Nature of Source
Stockport police station, Warren Street, c. 1901
Records of those that served as police officers. The modern police force was established in 1829 following the introduction of the Metropolitan Police Act by the home secretary Robert Peel. Before the establishment of the Metropolitan Police Force, London was served by the so called Bow Street Runners created in 1749 by Henry Fielding. The force comprised of professional police constables and consisted of the Bow Street Horse Patrol and the Bow Street Foot Patrol. Following the success of the Runners, the government passed the Middlesex Justices Act of 1792 which created seven police offices across London except for the City of London which was responsible for its own policing affairs.
The success of the new policing measures in London led to the County Police Act of 1839 (also known as The Rural Police Act) which allowed for the voluntary formation of county police forces. However, only 25 counties set up police forces and it was not until 1856 with the passing of the County and Borough Police Act that the formation of police forces became compulsory.
In Ireland, Robert Peel, then Chief Secretary for Ireland, created the Peace Preservation Force in 1814 followed by a system of county constabularies established under the Constabulary Act of 1822. A single national police force, the Constabulary of Ireland, was established in 1836. If an ancestor served in the Royal Irish Constabulary, their service records can be found at The National Archives and other papers and records at the British Library. The records cover the years between 1816 and 1922 and offer a wealth of genealogical information including age, birthplace, appearance, religion, marriage date, wife’s county of birth, previous occupation and career. About 84,000 men served in the Irish Constabulary and Royal Irish Constabulary, so these sources should not be overlooked. In Scotland, police forces were established at an earlier date with Glasgow leading the way in 1800 following the passing of the Glasgow Police Act. Other Scottish cities and burghs followed the Glasgow lead with forces established under individual Acts of Parliament.
The records of main interest to the family researcher include the attestation ledgers, leavings registers, personnel and discipline books, order books, station diaries and pension records. Use trade and commercial directories to locate a police division which should also name the local constables and officers.
Also see
Directories, Trade, Professional, Telephone & Street
Occupational and Labour Records (Includes links and guidance on calculating historical wage rates and the cost of living)
Where Found
- Series MEPO, Records of the Metropolitan Police Office, the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Transport Police, 1803-2012.
- Series MEPO 4, Metropolitan Police: Miscellaneous Books and Papers including Service Records, 1818-1987. Records within MEPO 4 are available to download free of charge as part of the Digital Microfilm Records.
- Series MEPO 21, Metropolitan Police: Records of Police Pensioners, 1852-1993.
- Series HO 184, Irish Constabulary Records, 1816-1922.
The name index to MEPO 21 is available at TNA Discovery catalogue. First click on ‘Advanced search’ and then type in the name being searched. Then under ‘Search for or within references’ type ‘MEPO 21’.
County Record Offices
Local archives hold local borough and county constabulary records from before the formation of modern county constabularies in the mid-19th century.
The London Archives
The Archives holds the historical personnel records for the City of London Police dating back to 1832. Metropolitan Police records are held at The National Archives.
Police Service of Northern Ireland Museum
The Museum holds microfilmed archives and records covering Irish policing history from the 1840s onwards including copies of the Royal Irish Constabulary service records, 1822-1922 and early Royal Ulster Constabulary records.
Metropolitan Police Museum
The museum holds archives focused on the history of the Met since 1829 including Police Orders (1829–1990), collar number ledgers, WWII personnel indexes and pension registers as well as photographs of officers/stations and other general historical documents.
The Open University
Centre for the History of Crime, Policing and Justice. The Centre holds a substantial collection of international police-related journals, newsletters and articles, but mainly it contains documentation on the British police, for instance the Metropolitan Police Force, Commissioners Reports, Policing on Scottish Burghs, etc. It also keeps copies of Metropolitan Police Orders dating from 1865 to the 1950s and Justice of the Peace dating from 1863 to 1965.
Period Covered
1829 – Onwards
Genealogical Value
- Name, rank and warrant number of officer.
- Division and dates of joining and leaving.
