In Situ (Sep 2022)
Phaléristique des prud’hommes. Jetons, insignes de fonction, médailles d’identité et d’honneur
Abstract
Phaleristics is an auxiliary science of history, which studies orders, decorations, medals, insignia of office and distinction. It helps the historian by giving him tools for dating and identifying location. In addition to providing guidelines for identifying and evaluating this little-known heritage, this article shows how the iconography of various metal insignia – lent, given or awarded to the members of the Conseils des Prud'hommes from the early 19th century to the present day – conveys the iconography of power or of local prides dear to each of the Conseils. Our study, which follows the chronological order of appearance, involves: Tokens: following the creation of the “prud'homie à la terre”, created by Emperor Napoleon in Lyon in 1806, the first attendance tokens were created in 1809. During a century, other cities with such industrial tribunals would also adopt this principle of tokens to compensate financially their prud’hommes. Insignia of office: it was not until the Royal Order of 12 November, 1828, which indicated that the prud'hommes must wear a silver medal, suspended from a black ribbon to be worn in saltire, in the performance of their duties within or outside of the courtroom, that such an insignia came to be. This Insignia of Office, which has evolved over time, is still in use today. Medals of Identity and Honour: here we will study, first, the Medals of Identity of the prud’hommes, which appeared locally as early as the 1840s, followed by the very official prud’hommes Medals of Honour, which were issued late in the 19th century and are the precursors of the present-day Medals of Honour of the judicial services which were created in 2011 and are awarded today.
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