A TALK by Ward Jones on ‘Keeping the Peace in Westbury and the Surrounding Area’ will illustrate how the town would have been policed through time.
Following Government legislation in 1839, counties were given permission to go about establishing county police forces.
Wiltshire Magistrates, anxious about unrest across the county, took the bold decision to set up a force in Wiltshire. They beat Gloucestershire to the mark and became the first county to do so. The seeds were sown for the establishment of a professional police force.
What did this mean in practice? From where did the money come to pay the force? How did it affect Westbury? How was law and order kept in the town before this date? Did you know there was a county prison at Devizes and a reformatory for young people at Warminster? And, what about the role played by ducking stools, whipping posts and blind houses? These and other questions will be explored in Ward Jones’ talk.
Come and join the Family History Group on Thursday 28th June in the foyer of Westbury’s Methodist Church at 7.15pm.
The Westbury Area Family History Group is a branch of the Wiltshire Family History Society. We meet every 4th Thursday of the month and have interesting and informative talks and discussions by members and guest speakers on all aspects of family history and general history