Bow Street Runners: The Novelist and Blind Judge Who Invented Police

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

In early 18th century London, the victim of a robbery could do little more than shout stop thief and hope a neighbor gave chase. The British feared a state police force as a tool of tyranny, so the government offered cash rewards instead and got a trade in extortion. Thief takers such as Jonathan Wild staged robberies, returned the goods for a fee, and sent their own men to the gallows for the bounty. This episode follows the two brothers who built something better from inside that broken system.

Henry Fielding, the author of Tom Jones, became a magistrate in 1748 and worked from his house at number four Bow Street. He gathered six trusted men, armed them with special warrants, held hearings in the open, and won a government budget of 200 pounds a year so they could be paid a wage. When he died in 1754, his blind brother Sir John Fielding took over and turned a courtroom into a national intelligence network of clerks, newspapers, and roadside informants.

Rewards of 40 pounds, later 100, for catching a highwayman were meant to help victims and instead created a freelance bounty industry.
Known as the blind beak of Bow Street, John Fielding was said to recognize thousands of repeat offenders by voice alone.
John raised the budget to 400 pounds in 1757 and 600 by 1765, funding horse patrols against highwaymen.
Turnpike gatekeepers and publicans fed him reports by mail coach, and descriptions of suspects ran in the Public Advertiser.
In 1802 the runners arrested Colonel Edward Despard over a plot to assassinate the king. They were disbanded in 1839, after the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(16184)

The Art of Adult Friendship: Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow old...

9 Marras 18min

Summer Explained: The Science, History, and Traditions of the Warmest Season

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, ...

7 Marras 18min

Sir Patrick Stewart: From Shakespeare to Star Trek, the Life and Legacy of a Legend

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaim...

7 Marras 49min

Larry David: The Genius of Social Awkwardness, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, ...

6 Marras 38min

Why Australian Shepherds Aren't From Australia

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, en...

5 Marras 45min

Labrador Retriever: From Newfoundland Fishing Dogs to Modern-Day Heroes

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of t...

4 Marras 53min

Discovering Ireland: A Journey Through History, Culture, and the Wild Atlantic Way

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, ...

3 Marras 48min

Willie Hutch: An Overnight I'll Be There Lyric and The Mack's Soundtrack

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where h...

2 Marras 21min