Further References
- Beattie, J.M. The First English Detectives: The Bow Street Runners and the Policing of London, 1750-1840: Oxford University Press, 2014
- Bridgeman, Ian & Emsley, Clive. A Guide to the Archives of the Police Forces of England and Wales: Police History Society, 1991 (The contents of the work can be found here)
- Cowley, Richard. History of the British Police : From the Ninth Century to the Present Day: The History Press, 2011
- Critchley, Thomas Alan. History of Police in England and Wales: Constable, 1978
- Dell, Simon. The Victorian Policeman: Shire Books, 2004
- Emsley, Clive. Crime and Society in England: 1750-1900: Routledge, 2010
- Emsley, Clive. The Great British Bobby: A History of British Policing from 1829 to the Present: Quercus, 2010
- Emsley, Clive. The English Police: A Political and Social History: Routledge, 1996
- Forrester, Hugh & Orr, David R. An Illustrated History of the Police Service in Northern Ireland and its Forerunners: From Peel to PSNI: Amberley Publishing, 2017
- Herlihy, Jim. Royal Irish Constabulary Officers: A Biographical and Genealogical Guide, 1816-1922: Four Courts Press, 2016
- Moss, Alan & Skinner, Keith. The Victorian Detective: Shire Books, 2013
- Payne, Chris, Chieftain : Victorian True Crime Through the Eyes of a Scotland Yard Detective: The History Press, 2011
- Tobias, John Jacob. Crime and Police in England, 1700-1900: Gill and Macmillan, 1979
- Shearman, Anthony. My Ancestor Was a Policeman: How Can I Find Out More About Him?: Federation of Family History Societies, 2000
- Stacpoole-Ryding. Richard. The British Transport Police An Illustrated History: Amberley Publishing, 2015
- Stallion, Martin & Wall, David. The British Police: Forces and Chief Officers 1829-2012: Police History Society, 2012
- The Police & Constabulary List, 1844: Police History Society, 1990 (1844)
- Wade, Stephen. Tracing Your Police Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword Books, 2009
- Wade, Stephen. Square Mile Bobbies: A History of the City of London Police: History Press, 2009
Websites
The National Archives Research Guide
How to look for records of London Metropolitan Police. This guide provides advice on how to find records, primarily staff records, of the London Metropolitan Police, including Special Branch.
The National Archives Research Guide
This short guide provides advice on where to go to locate police records. Only the records of the Metropolitan Police, the Royal Irish Constabulary, Palestine Police and transport police are held at The National Archives.
The National Archives Research Guide
How to look for records of Royal Irish Constabulary, 1836-1922. This guide will help you find records of the Royal Irish Constabulary.
British Police History
The website is an educational site about the development of policing in Britain, with a strong focus on individual police forces, their timelines and the way forces were formed, changed and amalgamated over time.
The Police History Society
The object of the Society is to advance the public education in police history. The Society aims to act as a focal point and network for all who are interested in the subject, to encourage the preservation of relevant police archives and artifacts and promote their accessibility to the general public and to forge and maintain strategic links with relevant academic institutions.
Metropolitan Police Museum
The Metropolitan Police’s Museum team look after objects, archives, books and photographs relating to the history of the Met since 1829, telling the lives of its officers and staff across London and beyond and the crimes it has sought to solve. Resources include Police Orders (from 1857–1990) and divisional ledgers with collar numbers.
Metropolitan Police Museum
Family and local history. Full guide available to download at website.
Surrey Constabulary History
A Short History of the Police, by Les Waters.
Our Criminal Ancestors
Tracing your police ancestors. by Dr David J. Cox, University of Wolverhampton.
The London Archives
Research Guide: City of London Police: Records of Police Officers. This guide provides an overview of the records of City of London Police officers from 1832 to the modern day.
History by the Yard
The site provides historical information about Scotland Yard and the Metropolitan Police and career details of ancestors who served as police officers in London. The site maintains a record of Metropolitan Police officers who have received gallantry awards.
The Digital Panopticon
The guide provides a detailed historical overview of policing in London from the 18th to early 20th centuries, focusing on its evolution and role in the criminal justice system, especially Old Bailey trials.
TimeToast
Interactive timeline covering the history of the Metropolitan Police from its founding in 1829 to 2012.
The Open University
Centre for the History of Crime, Policing and Justice. The Centre aims to promote and facilitate research into all aspects of criminal justice history in a global context and to generate the exchange of ideas between historians, other academics, policy-makers and practitioners.
The Open University
Centre for the History of Crime, Policing and Justice. The Resources section offers a collection of free academic and educational tools on the history of policing, crime and prisons in Britain including guides to police archives across England and Wales.
