Truncheons come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, with a range of painted decoration, often very elaborate. Early truncheons were used a symbol of authority by constables or other lawmen. It is sometimes difficult to identify the exact use of a truncheon, this being indicated by the particular coat-of-arms and inscriptions painted upon it. By the seventeenth century , painted and gilded ornament was becoming common. By the reign of William IV (1830-37), the royal crown and cypher were standard features of truncheon decoration.