This is an element from a ceremonial staff weapon that was used to indicate rank or to escort important people. The halberd originated as a staff weapon of the foot soldier, combining the advantages of the spear and the axe. By the early 17th century, halberds were carried by sergeants as a sign of rank and to signal commands to their companies. The 1612 martial laws for the Jamestown colony required the sergeants to carry halberds for garrison duty but to abandon them in favor of firearms in the field.

Halberdiers were employed at Jamestown in 1610 as special guards to Governor De La Warre, who embraced the pomp and ceremony of this office in his efforts to rediscipline and revitalize the flagging colony. The iron halberd head in this image was found in the ca. 1610 fill of Structure 165's cellar and may be one of the weapons of De La Warre's halberdiers.