Westminster, 1720-39 25After attendance was taken and the men properly equipped, the watchmen
then proceeded to take up their stands on their respective beats.^100
A stand was the point where a watchman was literally to stand and from
which he began and ended his beat. Stands were usually on street corners or
places with a view of an expanse of street. The locations of stands were
printed and then posted around the parish so that the inhabitants would
know where the watchmen were supposed to be. Watchmen were required to
walk their beats at specific intervals, calling the time and sometimes the
weather. In St George's, they were required to go their rounds every half
hour. Beats were periodically altered to take into account changes in the
parishes, such as the construction of new streets or the growth of more
heavily populated districts. The primary duties of the watchmen were
crime and fire prevention. In Hanover Square, the watchmen were also
charged to take note of 'any Street Pavement broke up without a Light or
Guard,' and also 'to take Care to prevent all Accidents that Night, and give
early Notice to the proper Officers ... .'^101 Watchmen stationed on the
boundaries of the parish were instructed to assist their colleagues in other
parishes.^102 Watchmen were occasionally called upon to assist other officers.
On 13 July 1737, for example, The Daily Gazetteer published the following, in
which two watchmen unsuccessfully assisted customs officials:
Yesterday Morning between 4 and 5 o'Clock, three Smuglers [sic] well
mounted and richly laden, were stopped in Piccadilly by two of His
Majesty's Officers, assisted by two Watchmen, who had received Informa-
tion thereof; but the Smuglers not being willing to lose their Cargo, fell in
a desperate Manner upon the officers, etc. and made them retire without
their Booty.^103
It is apparent that the vestrymen of Westminster expected that, by their
very presence, the night watch would deter criminals and thus prevent crime,
making the streets safer at night. However, watchmen were granted authority
that ordinary citizens did not have: to apprehend 'night walkers' in the
absence of a constable. All such charges had to be taken before the constable
of the night as soon as possible who was then responsible for taking offend-
ers before a magistrate.^104 The legal authority of the night watchman, then,
hinged on that of the constable.
There were certain difficulties inherent in the status of 'parish' constables,
from the strictly legal standpoint. Vestries had no direct authority over
constables once they had been sworn into office. If a constable was negligent,
the only recourse available to discipline him was to complain to the justices
and hope that they would see fit to punish him. Depending on the offence,
magistrates could impose a range of fines and/or remove the offender from
office.^105 However, the overlap in personnel between the bench of justices
and parish vestries, especially in the West End, meant that vestries in