Pomp, circumstance and arms: the post of sergeant-at-arms has a rich tradition and a vital modern role.

• Author: Cullen, Morgan
• Position: LEGISLATIVE STAFF

Every year for the past 230, the South Carolina Senate has convened session in the same manner. Lawmakers file down the center aisle, stand in front of their seats and wait for the lieutenant governor to be escorted into the chamber by the sergeant-at-arms.

For 30 years, Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Jim Melton has worn the same customary black suit and white gloves as his predecessors and led the presiding officer to his desk bearing the ceremonial state sword in his hands. The sword is placed in a cradle on the Senate rostrum and lamps on either side are turned on. The lieutenant governor calls the Senate to order and an opening devotion is led by the chaplain, followed by the senators reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

A Storied History

Each legislature has developed special customs over the years, yet the traditional responsibilities of the sergeant-at-arms remain, and can be traced back more than 700 years to England's King Edward I. He was the first, in 1279, to employ 20 sergeants as personal body guards. Previously, they had guarded only the garrisons of royal castles, or escorted traitors or other prisoners to the Tower of London. Over the two centuries, as the number of the king's body guards grew, so did their reputation for brutality and abuse of power.

In 1415, after Parliament issued a formal request, King Henry V appointed Nicholas Maudit, one of his royal sergeants, to be the first House of Commons sergeant-at-arms. Today, they are employed within the parliaments of eight countries, the U.S. Congress and 49 U.S. legislatures. More than half a millennium later, a sense of the position's medieval origins persists, particularly in its ceremonial role in parliamentary proceedings.

Dennis Clark has served as sergeant-at-arms for the Legislative Assembly in Ontario, Canada, for the past 15 years. His main ceremonial duty is to serve as custodian of the mace, the official ornamental staff. In fulfilling his responsibilities, Clark wears the traditional uniform, complete with an admiral's hat, frock coat with long tails, formal black pants and shoes, and the ceremonial sword. He also has a designated seat in the chamber.

Clark fully understands, however, that his position has evolved into a more serious role in the modern legislature. He is also responsible for maintaining order and security in the chamber in this age of increasingly sophisticated threats.

"I am tasked with overseeing two of the largest branches in the Assembly," Clark...