Serjeant-at-arms

, Couvent Sainte-Catherine-du-Val-des-Écoliers, Paris). The most familiar use of the term "sergeant" today is as a military rank. In the medieval period, the soldier sergeant was a man of what would now be thought of as the 'middle class', fulfilling a junior role to the knight in the medieval hierarchy. Sergeants could fight either as heavy to light cavalry, or as well-trained professional infantry, either spearmen or crossbowmen. Most notable medieval mercenaries fell into the 'sergeant' class, such as Flemish crossbowmen and spearmen, who were seen as reliable quality troops. The sergeant class were deemed to be 'worth half of a knight' in military value. 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). (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 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 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. It is from this body of men that the present-day serjeants-at-arms evolved. ==History of the office in England==

into the Palace of Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament in 2022. The earliest record of the Sergeants-at-Arms in England is found in 1278, when King Edward I formed them into a twenty-strong Corps to serve as a close escort. Duties In 1417 the King's brother, Thomas of Lancaster, published a set of instructions for the kings of arms, heralds and serjeants-at arms (among whom there had been a dispute about their places in processions). He reiterated the purpose of the serjeants-at-arms, "which were principally founded and ordained for the conservation of the person of the King and his Lords", and also described their appearance: "the Serjeants at Arms in Service Royal ought to stand before the King in such fashion attired: that is to say his head bare and all his body armed to the feet with arms of a Knight riding, wearing a gold chain with a medal bearing all the King's Coats" and with a "Mace of silver in his right hand, and in his left hand a truncheon". Under the Tudors the size of the corps was again increased; in 1492 they were summoned by King Henry VII to accompany him on a military venture in France. Elizabeth I maintained a body of twenty-five serjeants-at-arms; under her successor James I their number was reduced to sixteen. 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". 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. 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." Parliamentary role , House of Commons Serjeant at Arms (photo by J. B. Stone, 1906). From an early time, individual serjeants-at-arms of the Royal Household were attached to certain Great Officers of State. The Lord High Steward had a serjeant-at-arms, as did the Lord High Chancellor and the Lord High Treasurer. The Lord Chancellor is still attended by a serjeant-at-arms on ceremonial occasions (unless the monarch himself is present). 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". Disciplinary responsibilities , left) in 1884, leading the Speaker, Henry Brand, in procession. Like the other serjeants-at-arms, the Serjeant at Arms of the House of Commons had a role that was practical as well as ceremonial: within the precincts of the House of Commons he kept order, and introduced messengers and others at the bar of the House. Further afield, he was empowered to summon individuals to the bar of the House, to place them in custody and commit them to a place of detention (if ordered by the House to do so). As demonstrated in the Ferrers Case of 1543, the Serjeant had wide-ranging powers of arrest, requiring no writ but only the "show of his Mace which was his warrant". 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 clock 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). ==Present day==

