbury its charter.

An old – and current – name also sits on the chain.

Mayor Stradling has his coat of arms on it, and the Stradling building company still exists today.

“We have Camp and Hopson on here too,” Garry explains.

“They were both mayors at different times before the shops merged in 1925.

“Another interesting one is Midwinter, a grain merchants in the town that closed in the 80s. It has a hand holding a black sack.”

No more badges have been added for some time, suggesting the town’s commerce and the role and office of mayor are now not linked.

Imagine how the town would be represented now with the likes of Vodafone.

Mayors these days are also unlikely to want to part with thousands of pounds for their own presence on the chain.

The pendant is the large bit suspended below the chain of office, and that is worn during dinners etc.

The chain weighs about three-and-a-half kilos, so must be something of a relief to hand it back to Garry.

Garry concurs – as he was also a mayor of Newbury – and a former mace bearer.

The maces come out when the civic visitors go up a notch to royalty.

There are two maces in the civic regalia, dating back to Queen Anne in the 1700s.

The pendant represents Newbury, with a red shield, sheaf of wheat representing agriculture, a teasel, used in the wool trade for combing wool, a blue wavey line representing the River Kennet and two crossed swords of the two battles of Newbury in the civil war.

The Newbury motto surrounds the pendant, Floruit Floreat – which translates to ‘May it flourish as it has flourished’.

On the top is a red castle – which Garry says is mystical, as Newbury never had a castle.

“There is a thought that there was a castle in Hamstead Marshall where Earl Marshall had a castle,” he said. “But that’s never been proved!”