X Robert Walter JAMES.Dear Helen,As a retired Police Officer, Trustee andResearcher for the Cheshire Museum of Policing,together with other members of the Committee webelieve that without your great uncle RobertWalter JAMES 'labour of love' CheshireConstabulary would not have a written history, forit was him at the request of the then ChiefConstable of Cheshire Mr. G. Banwell that thefirst 100 years of its history should be writtenand named "To The Best of Our Skill and Knowledge"I am sure that you have by now seen that this bookis on the Museum Web Site. Mr. James was alsoresponsible for depositing many the force recordsto the Cheshire Record Office; again if he had notdone this, anyone making enquiries about theirPolice Officer ancestors could certainly not havebeen helped. These records are slowly beingextracted from the Records Office and added to theMuseum database after which they are returned tothe Records Office.It is also somewhat bizarre that more or less tothe day that in April 1857, the CheshireConstabulary was inaugurated, 100 years later inApril 1957 its history was written and now as thisforce celebrates its Tri-Centenary this month withthe re-printing of the force history, a relativeof the author of the history contacts.Now to try and explain why we do not hold muchinformation on Mr. James's career. In essence theCheshire Constabulary was formed in April 1857 andcovered the County for policing purposes, at thesame time there were a number of other PoliceForces within the County and these were know asBorough Police Force's, Congleton Borough Policebeing no exception. The vast majority of theseBorough Forces were amalgamated into Cheshireright up to 1974, Congleton came in 1947. This isof course when Mr. James became a Superintendentin Cheshire Constabulary obviously only one ChiefConstable being allowed and Cheshire Constabularybeing the main force. At the end of the letter Ihave attached what Mr. James wrote about CongletonBorough Police, I have done this because I do notthink you will be able to print it from the website.It therefore follows that we have only a little ofMr. James career with Cheshire Constabulary post1947, I cannot answer why there are no records atthe Chester Record Office for Congleton BoroughPolice that would show Mr. James career withCongleton. Having said this are numerous otherdocuments appertaining to Congleton which are theConstables Occurrence Book 1839-1840 (Ref CJP9/1),Crime Books 1877-1947 (CJP17/1-2), Lock-up Books1944-1957 (CJP17/3-4), Occurrence Books 1961(CJP17/5), Registers 1926-1950 (CJP17/6-7) I haveabsolutely no idea what these Registers contain,Photograph taken Circa 1938 (CJP 17/8) Iunderstand that this is a photograph of officersfrom the force when Mr. James was Chief Constableand lastly Chief Constables -Annual Reports1914-1932 (LBC62). I have no doubt that some ofthese records would hold other information whatMr. James had done or ordered.The following is held by the Museum SuperintendentRobert Walter JAMES, Born 25 February 1895, HayBreconshire. Died 13 October 1970 Macclesfield,Cheshire. Service dates 19 March 1920, I do notknow if this is the date of his entry intoCongleton Borough Police or the actual start dateof his Police service in Swansea, however, I havea tendency to think that this is the start date ofhis Police service in Swansea. Completion ofservice 31 October 1956. Total Police Service 36years 227 days. Age on retirement 61 years 8months. His annual pay was £1285 per annum and hisannual pension was £828.8s.0d. He was awarded hisPolice Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in1951, this medal has always been awarded for 22years service this would take his service prior to1929, again this would perhaps indicate that theyear 1920 was the year he actual started hispolice service and when he was 25 years of age. Hewas also awarded the Coronation Medal in 1953. Hewas perhaps also awarded a World War 2 DefenceMedal as most officers who did not serve in thearmed services but the likes of the Police wereawarded this.On a personal note when I was a serving Detectivefor some reason or other I came across a documentconcerning Mr. James and his son Kenneth, I am not100% certain but I seem to recall his son Kennethcommitted suicide and his daughter whose name mayhave been Elizabeth was married living in Canada,but I reiterate I cannot be 100% certain.That's about all I can give you Helen, but ask youin return if you have a photograph of Mr. James Iwould greatly appreciate a scanned copy for ourarchives. The only other thing that may be ofassistance is that if you contact me again inabout 6 weeks, I will have spoken with the Curatorof the Museum Peter Wroe, concerning your enquiryand perhaps there is something in the Museumappertaining to Mr. James that I am unaware of.With sincere best wishesJim Talbot.CONGLETON BOROUGHA newspaper report of a meeting of the Council ofthe Borough in February, 1836 (when the newMunicipal Corporations Act was being discussed),proves that until this time Congleton had neverhad a paid policeman; a member referring to acommittee recommendation said, "we are recommendedto appoint an officer such as we have not,hitherto, possessed in the borough; I mean aregular paid officer."In the course of this meeting it seems that thegeneral idea was to appoint one regular constableat a weekly wage of one guinea and two special orpart-time constables, to be employed only whenwanted at three shillings and sixpence a day whenso employed.This particular meeting ended inconclusively butfrom other sources of information it seems clearthat this was to be the pattern for the "force"for a number of years. In fact, even in 1889 thestrength was only one superintendent and fourconstables. For most of these years the strengthwas one plus two regular Saturday night paidSpecial Constables, reinforced on specialoccasions by upwards of six firemen sworn in forparticular occasions, such as the annual fairs and"wakes" weeks.Whilst the natural disinclination of the boroughcouncil to add to the rate burden isunderstandable, it is difficult to reconcile aposition in which the ratio of police topopulation was one to 9,000 for many years.The antipathy of members of the local authority tothe idea of a police force stemmed from a numberof roots; political, financial and social. To allthis was added