Counting the residuum: managing vagrancy in 19 th century Cumbria. Guy Woolnough

1. Counting the residuum: managing vagrancy in 19th century Cumbria. Guy Woolnough Policing Petty Crime in Victorian Cumbria Keele University

2. Her skin was of Egyptian brown, Haughty, as if her eye had seen Its own light to a distance thrown, She towered, fit person for a Queen To lead those ancient Amazonian files; Or ruling Bandit’s wife among the Grecian isles. Advancing, forth she stretched her hand And begged an alms with doleful plea That ceased not: on our English land Such woes I knew could never be: And yet a boon I gave her, for the creature Was beautiful to see – a weed of glorious feature! W.Wordsworth, Beggars, circa 1802. (Poetical Works) Barry Hindess, The Use of Official Statistics in Sociology (1973)

3. The basic tools for tackling the problem The Vagrancy Act, 1824 The Poor Law Amendment Act, 1834 County Police Act, 1856 Ribton-Turner, C.J.,1887. A history of vagrants and vagrancy, and beggars and begging.

4. January 1st, 1859. 2,153 vagrants relieved. Relieved in Cumbria: Indoor, 9 vagrants Outdoor, 24 vagrants. House of Commons Papers,, Poor rates and pauperism. Paupers relieved on 1st January 1859 I.B.Cohen, The Triumph of numbers: how counting shaped modern life. Cook, D.M., 1997. Poverty, crime and punishment. Stigler, S.M., 1986. The history of statistics the measurement of uncertainty before 1900.

5. Thomas Garnett, relieving officer for Kirkby Lonsdale, 1825-28 Aberdeen to Kirkby Lonsdale, 288 miles. Six days at 36 miles per day. . Monmouth to Kirkby Lonsdale, 185 miles. Four days, 45 miles per day.

6. James Bond, born Lancaster, cotton carder, applied for relief at Kirkby Lonsdale, 13th August 1825. Set off from Lancaster on 11th August, spent last night at Burton in Lonsdale Reason for journey, “settlement,” going to Burton in Lonsdale Age, 20Height: 5' 4 Complexion: “sallah” Eyes: hazelHair: brown Physique: slender Comment: “he had applied to the overseers at Burton for relief and was refused and came hear to the justices and was without money and very sick “ Relief given: 4d

7. Every night, Cumbrian Police visit vagrant wards and common lodging houses ‘noting down the description of all suspicious looking characters . . . . gives them great facilities for the prevention and detection of crime – a great proportion of which in this county is considered to be committed by the vagrant class.’ Report from 1879 Carlisle Record Office DHod 11/119

8. A Maryport Police Constable’s written return of the people staying at a common lodging house, 1879 (?) Cumbria Archives, Carlisle Record Office, Scons 4/70, returns from PCs, Maryport. Radzinowicz, L., 1968. A history of English criminal law and its administration from 1750, vol. 4. p359

9. July 1st 1898. Almost all vagrants now receive indoor relief Indoor relief Outdoor relief Vagrants relieved The insane Relieved in Cumbria: 1859 Indoor, 9 vagrants Outdoor, 24 vagrants 1898 Indoor, 136 vagrants Outdoor, 6 vagrants. 1898 (118B.I) Pauperism (England and Wales). Return (B. I.) Paupers relieved on 1st July 1898.

10. George Brown or Green Born London, 1854 Swindon 1888 Weymouth 1888 Sherbourne 1888 Gloucester 1890 Kendal 1890 Begging, three times Drunk Obscene language Stealing a vest Destroying clothes in the workhouse On enclosed premises with intent to commit a felony

11. Conclusion The data are unsound The system deterred vagrants from seeking help. Relieving officers were not interested in helping vagrants. The police ignored vagrants unless they ‘needed arresting.’ The personnel and resources deployed to manage vagrancy were unable to understand or reduce the problem at all. Thomas Garnett showed what a genuine attempt to understand vagrancy might have looked like, but his experience showed that it was not possible in the 19th century.