Section title

Police and policing by Dr Denise Amos

Printed

Newsheet from 1797 detailing the execution of John Miller.Newsheet describing the execution of John Miller at Nottingham on 16th August 1797.

Primary

Newspapers are important sources for the reporting of crimes and executions.

All the main Nottinghamshire county newspapers have been preserved on microfilm, and are held at libraries in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Further information is available here:

Secondary

Useful books on the police and crime in general are:

The following relate specifically to Nottingham and Nottinghamshire:

Nottinghamshire

POLICING

Brown, D. With Courage and Trust: 20 years with Police Dogs. Cromford, Derbyshire, Scarthin Books, 1994. 'My career with dogs', 7-32, ill.
Davy, S. A Policeman's Progress. Radcliffe-on-Trent, Ashbracken, 1990. 103 p., ill.
Everitt, G. G. A Brief History of Policing in Nottinghamshire. [Nottingham], Nottinghamshire Combined Constabulary, [1972]. 14 p., ill.
Fry, T. 'The Nottinghamshire Constabulary in the Nineteenth Century', Nottinghamshire Historian, no. 55 (1995), 11-15, ill., bibl.
Fry, T. 'Nottinghamshire Constabulary Register', Not Fam Hist SJ, 5, 6 (1987), 38-39.
James, H. M. 'Watching and Warding', Rudd LHASN, no. 82 (1988), 8-9.
Kirk, G. ‘History of Nottinghamshire Constabulary from 1840’ (Available at Nottinghamshire Archives: Belper Library 34-9f)
Nottinghamshire Archives Office. Policing Records (Nottinghamshire Archives Information Sheets, [Record Topics, 4]). [Nottingham], 1989. 4 p.
Nottinghamshire Constabulary. 150 Years of the British Police: The Nottinghamshire Constabulary Anniversary Publication. [Arnold, 1979]. [22] p., ill.
Walker, A. Walking the Beat with Albert R.N. Bk. 1. [Hawtonville?, privately published, 1986]. 63 p., ill. No more pub.
Withers, B. Nottinghamshire Constabulary: 150 Years in Photographs. Kirkburton, Yorkshire, Quoin Publishing, 1989. 184 ill.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

'Assize Roll 693, Nottinghamshire, 17-19 Rich. II', in Putnam, B. H. Proceedings From the Justices of the Peace in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries. Edw. III to Richd III. Spottiswoode, Ballantyne, 1938, 129-149. Transcription of the document, with 5p. of editorial matter.
Bellamy, J. G. 'The Coterel Gang: An Anatomy of a Band of Fourteenth-Century Criminals', English Historical R., 79 (1964), 698-717.
Brocklesby, R. and Henstock, A. 'Two of the Quorum and Three of the Peace', Nottinghamshire Local History Council Newsletter, no. 9 (1972), 3-4.
Crook, D. '"Moothallgate" and the Venue of the Nottinghamshire County Court in the Thirteenth Century', TTS, 88 (1984), 99-102.
Holland, B. '"Across the Ocean Wide"', Not Fam Hist SJ, 7, 10 (1994), 21-23. Describes an index of Nt transportations, 1630-1867.
Holland, B. comp. Across the Ocean Wide: An Index of Those Persons Sentenced to Transportation in Nottinghamshire, 1784-1867 (RS, 103). Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Family History Soc., 1996. 105 p.
Hunnisett, R. F., ed. Calendar of Nottinghamshire Coroners' Inquests, 1485-1558. (Thoroton Soc. R.S., 25). Nottingham, 1969. 242 p.
Knapton, J and Hardstaff, C M., 'Southwell - the House of Correction' in R.M.Beaumont, R.E.Hardstaff, and D.Walker (eds), Southwell: an up-to-date historical survey by local writers, Southwell & District Local History Society (1992)
Moore, J. 'Locks and gyves: the Nottinghamshire House of Correction in Southwell' in Chapman, S and Walker, D. Southwell: the town and its people, volume II, Southwell & District Local History Society (2006)
Lane, B. ed. The Murder Club Guide to the Midlands. Harrap, 1988. bibl. 'Nottingham-shire', [95]-104, ill.
Payling, S. J. 'Law and Arbitration in Nottinghamshire, 1399-1461', in Rosenthal, J. and Richmond, C., eds., People, Politics and Community in the Later Middle Ages (Gloucester, Sutton, 1987), [140]-160.
'Subscribers to the Association to Prosecute Horse Stealers, 1773: Advertisement in Creswell's Nottingham and Newark Journal, 6 November 1773', original material supplied by D. Peters, Nottinghamshire Family History Soc., Miscellany, 4 (Records Ser., 107) (Nottingham, The Soc., 1996), 36-38.
[Sutton, J. F.] Annals of Crime in the Midland Circuit; or, Biographies of Noted Criminals in the Counties of Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, and Lincoln. [2nd ed.] Nottingham, Field, 1862. 354 p. 1st ed., 1859. Mostly Nt.
Thornton, L. Penal Transportation from Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to New South Wales, 1788-1840. M.A., Nottingham, 1993. 96 p., bibl.
Weir, C. '"For the Space and Term of Seven Years": The Transportation of Nottinghamshire Convicts', NC (Nov 1977), 11.
Weir, C. 'The Transportation of Nottinghamshire Convicts', History Today, 29 (1979), [1756-1759], ill., bibl. Repr., without ill. or bibl., Not Fam Hist SJ, 5, 9 (1987), 48-50.
Welbourn, J. 'Some Jottings on Law and Order in Nottinghamshire', AH, 2, 3 (1994), 24-26.

