The Reputation of the 'Peelers'

1. The Reputation of the 'Peelers' Downloaded from www.SchoolHistory.co.uk

2. Primary Sources • Primary sources are the most useful items for learning about an historical event. Today we will look at some primary sources that provide clues about the reputation of the Metropolitan Police Force (Peelers) in the nineteenth century. Think about the following questions when you examine the sources: • When was the source written/painted/photographed? • Was it an official photograph/poster? • What does the source want you to think? • How reliable is it and what can we learn from the source?

3. SOURCE 1 This cartoon is from 1833 - What kinds of people does the cartoonist show as having joined the police?

4. A photograph is accurate but a cartoon shows what somebody thinks The expression on the face of the Peeler is surly and he does not appear approachable. The police truncheon was supposed to be a deterrent but this Peeler looks keen to use it on a criminal. So who is the dreaded criminal in this picture – a little old lady with a walking stick – why is this important? SOURCE 2

5. Photographs are usually very useful sources of primary evidence as the camera catches an accurate description. However – you can not just take them at face value. This shows us what a Peeler looked like but think about who might have authorised the picture and why? Would they have wanted the Police to be seen in a bad or good way? SOURCE 3

6. Peel's Police Raw Lobsters Blue Devils Are these names complimentary? SOURCE 4

7. This cartoon was published in September 1888 in a satirical magazine called Punch. The title of the cartoon is ‘Blind Man’s Buff’ and the caption that went with it read: “Turn round three times and catch whom you can!” What is the cartoon telling us about the reputation of the police force around the time of the ‘Ripper’ murders? Do people take the police seriously? Satirical means to ridicule or mock something! SOURCE 5

8. SOURCE 6 Peel's introduction of the Metropolitan Police in 1829 was not at all popular. This poster, from 1830, raises various objections and calls for public meetings to "Abolish the New Police!"

9. In Conclusion: Were the Peelers liked? The middle and upper classes welcomed the new ‘Peelers’. But most poor people thought that they were only there to protect the rich. They gave them nasty nicknames such as ‘crushers’, ‘blue locusts’, and ‘blue drones’. According to one Victorian newspaper: people in poorer areas looked on policemen as an enemy whom it was right to kick and beat whenever that can be done with safety.