Police History

Late 18th century

In 1790 Castletown, the Island’s capital, boasted seven Constables plus a Chief Constable. Douglas had five Constables plus a Chief while Ramsey and Peel each had one Constable and one Chief Constable. The only known name was Douglas’s Chief Constable, one Thomas Whittam, whose duties in 1791 were to serve the first process from the Court of Chancery, the Deemsters, the Vicars General and the High Bailiff.

He was a Peace Officer and could be called upon in all breaches of the peace. However, it’s not thought the constables had much effect against crime with disreputable night haunts frequented by criminals and immoral women. Fraud went unchecked and the Island became a sanctuary for debtors. There were riots in 1822 in Peel and in Douglas – where the first ‘Specials’ had to be sworn in. Thomas Whittam was reported to be 'Chief Constable of the Town of Douglas and district and Gaoler of the Fort or prison for between 3 and 4 years and hath a salary of £5-0-0d per annum starting'.

An examination of Chief Constable Whittam revealed that his duties of office were: -

...to serve the first process from the Court of Chancery, the Deemsters, the Vicars General and the High Bailiff's Courts. Upon receipt of the aforementioned processes, he is to take up the persons against whom they are issued and to conduct them to the respective court from whence process issued, except in the first case from the Court of Chancery, where bail is allowed, and for his duty he is entitled to a fee of one shilling Manks and in addition a fee of fourpence Manks for every Parish after the third through which he conducts his prisoner to the court.

The District of Douglas comprehends four parishes, namely Conchan, Lonnan, Marown, Braddan. It is his duty within his district to issue out the Governor's passes or licences to persons to quit the Island and he receives twopence Manks upon delivery of such a pass.

The Island is divided into four districts namely Douglas, Castletown, Ramsey and Peel. Each of the districts has a Chief Constable whose duties, office, salary and fees are the same as herein before described except in the district of Castletown.

The Prison of Douglas is mainly used for the confinement of persons guilty of felony or Breach of the Peace and was formerly used frequently for this purpose but is at present in a very insecure condition and is insufficient for the purpose of confining prisoners without having a guard set upon them.'

George Turnbull records in his book, The Isle of Man Constabulary, that little was known of the activities of the police during this period but that it seems probable they weren't a very effective force against the advances of crime. Lesser kinds of theft continued, for the most part, to go unpunished and there was apparently no thought to ease the burden of the poor who were duped on every occasion. Disreputable night haunts, especially in Douglas, were frequented by criminals and immoral women. Fraud went unchecked and the entire place became a sanctuary for debtors from adjacent countries.

Chief Constables were equivalent in rank to today's Sergeant and served with a number of constables under the High Bailiff of a particular town or district.

Information up to the 1980s reproduced from the book Isle of Man Constabulary by George Turnbull, by kind permission of the publishers, Mansk-Svenska Publishing Company Limited, of Peel, Isle of Man.

The Department of Home Affairs also gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Manx National Heritage.