A certain share of low cunning : a history of the Bow Street Runners, 1792-1839 / David J. Cox.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cox, David J.

Contributor:

Anne and Joseph Trachtman Memorial Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hue and cry.

Police--England--London--History--18th century.

Police.

Police--England--London--History--19th century.

History.

England--London.

Physical Description:

xvi, 280 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cullompton, Devon ; Portland, Oregon : Willan Publishing, 2010.

Contents:

1 Introduction: revealing an 'Eleusinian mystery' 1

Introduction 1

Geographical boundaries 5

Sources 6

The role of newspapers in the reporting of crime 6

Reasons for reporting cases 7

Levels of under-reporting 8

Development of Hue & Cry 10

Promotion of Bow Street Police Office through the publication of Hue & Cry 10

Limitations of sources 13

Origination of primary sources 13

Secondary sources 14

Notes 18

2 'Men of known and approved fidelity': the development of the Bow Street system 26

Introduction 26

Formation and development 26

Efforts to distance and differentiate Principal Officers from thieftakers 28

The 'Police Act' of 1792 31

The functioning of Bow Street Police Office 32

Legal powers of Bow Street personnel 34

Differences between Principal Officers and other forces based at Bow Street 36

Relationship between Bow Street and the other Police Offices 38

Social status and contemporary perceptions of Principal Officers 40

The Warwick Bank incident 45

Evidence of the 1828 Select Committee 48

Financial standing of Principal Officers 48

Conclusion 55

Notes 56

3 'If the gentleman writes the gentleman pays': the employers of Principal Officers 66

Introduction 66

Cost of employing Principal Officers 66

Other benefits available to Principal Officers 67

Claiming of rewards by Principal Officers 68

Views of Principal Officers regarding their payment 70

Comparisons between provincial and metropolitan employment of Principal Officers 72

Comparison of the types of employer in the provinces and the metropolis 74

Attitude of the Home Department to provincial authorities' use of Principal Officers 91

Conclusion 93

Notes 93

4 'Contending with desperate characters': the types of crimes investigated by Principal Officers 102

Introduction 102

Perceptions of crime 102

Provincial cases 103

Metropolitan cases 125

Conclusion 129

Notes 130

5 'Police officers for the country at large': the nationwide role of the Principal Officers 138

Introduction 138

The pre-1829 provincial policing situation 138

Attitude of local authorities to the use of Principal Officers in provincial cases 143

Nationwide role of the Principal Officers 144

Opposition to a national police force 146

Location of reported provincial cases involving Principal Officers 148

Scottish cases 152

Welsh cases 153

Success rate of Principal Officers 156

Conclusion 158

Notes 159

6 'Domiciliary visits, spies, and all the rest of Fouche's contrivances': six case studies of provincial investigations by Principal Officers 168

Introduction 168

Case 1 Fraudulent arson attack on the house of Reverend Robert Bingham, Maresfield, Sussex, January 1811 168

Case 2 The robbery and murder of Mr Benjamin Robins of Dunsley Hall, Staffordshire, December 1812 177

Case 3 The plundering of the Adamant, Newhaven, Sussex, December 1815 185

Case 4 Poaching and murder on the estate of Colonel Berkeley, Gloucestershire, January 1816 192

Case 5 The abduction of Miss Ellen Turner to the continent by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, March 1826 196

Case 6 Attempted prevention of a prizefighting bout, Hanslope, June 1830 201

Conclusion 207

Notes 208

7 'More expert in tracing and detecting crime': the post-1829 situation 218

Introduction 218

Continued employment of Principal Officers after 1829 218

Relationship between Bow Street and the Metropolitan Police 1829-39 222

Conclusion 224

Notes 225

8 'Rescuing from a historical cul-de-sac': the legacy of the Bow Street Principal Officers 228

Introduction 228

Summary of findings 228

Conclusion 233

Notes 234.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 242-272) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Anne and Joseph Trachtman Memorial Book Fund.

ISBN:

9781843927730

184392773X

OCLC:

466359597