the violent and intemperateopposition of a Mr. John Wilson, the Town Clerkfor many years (1850-94). This gentleman, aCambridge LL.D. was also for many years Clerk tothe Borough Justices. He domineered over all, notleast the local council and magistrates. He was aregular guest of the local Licensed VictuallersAssociation at their annual banquets at which hewould rave against the police whom he described onone occasion as "Officious and glib swearing andcorroborating officers". He not infrequentlyaccused the police of "oppression and corruption".As early as 1842 the Mayor spoke of him as having"kept the town in a state of perpetual ferment" byhis incessant attacks on the Mayor and Council. Heeven went so far as to sue the Mayor at the CountyAssizes for neglect of some statutory duty.Under the provisions of the Police Act of 1856 the"force" (a superintendent and four constables)became subject to inspection by H.M. Inspectors ofConstabulary. Year by year until 1890 the Councilwas informed that the force was inefficient forwant of sufficient strength and no grant would beforthcoming. In a letter written to the Council inNovember, 1889, the Secretary of State, afterreferring to the inefficient state of the forcesaid, "it is now the only borough in England andWales having a separate force that does notmaintain its police in a state of efficiency."In 1890, the Watch Committee on the advice of theChief Constable decided to comply with the minimumrequirements of H.M. Inspector and earn the grantin aid. It was decided to double the strength ofthe force and put it (for the first time) inuniform. This actually meant a small saving in thelocal police rate. Wilson thereupon capitulatedsaying, "I have given up my contest against Mr.Jonathan Hall's (the Chief Constable) scheme ofsurrounding himself with a small regiment ofdrilled and uniformed policemen". The force nowconsisted of one Chief Constable, two sergeantsand eight constables.So far as the administration of justice wasconcerned it is clear that both the Town Clerk andthe Watch Committee took a very great part inplacing obstacles in the path of the police intheir task of impartially administering the law.In 1886 the local press referring to thewithdrawal of summonses against four unnamed"respectable" young men for drunkenness ended itscomments with the lines: "The voice is the voiceof Jonathan (Hall) but the hand is the hand ofJohn (Wilson)."The general attitude of the Watch Committee may beclearly seen from an examination of the committeeminutes. In 1899, on the Chief Constable reportinghaving taken out a summons against a licensee andasking approval for legal aid, the Town Clerk saidthat as he was being called as a "witness" for thedefendant he could not, therefore, represent thepolice. A proposal that a solicitor be engaged wasdefeated.At about the same time the Chief Constable wasrequired to inform the chairman and Town Clerk ofall reports against licensees and he was not totake out a summons until three days had elapsed.One can well imagine the canvassing and lobbyingthat would go on during the three day standstillperiod. For a period the Watch Committee attemptedto usurp the authority of the Magistrates indealing with minor offences. The Magistrates, ofcourse, won in the end.The first police station consisted of a room (partof a shop) belonging to the Corporation andadjoining the old Town Hall. The lockups or cellswere in the cellars. Although a New Town Hall wasbuilt in 1866, the police station remained until1870 when the present building was erected.The police station included living accommodationfor the Chief Constable which was later adaptedfor offices and used jointly by the police andCorporation.From 1914 the Special Constabulary formed apermanent and most useful supplementary force.Before this time Special Constables were sworn inand did duty for special occasions and when nolonger required they reverted to a non-policestatus.The earliest record of the employment of SpecialConstables now available speaks of one hundredrespectable inhabitants being sworn in to aid thepolice when, in 1842, some 600 colliers on strikemarched from North Staffordshire to Poynton withthe intention of bringing miners employed thereout on strike. The strikers assaulted the "ChiefConstable" and made "a great noise and tumult" andlater left the town.The Knutsford and Tabley troop of the CheshireYeomanry and a party of the 1st Royal Dragoonsarrived next morning. Later in the same year it isrecorded that "Turnouts" (strikers) to the numberof about 6,000 came to the town from Macclesfield.There were many occasions of excitement during thenineteenth century particularly during elections.The extent to which participants would go is to beseen in the case of the prominent inhabitant who,towards the end of the century, was indicted atAssizes on a charge of bribery and corruption andsentenced to a term of imprisonment at Knutsford.He went around the town on Election Day withsupporters carrying buckets full of half-crownswhich were distributed to the poorer electors andin public houses.On his release from prison the would-be councilorwas met and escorted by a cavalcade of supportersin triumph back to Congleton where, it is said, agreat crowd welcomed him back.Generally speaking, crime and offences were all ofa minor character. Up to 1945, no charge of murderhad been made since 1776. The Chiefs of the Policein Congleton between 1836 and 1947 numberedtwelve, five of whom left on transfer to otherforces. Up to 1876 when Jonathan Hall, thenserving in Macclesfield, was appointed, all hadbeen local men. He served until 1902 when he wassucceeded by Mr. J. H. Watson (from Hyde) who, in1908, left to become Chief Constable of Devonportand later of Bristol. Succeeding Chief Constableswere Henry Ingles, I908-12 (died); Thomas Danby,1912-14 (to Peterborough) ; Thomas Nuttal, 1915-23(died) ; E. N. Christie, 1923-30 (to Bedford); G.S. Lowe, 1930-2 (to Newcastle-under-Lyme, Plymouthand Sheffield); J. A. Kelsall (Acting ChiefConstable) 1932-4; R. W. James, 1934-47.The force came to an end as an independent entityon 31st March, 1947, and was incorporated in theNorthwich Division of the Cheshire Constabularythen under the command of Mr. G. H. Durnell.The Curator, Museum of Policing in Cheshire,Warrington Police Station, Arpley Street,Warrington, Cheshire, WA1 1LQ