Chancery Lane outfitters describe it as a ‘legal requisite’…
Legal dress specialist Ede & Ravenscroft is selling gavels online. And, if that’s not enough for you, the Chancery Lane outfitters’ website describes the item as a “legal requisite”.
Hat tip to @julialarwood for this spot. The ‘Gavel & Block’ can be purchased in either Mexican rosewood or African padauk, both of which will set you back £125. To put this into context, a barristers’ gown from the go-to court dress suppliers will set you back £149, while a men’s white tunic shirt is £79. A barrister’s wig is £560.
It’s a popular misconception that gavels are used in UK courtrooms, with TV shows like Judge Rinder, for example, continuing to fuel this fallacy. Though we’re slightly surprised by Ede & Ravenscroft’s offering, it’s certainly not the first inappropriate gavel we’ve seen in our time.
Take Oxford University’s Hertford College, which used a sketch of the auctioneer’s hammer in one of its alumni newsletters.
@HertfordCollege I'm disappointed! @igavels pic.twitter.com/4DeREORvQf
— Mike Newbold (@m_newbold) September 29, 2016
Then there’s BPP Law School, also an inappropriate gavel culprit.
BPP teaching auctioneering
#Diversification pic.twitter.com/fQdNlEtazd
— The Bounder (@The_Bounder) September 12, 2015
Truly shocking stuff.
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