London Lives
Policing. The guide provides a historical overview of policing in London.
Historic UK
Bow Street Runners. This historical overview of the Bow Street Runners, explains who they were, why they were created and how they fit into the development of policing in Britain.
Old Bailey Online
Policing in London. The policing page explains how law enforcement worked in historic London, including watchmen, constables and the development of more organised policing.
Metropolitan Women Police Association
Women Policing London 1914-2021. The article provides a historical overview of the introduction and development of women police officers in the Metropolitan Police Service
Victorian Web
The Maintenance of Law and Order before 1829.
Your Scottish Archives
Police Records. This is a research guide to police archival records in Scotland. It is aimed at helping people understand what kinds of police records survive, where they tend to be found and how they are organised in archives.
Unlock Your Past
Tracing Police Ancestors. This is a practical family history guide to researching police ancestors in Scotland in archives, records and newspapers. The site also offers a historical background on the development of policing in Scotland.
The Glasgow Police Museum
The museum of Britain’s first police force, from 1800 to 1975. The exhibits provide a historical insight into the people, events and other factors which contributed to the founding, development and progress of Britain’s first Police force.
Police Service of Northern Ireland
A History of Policing in Ireland.
An Garda Síochána
The national police service of Ireland. History of An Garda Síochána. The page explains the history of organised policing in Ireland, from its British-era roots to the founding and development of the modern Gardaí.
Garda Síochána Historical Society
The aims of the society is to bring the rich history and traditions of Irish policing into the public arena.
County and other Police Forces
The British Transport Police History Group
The group exists to promote the history of the British Transport Police and to preserve historical records and artefacts Resources include records of the honours, decorations and medals awarded to officers and staff of the British Transport Police and Roll of Honour records covering the deaths of railway, dock and canal police officers who have died in the line of duty including WWI and WWII Rolls of Honour
Gloucestershire Police Archives
Capturing and sharing Gloucestershire’s police history and heritage. Browse through photos, memories, stories and historical information related to the history of Gloucestershire Constabulary. The site hosts a database of archive material and images including the List of Police Officers, 1839-1919.
Surrey Constabulary History
The site documents the history of the Surrey Constabulary with information on police officers who served in the constabulary and anything else associated with the policing of the county. Resources include a Photo Archive and Rolls of Honour of police officers who died in the line of duty including WWI and WWII
Liverpool City Police
A History of Liverpool City Police from its inception in 1836 to the present day. Resources include a photo gallery of police cadets and photos of local police stations and Rolls of Honour for WWI and WWII as well as feature articles covering many historical aspects of the city’s policing.
Hampshire Constabulary History Society
The site offers a history and timeline of the county forces of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The Campling Files
The History of Policing in Braintree & Uttlesford 1840-1940. The site focuses on the history of policing in Essex with content compiled from various sources, including the British Newspaper Archives and the British Library, in association with the Essex Police Museum.
Worcestershire Police History
Worcestershire Police History 1833-1967. Search information concerning police officers who served in the Worcestershire Constabulary or one of the various forces that existed in the County up until 1967. Expect to find: Transcribed official police records including personal details and; official documents; Transcribed census records; newspaper articles; Historical Directories information; Photographs. The information researched and the photographs displayed are part of a collection that has been gathered together by Bob and Matt Pooler since the late 1980’s.
Herts Past Policing
The site offers an insight into crime and policing in Hertfordshire through the ages. The site has many resources and guides for reaching crime, police officers and the history of policing, not just in Hertfordshire. A section on police jargon provides hints to help you understand some of the words, abbreviations and the legal meaning of some of the terms you will find mentioned throughout this site.
Kent Police Museum
The collection includes uniforms, past and present policing equipment, crime related items, documents, a range of books and official records, as well as a large number of photographs.
Essex Police Museum
The museum tells the story of the history of the police in Essex from the Victorians to modern day consisting of objects, photos and paper documents. Users can also search through copies of the Essex Police newspaper and download History Notebooks. The museum offers a service of family history enquiries and aims to have records of every officer and staff member that has worked in the force since 1840.
Thames River Police Museum
The site aims to give an insight into the history of the policing of the River Thames. It also gives information on the exhibits, which may be found in the small museum located at Wapping police station, which for more than two centuries has been the headquarters of the River Police.