NOTTINGHAM

POLICING

Bowley, A S. ‘Politicians and the Police in Nottingham: the “Popkess Affair”, 1959, Transactions of the Thoroton Society 108 (2004), 173-186
Hammond, P. J. 'The Watch and Ward Lists of Nottingham', Not Fam Hist SJ, 5, 8, (1987), 27-36, ill.
Hyndman, D. Nottingham City Police. A Pictorial History. [Nottingham?], privately published, [1977?-1980?]. 2 v.
Iliffe, R. and Baguley, W. Victorian Nottingham, 19 (1979). 'The Police', [5]-49, ill.
Pick, M. 'Mark Cockerill - A Lenton Bobbie', LT, no. 10 (1996), 3-5, ill.
Popkess, A. The Archaeologist and the Policing of Nottingham: Reprint of Paper Read to Members of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire, on 21st April 1945 ... And Re-issued to Commemorate the Centenary of the Formation of the Nottingham City Police in 1935 [sic]. Nottingham City Police [1945]. [26] p., ill.  Cover title: Centenary 1935 [sic].
Poyntz, W. H. Per Mare, Per Terram: Reminiscences of Thirty-two Years' Military, Naval, and Constabulary Service. Economic Printing, 1892. Chief Constable of Nottingham, 307-324.

