BY MARK ROTHWELL
The effect of a Police Constable on horseback is undeniable. The formidable equine is both majestic and dangerous. The rioting felon must balance the desire to breach the peace with the risk of being on the receiving end of a hoof for which, of course, the horse cannot be held liable. The modern Devon & Cornwall Police does not have a Mounted Section, but many of its predecessor forces did.
Nine small Constabularies were established in Cornwall according to the requirements of the Municipal Corporations Act in Bodmin, Falmouth, Helston, Launceston, Liskeard, Penryn, Penzance, St Ives, and Truro. None are known to have formed Mounted Sections, however the Corporations which governed these Constabularies owned horses which were from time to time used by the Superintendents and Constables. The Corporation horses in each town were the same animals that pulled the dust carts and fire brigade pumps and were quite literally the 'workhorses' of the town. On 20th June 1837, a Truronian Constable on horseback led a procession of civic officials when the ascension of Queen Victoria to the throne was proclaimed.
The Cornwall Constabulary was formed in principle in 1856 and began recruitment in 1857. The Court of Quarter Sessions for the County sanctioned the requisition of Police Horses for the Force, initially at Launceston, Bodmin, Liskeard and Truro. Another was kept at Headquarters (The Priory, Bodmin) on a reserve basis in the event one of the divisional horses became sick or injured. They were primarily ridden by the divisional Superintendents, and each horse was cared for by a Constable who acted as groom and coachman.i The horses were both ridden and hauled four-wheeled wagons, the latter usually for prisoner transport to Bodmin Gaol. Superintendent Gifford (Callington) patrolled his division on horseback and was a stickler for horse-related offences. In the early months of 1857, Gifford brought prosecutions against many individuals for riding without reins or for leaving their gigs unattended at the roadside. In each case, the defendant was heavily fined. Gifford's campaign was undone in September 1857 when he himself was summoned to court for leaving his gig unattended. Regrettably, the outcome of the case is not a matter of record. Whatever the result, Gifford was called upon to resign a month later.
Horse-drawn wagon typical of the kind used by the Cornwall Constabulary to transport prisoners to gaol. This example is the St Columb Horse Bus. The men in the pillbox hats are Inspectors. (Simon Dell Collection)
Horse-drawn wagon typical of the kind used by the Cornwall Constabulary to transport prisoners to gaol. This example is the St Columb Horse Bus. The men in the pillbox hats are Inspectors. (Simon Dell Collection)
Horse-drawn wagon typical of the kind used by the Cornwall Constabulary to transport prisoners to gaol. This example is the St Columb Horse Bus. The men in the pillbox hats are Inspectors. (Simon Dell Collection)
Cornish Superintendent William Gard pictured in Bodmin. Four-wheeled wagons were used because they were more comfortable to ride in. (Simon Dell Collection)
Cornish Superintendent William Gard pictured in Bodmin. Four-wheeled wagons were used because they were more comfortable to ride in. (Simon Dell Collection)
Cornish Superintendent William Gard pictured in Bodmin. Four-wheeled wagons were used because they were more comfortable to ride in. (Simon Dell Collection)
Deputy Chief Constable William Beare (Cornwall Constabulary), Bodmin, late 19th Century (Simon Dell Collection)
Deputy Chief Constable William Beare (Cornwall Constabulary), Bodmin, late 19th Century (Simon Dell Collection)
Deputy Chief Constable William Beare (Cornwall Constabulary), Bodmin, late 19th Century (Simon Dell Collection)
Devon Superintendents and a Police Horse in 1871 (Simon Dell Collection)
Devon Superintendents and a Police Horse in 1871 (Simon Dell Collection)
Devon Superintendents and a Police Horse in 1871 (Simon Dell Collection)
Devon Constabulary Mounted Officers in the 1930s (Simon Dell Collection)
Devon Constabulary Mounted Officers in the 1930s (Simon Dell Collection)
Devon Constabulary Mounted Officers in the 1930s (Simon Dell Collection)
PC Takle (left) and Inspector Perry of the Tiverton Borough Police, c1920 (Simon Dell Collection)
PC Takle (left) and Inspector Perry of the Tiverton Borough Police, c1920 (Simon Dell Collection)
PC Takle (left) and Inspector Perry of the Tiverton Borough Police, c1920 (Simon Dell Collection)
Avon and Somerset Constabulary horsemen (D&C Annual Report, 1978)
Avon and Somerset Constabulary horsemen (D&C Annual Report, 1978)
Avon and Somerset Constabulary horsemen (D&C Annual Report, 1978)
In Devon, municipal police forces were established in Barnstaple, Bideford, Dartmouth, Devonport, Exeter, Honiton, Plymouth, South Molton, Tavistock, Tiverton, and Totnes. Like their Cornish counterparts, horses were used paringly, however in the Devon Constabulary (formed 1856-57), there was significant investment in stabling, saddles, bridles, forage, and other equine accoutrements.
