List Of Subscribers To The Association Established in the Town..

1811. Stourbridge, Warwickshire, England, c.1811. Stourbridge, Warwickshire, England, c.1811. Only Known Record of an Association Established in Stourbridge, England to Fight Crime and Compensate its Victims [Manuscript]. [Criminals]. [Great Britain]. List Of Subscribers To The Association Established in the Town And Neighbourhood Of Stourbridge For The Prosecution Of Felons. [Stourbridge, Warwickshire, England, c.1811]. 15-3/4" x 12-1/2" (40 x 31.75 cm) sheet, written on both sides, with a watermark reading 1811, faint vertical rules, content in neat calligraphic hand in three columns below headline, additional single column of content to verso. Moderate toning, vertical and horizontal fold lines, light soiling at corners, light wear, a few chips and short tears to edges, early repairs to fold lines on verso. $450. * Associations for the prosecution of felons were established throughout Great Britain before the creation of professional municipal police forces. The earliest date to the mid-eighteenth century; there were around 500 by 1840. A form of insurance, these associations covered the costs associated with investigating crimes, paying rewards and bringing criminals to justice. Over 130 individuals and businesses joined this association in Stourbridge, a market town near Birmingham, and pledged amounts ranging from ?10 to ?105. The list shows their first and second installments. Among those are Lord Lyttleton, probably William Henry Lyttleton, 3rd Baron Lyttleton [1782-1837] and Reverend Joseph Taylor, who became minister of the local church in 1808. Several of the subscriber names can be found in The Commercial Directory (for 1818, 1819, 1820, accessed online), including Francis Rufford & Sons, manufacturer of fire bricks, Sergeant Hornblower, iron master, Thomas Wheeley, glass manufacturer, and Henry Jervis, toolmaker. Our manuscript appears to be the only surviving record of this association.