Westminster, 1720-39 23ward. Watchmen were paid an annual wage of £15 and beadles received £25
while the watchhouse keeper in St George's was paid £12.^87 Nothing is
known about these men other than their names, the beats they were assigned
and whether they were punished for any lapses of discipline.
The watchhouse was the headquarters for the watch. The keeper cared for
the arms and accoutrements of the watch, which were stored there when not in
use, and acted as jailer, guarding anyone arrested during the night. He also was
expected to report on the conduct of the other watch personnel, such as
beadles.^88 The responsibilities of the beadles were more varied, providing a
good example of what the eighteenth century knew as policing. In Piccadilly,
one beadle spent the night at the watchhouse to assist the constable:not only in the Watchhouse but also in going about the parish to take
Notice whether all the Watchmen Perform their duties and in all other
particulars he [the Constable] may lawfully require such Bedels aid or
assistance with respect to the keeping of watch and ward.^89
It was the beadles' responsibility to call the roll of watchmen before they
went on duty, seeing that all were present or accounted for. They were to
report any neglect of duty on the part of the constables, as well as the
watchmen, to the churchwardens. The four beadles each took this night
duty in rotation.^90
Beadles were especially charged to report any gin-shop and ale-house
keepers who allowed 'tipling'. There was virtually no regulation of the
trade in spirituous liquors. It took the approval of two magistrates to obtain
an ale-house licence but not to sell gin.^91 The vestries of Westminster
attempted to do what they could, by having their beadles and/or constables,
keep a record of particularly offensive houses. In St James's, the vestry
explicitly stated that this was to be done in order 'that it may be recom-
mended to the Justices of the Peace to hinder the renewal of their
Licenses ... .'^92 Considering that the gin problem was largely due to the
proliferation of unlicensed purveyors of liquor, one doubts if this had any
real impact on the sale of gin or the problem of drunkenness. Still, the belief
that liquor shops were also the haunts of crintinals meant that such a
surveillance was part of the preventative function of the watch.
Beadles also assisted the overseers of the poor and enforced traffic and
street regulations during the day. Beadles were to
... prosecute every Carter, Drayman, Carman or waggoner whom [they]
shall fmd driving any Cart, Carr or Waggon in the Streets of this Parish
and Ridding [sic] upon such carts ... not having some person on Foot to
Guide the same ....There was a certain amount of incentive to enforce this particular law,
because it stipulated that the informer would receive one half of the ten