Greater Manchester Police Museum & Archives
The museum collects and preserves archive material and objects relating to the history of policing in the Greater Manchester area. The archive holdings are a mix of records both official and personal including personnel service records for police officers, including personal memorabilia.
West Midlands Police Museum
The museum holds policing memorabilia and old records from the West Midlands Police predecessor forces. The Roll of Honour available at the site remembers those officers who either lost their lives in the line of duty, died whilst on duty or who fell ill on duty
The Museum of Policing Cheshire
Collections include: Cheshire Police buildings, Documents and books and a Newspaper index 1788-1935. The museum collections can be searched via the museum catalogue.
Bow Street Museum of Crime & Justice
The museum is located in Covent Garden inside a former 1881 police station and Magistrates’ Court and details London’s earliest official law enforcement, the Bow Street Runners.
Online Databases
- UK, Police Gazettes, 1812-1902, 1921-1927. This collection contains printed publications used for communication between members of the police force in the United Kingdom. It contains information on wanted criminals, crimes committed, criminals who had been apprehended and missing persons.
- London, England, Metropolitan Police Pension Registers, 1852-1932. This collection consists of registers of pensions awarded to Metropolitan Police officers who retired or resigned from the force between 1852 and 1932.
- West Yorkshire, Police Records, 1833-1914. This collection includes a wide variety of registers that recorded appointments of regular and special constables, promotions, disciplinary actions, transfers, lists of applicants, injuries sustained in the line of duty and physical descriptions.
- West Midlands, England, Police Files and Ledgers, 1850-1950. This collection includes a wide variety of registers that recorded appointments of regular and special constables, promotions, disciplinary actions, transfers, lists of applicants, injuries sustained in the line of duty and physical descriptions.
- Lancashire, England, Police Staff Indexes, 1836-1937.
- Fife, Scotland, Police Records, 1858-1947. This collection includes police employment records from Fife, Scotland.
- Manchester Police Index, 1812-1941. Search records to discover whether you ancestor was a member of the Manchester police force. Read personal details about them, including a physical description, their religion and marital status, as well as information about their career history.
- London Metropolitan Police Leavers, 1889-1947. These records capture the basic details of officers leaving the Metropolitan Police between 1889 and 1947. The collection offers a useful starting point for tracing the careers and service timelines of London police ancestors.
- London Metropolitan Police Attestation, 1829-1972. These attestation records mark the moment an individual officially joined the Metropolitan Police, offering a simple but valuable starting point for tracing a police ancestor.
- London Metropolitan Police Certificate Of Service, 1889-1909.
- Wiltshire Police Officers Appointed, 1839-1926.
- Hampshire, Portsmouth Police Staff Records, 1908-1924. The Portsmouth Police Service was formed in January 1836. The city had its own police force from 1836 until 1967.
- Yorkshire, Leeds City Police 1899-1939.
- Yorkshire, Sheffield Crime Courts and Convicts 1769-1931. Search over 200,000 records which cover both the perpetrators of crime in and around Sheffield and those who helped bring them to justice.
- Hue and Cry Police Gazette Index. Index of published notices of wanted criminals and the offences they committed. This index includes information on many who were sentenced to transportation in the Australian colonies.
Police Gazette, 1921. Search wanted criminals from around the country’s police forces. The wanted criminals and their offences were published in the gazette to enable the police to pursue, catch and bring them to justice. - Scotland, Occupations & Professions. Explore this index of more than 10,000 occupational and trade records from across Scotland. Within the collection, you will find veterinary surgeons, photographers, police officers, watchmakers and more.
British Newspaper Archive
Policing titles include:
- Police Gazette, 1773-1776, 1829, 1858, 1880, 1898, 1916-1918. Originally published as The Quarterly Pursuit in 1772, before going through several title changes, including The Public Hue and Cry and The Hue and Cry, the paper eventually became known as The Police Gazette in 1839.
- Police Guardian, 1880, 1886, 1892, 1894-1899. Established in 1866 as the Police Guardian, this paper was ‘devoted to the Interests of the Police & Constabulary of the United Kingdom & the Colonies.’ Printing news pertaining to the policing profession, the title later became known as the Police Chronicle and was linked with the Police Mutual Assurance Association.
- Illustrated Police News, 1867-1938. Focussing on stories of crime, accidents and disaster, the title is a sensationalist, melodramatic and occasionally lurid record of the enduringly popular true crime genre.
