Well, again Queequeg, you really come up with some esoterica!
Barbara Tuchman's work is always outstanding, and its hard to imagine the detail she typically includes, let alone finding information that exceeds her research. As you have cited, the insurgents apparantly broke into the Hotel de Ville, taking 3000 lead mallets. The only other references I have found refer to the location as an 'arms depot' and talking the mallets.
It seems sometimes semantics and terminology can be confounding in determining actuality in events and descriptions of things associated.
I am not clear on what police organization was like in these times, nor the type of mallets that might have been used.
It does seem clear these were utilitarian in nature rather than the 'martel de fer' or war hammer of the times, which had a spike type poll, and it is noted these mallets had cylindrical heads. In a description of the Battle of Agincourt some years later, John Keegan ("The Face of Battle") notes the use of lead mallets used for driving tent stakes, used to knock knights off horses. While this is obviously the standard instance of using whatever is at hand in the heat of the moment in battle, it seemed interesting that these implements were of lead, and seemingly a component of army ordnance.
This more than anything, demonstrates the effective use of a utilitarian tool against armed opponents, as probably faced by the maillots.
In iconic artwork, there is a painting titled "The Mystic Marraige of St. Catherine" associated in the predella in its display in Boston, depicting St. Margaret of Antioch striking the demon beelzebub with a large 'hammer or mallet', in one interpretation.
Perhaps locating that artwork might give some idea, as it is of related period.
It would seem that museums in France might have such implements in some display, and it would be interesting to discover more on this. It seems that this carries into your previous interest in the shillelagh, and also to the earlier discussions here on the history of the 'billy club' or truncheons used by police. Interesting topics, and hopefully we will hear more.
All the best,
Jim
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