This type of cosh, known as a 'priest', is weighted at each end with lead. The handle section is usually made of a flexible material, sometime whale baleen. In this case, it seems to be some kind of metal. They were used for a variety of purposes. Fishermen used them to dispatch large fish from their catch.This example was issued to the donor's grandfather, Thomas Featherstone Taylor, during military service in Ireland. Taylor was a farmer at Rowington, Warwickshire. He served in Ireland prior to 1867.