Cambridgeshire

Police

History

Notes

Policing Peterborough

| Overview | Liberty Quarter Sessions | Before 1857 | Liberty Police | City Police | Combined Police | History written 1979 | Improvement Commissioners | Chief Officers | Premises | What's Missing? | Notes and Queries |

What's missing

Not included or fully covered in the two published histories or on this site, and yet to be researched, are a number of topics:

Parish Constables

Parish Constables would have been selected, nominated and sworn for each parish in the old Soke. The selection process probably varied between parishes. Some sort of household rota would have been in place and some constables may have served for longer than a single year, some may have been paid to take the role. Selection may have been by the local Vestry, Court Leet, or Manor and Constables would have been sworn-in by local magistrates. Traces of parish constables can be found in newspaper accounts of court cases, vestry minutes and petty session court records. After the Parish Constables Act of 1842 the processes of selection and appointment were standardised and the process is described on our site here. https://arumgo.com/stives1.asp#pco. Parish Constables were appointed in many parishes long after the new police had been established. Occasionally press reports might include an example of a case of a parish constable working alongside a member of the new police.

Associations for the prosecution of felons.

These bodies assisted in the detection of crime by offering members mutual support in the event of becoming a victim of crime. Associations assisted with prosecutions and put up rewards for information leading to conviction. Some example local associations were:

• Stamford Association for prosecuting robbers etc (Stamford Mercury 4 Dec 1783 p4)
• Spalding Association (Cambridge Chronicle 11 December 1784 p3)
• Peterborough Association (Cambridge Chronicle 5 July 1788 p 3) operating at least until 1868 (Cambridge Independent Press 15 Feb 1868 p6)

Their activities can be traced through newspaper advertisements in individual cases and membership lists were often published at the time of the Annual Meeting.

Liberty of Peterborough Quarter Sessions.

The records of this court are held at Northamptonshire Record Office. These records will probably contain information on parish constables and the formation of the Liberty Police, their accommodation and use of parts of the gaol.

Police Buildings.

No info on the lock-ups / cages pre 1857 also details of buildings used on Westwood aerodrome 1940s-50s.

Police Boxes.

There must have been papers on this system, which if found would enable a proper list of locations and functions.

Post 1979

The many changes to policing over the last 45 years and the growth of the City of Peterborough.

This page was last modified: 11 October 2025, 18:30

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