GEM FROM THE ARCHIVE
Claire Skinner, principal archivist at Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, tells Rosemary Collins about the county’s historic police register
A Wiltshire police register, 1893–1926
The County Police Act of August 1839 enabled justices of the peace in England and Wales to found county police forces, following the success of the Metropolitan Police. In Wiltshire, where there was concern about law and order following riots by agricultural labourers, the Wiltshire Constabulary was created that year as the country’s first county police force, giving rise to its motto “Primus et optimus” (“The first and the best”.) By 1893 the constabulary was thriving. As Claire Skinner, principal archivist at Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre explains, its personnel register is a rich resource for finding out about its officers.
Which document have you chosen?
A register of Wiltshire Constabulary personnel, 1893– 1926, affectionately known as ‘Big Bertha’ but less colloquially referenced F5/200/5. It is rather fragile now, but still very useful for anyone researching the history of policing in Wiltshire.
What does it reveal about our forebears?
If your ancestor was a policeman then this volume and its predecessors (which date back to 1839) are a treasure trove of information about them, both personally and professionally. Headings include date of joining the police; date(s) of promotion/ demotion; date of birth; physical characteristics such as height, complexion, colour of eyes and colour of hair; marital status; the birthplace of both the police officer and their spouse; their occupation prior to joining the police force; details of any sickness absence; details of their service including date of leaving the force; plus, most interesting of all, details of any commendations and punishments.
Do you have any examples?
Henry Moore, who joined the force in 1908 aged 23, received five commendations for various examples of zeal, intelligence and tact in recovering stolen property, but wiped away his good record with one act of recklessness – he was asked to resign in July 1919 after being found “drunk on duty” at 1.30am at Swindon Police Station.
Another man who received both praise and blame was Ernest Thompson of Trowbridge. He was commended for his swift action in rendering first aid to a man run over by a traction engine but was later reprimanded twice, the first time in 1903 for circulating a false allegation that a fellow policeman had smacked his wife in the face for “whispering” to another man, and secondly in 1922 for gross neglect of duty in failing to inform his team that a motor car had been stolen for seven hours, because it happened in the middle of the night and he went to bed instead. Thompson was demoted to sergeant for the latter offence.
Are the records easy to search?
It can be time-consuming. To search for a constable before c1907 it is necessary to find his number. The early registers of staff are not by surname but in numerical order; this number was allocated to each constable on joining the force, and remained his means of identification until he left or was promoted above the rank of sergeant (inspectors and superintendents are listed alphabetically in the registers, separately at the beginning).
Those who joined between the establishment of the force in December 1839 and March 1870 can be found in the Wiltshire Family History Society
A family historian has to be prepared to uncover skeletons in the closet, as well as shining examples of greatness!
publication Wiltshire Policemen Appointed 1839–1870 (available at the History Centre, and for £3 online in microform format at bit.ly/WiltshirePolice), and the introduction explains the nature and content of the early sources. This enables you to search by name and thus find the staff number, which you will then need to use when looking at the original records.
From 1870 to c1907 the easiest way to find a number is to look in the station books (F5/250/4–6). These give a twice-yearly snapshot of serving policemen by division, giving police number, date of appointment to the station and area of beat. Most enquiries come from census entries, which therefore normally have a place of residence, giving a good idea of which division to search.
Why did you choose this specific document?
The register is a great example of how something drawn up for official purposes, in this case the administration of staff, can still be incredibly helpful for family history. The mixture of invaluable personal information such as place of birth and physical appearance, as well as details of professional performance, enable the researcher to gain a detailed impression of their ancestor including their character. It is rare for us to have so much information about an ancestor in one place. It is also a useful reminder that the family historian has to be prepared to uncover a few skeletons in the closet, as well as shining examples of greatness!
The document of course has a wider value in terms of what it tells us about policing in the 19th and 20th centuries. It sheds valuable insight into the types of crime the force had to deal with, and the approach to discipline and staff welfare.
Tell us more about your collections…
Wiltshire and Swindon Archives is the county archive service for the whole of Wiltshire and Swindon. We look after over eight miles of shelving containing unique and irreplaceable archives for the lieutenancy of Wiltshire. These come from a variety of sources, including public bodies such as local authorities, parish councils and law courts; Church of England parishes and the diocese of Salisbury; private individuals, landed families and estates (excluding the large landed estates of Bowood and Longleat, which employ their own archivists); societies and voluntary organisations; and businesses and professional forms across Wiltshire.
The archive’s records are useful for family and local history, a wide variety of historical research, and artistic and creative uses. The material is in a range of formats, from maps and plans to volumes and parchment deeds, and audiovisual and digital records. The centre is open to the public, and we are always delighted to receive visitors.