Law and Order in Stoke Goldington

The Village Policemen

The former police house in Stoke Goldington

In the Middle Ages there were village constables appointed by the Parish Overseers but it was not until 1857 that the newly formed Buckinghamshire Constabulary appointed one of their men to reside in and be stationed in the village. The first residential constable to be appointed was Police Constable No 39 Joseph Saunders.

To read more about the Parish Constable system, click here

The village ‘Ruling hierarchy’ was made up of :-

• The principal landowner.
  
• The Rector
  
• The schoolmaster.
  
• The Village Policeman.
  

These were the opinion formers and decision makers and the fact that the principal landowner was also Chairman of the local Bench of Magistrates and also Member of Parliament meant that they ‘ruled the roost’.

Mick Shaw, a serving police officer has researched local police forces and with his permission we reproduce in this section of the site details about Stoke Goldington Police Constables 1857 – 1961.

Mick Shaw’s own website is Buckinghamshire Constabulary History and he can be can be contacted here