Rough justice : policing, crime, and the origins of the Newfoundland Constabulary, 1729-1871 / Keith Mercer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mercer, Keith, 1978- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Police--Newfoundland and Labrador--History--18th century.

Police.

Police--Newfoundland and Labrador--History--19th century.

Criminal justice, Administration of--Newfoundland and Labrador--History--18th century.

Criminal justice, Administration of.

Criminal justice, Administration of--Newfoundland and Labrador--History--19th century.

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (337 pages)

Place of Publication:

St. John's, Canada : Flanker Press Limited, [2021]

Summary:

"Rough Justice is a history of policing and crime in early Newfoundland. It focuses on the period between the appointment of the first constables on the island in 1729 to the establishment of the Newfoundland Constabulary in 1871, now known as the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. This makes the Constabulary the oldest continuous police service in Canada. This book concentrates on regular constables and their lived experiences in the court system and in the community. These law officers, who were largely ignored by politicians at the time and by historians in recent decades, were critical to making that justice system work. This social and legal study brings their stories to life for the first time. Case studies provide fascinating glimpses into the dangers of law enforcement across the island, not just in St. John's and Conception Bay, but also in rural districts such as Trinity and Placentia. First and foremost, these men, mostly untrained amateurs, were officers of the court, but they also played important roles in some of the most notable historical events and social crises over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The formation of the modern-day Constabulary in 1871 was a significant historical event. Rough Justice focuses on those early policemen. With a foreword by Edward Roberts, former lieutenant-governor of Newfoundland and Labrador."

Contents:

Intro

Title page

Copyright

Dedication

List of Tables and Appendices

Abbreviations

Foreword

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Fishing Admirals and Legal Confusion

Searching for John Guy: Early Governors and Laws

The Rise of the Royal Navy

Legal Experiments and Frustrations

Garrison Intrigue

Conclusion

Chapter 3: The Birth of the Police, 1729-65

Governor Osborne and the District System

Britain and Newfoundland

Constable Slaughter in Action, 1730

Legal Stagnation and the Sabbath

Crime and the Courts

Assault on the Night Watch, 1754

Constables in Early Trinity

Chapter 4: Officers of the Court, 1765-90

Social Challenges in Trinity and Bonavista Bays

Policing the Irish Shore

The St. John's Assizes

Roads and Buildings

Comparisons: Nova Scotia and Quebec

Chapter 5: Publicans and Policemen, 1790-1815

The Tavern-Keeper System in St. John's

Early Reforms and Outport Trends

Court Costs and Police Wages

Dominick King's Ordeal

Policing and Punishment

Chasing Deserters: Constables and the Military

Ship Rooms and the St. John's Constabulary

Chapter 6: Crime-Fighting and Political Reform, 1815-32

Winters of the Rals

Property Crime in St. John's

Rural Constables: St. Mary's and Burin

Debating Municipal Reform in St. John's

The Lundrigan-Butler Affair in Conception Bay

Supreme Court Challenge

The St. John's Constabulary in the 1820s

Resisting the Police

Down North: Twillingate and Labrador

Municipal Incorporation and Colonial Reform

Chapter 7: The Newfoundland Constabulary, 1832-71

The Politics of Policing

Judge Des Barres on Trial

The Night Watch in St. John's

Inspector Timothy Mitchell

The Dog Problem

Carbonear in the 1860s

Redcoats and Rioters.

The Withdrawal of the Garrison

Chapter 8: Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

Appendix 4

Appendix 5

Appendix 6

Bibliography of Archival Sources

About the Author

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781774570173

1774570173

OCLC:

1232239863