Talk:Black Rod

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[edit] Question

"an official of a figure"? What does that mean? Is it some kind of technical British legal term? Tex 12:11, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

I have never heard the phrase. I think it is suppossed to be 'an official figure'--Captdoc 12:38, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

I have removed it.

I have also taken the references to black rods from other countries out of the description of the UK version and put them in a seperate section, as in the previous version the article kept jumping between different officers in different countries and I found this confusing. Richard75 19:35, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

People keep changing the Australian deputy usher to different things... 58.178.201.180 15:02, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Question 2

Why "Black Rod"? What is the derivation of the title? Why an ebony cane? Was ebony available in C14?

I don't know why it's a black rod, or the availability of ebony in C14, but I do know it's ceremonially broken over the grave of a monarch after their death (part of the attendant to the sovereign role). The rod itself actually unscrews in the centre for this very purpose. It's all a bit OR for me to put down, unless someone's got a source - but my google-fu is weak today. --RedHillian 15:33, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 'Lady Usher'?

Could there be a female 'Black Rod'? (And if there was would it be 'Lady Usher of the Black Rod?)