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Soham Police - The Soham Police Charge Book, 1848-1855

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Introduction

The charge book covers the offenders handled by the Soham Police Force between May 1848 and December 1852. The book was then taken over and used by the Newmarket Division of the newly formed Cambridgeshire Constabulary from January 1852 to September 1855, when the volume was completed. Further Charge Books in the sequence have not survived. The Charge Book is the property of the Cambridgeshire Constabulary Police Museum.

The Charge Book starts with charge number one on 2 May 1848, suggesting that this was probably at or near to the date when the Soham Police Force was established.

This book measures 12 x 10 inches. Pages are pre-printed with the following columns across each double page spread:

Date
Number of Charge
When taken into Custody
Persons Charged, Age, Name, Address, and Occupation
Charge
Person Charging - Name, Address, and Occupation
Taken into Custody by
Magistrate before whom the Charge is brought
Charge: how disposed of by Magistrate, and what Offence proved
Remarks

Entries are hand written in a variety of hands, some of which are hard to decypher.

Charge numbers are inconsistent and there are several different number sequences throughout the volume.

• Charge No 1 on 2nd May 1848 to charge No 131 26th December 1849. There is a gap between charges on 26 December 1849 and 21st February 1850
• Charge No 1 on 21st Feb 1850 is the start of the next sequence. There are a few pages missing, leaving a gap between charge 27 (Nov 1850) and charge 42 (March 1851). The sequence ends with charge No 83 on 27th Nov 1850
• Charge No 1 on 28th Dec 1850 to charge No 53 on 6th April 1852. Thirteen un-numbered charges 10 April 1852 to 21 May 1852 then a few attempts to start new sequences between 30 May 1852 and 29 June 1852
  
• Charge No 1 on 6th July 1852 to charge No 94 on 4th January 1853
• Charge No 1 on 4th January 1853 to charge No 183 on 3 January 1854
• Charge No 1 on 9 January 1854 to charge No 176 on 2nd January 1855
• Charge No 1 on 9 January 1855 to charge No 176 on 1st January 1856

Not every column has been completed in every entry.

Overall the book contains 902 charges and lists 1120 defendants. In over 500 cases details are shown of the prosecutor / person charging.