Category Archives: Keeping the Peace

Working for the Georgian Customs

Posted on March 14, 2020 by William Savage

It wasn’t job you could just walk into. Before you became a Customs officer you had to embark on six months training. This took place at some of the more important ports in the country, including Yarmouth and Lynn in … Continue reading →

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Uses and Abuses of the Press Gang

Posted on November 6, 2019 by William Savage

The purpose of the Impress Service, as the Press Gang was called officially, was to secure the men needed to keep the Royal Navy’s ships at proper fighting strength. Given the conditions on board, and the chances of dying from … Continue reading →

Posted in Keeping the Peace, Military | 2 Comments

Eighteenth-century Prosecution Associations

Posted on July 5, 2017 by William Savage

All my Georgian-era mystery stories share one element: the fact that England at the time had no system of public prosecution for crimes. Not only were there no police to investigate criminal acts, there were no official prosecutors to bring … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Keeping the Peace | 1 Comment

Food Riots and Recession in Napoleonic-era England

Posted on May 24, 2017 by William Savage

In 1793, the tensions caused by the revolution in france finally exploded into a pan-european conflict. In some ways, it was nothing new. Wars were endemic to most parts of the European continent. Britain and France had been fighting one … Continue reading →

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Justices of the Peace in Georgian Norfolk

Posted on March 1, 2017 by William Savage

It’s hard to imagine a time when there was no police or detective force, no system for public prosecution and no official means to investigate crimes and collect evidence to bring the criminals to justice. But that’s just as it … Continue reading →

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The Murder of Charles Drew (1740)

Posted on December 15, 2015 by William Savage

It’s not often you can follow a murder case through successive editions of the local newspaper, but this is an exception. All the excerpts which follow are from “The Bury and Norwich Journal”. First, the murder itself. February 9th 1740 … Continue reading →

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