Watchmen were organized groups of men, usually authorized by a state, government, city, or society, to deter criminal activity and provide law enforcement as well as traditionally perform the services of public safety, fire watch, crime prevention, crime detection, recovery of stolen goods. The streets in London were dark and had a shortage of artificial light that brought a heightened threat of danger. So from 1485 to the 1820s, in the absence of a police force, it was the parish-based watchmen who were responsible for keeping order in London's streets.
Watchmen were organized groups of men, usually authorized by a state, government, city, or society, to deter criminal activity and provide law enforcement as well as traditionally perform the services of public safety, fire watch, crime prevention, crime detection, recovery of stolen goods. The streets in London were dark and had a shortage of artificial light. It had been recognized for centuries that the coming of darkness to the unlit streets of a town brought a heightened threat of danger, and that the night provided cover to the disorderly and immoral, and to those bent on robbery or burglary or who in other ways threatened physical harm to people in the streets and in their houses . So from 1485 to the 1820s, in the absence of a police force, it was the parish-based watchmen who were responsible for keeping order in London's streets.
Size: 3600px × 4066px
Location: London, UK
Photo credit: © De Luan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 17th, 19th, activity, anti, antiquity, art, black, bygone, century, city, crime, criminal, culture, dark, darkness, drawing, early, england, english, engraving, enterprise, etching, fire, footpath, force, graphic, heritage, historic, history, iconic, illustration, lantern, life, line, lithograph, london, medieval, monochrome, night, occupations, patrol, people, picture, police, prevention, private, roads, robber, sketch, street, streets, thief, tradition, traditional, vigilantes, watch, watchman, watchmen, white, woodcut
