London’s Night Watchmen
In the 18th century, London’s equivalent of local police used to patrol the streets at night to examine all suspicious characters.
This old photo pictured above, from around 1850, shows Charles Rouse standing outside his watch box on Brixton Road in Lambeth.
Charlie is believed to have been London’s last Night Watchman.
Night watchmen diligently patrolled the streets from 9 or 10 pm until sunrise, tasked with scrutinising any suspicious individuals.
These duties persisted into the late 17th century, with the objective of safeguarding against crime, monitoring for fires, and despite the lack of an official curfew, ensuring that unauthorised individuals didn't roam about under the veil of darkness.
With leather buckets in hand, they would often rush to the scene of fires and form a human chain to ferry water from nearby sources in a desperate bid to quench the flames.
This responsibility fell upon the night watch and the constables who oversaw them.
In 1660, and for many years thereafter, the primary duty of the night watch persisted in controlling the streets at night, imposing a sort of moral or social curfew to deter those without valid reasons from roaming the streets after dark.
However, this responsibility became increasingly challenging during the 17th century due to population growth and the evolving social and cultural landscape.
Following the Restoration, the urban daily routine shifted notably with the emergence of shops, taverns, coffeehouses, theatres, opera houses, and other entertainment venues.
These establishments remained open into the evening, extending their hours of operation and leisure activities well into the night.
In the traditional setup, householders took turns serving as constables either by appointment or through rotation.
During their tenure, they fulfilled these duties part-time alongside their regular occupations.
Similarly, householders were expected to take turns serving on the nightly watch.
However, starting from the late seventeenth century, many householders sought to evade these responsibilities by hiring deputies to take their place.
With the increasing prevalence of this practice, some individuals began earning a living by serving as deputy constables or paid night watchmen.
In the case of the nightly watch, this trend led to the formalisation of procedures in many parts of London through the enactment of "Watch Acts," which replaced householders' obligation to serve with a tax specifically designated for hiring full-time watchmen.
Additionally, certain voluntary prosecution societies also engaged individuals to patrol their respective areas.
A watchman's arsenal was simple yet effective.
Lanterns cast their feeble light into the shadows, illuminating the faces of passersby and revealing any lurking threats.
Rattles, fashioned from wood or metal, served as primitive alarm systems, their piercing clatter capable of summoning assistance at a moment's notice.
And for those rare occasions when words failed, a stout truncheon hung at the watchman's side, a silent warning to would-be troublemakers.
Watchmen reputation
The presence of societies dedicated to the reformation of manners indicated significant backing for the enforcement of moral standards.
However, it also hinted at a perception among some that the current methods of crime control were inadequate.
In the late 1580s, watchmen stationed on roads leading to London were notorious for their clumsiness.
During cold winter nights, there was a temptation to leave their posts early to seek rest. Some constables in charge even permitted watches to end prematurely.
The issue of "late placement and early discharge" of night watches concerned the Common Council in 1609 and resurfaced three decades later when reports revealed that watches disbanded well before they should have.
It was observed that the majority of constables terminated watches "early in the morning," precisely when the greatest danger was feared during the long night, thereby leaving dark streets vulnerable to thieves.
During the 1690s, a recurring grievance was the insufficient armament of watchmen, marking yet another aspect of their evolving role.
According to Common Council acts, watchmen were mandated to carry halberds, a requirement that persisted into the late seventeenth century.
However, it became apparent that few complied, as the halberd was deemed impractical for their duties.
Instead, it was more common for watchmen to neglect carrying them, especially considering the need for mobility.
By the second quarter of the 18th century, watchmen were typically armed with a staff in addition to their lanterns.
By the late 1800s, however, London’s increasing population and rising crime levels overwhelmed local policing.
Demands for tougher law enforcement also raised concerns about greater police powers affecting citizens’ rights.
In 1829 Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel established the Metropolitan Police.
Initially, they covered a seven-mile radius from Charing Cross but excluding the City of London, where the City Marshall and beadles provided daytime patrols and a night watch.
In 1839, these were replaced by the separate City of London Police.
During the First World War, female volunteers formed a Women’s Police Service, but women only entered the Metropolitan Police from 1919.
Their ranks and pay were lower than male colleagues and their roles were limited.
1923 saw female officers gain powers of arrest and wider career choices, but they only achieved full integration and equal pay in the 1970s.
In addition to the Metropolitan and City Police forces other police bodies have operated across Greater London, including British Transport Police, Royal Parks Constabulary and Thames River Police.
From the mid 19th century, police duties have continually expanded to reflect the growing complexity of society and now include forensics, fraud, and cybercrime.
Watch Houses
As the nation approached revolution after 1640, another stage in the development of the watch unfolded with the construction of "watch houses."
In 1642, a City committee was tasked with determining the necessary locations for these structures "for the safety of this city."
Subsequently, work commenced on building watch houses at strategic points.
These buildings served as gathering points for watchmen to receive nightly instructions, offered shelter from harsh weather conditions, and functioned as temporary holding areas for suspects until they could be examined by justices in the morning.
Examples of such watch houses included those near Temple Bar (1648), close to the Granaries by Bridewell (1648), in proximity to Moorgate (1648), and adjacent to the south door of St. Paul's Cathedral (1649).
While modest in size, such as the "small house or shed" near St. Paul's, this period represented a time of experimentation as both citizens and authorities learned how to effectively utilise these new structures within their communities.
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