07-06-2025

Southampton Town Sergeants.

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What did we have before the present policing system? Well we found out at our last meeting at Catisfield Memorial Hall. It turns out that their predecessors - in Southampton at least - were called The Southampton Town Sergeants and they have existed for the last 640 years. Paul Tickner, now a retired town sergeant, very kndly gave us an extremely interesting talk on their history. At the beginning they were men with a large amount of power and responsibility. Considering the way that values have changed over the years they were relatively well paid. In 1815 salaries varied between £15.00 (about £1600 today) and £35 (£3750), but then you could probably buy a pint and a pie for a groat. Over time, and especially since the Southampton, Portsmouth, Basingstoke, Andover & Lymington Borough Police forces were formed in 1836, their duties have become more ceremonial and mundane although they still earn quite a reasonable annual salary of between £36k and £61k (ibid).

Back in the day one wasn't so much asked asked but instructed to become one of these hallowed brethren as refusal could lead to an expensive refusal. "At the end of 1675, Isaac Watts, father of the hymnologist, refused to renounce the covenant and take the oaths on being appointed a beadle, and having refused office was fined £3. On being chosen again beadle for the ward of St Michaels and St John, he was freed from office for 7 years for a fine of 40 shillings, and in 1703 when chosen for the office of constable, was excused on payment of 5 guineas. Well there was somebody with a really strong conscience." - Lifted from a no-longer in print booklet by Paul.

Author: Chris Nixon (Pictures and quote from a booklet published on Kindle by Paul Tckner)