Plymouth Mounted Officers (Trevor Finbow Collection)
Plymouth Mounted Officers (Trevor Finbow Collection)
Plymouth Mounted Officers (Trevor Finbow Collection)
The usefulness of horses naturally declined with the coming of the motor car. The Road Traffic Act 1930 led to the formation of traffic units in most Home Office Police Forces, and thus the reliable steed was resigned to undertaking ceremonial work such as civic parades and county shows.
Chief Constable John Alderson
In 1978, Chief Constable John Alderson (Devon & Cornwall Police) proposed a Mounted Unit for the force. Alderson, who was previously Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, had undertaken riding courses at Imber Court (the Horse training centre of the Metropolitan Police) for parade purposes. He was recently inspired by the sight of the West Midlands Police Horses that took part in the Force cavalcade, as well as the Avon and Somerset Constabulary horsemen who provided mutual aid to Devon in the search for missing teenager Genette Tate in the summer of that year.
Alderson envisaged that the Mounted Section could consist of riders from the Special Constabulary in the first instance, pending government approval for a permanent situation staffed with members of the regular force. Truro's Detective Inspector Roger Harvey, an experienced horseman, was selected by Alderson as the head of the Unit, with the caveat that he would have to relocate to Exeter. He did so, albeit choosing to make his home at Sampford Peverell, a small village about halfway between Tiverton and the Somerset border.
In anticipation of the Mounted Unit's formation, Harvey attended an Imber Court training course with the Metropolitan Police and Officers from other UK and international forces. His book Harvey's Law describes how his specially tailored mounted uniform was supplied with a pair of winged riding breeches which drew friendly derision from fellow trainees, particularly a vocal Yorkshireman who suggested that Harvey might take flight if he didn't hold onto his horse.
After training, Harvey returned to Devon and was asked by the Chief Constable to parade with the Avon and Somerset Constabulary Mounted Section at the upcoming Police Cavalcade in Exeter. Harvey's own four-year-old 16' 2'' gelding, named Grey, was selected and taken to Bristol for rehearsal. Grey was rescued by Harvey in 1975, having been spotted in a field during the course of a criminal investigation. Enquiries were made with the landowner, and Grey was purchased for £135. The Police Cavalcade went without a hitch, with Grey performing admirably despite the cacophony of sounds from the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary Band and the Force Motorcycle Unit which took part in the procession. Over the course of 1978, Grey was worked and exercised regularly on the mid-Devon back roads and his rider encountered and dealt with a plethora of incidents, as well as attending events on a ceremonial basis, including the opening of a horse training school on Bodmin Moor.
Regrettably, government funding for a substantial Mounted Police Unit was not sanctioned, and thus Harvey and Grey were to be Devon & Cornwall Constabulary's first and last. Harvey retired in 1983 and returned to Cornwall.
Harvey wrote of his experiences as the Force's one and only Mounted Police Officer in the book Harvey's Law, which features a splendid photograph (right) of the Force's only Police Horse Grey at the Police Cavalcade in Exeter.
Sources
- Cornwall Constabulary Centenary