LAW, CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

General

'Basford. Return of Persons Convicted who Were Connected with the Disturbances in Augt. 1842', transcribed by J. B. Bailey, Nottinghamshire Family History Soc., Miscellany, 5 (Records Ser., 107) (Nottingham, The Soc., 1996), 52.
Best, S. J. '"By Cruel hands": The Strange Death of John Wainman', SnMag, no. 40 (1991), 9-19, ill.
Brandon, R. S. A History of Nottingham Prison. [Nottingham, privately published, 1978]. 11 p.
Divett, A. W. Fundamental Chronology of the Medieval Nottingham Courts: 1300-1456 (NRP 2/2). [Nottingham, privately published], 1983. [8] p.
Iliffe, R. and Baguley, W. Victorian Nottingham, 19 (1979). 'Courts and Prisons', [50]-99, ill.
Jones, S. Nottingham ... The Sinister Side: Crime and Punishment, 1864-1964. Nottingham, Wicket Publications, 1996. 103 p., ill.
'The Lonely death of Sarah Poole', Not Fam Hist SJ, 8, 8 (1996), 23-24. Thief, drowned in sinking of convict ship.
'Manslaughter at New Lenton?', LT, no. 10 (1996), 7-9, ill.  Henry Thomas Mortimer, not guilty of the manslaughter of Maria Castles, 1836.
Mellard, L. Nottingham in the Days of Dick Turpin. Pages from a Local Diary of Two Centuries Ago.  A Reprint, with Corrections and Additions of Two Articles, Published in the 'Nottingham Evening Post' on January 17th and 26th, 1924. [Nottingham, privately published], 1924. 15 p.  The diarist was 'Tobias K---'.
Nottingham. Castle Museum and Art Gallery. A Century of Crime and Punishment in Nottingham, c.1800-1900. Nottingham, 1984. [4] p., ill. By N. Walker.
Rowland, J. Criminal Files. Arco, 1957. 'Nottinghamshire: The Case of Herbert Leonard Mills', 113-125.
Sparrow, G. Women Who Murder. Barker, 1970. 'Nurse' Waddingham, 128-134.
Stevenson, W. H. 'The Origin of the Mickleton or Mickletorn Jury', in Briscoe, J.P., ed., Old Nottinghamshire, [1] (Hamilton, Adams, 1881), 73-76.
Walton, R. Random Recollections of the Midland Circuit. Privately published, 1869-1873. 2 ser. Nottingham, v.1 passim; v. 2 [55]-68.
Ward, A. Stuff and Silk. Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, Gansey Publications, [1948], ill. 'Nottingham', 168-198.
Weir, A. McC. Prison Despotism: A Personal Narrative. National Publishing Co., [1886?]. 363 p. H.M. Prison, Nottingham.
[Zaleski, S.] 'Murder', LL, no. 36 (1985), [5]-[6]. Murder of Caroline Woodhead by John Brooks, 1877.

Executions

Clark, N. Executions in Nottingham. [n.p., privately published], 1986. 39 p., ill.
A Correct List of All the Executions which have taken place at Nottingham, for 104 Years, from the Year 1727, to the Year 1831. [Nottingham], Fellows, [1832?]. 8 p. Executions 1727-1827.
A Correct List of All the Executions which have taken place at Nottingham, Since the Year 1201. Nottingham, Sutton, 1860. 16 p.
Executions at Nottingham, During the Last Century, with a Short Biographical Sketch of Each Culprit; to Which Is Added, an Interesting Account of Two Singular Characters who Suffered at Nottingham, in 1685 and 1701. Nottingham, Dunn, 1827. 46 p., Repr. from the Nottingham and Newark Mercury.
Executions In Nottingham from the Year 1727 to the Year 1850, with a Short Biographical Sketch of Each Culprit; to Which Is Added, an Account of Two Singular Characters, who Suffered at Nottingham in 1685 and 1701. Nottingham, Ordoyno, [1850?]. 12 p. Executions 1685-1844.
The Gallows-Hill Remembrancer; or, Records, From Authentic Sources, Of All Executions in Nottingham for the Past Hundred and Fifty Years. With an introductory chapter. Nottingham, Sutton, [1845?]. 78p. Executions 1201-1844.
The Gallows-Hill Remembrancer; or, Records, From Authentic Sources, Of All Executions in Nottingham for the Past Hundred and Fifty Years. Nottingham, Sutton, [c.1856]. 78 p.
Lambley, T. Nottingham, A Place of Execution from 1201 to 1928. Nottingham, Lake, 1981. 62 p., ill.
[Wilson, I.] Wilson's Gallows Hill Remembrancer, Being a Correct List of Executions in Nottingham, from 1201 to the Present Time. 8th [sic] ed. Nottingham, Wilson, 1932. 8 p., ill.  Previous surviving editions: 1st, 1885; 2nd, 1886; 3rd, 1896; 5th, 1905; [un-numbered], 1916; 8th, 1923.