Chain of Office

The Town of East Gwillimbury's (EG's) Mayor wears the Chain of Office. Although decorative, the practice of wearing a Chain of Office has become steeped in historic tradition and is one which is followed not only by elected officials but by the executives of civic organizations as well. 

EG's Chain of Office

Inscape Corporation, formerly known as Office Specialty Limited, generously donated the new Chain of Office. This was fitting since back in 1971, Office Specialty Limited donated the original Chain. As the original was more than 30 years old and due for a major refurbishing East Gwillimbury decided to have a new Chain of Office created.  The original Chain had Gwillimbury spelled 'Gwillumbury' and had no room to incorporate the past, present and future of the Town.  

Being careful not to compromise its integrity, the new Chain of Office was designed to encompass the traditions of the original with a few minor changes incorporated:  the colour of the velvet was changed to blue from green in order to reflect the Town's theme colour, corrected the spelling of Gwillimbury, there are sufficient plates to hold the engraved names and service dates of previous, present and future mayors, and the main medallion was updated to reflect the new Town coat of arms and slogan “Our Town, Our Future”. 

History   

One major addition to the new Chain of Office is a commemorative medallion for each mayor. This medallion hangs from the main medallion with the current serving mayor's name on it. When a new Mayor is sworn into office, the outgoing mayor can take the medallion with him/her to memorialize time spent in office. 

For over a thousand years, beginning with the Duke of Normandy, civic authorities have borne an official seal incorporating the arms of authority. This seal was originally worn on a gold chain around the neck of the chief official. This “decoration” has evolved into the modern Chain of Office. A modern Chain of Office is composed of several elements joined together with pieces of chain from which hangs a medallion. Chains of Office are almost always sewn onto a velvet collar which is not only decorative but makes the chain much more comfortable to wear.