New Means to Old Ends 65disapproved throughout their respective Wards'. The watchmen were again
settled on permanent beats.^45 This suggests that some for whom the new
kind of impartial, bureaucratic public service was intended had not yet fully
bought into that ideology. Apparently even the well-to-do of the West End
preferred a familiar face in the street at night.
As parishes demanded impartiality and accountability they also demanded
higher quality men. From the late 1770s, watch committees set specific
qualifications for watchmen and, especially for sergeants and inspectors.
They established minimal requirements with regard to age, physical stature,
and education. St Marylebone set some of the highest standards. After the
annual inspection in 1787, the watch committee required all watchmen to be
at least 5ft 6in tall. After January 1795, no one was to be hired who was over
the age of 50.^46
Watch authorities inquired more closely into references for applicants to
the night watch. In 1783, the St Marylebone watch committee required that
anyone recommending a man for the watch provide a written reference and
make a personal appearance before the vestry 'to satisfy them what they
know respecting his [the applicant's] Character'.^47 When the HackneyThrn-
pike trustees revamped their watch in 1793, they instructed their clerk to find
out the name, age, family, and parish of settlement of watchmen. In addition,
every year before the start of the summer season,
the Gentlemen who may have recommended any Watchman be wrote unto
to know if they still continue the same good opinion of the Person
recommended and to request that if at any future period they shall see
Occasion to alter that good Opinion they will have the goodness to
acquaint the 1tustees of it. ...^48
As more written records began to be kept by watch authorities, literacy
was required in the upper ranks. In Holbom, each sergeant was required
to keep a Book in which he shall insert the Cases of neglect of any
Watchman in not calling the Hour and Half Hour with regularity or any
other misconduct of the Watchmen and all occurrences happening within
his District with which Book he is to attend the Board of Governors and
Directors every Wednesday Evening.^49This kind of record keeping was another aspect of the increased concern for
accountability of subordinates to superiors and for impartial supervision.
Sergeants' and beadles' books provided a permanent record of how the
watch performed and behaved. How accurate or impartial these records
were is difficult to tell.
The qualifications and accountability of constables also were a source of
concern. The St Marylebone watch committee noted in 1781: 'the safety of
the Inhabitants in a great Measure depends upon the Vigilance and attention