Looking through the Portable Antiquities Scheme website in the UK, I have seen a couple of knobbed medieval mace heads that have been identified as being ornamental. Adam Daubney has suggested that these maces “are ecclesiastical staff fittings rather than offensive weapons.” I am not sure precisely why this designation is made, although the PAS website suggests that it might be due to the squat shape of the mace heads, and the fact that similar maces heads are found in Ireland and Scandinavia, whose elaborate decoration suggests a non-military usage. However, the PAS record for one of the mace heads does acknowledge that the suggestion of being ecclesiastical heads has not been confirmed.

What do you think of this hypothesis? Are there other forms of evidence for ecclesiastical, decorative mace heads in England? Or do you see this as an academic misinterpretation based upon pre-conceived notions of how a mace should look?

I have attached images of two such mace heads, and there may be other mace heads that I have not seen thus far. You can read more about these two here: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/398122 and here: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/163436.

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Perhaps related to the ancient myth that the clergy couldn't use swords because they "spill blood" while maces don't? From 1834 -
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=k-N-dzlDxCUC&pg=PA230&lpg=PA230&dq=bishops+not+spill+blood+mace&source=web&ots=mI0LrlrfoJ&sig=ENYlkkR60PHYPBC-omTRtKFJ3Q0&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false

Possibly, Mart, although why assume there was a specific ceremonial or ritual use for maces among the clergy? It's one thing to believe they used maces in war, and quite another to suggest the maces have a liturgical function or some other such role.

These look totally utilitarian bronze mace heads to me.

It would be very easy to make these much nicer than they are if they were to be ceremonial, so unless the ceremony was based around boring looking hitting sticks, I would say these are weapons.

No question in my mind.

Tod

I was about to say pretty much the same, Tod. I don't see anything ceremonial or ornamental about them...just pure head-knockers. :) ....McM