Police Officers police history (1891)

[timothybramble]

Hi Board,

Does anyone know if it’s possible to get information about a Police Officers police history? Because my Gt Gt Granddad Colin Campbell only severed as a Police Officer for a few years before he started work at a Asylum :-/ Would be interesting to see why he left the Police Force, or if indeed he left voluntarily. He was listed as a Police Officer in the 1891 Census.

Thanks

[Redroger]

Do you know what force he was with? It could be worthwhile enquiring at the local county or borough archive. I believe the Metropolitan Police havbe their own museum and archive if he was stationed in London.

[stanmapstone]

Generally speaking police records have only survived in a piecemeal fashion. The paper pulping demands of two world wars took their toll, and Police officers have been reluctant to hand over their records for preservation by other agencies. Only the Metropolitan Police are covered by the provisions of the 1958
Public Records Act. I got some details for my great great grandfather who was a policeman in Sunderland from Tyne & Wear Archives. There is the Police History Society http://www.policehistorysociety.co.uk/ and  there is a book called 'My Ancestor was a Policeman - how can I find out more about him.' It is published by the Society of Genealogists, ISBN 1903462002, at £4.95, this lists what records are available and where they are held.

Stan

[Valda]

Hi


Incomplete divisional records for A, B, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, N, R and Y divisions are held by the Metropolitan Police Historical Collection for officers who were serving on or after approximately 1932 at Friends of the Metropolitan Police:

http://www.fomphc.org.uk/viewpage.php?page_id=1

the Thames Division ledgers are still held at the Thames River Police Museum at Wapping.

http://www.thamespolicemuseum.org.uk/history.html


Otherwise for C19th and earlier C20th Metropolitan police records, they are held at The National Archives.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/policeofficer.htm?WT.lp=rg-3120


For City of London police records see the London Metropolitan Archives guide

http://217.154.230.218/NR/rdonlyres/B251C471-8429-44CC-879C-C6E4353BBEE8/0/43RECORDSOFCITYOFLONDONPOLICEOFFICERS.pdf


Other police in the London area would be the transport police, the dock police and the Royal Park Constabulary. Where these records survive they are held by separate organisations.


As Stan says some police records survive and some don't. It is important to know which police force to know whether the records are still in existence and where they are kept.


Regards

Valda

[timothybramble]

Thanks everyone!

All I really have to go on is the address in the 1891 Census which was 16 North End, East Grinstead, Sussex, England

Also the attached photo, do the numbers around his neck mean anything?

[Valda]

Hi


I believe East Grinstead is covered by West Sussex Record Office and they hold the records for the West Sussex Constabulary

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=182-pol&cid=0&kw=Sussex Police Authority#0

http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/leisure/explore_west_sussex/record_office_and_archives/collections_and_archives/record_office_holdings.aspx


Collar numbers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collar_number

as distinct from warrant card numbers which I imagine for uniformed police officers came later?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrant_card


Regards

Valda

[GrizzlyDad]

I have a policeman ancestor, James Weaver, a metropolitan policeman between 1861 and 1882. It may not apply in this case but I have had a lot of joy in searching for him in newspapers databases. Because I have his number, 82 S, I have been able to find him in three articles in The Times and twice in two other newspapers, usually as a witness in hearings or trials. I have also found him as a witness in an Old Bailey trial as they have computerised their archives.

So you don't just have to rely on the police records.

As an aside, does anyone know if there are metropolitan police photographs from this period? Of course I'd love to find a photograph of him but I know that's probably a fantasy. But I would like to see how policemen looked at that time.

Gareth

[Valda]

Hi


seeing photographs of Metropolitan police officers for that period is possible e.g.

http://www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/Museum/collectionspolice.asp


It is less likely to find an individual photograph with an officer's records for the period you are interested in any police force's records though the officer's description will be given.



Regards


Valda

[Llwyd]

Have a look at the following site. I had some success there in the Police Index.

www.blacksheepindex.co.uk

Good luck with the research.