THE ROYAL CHARTER, 1612

On 30th March 1612 James I, by Royal Charter, bestowed on Sligo the status of a Corporate town. ‘There shall be one body corporate and politic consisting of one Provost and twelve free Burgesses.’ The new body was granted the ‘power and authority to return two discreet and fit men to serve and attend in every Parliament.’

Roger Jones was appointed the first Provost of the Borough, and the Corporation was granted powers to make bye-laws and impose fines. It was also empowered to appoint two ‘Sergeants at Mace’. The Provost by virtue of the office was also Clerk of the mart.

Around 1620 the Corporation was granted a ’Charter of the Staple’, the right to hold a public mart. The Municipal Reform Act of 1842 divided the town into east, west and north wards, and in October 1842 the first election of the reformed Corporation took place.

THE COAT OF ARMS

Although the 1612 charter granted a common seal, it neither prescribed nor suggested a coat of arms for Sligo, but left this to the members themselves. The earliest known seal of the Corporation dates from 1709 and depicts a deer or antelope. It contains the legend ‘Burogh of Sligoe’, with the letters A.R. (Anne Regina) and P.I.B. - Provost James Bennett, who died that year.

The Corporation seal as we know it today first appears in 1775, and there are conflicting opinions as to its origin. Woodmartin felt that the ‘tower in ruins, represented the Round Tower at Drumcliffe, while O’Rorke was convinced that the tower was that of Sligo Abbey. The fact that the tower shown on the earliest seals was square would seem to endorse O’Rorke’s view.

The oak tree represents the dense wood-lands that once covered the site of the town, and the ‘hare courant’, signifies the wildlife that abounded there. The scallop shells are depicted as they were once abundant in the estuary at the mouth of the Garavogue - a river once known as the ‘Sligeach, or ‘shelly place’, giving Sligo its name. The current crest with blue, gold and green colouring was adopting by the Corporation in January 1953.

THE MAYOR’S CHAIN

It is thought that the Provost of Sligo wore a chain. The Mayor’s chain used today dates from 1882, and was made by Sligo firm Nelson Brothers. The inscription on the reverse side of the medallion reads: ‘Presented principally by Bernard Collery, Mayor of Sligo, 1882, and former Mayor’s. Fifteen former Mayors contributed a link to the chain.

The chain is of 18ct gold and weighs 15.5 ounces. It consists of 18 shields, each surmounted by a shamrock. One side bears the Corporation crest, the reverse the name and year of office of each Mayor who added a link.

MACES

The two ‘Sergeants at Mace’ were officers of the Corporation by virtue of the charter. The two solid silver maces were presented by Samuel Walton, who represented the Borough in Parliament.

The maces each weigh about 30 oz and are 18 inches long. There is no manufacturer’s stamp, although on each of the maces three parts there are Irish hall-marks inscribed 1702-03.

The maces bear the emblems of Ireland (harp), England (rose), France (fleur de lis) and Scotland (thistle).

They were in the possession of the Wynne family of Hazelwood for almost 150 years before being formally handed over to Martin Madden, the first mayor of the reformed Corporation, in 1842.

 

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