Constables and watchmen
The duty of enforcing the law in the local community fell to the parish constables, who operated in the countryside, and the town watchmen. Unpaid and increasingly overworked, they became less and less effective at dealing with the rise in crime that began in the 16th century.
Constables
The parish, or 鈥榩etty鈥, constable was expected to perform all of the main duties associated with local policing:
- keeping order in inns and ale houses
- keeping the peace in the parish
- arresting people who had committed crimes
- preventing crimes such as trespassing and poaching
- carrying out punishments such as whipping Homeless, unemployed person who wandered the streets.
- watching the behaviour of apprentices
- looking out for vagabonds
How effective were constables?
The petty constable鈥檚 job was unpaid and done in addition to their usual day job. This made some people reluctant to work hard. There was no training for parish constables and they had no uniform or weapons.
Some people disliked having to keep a watch on and report their friends and family in the local community.
Most constables were tradesmen or farmers in the local area. Therefore, they knew the local people well. They would have also had a good reputation in the local community.
Watchmen
Watchmen鈥檚 presence was meant to be a deterrent to criminals. Their role also involved calling out the weather and the time as well as helping drunkards to get home.
How effective were watchmen?
Watchmen were paid little for their job, and therefore many were reluctant to put in a lot of effort. Many were found asleep in pubs and many of them were old people, which may have limited their effectiveness.
Watchmen became known as Charlies, or Charleys, after 1663, when Charles II set up a force of paid watchmen to patrol the streets in all towns and cities. Charlies became objects of fun and children would often attempt to bait them. In Georgian times, Charlies increasingly used watch-boxes - small structures which they would shelter or rest in. These were an easy target.