Policing in the 18th century England Flashcards
What were constables and the night watch involved in during 17th century policing throughout England?
Apprehending criminals
What did not exist throughout policing in England during the 17th century?
In a paid professional police force
What were citizens in England throughout 17th century policing responsible for?
Reporting and perusing criminals
What could victims in England throughout 17th century policing use?
The services of a paid thief-taker
Who was in charge of apprehending criminals in 18th century policing throughout England?
Individuals - who had the right to initiate a prosecution
Throughout the early modern period policing was a task organised at the parish and communal level by who?
The night watch
True or false householders took rotation on the night watch?
True
What were the main tasks of the night watch? (3)
To patrol the streets of the parish, examine people acting suspiciously and arrest offenders, who were then brought to the watch-house
Who were the night watch supervised by?
Constables - appointed by local householders
What did a statute put forward by King III (1207-1272) maintain?
That every village and township appoint a constable or two
What were the specific duties of the night watch?
To preserve the peace, arrest law-breakers and carry out orders of Justices of the Peace
What did early histories of constables focus on?
The incompetence, ignorance and stupidity of such men
What did warrants issued by the justices of the peace order?
- Constables to sweep the streets of prostitutes, vagrants, disorderly persons, gamblers etc
- Also, wanted reports on those engaged in excessive drinking, profane swearers, those who worked on Sundays and other nuisance offences
In London, who was daytime watch duty carried out by?
Marshals and Beadles
Who did city marshals work for?
Lord Mayor - carrying out the orders of city officials and supervision of the night watch
Who did Beadles assist and what did they assist them in doing?
Constables - in organising and supervising the night watch, controlling crowds, prohibiting sales of goods on Sundays and dealing with vagrants
When were thief-takers introduced?
-Act of 1692. Offered a reward of 40 Euros, plus the offenders horse, arms and money for the conviction of highway robbers
Who were thief takers also hired by?
Individuals
How many thief-takers were there in London in the 1690s?
30-40 - some were also constables and/or informers
What was a key development of the watchmen in the 18th century?
They were now paid
What happened by the end of the 17th century to the night watchmen?
Richer households were paying others i.e. deputies to take on their rotation
What did Westminster parishes obtain in 1735?
Watch Acts
When did the City of London obtain its own watch act?
1737
What did the 1774 Westminster Watch act entail?
Minimum standards in terms of numbers of watchmen, their pay & basic duties
What were the developments with paid constables throughout England in the 18th century
- Many householders paid a fine or hired a replacement or deputy
- Introduction of special or deputy constables
- After 1750 they were used to police crowds at demonstrations and at public punishments
- Constables worked on a reactive basis responding to victim complaints or warrants from the justices of the peace
What happened as a result of thief taking in 18th century England?
- Thief takers required good knowledge of the criminal world, so they were often former or active criminals themselves
- Thief takers made money from collecting rewards and negotiating with criminals to return stolen goods for a fee
What did many thief-takers become?
Thief makers
What did thief-makers convince gullible men into?
Committing crimes
What did Bow Street runners use so that people could find a magistrate at fixed hours?
Rotation offices
When did the Bow street office open?
1739
Who were the two brothers that took over the Bow Street office in 1748-1749?
Henry and John Fielding
What did the Fielding brothers implement?
Systems to collect and disseminate information about criminals and organised foot and horse patrols to prevent crimes
How did the Fielding brothers implement new systems?
-They placed adverts in newspapers and introduced an alphabetical register of all crimes and prosecutions
What was the end result of policing i England, particularly London in the 18th century?
An existence of something close to a professional police force. However, it was not until 1829 that the Metropolitan police force were born
