Product Code Database
A serjeant-at-arms or sergeant-at-arms is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin serviens, which means "servant".
In the Middle Ages, the serjeants-at-arms were bodies of armed men retained by the French and English monarchs: the with which they are associated were originally a type of weapon. Serjeants-at-arms continue to serve a ceremonial role in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom; as such they represent the oldest royal bodyguard in England.
As 'knight' came to signify social (rather than military) rank, so 'serjeant' began to be used for a particular social class (below that of a knight but above that of a gentleman; though by the end of the 14th century 'esquire' had displaced 'serjeant' to describe this class of people). This usage survived in the Royal Household, where (for many centuries) serjeants had charge of several departments below-stairs. As late as the 17th century, there were (among others) a Serjeant of the Bakehouse, Serjeant of the Cellar, Serjeant of the Pastry, Serjeant of the Scullery and Serjeant of the Woodyard, each overseeing a staff of Yeomen, Grooms and Pages with (in some instances) a Gentleman serving as their deputy. (The usage has survived to this day in a few Household offices such as the Serjeant Surgeon and Serjeant of the Vestry).
The particular office of serjeant-at-arms originated in twelfth-century France, when King Philip II formed for himself a bodyguard of nobles and armed them with maces. The Sergens d'Armes had a courtly as well as a military character, and their maces served both as an insignia of office and as a practical weapon: at royal court they wore robes, in the field they wore armour; either way they carried their maces. They were powerful figures, answerable to no judicial authority but the King and the Constable of France. A hundred serjeants were retained by Philip of Valois, but after his death they were reduced to just six in number, before disappearing entirely in the second half of the 14th century.
The existence of an English corps of serjeants-at-arms is first recorded in the reign of Edward I, towards the end of the 13th century. It is from this body of men that the present-day serjeants-at-arms evolved.
He declared that "as often as the King shall ride or go to the church on foot or on horseback, or in any army in field, town or other place or places where the King's honour ought to be maintained" the chief king of arms should go directly before the king (or the person carrying the sword before him) and the serjeants on either side ("that is on the right hand and on the left, before him that shall carry the sword") so as to defend the king and his lords from the "press of people" on either side. Also, on 'solemn feasts', the serjeants-at-arms were directed to walk "on the left and on the right hand of the Master of the Household (or High Steward or any other in his place) going before the meats and services of the King, to keep and defend the press of people".
The document also sets out the serjeants' not inconsiderable powers of arrest: "a Serjeant at Arms may apprehend or attach any subject of the King, or other whatsoever he be, remaining in the four seas of England or any part thereof, be it in any house, castle, or fort"; the only persons exempt from this power were the eldest son of the King and "the ladies his daughters". They received payment per arrest, depending on the rank of the person apprehended: ranging from 100 shillings of silver for an archbishop or duke, to one silver mark for a common person. A serjeant's arrest was 'of more high nature than any other can be'; they represented 'the valorous force of a King's errand in the execution of justice', and no-one arrested by a serjeant could then be bailed or released into another's custody. The serjeants-at-arms on occasion apprehended people under the authority of an officer of state (such as the Lord High Admiral, Lord High Constable or Lord Chancellor). At tournaments and jousts they stood ready, under the authority of the Constable and Earl Marshal, to arrest anyone transgressing the laws of Chivalry.
King Charles II likewise maintained a cohort of sixteen sergeants-at-arms: they waited on the monarch quarterly, four being on duty at any one time. They were required to "give their attendance every Sunday and Holy day and whensoever We shall go to Church", and it was declared that "two sergeants at arms shall attend Us in all progresses and attend whensoever the Sword of State is carried". When a new serjeant-at-arms was created a ceremony was held in the Presence Chamber: the new officer knelt before the king, who invested him first with a collar of esses and then with the mace, before declaring "Rise up, Serjeant at Arms, and Esquire for ever".
In 1685, following the coronation of James II, the number of serjeants was reduced to eight; this number was maintained in subsequent reigns up to and including that of Queen Victoria. They continued to wait quarterly, in pairs, attending in the Presence Chamber on Sundays and festival days. On rare occasions (most notably coronations) all eight would be on duty: they would customarily go ahead of the King in pairs, escorting those carrying the items of regalia.E.g. At the coronation banquet they escorted the Lord High Steward and other Lords who walked ahead of the dishes of hot meat as they were brought to the newly-crowned King; and a pair of serjeants escorted the King's Champion at his entry into the hall.
In subsequent reigns their number was gradually reduced: to six under Edward VII, to four under George V, and three under Elizabeth II. At the coronation of Charles III two serjeants-at-arms walked in the procession ahead of the regalia: Paul Whybrew and Richard Thompson.
