Watchman (Night-Guard)
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 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]
