A day in the life of Kingston's unique and historic Tipstaff

It is the oldest of the four Royal boroughs in England, and the only council to still have an officer called a Tipstaff in post.

In fact, the only other Tipstaff in the country is an officer of the High Court of England and Wales.

This week Kingston Council voted to reappoint Michael Seigel, 70, as the borough’s Tipstaff and Town Crier for another three years.

The two roles were officially separate offices in Kingston before they were disbanded in 1914 at the outbreak of World War One.

In 1984 they were reintroduced as a combined role, but in 2010 the council failed to appoint anybody, so the role was left vacant.

That was until 2018, when local tour guide and former headmaster of Rokeby School, Michael Seigel, agreed to take up the post.

Speaking on Zoom this week, Michael is keen to point out how unusual Kingston is in still having a Tipstaff, which is a very formal role.

The Tipstaff refers to the valuable baton that the postholder carries, which is kept under lock and key in the Mayor’s parlour in the Guildhall.

Tipstaffs were carried by people who kept law and order in medieval times right through to the 17th and 18th century, says Michael.

“You’d tap somebody on the shoulder and then unscrew the top and inside would be the warrant,” he said.

“But obviously that doesn’t happen now.”

Today the Tipstaff officiates in more formal council events, such as the changing of the Mayor.

Kingston Council's Tipstaff (Chamberlain's Baton) Credit: Kingston Council

“I sort of knock on the door between the Queen Anne suite and the council chamber and I bring in the new Mayor and announce her,” he said

He also leads a procession from the Guildhall to All Saints Church, and takes part in yearly services such as Remembrance Day.

The Town Crier role is less structured, and more about conveying information.

The position of the Town Crier was originally that of ‘Crier of the Town Court’ who would inform the townspeople of the latest news at a time when most people were illiterate and could not read.

He would begin by saying ‘oyez’ (pronounced ‘oh yay’), and meaning “hear ye”, and would ring a large hand bell to attract everybody’s attention.

Michael says that in normal times, he might have been called upon to announce the death of Prince Philip in the marketplace, even though most people would already know in the modern world of smartphones.

“Here we are in 2021. We get instant information with our phones pinging all the time, but in a time when you needed someone to make an announcement to all the citizens of what was going on, it was also part and parcel of keeping order.

“Even the town crier would be ringing a bell if there was some kind of curfew . In days of plague in the past, that would be one of the roles, saying you need to be inside now!”

Michael says he has “thoroughly enjoyed” his time in the role so far, even if the past year has been a bit quiet.

“I’m hoping that with my reappointment things are going to be  coming up and I shall be quite busy in both roles in the next three years,” he said.

Highlights so far include switching on the Christmas lights in the town centre and helping out with the heritage days in September to give talks about the history of the borough.

He says people enjoy taking selfies with him wearing his uniform, which can take up to 15 minutes to put on.

“I think my ugly mug must be with a lot of people around the country and around the world,” he joked.

However others seem quite oblivious to his extravagant cape and breeches.

“I once went to something in the city and I found out it was going to be quite difficult to change, and I thought ‘blow it’ and I went up on the tube from Richmond all the way to the city and hardly anybody gave me a second glance.

“I’m sure they just thought I was going to a fancy dress party.”

Michael thinks the role adds “colour” to the borough and a sense of heritage and he hopes he will be able to meet more people in his next term.

He particularly wants to do more work with schools to talk to them about the role and the history of the borough.

If you’d like to invite Michael to an event in the borough you can find out how to book him here: https://www.kingston.gov.uk/mayor/learn-town-crier?documentId=333&categoryId=20152