The original responsibilities of the sergeant-at-arms included "collecting loans and, impressing men and ships, serving on local administration and in all sorts of ways interfering with local administration and justice."
The Lord Chancellor was ex officio speaker of the House of Lords (an arrangement that pertained until 2006). His designated serjeant-at-arms had an authorized deputy who was "in constant attendance upon the Great Seal". The duty of the serjeant (or his deputy), "besides that of bearing the gilt mace before the Lord Chancellor, Lord Keeper or Lords Commissioners in going or returning from Court or Parliament", was (on behalf of the Court of Chancery) "to execute all warrants against persons who have stood out commissions of rebellion" and to take them into custody.
In 1415, the King appointed one of his serjeants-at-arms (Nicholas Maudit) to the House of Commons; the appointment was at the Commons' request, as recorded in the Letters Patent. Since 1471, his successors as Serjeant at Arms have, more specifically, been instructed to attend upon the Speaker. The practice of the Commons themselves petitioning the king, for a particular individual to serve as their Serjeant, lapsed under Henry VIII; subsequently, individuals were appointed by the monarch: "to the place or office of one of our Serjeants at Arms in ordinary, to attend upon Our Royal person when there is no Parliament and at the time of every Parliament to attend upon the Speaker of the House of Commons". Up until 1962 it remained in all respects a royal appointment; since then, it has been the custom of the Crown "to undertake formal consultation with the House (and in practice to accept the recommendations of an appointment board)".
In the eighteenth century it was not unusual for the Serjeant at Arms to take absentee Members of Parliament into custody so as to enforce their attendance in the House of Commons, as duly elected representatives; this last took place in 1859. MPs could also be committed into the custody of the Serjeant at Arms for unruly behaviour; the last MP to have been imprisoned (in the Elizabeth Tower) for unruly behaviour was Charles Bradlaugh in 1880. (The last occasion on which a non-member was imprisoned by the Commons was also in 1880; while still theoretically lawful, it has been stated that "imprisonment is no longer a power upheld by the Commons" in the present day). Admonishment was another possible sanction: the last non-politician to be summoned to the bar by the Serjeant at Arms in order for them to be admonished was John Junor (editor of the Sunday Express) in 1957; he apologised to the House and no further action was taken. The last MP to be so summoned was Tam Dalyell in 1968. More recently, the Serjeant (or a deputy) has been employed to serve papers on individuals who have failed to respond to a summons to appear before a Select Committee of the House.
Captain Juchereau de St Denis LeMoyne served as sergeant-at-arms in the Senate of Canada from 1869 to 1923, but after his death the role there was re-designated as 'Assistant Usher of the Black Rod'; it is now termed 'mace bearer'.
Provincial legislative assemblies, houses of assembly, national assemblies, and provincial parliaments (the nomenclature for legislatures varying between provinces) also employ sergeants-at-arms.
René Jalbert, sergeant-at-arms of the National Assembly of Quebec, ended Denis Lortie's killing spree in the Quebec Parliament Building on 8 May 1984 by constituting himself hostage and negotiating with the shooter for four hours.
During the 2014 shootings at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, the then sergeant-at-arms of the House of Commons, Kevin M. Vickers, assisted RCMP officers in engaging the gunman. Reports show that Sergeant-at-Arms Vickers, alongside RCMP Constable Curtis Barrett, shot and killed the gunman who had gained access to the Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament buildings.
The current serjeant-at-arms since 2016 is Captain Steve Streefkerk, RNZN (Rtd), a permanent officer of the House supported by the Chamber and Meeting Support Team.
The serjeant-at-arms controls officials and members staff coming to the House, and the surrounding areas such as the lobbies and the members lounge. There is involvement at select committees where the chairman seeks assistance to maintain good order. The serjeant-at-arms sits in the debating chamber opposite the speaker at the visitors door for each House sitting session to ensure that security is effective, good order is maintained, administers the Members Attendance Register and takes instructions from the speaker or the other presiding officers - deputy speaker or two assistant speakers, when they are presiding.
The chamber and meeting support officers control all access to the House, and attend to the needs of the members of parliaments, and officials when the House is undertaking its business.
The gallery operation for visitors or strangers is controlled by the Parliamentary Service Security Service, but the speaker and the serjeant-at-arms have the overall authority as defined in Standing Orders.
Past serjeants-at-arms have included:
The Serjeant-at-Arms bears the authority of the Speaker of Parliament, who carries out the following duties:
The serjeant-at-arms is also responsible for maintaining the attendance register of the members of House members. They must also maintain order in the House and remove people from the House as ordered by the speaker.