Police Remembrance Trust
UK Police Roll of Honour. The site commemorates officers who lost their lives on duty. The search facility lets you search for police officers who died in the line of duty since the earliest days of professional law enforcement over three centuries ago. Searches can be made by name, year, force or rank.
The National Police Officers Roll of Honour
The site honours police officers who have been killed, or died as a result of injuries received, in consequence of the execution of their duty. Also included is the Police Gallantry Roll of Honour.
The Genealogist
Hampshire, Police Letter Books, 1891-1911. Search the books for details of promotions, retirements, movements, and other observations about Police officers in this county as well as the names and collar numbers of officers promoted, reduced in rank or dismissed from the force for committing various acts of misconduct
Gloucestershire Police Archives
Police ancestors: List of Police Officers, 1839-1919. The transcribed records include: Name, date joined, age, height, occupation, where born, highest rank and retirement date.
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks
Applications to join the Cornwall Constabulary, 1857-1900.
Lancashire Archives
Red Rose Collections: Police Index. Index of the majority of police officers who served with the Lancashire County Constabulary between 1840 and 1925. The records include the borough forces of Burnley, Blackpool and Preston but not Manchester and Liverpool.
Staffordshire Name Indexes
Staffordshire & Stoke On Trent Archive Service: Staffordshire Police Force Registers Index, 1842-1920; Staffordshire Police Disciplinary Index, 1857-1886. A successful surname search in the index will provide you with the surname, forename(s) and year of appointment to the force. This information can be used to order a transcript of the full entry in the force register.
Essex Police Museum
Officer Records of Service, 1840-onwards. The database held by the museum holds service records for officers which includes personal details such as date and place of birth, family and previous occupation. There is a fee to purchase a PDF service record copy.
GENUKI
Police Officers of the City of Exeter, transcribed by Brian Brassett.
Pickard’s Pink Pages for Warwickshire
Journal of a London policeman: A summary of the arrests and fines made by a London Policeman in 26 years ‘in the Met’.
Ireland
Findmypast
- Ireland, Royal Irish Constabulary History & Directories. Search a collection of pay records, a full list of the Royal Irish Constabulary, directories, commendation records, treasury books, Constabulary Code books and training manuals.
- Ireland, Royal Irish Constabulary Service Records 1816-1922. The dataset contains over 486,000 records extracted from series HO 184 held at The National Archives. The records include general registers, disbandment registers, nominal returns and more. Clerical staff are also to be found in the records.
- Ireland, Royal Irish Constabulary Pensions 1826-1925. Explore more than 125,000 pension records from the RIC, which include the names of widows and children of deceased RIC members.
- Ireland, Dublin Metropolitan Police General Register 1837-1925. Discover details of your ancestor’s career in the police force, including dates of employment and details of promotions and transfers.
- Ireland, Irish Revenue Police 1830-1857. Explore the records of this short-lived force and discover your ancestor’s appointment date and where he was stationed.
- Ireland, Outrage reports 1836-1840. The dataset consists of over 18,000 police reports filed by the Royal Irish Constabulary. The reports include descriptions of theft, assault, suicide, rescue of cattle, infanticide, arson, highway robbery
- Ireland, Royal Irish Constabulary Pensions, 1873-1925. This collection comprises the records of pension payments to retired officers, their widows and children. The Royal Irish Constabulary was an eighty-percent Irish Catholic police force which, between 1814 and 1922, employed some eighty-five thousand men. The original data is held in series PMG 48 at The National Archives in Kew.
- The Royal Irish Constabulary 1816-1921. This index identifies whether an ancestor joined the forces. There are mentions in the index on whether a person emigrated, died, or married.
- Ireland, Police Gazettes, 1861-1893. This collection contains printed publications including the ‘Hue and Cry’ used for communication among members of the police force in Ireland. It contains information on wanted criminals, crimes committed, criminals who had been apprehended and missing persons.
Church of Ireland Representative Church Body Library
Parish watch records covering St John in Dublin, 1724 to 1785. The records reveal crimes committed, the justice administered, the names of watchmen and constables and where they were stationed.
CD Roms
GenFair
Wiltshire Constabulary Police Officers Appointed 1839-1927. Indexed transcript from original records held at Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre of all those who joined Wiltshire Constabulary between 1839 and 1927. The product is available as a download.