(left). The formal role of a sergeant-at-arms in modern legislative bodies is to keep order during meetings, and, if necessary, forcibly remove any members or guests who are overly rowdy or disruptive. (A sergeant-at-arms may thus be a retired soldier, police officer, or other official with experience in law enforcement and security.) They may also have a ceremonial and/or administrative role, and sometimes retain Australia The Australian House of Representatives operates under the Westminster parliamentary system. The serjeant-at-arms is a career officer of the Department of the House of Representatives. The ceremonial duties are as the custodian of the mace, the symbol of the authority of the Crown and the House, and as the messenger for formal messages from the House to the Senate. Canada The sergeant-at-arms is the senior official of the House of Commons of Canada. In this role, the sergeant-at-arms is responsible for the building services and security of the House of Commons, and is appointed by the governor general acting on the advice of the federal cabinet. The sergeant-at-arms carries the mace, the symbol of the authority of the Crown, in the daily parade into the House of Commons chamber. 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. Kenya Serjeants at Arms serve both the Senate and the National Assembly in the Parliament of Kenya, performing ceremonial duties and maintaining order and decorum. They also oversee security and have responsibility for estate management, event management, housekeeping and other areas. Liberia In addition to the president pro tempore, the Senate of Liberia elects a secretary of the Senate, assistant secretary of the Senate and a sergeant-at-arms as officers of the Senate, though these positions are not held by sitting senators. New Zealand The New Zealand House of Representatives operates under the Westminster parliamentary system. 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 • Edward Mayne, appointment gazetted on 25 January 1858 and pending retirement announced in September 1865 • Group Captain Alexander John Mackay Manson, from 1937 to 1965 (promoted to Usher of the Black Rod in May 1965) • Wing Commander Bob McKay, from 1965 • Carol Rankin, the first woman to be serjeant-at-arms, appointed in 1985 • Ipi Cross • Donald Cameron • Fred Hutton, from 1998 to 2002 • Brent Smith, from 2003 to 2016. Papua New Guinea In the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea the Sergeant-at-Arms is custodian of the mace, which is "a symbol of Royal Authority and the authority of the House and Speaker". As well as carrying the mace, the Sergeant-at-Arms is custodian of the Members' attendance register: he allocates seats in the Chamber and keeps order during Sessions. Other duties include managing travel arrangements for Members and arranging visits to Parliament (whether for VIPs, schools, tourists or others). Singapore The Parliament of Singapore operates under the Westminster parliamentary system. The serjeant-at-arms is an officer of the parliament as defined in section 2 of the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act 1962 (PPIP Act). The serjeant-at-arms is also an officer of the Security department who assist the Security Director in security matters of the Parliament matters and may be drawn from ex-police officers or ex-army personnel. The Serjeant-at-Arms bears the authority of the Speaker of Parliament, who carries out the following duties: • Ceremonially, acts as the custodian of the mace and lead the Speaker into the Parliament at the commencement of each Parliament sitting. The serjeant will place the mace at the stand on the table to signify that the parliament is in sitting. • Administratively, perform access control of all persons into the Parliament House and managing the security and admissions of all staff and visitors into the Parliament. • The Serjeant may also in accordance with sections 27 and 28 of the PPIP Act, and upon the Speaker’s authority, ensure that any person(s) responsible for any disturbances in the Parliament House to be removed from the premises. • The Sergeant also executes the Speaker's warrant (or 'summons') to any member of public that is required to appear before a Parliamentary Hearing Committee. South Africa The serjeant-at-arms is a member of the parliamentary staff who acts as the official guardian of the mace, a decorated rod which is the symbol of the authority of the Parliament of South Africa. The mace must be in position in the National Assembly chamber during a plenary sitting. 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." 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. Sri Lanka , Serjeant-at-Arms of the Sri Lankan Parliament (2018-2024). The Parliament of Sri Lanka was established in the form of the Westminster parliamentary system. The serjeant-at-arms is appointed by the secretary general of Parliament and is responsible for all ceremonial occasions as the master of ceremonies in Parliament, preservation of order, custody of the mace, security, admission of visitors, allocation of accommodation within the House and supervision of galleries. Assisting the serjeant-at-arms in his duties would be the deputy serjeant-at-arms and the assistant serjeant-at-arms. 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. 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. United Kingdom Parliament at the Palace of Westminster. In the UK, the Serjeant at Arms of the House of Commons is responsible for "keeping order within the House of Commons Chamber during debates, and for the general security of, and access to, the House of Commons as a whole". 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. 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. In 1962 this office was combined with that of Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod (Black Rod's deputy), Insignia The mace serves as a symbol of royal and parliamentary authority. Ten maces are kept in the Jewel House at the Tower of London in addition to those kept by the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Lord Chancellor. As well as carrying their maces, on state occasions each serjeant-at-arms wears a collar of esses as a symbol of his or her office. (As a testament to the symbolic power of the insignia, when the Republic of Ireland declared independence from the United Kingdom at the First Dáil in 1919, one of the first decisions declared was that there was to be "no robes, no mace, no velveted sergeant-at-arms".) 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 role carries ceremonial duties, including opening proceedings and announcing the dissolution of parliament. In December 2022, Major Peter Oweh was selected to hold the position. United States , Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives, with mace. The two houses of the United States Congress maintain the position of sergeant-at-arms. The sergeants are charged with the maintenance of order on the floor of the chamber (in the House, he may "display" the mace in front of an unruly member as an admonition to behave); they serve with the Architect of the Capitol on the commission that oversees the United States Capitol Police and security for the Congress, and they serve a variety of other functional and ceremonial roles. Zimbabwe In Zimbabwe, the National Assembly and the Senate are each served by a Serjeant at Arms. The Serjeant at Arms functions as Housekeeper of Parliament Buildings, "responsible for the maintenance of the building, furniture and equipment, provision of refreshments, general cleanliness of the institution and ceremonial duties". The Serjeant at Arms carries the mace before the Speaker or President of the Senate, ensures that decorum is kept in the chamber and associated spaces, and is empowered to "eject defaulting Members of Parliament from the Chamber". ==Other bodies==

Other bodies—from state and local legislative houses (city councils, county legislatures and the like) to civic and social organizations—have created posts of sergeants-at-arms, primarily to enforce order at the direction of the chair and to assist in practical details of organizing meetings. Other duties may include the greeting of visitors or providing security. The sergeant-at-arms may be in charge of the organization's property. 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. ==Notes==