South Carolina General Assembly
116th Session, 2005-2006
H. 5242
STATUS INFORMATION
House Resolution
Sponsors: Reps. Chalk, Harrell, Scarborough, Agnew, Allen, Altman, Anderson, Anthony, Bailey, Bales, Ballentine, Bannister, Barfield, Battle, Bingham, Bowers, Brady, Branham, Breeland, G.Brown, J.Brown, R.Brown, Cato, Ceips, Chellis, Clark, Clemmons, Clyburn, Coates, CobbHunter, Coleman, Cooper, Cotty, Dantzler, Davenport, Delleney, Duncan, Edge, Emory, Frye, Funderburk, Govan, Hagood, Haley, Hamilton, Hardwick, Harrison, Harvin, Haskins, Hayes, Herbkersman, J.Hines, M.Hines, Hinson, Hiott, Hodges, Hosey, Howard, Huggins, Jefferson, Jennings, Kennedy, Kirsh, Leach, Limehouse, Littlejohn, Loftis, Lucas, Mack, Mahaffey, Martin, McCraw, McGee, McLeod, Merrill, Miller, Mitchell, MoodyLawrence, J.H.Neal, J.M.Neal, Neilson, Norman, Ott, Owens, Parks, Perry, Phillips, Pinson, E.H.Pitts, M.A.Pitts, Rhoad, Rice, Rivers, Rutherford, Sandifer, Scott, Simrill, Sinclair, Skelton, D.C.Smith, F.N.Smith, G.M.Smith, G.R.Smith, J.E.Smith, J.R.Smith, W.D.Smith, Stewart, Talley, Taylor, Thompson, Toole, Townsend, Tripp, Umphlett, Vaughn, Vick, Viers, Walker, Weeks, Whipper, White, Whitmire, Witherspoon and Young
Document Path: l:\council\bills\ms\7415ahb06.doc
Introduced in the House on May 30, 2006
Adopted by the House on May 30, 2006
Summary: House of Representatives' Mace
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date Body Action Description with journal page number
5/30/2006 House Introduced and adopted HJ11
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
5/30/2006
A HOUSE RESOLUTION
TO COMMEMORATE THE TWO HUNDRED FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MACE AND TO REFLECT UPON ITS RICH HISTORY AS THE EMBLEM OF AUTHORITY OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Whereas, the emblem of authority of the South Carolina House of Representatives, the Mace, was made in London in 1756 and therefore will be two hundred fifty years old in 2006. The celebration of this milestone is certainly worthwhile as it serves to promote the history of the House of Representatives and of this great Southern State; and
Whereas, as shown by the hallmarks thereon, the Mace was made by Magdelen Feline and purchased by the “Commons House of Assembly of the Province of South Carolina” for ninety guineas; and
Whereas, to begin to understand the historic significance of the Mace, it is important to note the prominent political figures of the time who were members of the 21st Royal Assembly that authorized the purchase of the Mace; and
Whereas, Benjamin Smith was the Speaker of the House and it was his mercantile firm of Benjamin Smith & Company that placed the order for the Mace and for the robes for the Speaker and Clerk of the House. Benjamin Smith would go on to be one of the most active members of the committee that formulated plans for the first Statehouse in Charleston, and he was also a judge and was one of those who voted to reopen Charleston Harbor despite the restrictions of the Stamp Act; and
Whereas, Richard Richardson was one of the most wellknown backcountry settlers of the time. He was a successful militia leader and a hero of the American Revolution, and he was also the patriarch of the RichardsonManning clan that produced six governors for the State; and
Whereas, William Moultrie was a Revolutionary War hero and, among his many exploits, it was under his command of the fort on Sullivan’s Island on June 28, 1776, that South Carolinians defeated both the British Army and Navy in one of the first major battles of the Revolution. He later served as governor of the State; and
Whereas, finally, Robert Pringle was later a colonial judge and, like Smith, voted to challenge the authority of the British Parliament and the Stamp Act; and
Whereas, the South Carolina Commons House of Assembly was one of the most powerful representative bodies in Colonial America. All of South Carolina’s signers of the Declaration of Independence served in the House: Thomas Lynch, Jr., Thomas Heyward, Jr., Arthur Middleton, and Edward Rutledge. In fact, all of the members of South Carolina’s delegation to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia (our Founding Fathers) served in the House: Pierce Butler, John Rutledge, Charles Pinckney, and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney; and
Whereas, interestingly, the decision to purchase the Mace was made during one of the intermittent wrangles that the Assembly had with the Royal Governors and the Royal Council. As was usually the case, the Assembly won the argument and the Mace would become truly symbolic to colonial South Carolinians as a definitive symbol of the power of the people’s representatives that lives on today; and
Whereas, the intricate details on the Mace make it a glorious site to behold indeed. Its panels contain the royal arms of Great Britain, the arms of the House of Hanover, the arms of the Province of South Carolina, and other insignia; and
Whereas, today it is the custom, upon the opening of the session, for the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives to bear the Mace ahead of the Speaker and lay it upon its specially prepared rack on the Rostrum in front of the Speaker where it remains until recess or adjournment of the body; and
Whereas, the Mace is always borne at the head of the procession when the House officially attends in the Senate Chamber and upon State occasions; and
Whereas, it is with great Southern pride and respect for this striking and lasting symbol of democracy that the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives pause in honor of the Two Hundred Fiftieth Anniversary of the Mace. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the House of Representatives of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, commemorate the Two Hundred Fiftieth Anniversary of the Mace and reflect upon its rich history as the emblem of authority of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
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