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1888 'Manual of Vigilance Law' (British, Full Text)
Hello everyone.
I've come across a law book published in London in July, 1888, shortly before the Whitechapel Murders commenced. It was written by a lawyer named Wyndham A. Bewes, and published under the auspices of ‘The Office of the National Vigilance Association, London.’ It is as its title indicates, a contemporary British 'Manual of Vigilance Law'. I had never heard of it before, so I showed it to my friend Stewart Evans and asked if he had seen it. He told me he had not, so perhaps it will be new to others as well.
I think this legal manual will be of particular interest to those of you who research the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee. I studied Pre-Law in college, and I've always been curious as to the legal status and powers of the Mile End Vigilance Committee (to use its proper name- see, Monty?
) It’s surprised me that there isn't more available on the subject. A Citizens’ Vigilance Committee of local businessmen operating in the midst of London in 1888 must have been regulated by law, or else it would have been suppressed.
In 19th C. America, local 'Vigilance Committees' tended to engage in what we call ‘Vigilante Justice’, which sometimes resembled Mob Rule. The most famous 'Vigilante' groups in American history formed in San Francisco in the 1850's as a response to the massive increase in population, lawlessness, and violence brought about by the 1848 California Gold Rush. These Vigilance Committees were admired for dispensing ‘Frontier Justice’, which bypassed the legal system and resulted in a large number of public hangings of those identified as thieves and murderers.
Of course I didn’t think the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee bore any resemblance to the Wild West, but I don’t recall ever having seen an explanation of the laws by which the WVC must have been regulated, or of the powers with which it was invested. For instance, if a WVC patrol had ever apprehended the Ripper, what could they legally have done to him? Hopefully this book will help clarify these issues. The manual covers a surprisingly wide range of ‘public order’ issues, breaks them down into specific situations, and offers highly detailed regulations pertaining to ‘Vigilance Member’ conduct and authority in each situation.
Since this is a book of English Law, rather than a “committee handbook”, I presume that the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee members had no “extraordinary powers” invested in them and had to abide by these same rules and regulations. *Perhaps some of you will be able to offer additional information on this point.*
I have attached a copy of the page that deals with ‘Procedures of Arrest’ as I believe it most closely pertains to the WVC’s efforts to apprehend the Ripper.
I’ve also attached the title page and the author’s preface, which is dated ‘July, 1888’. I’m not sure of the exact date of its first publication in 1888, but I found several reviews of this book in 1888 Law Journals. Some of the reviews are dated August 1888, so the manual must have been published sometime between July and late August, 1888. I first found this book in the library of one the universities I attended. It was too long to make it practical for me to photograph and post the whole thing, so I looked around and luckily found a Columbia University archival copy online that can be accessed by everyone. This Columbia University copy includes a brief Addendum dated January 1890, so the manual must have been republished about 18 months after its first publication. I believe the only change made was the inclusion of the brief one page addendum at the beginning. It must have been considered an important publication if American Universities and Law Schools obtained copies, because the book deals with British Law rather than United States Law. Hopefully those of you who live in England will be able to locate this book at your local University’s Law Library. University Libraries and Law Libraries are excellent resources; that’s where I found a number of the 19th C. Medico-Legal texts and journals I have posted.
I’ll attach the book reviews, information pertaining to the history and aims of the National Vigilance Association, and a few bits of miscellany pertaining to the author in my upcoming posts.
Looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts, particularly commentary on how these Vigilance Laws would have pertained to the WVC’s efforts to guard against and hopefully apprehend Jack the Ripper.
Online copy of ‘A Manual of Vigilance Justice’ :http://books.google.com/books?id=dj5...page&q&f=false
I hope you all enjoy this book.
Best regards,
Archaic
I've come across a law book published in London in July, 1888, shortly before the Whitechapel Murders commenced. It was written by a lawyer named Wyndham A. Bewes, and published under the auspices of ‘The Office of the National Vigilance Association, London.’ It is as its title indicates, a contemporary British 'Manual of Vigilance Law'. I had never heard of it before, so I showed it to my friend Stewart Evans and asked if he had seen it. He told me he had not, so perhaps it will be new to others as well.
I think this legal manual will be of particular interest to those of you who research the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee. I studied Pre-Law in college, and I've always been curious as to the legal status and powers of the Mile End Vigilance Committee (to use its proper name- see, Monty?
) It’s surprised me that there isn't more available on the subject. A Citizens’ Vigilance Committee of local businessmen operating in the midst of London in 1888 must have been regulated by law, or else it would have been suppressed.In 19th C. America, local 'Vigilance Committees' tended to engage in what we call ‘Vigilante Justice’, which sometimes resembled Mob Rule. The most famous 'Vigilante' groups in American history formed in San Francisco in the 1850's as a response to the massive increase in population, lawlessness, and violence brought about by the 1848 California Gold Rush. These Vigilance Committees were admired for dispensing ‘Frontier Justice’, which bypassed the legal system and resulted in a large number of public hangings of those identified as thieves and murderers.
Of course I didn’t think the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee bore any resemblance to the Wild West, but I don’t recall ever having seen an explanation of the laws by which the WVC must have been regulated, or of the powers with which it was invested. For instance, if a WVC patrol had ever apprehended the Ripper, what could they legally have done to him? Hopefully this book will help clarify these issues. The manual covers a surprisingly wide range of ‘public order’ issues, breaks them down into specific situations, and offers highly detailed regulations pertaining to ‘Vigilance Member’ conduct and authority in each situation.
Since this is a book of English Law, rather than a “committee handbook”, I presume that the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee members had no “extraordinary powers” invested in them and had to abide by these same rules and regulations. *Perhaps some of you will be able to offer additional information on this point.*
I have attached a copy of the page that deals with ‘Procedures of Arrest’ as I believe it most closely pertains to the WVC’s efforts to apprehend the Ripper.
I’ve also attached the title page and the author’s preface, which is dated ‘July, 1888’. I’m not sure of the exact date of its first publication in 1888, but I found several reviews of this book in 1888 Law Journals. Some of the reviews are dated August 1888, so the manual must have been published sometime between July and late August, 1888. I first found this book in the library of one the universities I attended. It was too long to make it practical for me to photograph and post the whole thing, so I looked around and luckily found a Columbia University archival copy online that can be accessed by everyone. This Columbia University copy includes a brief Addendum dated January 1890, so the manual must have been republished about 18 months after its first publication. I believe the only change made was the inclusion of the brief one page addendum at the beginning. It must have been considered an important publication if American Universities and Law Schools obtained copies, because the book deals with British Law rather than United States Law. Hopefully those of you who live in England will be able to locate this book at your local University’s Law Library. University Libraries and Law Libraries are excellent resources; that’s where I found a number of the 19th C. Medico-Legal texts and journals I have posted.
I’ll attach the book reviews, information pertaining to the history and aims of the National Vigilance Association, and a few bits of miscellany pertaining to the author in my upcoming posts.
Looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts, particularly commentary on how these Vigilance Laws would have pertained to the WVC’s efforts to guard against and hopefully apprehend Jack the Ripper.
Online copy of ‘A Manual of Vigilance Justice’ :http://books.google.com/books?id=dj5...page&q&f=false
I hope you all enjoy this book.
Best regards,
Archaic
)
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