Watchman (law enforcement)

For other uses, see Watchmen (disambiguation).

Watchmen were groups of men, usually authorised by a state, government, or society, to deter criminal activity and provide law enforcement. Watchmen have existed in various guises throughout the world and were generally succeeded by the emergence of formally organised policing.

Early origins

An early reference to a watch can be found in the Bible where the Prophet Ezekiel states that it was the duty of the watch to blow the horn and sound the alarm. (Ezekiel 33:1-6)

The existence of watchmen have also been found^[specify] in the Ottoman, Greek and Egyptian Empires^{[citation needed]}.

The Roman Empire turned the role of a watchman into a profession by creating two organizations:

• the Praetorian Guard thus establishing a rank and file system with a Captain of the Guard.
• Vigiles, literally the watch.

Watchmen in England

In 1252 a royal writ established a Watch and Ward with royal officers appointed as Shire Reeves:

By order of the King of England the Winchester Act Mandating The Watch. Part Four and the King commandth that from henceforth all Watches be made as it hath been used in past times that was to wit from the day of Ascension unto the day of St. Michael in every city by six men at every gate in every borough by twelve men in every town by six or four according to the number of inhabitants of the town. They shall keep the Watch all night from sun setting unto sun rising. And if any stranger do pass them by them he shall be arrested until morning and if no suspicion be found he shall go quit.

Later in 1279 King Edward I formed a special guard of 20 sergeants at arms who carried decorated battle maces as a badge of official office. By 1415 a watch was appointed to the Parliament of England and in 1485 King Henry VII established a household watch that became known as the Beefeaters.

From 1485 to the 1800s it was the Watch and Ward that acted as London's police force upholding and enforcing the laws of the land.^[1]

Watchmen in the United States of America

The first form of societal protection in the United States was based on practices developed in England. The City of Boston was the first settlement in the 13 colonies to establish a night watch in 1631.[2] New York (then New Amsterdam) and Jamestown followed in 1658.

See also

• City guard
• Constable
• Security Officer
• Nightwalker Statute
• Mall cop

References

^ This can be verified by England's Old Bailey court records.

Further reading

• David Barrie, Police in the Age of Improvement: Police Development and the Civic Tradition in Scotland, 1775-1865, Willan Publishing, 2008, ISBN 1843922665. Chapter "watching and wardning", Google Print, p.34-41

External links

• Old Bailey Online
• Biblical Watchman News Reporters