THE POLICE GAZETTE

Part 1: Issues for 1866-1878, 1882-1897 and 1899-1900 from the Cambridgeshire Police Archive

Detailed Listing

General remarks

From 1866 to 1883 The Police Gazette was published three times each week, appearing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. As the contents of the Wednesday and Friday editions largely duplicated that of the Monday edition, only one issue was retained per week in most file copies. As such, our microfilm edition, which commences with issue 4194, continues with issues 4197, 4200, 4203. The Monday edition is most frequently represented from 1866 to 1869, and the Friday edition from 1871 to 1883.

Each issue runs to 8 pages and promises to provide:

“The substance of all Informations received in cases of Felony, and of Misdemeanours of an aggravated nature, and against receivers of Stolen Goods, reputed Thieves, and Offenders escaped from Custody, with the time, the place, and the circumstance of the Offence. The Names of Persons charged with offences who are known but not in custody, and a Description of those who are not known, their Appearance, Dress, and other marks of identity. The names of Accomplices and Accessories, with every particular which may lead to their Apprehension. A Description, as accurate as possible, of Property that has been stolen, and a minute Description of Stolen Horses, for the purpose of tracing and recovering them.”

Each issue then goes on to list persons wanted for:

• MURDER & MALICIOUS WOUNDING
• ARSON & WILFUL BURNING
• FORGING
• ROBBERY & LARCENY FROM THE PERSON
• BURGLARY & HOUSE BREAKING
• HORSE & CATTLE STEALING
• LARCENY & EMBEZZLEMENT
• FELONIES
• FRAUDS & AGGRAVATED MISDEMEANOURS

As well as:

• MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATIONS
• PROPERTY STOLEN
• PROPERTY FOUND BY POLICE OFFICERS
• DESERTERS FROM HER MAJESTY’S SERVICE

A typical account runs as follows:

“About 1am on the 10th instant, the farmhouse of Kirkton in Auchterhouse, in the county of Forfar, was broken and entered by three men with blackened faces, who demanded, under threats of personal violence to the inmates, obtained, and carried away the following property:

1 gold lever Watch, almost new, makers Whytock and Sons, Dundee,
No. 63385, ‘J.P.’ on back of outside case.
1 £20 Note of the Bank of Scotland.
2 £10 Notes of the Commercial Bank.
6 £5 Notes of the Clydesdale Bank.
10 £1 Notes of various Banks.
£4 in silver Money.

The burglars will probably proceed to a seaport for the purpose of emigrating, and there dispose of the watch and exchange the notes. Information to be given to the Chief Constable of Forfarshire, Forfar. – Bow-Street, January 15.” (From issue 4197, 15 January 1866).

In 1884 a New Series commenced, with a 4pp issue appearing on a Tuesday and an 8pp issue appearing on a Friday. Both the Tuesday and Friday issues appear in this microfilm edition.

The contents are broadly similar to previous issues but are now organised under the following heads:

• APPREHENSIONS SOUGHT (Firstly, those relating to the Metropolitan Police District, then the Counties, Cities and Boroughs)
• PERSONS IN CUSTODY (organised as above)
• PERSONS OR BODIES FOUND (organised as above)
• PROPERTY FOUND IN POSSESSION OF PRISONERS
• PROPERTY RECOVERED
• APPREHENSIONS
• STOP PRESS – FURTHER APPREHENSIONS SOUGHT
• ANIMALS STOLEN
• DESERTERS AND ABSENTEES FROM HER MAJESTY’S SERVICE (Giving
  Name/ Reg No/ Corps/ Ship/ Age/ Height/ Complexion/ Hair/ Eyes/ Trade/
  Where & when joined/ Where from/ Place & time of desertion/ marks &
  remarks)
• LIST OF LICENCE HOLDERS, SUPERVISEES & EXPIREES WHO HAVE BEEN RE-APPREHENDED

Engravings by police artists accompany many of the accounts, and photographic portraits of felons are introduced in 1892.

Adverts and offers of Rewards regarding the recovery of stolen property, the apprehension of criminals, or the tracing of missing persons provide further data for the modern researcher.

The Police Gazette provides scholars with details of all of the recorded crimes of the period – from murders and grand robberies to temporary desertions and the theft of 3 billiard balls – and provides data concerning the level of crime, the clear-up rate, the presence of anarchists and terrorists, the influence of American and Oriental gangs, the mysterious disappearance of children and wives, and the contrast between Urban and Rural areas.

