In the Victorian era, police in London carried truncheons about one foot long called "billy clubs". According to the "Online Etymology Dictionary", this name is first recorded in 1848 as slang for a burglars' crowbar. The meaning "policeman's club" is first recorded 1856. The truncheon acted as the policeman's 'Warrant Card' as the Royal Crest attached to it indicated the policeman's authority. This was always removed when the equipment left official service (often with the person who used it). Earlier on the word was used in vulgar Latin ("bastο"—a stick helping walking, from "basta"—hold).