Midland Railway Police Officer James Gates papers and notebooks
- Made:
- 1903-1932
Midland Railway Police Officer James Gates papers and notebooks. Three notebooks, 9 individual items of Notice on Recognizance, 1 photograph thought to be of James Gates, and 2 small envelopes thought to contain receipts. Small notebook, dated 1903-1914 with detailed lists of offenders’ names, their crimes and fines at the front, at the back is a more detailed list with the stations where the crimes were committed, the police officer who arrested the prisoner, the sentence and the date. Medium notebook, dated 1903-1925 opens both ways and contains newspaper articles of crimes (some dated) and lists of expenditure and receipts numbers.The reverse of the notebook has detailed lists of offenders’ names, their crimes, including stealing fruit and jellies, fines and more newspaper articles of crimes. Large notebook, dated 1904-1924 with detailed lists of offenders’ names, their crimes, sentences, goods value, court and clerk, police officer name, awards and remarks in alphabetical order. Pasted into the front and back of the notebook are mug shots.
The collection provides a snapshot of the different types of crimes that took place on the railway network. Alongside giving details of the arrested suspects, it also includes court summons when James Gates was required to testify at suspects’ trials, giving an overview of the working life of a railway policeman.
In the early days of the railways, the railway police had responsibility for operating signals and regulating railway traffic. However, over the course of the nineteenth century they transitioned from this role to focus on detecting and deterring crime and maintaining public order. The railway companies, such as the Midland Railway, who Gates worked for, employed their own forces during the period that he served. Railway companies began to employ detectives alongside their uniformed officers in the mid to late 19th century. The world’s first railway murder took place in 1864, although crimes such as theft and trespass were more commonplace.
Details
- Category:
- Archive Collections
- Object Number:
- 2017-7120
- Materials:
- paper (fibre product)
- type:
- archives
- credit:
- purchase