According to the National Assembly Rules, "the Serjeant-at-Arms shall remove, or cause to be removed, any stranger from any part of a Chamber which has been set apart for members only, and also any stranger who, having been admitted into any other part of the Chamber, misconducts himself or herself or does not withdraw when strangers are ordered to withdraw." Parliament of the Republic of South Africa
The serjeant-at-arms is attired in a black tailcoat, waistcoat, starched white shirt, bow tie, and white gloves. The current serjeant-at-arms is Tebello Maleeme, who was preceded by Regina Mhlomi, who succeeded Godfrey Cleinwerck. The usher of the black rod is Vincent Shabalala, whose duty it is to escort the presiding officers of the National Council of Provinces into its chamber.
Responsible for security, by tradition he is the only officer authorized to carry a weapon (ceremonial sword) inside the Parliament building and is assisted by the Parliament Police Division. Admission of visitors to the precincts of Parliament is controlled by the serjeant-at-arms. The serjeant-at-arms and assistant serjeant-at-arms would wear a white uniform with medal ribbons during normal sittings of parliament. On ceremonial occasions they would wear a uniform similar to a No. 1 Dress uniform of a major general in the Sri Lanka Army, with varied and epaulette similar to a flag officer of the Sri Lanka Navy.
During the normal sitting days of the House, the serjeant-at-arms wears a white colour uniform and on ceremonial occasions is clad with specially designed black colour ceremonial attire (equivalent to the rank of the major-general).
The first serjeant-at-arms of Parliament was M. Ismail MBE, who was appointed in 1947. Ronnie Abeysinghe was the longest serving serjeant-at-arms in the history of Sri Lanka. He held the position from 1970 to 1996. As of 2024 the current serjeant-at-arms is Kushan Sampath Jayaratne.
The Serjeant at Arms (or one of his deputies) is always on duty in the chamber when the House is sitting. The duty serjeant sits in an elevated seat, facing the Speaker, alongside the Bar (or threshold) of the House. When a stranger comes to the Bar of the House (for example as a witness or petitioner) the Serjeant will stand by them with the mace. The Serjeant can order strangers to withdraw from the premises if they are behaving irregularly, and will escort Members of Parliament out of the chamber if ordered to do so by the Speaker.
The Serjeant is appointed by the Sovereign (under a warrant from the Lord Chamberlain and by patent under the Great Seal) to "attend upon His Majesty's person when there is no Parliament; and at the time of every Parliament, to attend upon the Speaker of the House of Commons". The current serjeant-at-arms is Ugbana Oyet (appointed in October 2019); he was previously an electrical engineer in Parliament. The Serjeant is assisted by a staff which includes the Deputy Serjeant at Arms and Assistant Serjeant at Arms.
Through the 20th century the post was usually held by retired military officers who had subsequently joined the staff of the House; since 2008 those from a civil service background have generally been appointed. In 2008 the responsibilities of the Serjeant at Arms' department were significantly reduced: a new Department of Facilities was created, which took over responsibility for cleaning, catering, works and areas of the Parliamentary Estate. As a result the number of full-time Serjeants was reduced from five to three (one Serjeant, one Deputy and one Assistant); while other members of staff have been designated 'Associate Serjeants', to ensure that there is always one Serjeant available to be present in the chamber when the House is sitting.
Since the post-war rebuilding of the Commons, the office of the Serjeant of Arms has been in the 'upper oratory' of the cloisters (one of the oldest surviving parts of the Palace of Westminster); as he is expected to be available to the Speaker by night or by day, the Serjeant is provided with an official residence within the Palace. When attending the Speaker, the Serjeant at Arms wears court dress (as do the Deputy, Assistant and Associate Serjeants when on duty).
The equivalent officer for the House of Lords is the Gentleman (or Lady) Usher of the Black Rod (also known simply as Black Rod), whose role includes similar duties and responsibilities. There was formerly a separate Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Lords (albeit he was technically, according to Erskine May, an officer of the Lord Chancellor rather than of the House). In 1962 this office was combined with that of Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod (Black Rod's deputy), and since 1971 the office has been held by Black Rod himself (or herself), though the mace is still routinely carried by the Yeoman Usher (as Deputy Serjeant-at-Arms).
By custom, 'Serjeant at Arms' is written without hyphens when it relates to the House of Commons, but is hyphenated when it relates to the House of Lords.
Whenever Parliament is dissolved, the mace is returned to St James's Palace and the serjeant-at-arms reverts to being a member of the Royal Household.
The title is also used in criminal motorcycle clubs like Hells Angels.
In large organizations, the sergeant-at-arms may have assistants.
A law enforcement officer may serve in the role of sergeant-at-arms or it may be a paid (or unpaid), permanent position in the organization.
|
|
