ANCESTRY’S METROPOLITAN POLICE PENSION RECORDS

Pension records from the London Metropolitan Archives can reveal a great deal about policeman ancestors

Second page

The first page details the annual size of the pension and the second page gives a description of the pensioner.

Date of joining

Date of joining the Metropolitan Police Force. Some police officers may have served elsewhere previously.

Length of service

Officers had to serve for 25 years to be eligible for a pension, but there was little incentive to continue beyond that.

Remuneration

Compare the salary of your kin to other officers or those in other professions.

Pensioner and wife

Descriptions of the pensioner and his wife are given as the claimant’s pension would go to his wife on his death.

Place and date of birth

The precise details about place and date of birth can be useful for tracing the correct birth certificate.

Marriage details

If the marriage is in a London church, check Ancestry’s Metropolitan Archive collection of parish registers.

Scars and marks

Most records say ‘nil’ here although many mention scars.

Signatures

Here you will see the actual signature of your forebear and, if relevant, his wife.