REEL 1

Issues for 1866 – 1869

1866: From no 4194, Monday, 8 Jan 1866 to no 4344, Monday, 17 Dec 1866
(Also included is The Poor Law Union’s Gazette, established for giving information of all persons who desert their families, no 1189, Saturday, 17 Feb 1866)

1867: From no 4507 [sic] (should be 4351), Wednesday, 1 Jan 1867 to no 4500, Monday, 16 Dec 1867

1868: From no 4509, Monday, 6 Jan 1868 to no 4672, Monday, 28 Dec 1868

1869: From no 4677, Friday, 8 Jan 1869 to no 4829, Friday, 31 Dec 1869

REEL 2

Issues for 1871 – 1875

1871: From no 5124, Friday, 17 Nov 1871 to no 5142, Friday, 29 Dec 1871

1872: From no 5145, Friday, 5 Jan 1872 to no 5298, Friday, 27 Dec 1872

1873: From no 5301, Friday, 3 Jan 1873 to no 5452, Friday, 26 Dec 1873

1874: From no 5455, Friday, 2 Jan 1874 to no 5608, Friday, 24 Dec 1874

1875: From no 5611, Friday, 1 Jan 1875 to no 5769, Friday, 31 Dec 1875

REEL 3

Issues for 1876 – 1878

1876: From no 5772, Friday, 7 Jan 1876 to no 5926, Friday, 29 Dec 1876

1877: From no 5929, Friday, 5 Jan 1877 to no 6082, Friday, 28 Dec 1877

1878: From no 6085, Friday, 4 Jan 1878 to no 6238, Friday, 27 Dec 1878

REEL 4

Issues for 1882

1882: From no 6712, Friday, 6 Jan 1882 to no 6864, Friday, 29 Dec 1882

REEL 5

Issues for 1883 – 1885

1883: From no 6867, Friday, 5 Jan 1883 to no 7020, Friday, 28 Dec 1883 (includes a Wanted notice)

1884: FORMAT CHANGE
From New Series (henceforth NS), Vol I, no 1, Tuesday, 1 Jan 1884 to NS Vol I, no 105, Tuesday, 30 Dec 1884 (Vol I, nos 13-14 are missing)

1885: From NS Vol II, no 106, Friday, 2 Jan 1885 to NS Vol II, no 208, Friday, 25 Dec 1885

REEL 6

Issues for 1886 – 1887

1886: From NS Vol III, no 210, Friday, 1 Jan 1886 to NS Vol III, no 314, Friday, 31 Dec 1886

1887: From NS Vol IV, no 316, Friday, 7 Jan 1887 to NS Vol IV, no 418, Friday, 30 Dec 1887
(the cover of Vol IV, no 316 is missing)

REEL 7

Issues for 1888 – 1889

1888: From NS Vol V, no 419, Tuesday, 3 Jan 1888 to NS Vol V, no 522, Friday 28 Dec 1888

1889: From NS Vol VI, no 523, Tuesday, 1 Jan 1889 to NS Vol VI, no 627, Tuesday, 31 Dec 1889

REEL 8

Issues for 1890 – 1891

1890: From NS Vol VII, no 628, Friday, 3 Jan 1890 to NS Vol VII, no 731, Tuesday, 30 Dec 1890

1891: From NS Vol VIII, no 732, Friday, 2 Jan 1891 to NS Vol VIII, no 834, Thursday, 24 Dec 1891

REEL 9

Issues for 1892 – 1893

1892: From NS Vol IX, no 836, Friday, 1 Jan 1892 to NS Vol IX, no 940, Friday, 30 Dec 1892
(Photographic portraits are introduced)

1893: From NS Vol X, no 941, Tuesday, 3 Jan 1893 to NS Vol X, no 1044, Friday, 29 Dec 1893

REEL 10

Issues for 1894 – 1895

1894: From NS Vol XI, no 1045, Tuesday, 2 Jan 1894 to NS Vol XI, no 1148, Friday, 28 Dec 1894
(Many illustrated adverts concerning missing items – from scarf pins to family members)

1895: From NS Vol XII, no 1150, Friday, 4 Jan 1895 to NS Vol XII, no 1252, Friday, 27 Dec 1895
(NS Vol XII, nos 1209-1210 are missing)

REEL 11

Issues for 1896 – 1897

1896: From NS Vol XIII, no 1254, Friday, 3 Jan 1896 to NS Vol XIII, no 1357, Tuesday, 29 Dec 1896

1897: From NS Vol XIV, no 1358, Friday, 1 Jan 1897 to NS Vol XIV, no 1462, Friday, 31 Dec 1897

REEL 12

Issues for 1899 – 1900

1899: From NS Vol XVI, no 1567, Tuesday, 3 Jan 1899 to NS Vol XVI, no 1670, Friday, 29 Dec 1899
(NS Vol XVI, nos 1569, 1580, 1633, 1635 & 1655 are missing)

1900: From NS Vol XVII, no 1672, Friday, 5 Jan 1900 to NS Vol XVII, no 1774, Friday, 28 Dec 1900
(NS Vol XVII, no 1771 missing)

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