Shropshire Routes to Roots

1. Introduction to Police History

Prior to 1829, and the appearance of the Metropolitan Police or "Peelers", crime across the country was dealt with by local or parish "Constables". The office of Constable, first used by the Normans, had degenerated to such an extent by the early nineteenth century, that they were depicted as figures of fun, often drunk and barely more responsible than the persons they were arresting. Whilst this was not a completely true picture of all constables, many of whom were stout and brave individuals, organising the "Hue and Cry", their powers were strictly limited by their immediate superiors, the magistrates.

Magistrates were initially drawn from the gentry of a county, and wealth and patronage had a far larger say than competence and expertise. By the eighteenth century, however, the functions and powers of magistrates had been codified and the county "Quarter Sessions" and local "Petty Sessions" had become the normal place of trial.

In the same period, alarm had been growing at the increase in theft and violence across the country, with riots and public disturbances occurring on a regular basis. By 1800, over one million people lived in London and crime rates were increasing daily; no doubt due to the squalor and deprivation felt by most of the inhabitants. In 1822, Peel became Home Secretary and set up a committee to look at the policing of the Metropolis, which recommended no action. However, six years later, another committee agreed with him and in September 1829 the first Metropolitan Police Officers were appointed and patrolling the streets of London.

Newport Reward Poster (Shropshire Archives reference: 10/339) Larger image, in a new window [61kb]

The Counties had similar problems, but they did not want to go down the route of what they considered to be "military interference" by a uniformed body. They still preferred their parish constable, or set up local associations to prevent and detect crime. One such example was the "Newport Association for the Prosecution of Felons," who posted rewards and financed the cost of a trial. Equally, the "Oswestry Association for the Prevention of Crime" was a body of local worthies, of whom one local commentator said: "Whether this society did much to prevent crime we should not care to be called upon to determine, but the annual dinner was looked forward to with no small degree of interest and...the members were all pretty fair judges of what the world calls 'good living'"

One of the first Counties to set up a police force was Cheshire in 1829. However, it was not until the Municipal Corporations Act, 1835, that Counties were forced to elect "Watch Committees" to appoint and oversee a local police force. Even by 1840, there was still a great disparity between Counties, with no one single style of policing. Shropshire Forces (Opens in a new window) were no different.

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