Thomas Fanning - Policeman - Whitechapel - ??

[Colin Rowledge]

Thank you, Geneius and Kerrywood for this information. Hve googled Wiltshire Record Socirty and also Wiltshire FHS so a membership there may prove helpful.

[Colin Rowledge]

A year has come and gone, since I last looked at this thread.

Far from my initial thoughts of Thomas being a police officer, I have yet to have this confirmed.

It now would appear that his appointment to the Lambeth Street Police Court as a Messnger enabled him to think of himself as an Officer and that was why he was enumerated as such in 1841. I wonder what qualifications were required in order for him to gain such an appointment and what was the rate of pay?

I do know [from the article in Apprentice Register of the Wilstshire Society] that when he died in 1842, he left his family totally unprovided for.

[geneius]

Hello Colin

Nothing to do with the thread but, Thomas Digby FANNING died 26 January 1907 admin to Alfred Digb FANNONG commercial traveller est £340/10/8d

I have a feeling that they are civilian employees!

Jx

[Colin Rowledge]

Hello Colin

Nothing to do with the thread but, Thomas Digby FANNING died 26 January 1907 admin to Alfred Digb FANNONG commercial traveller est £340/10/8d

I have a feeling that they are civilian employees!

Jx

Thomas Digby was the son of Thomas and Alfred Digby was the son of Thomas Digby and uktimately the grandson of Thomas.

[Colin Rowledge]

I sent an email to a potential source of research, who has referred to The Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives. Further checking has indicated their fees for a search, which to me are not unreasonable. Obviously, there is no guarrantee of success.

Payment is due at the conclusion of the research, so I get the results [whatever they are] and send payment.

Has anybody on the forum had dealings with this organization?

[Kerrywood]

AGRA doesn't do research. It's a professional body which independent researchers can join.

Using an AGRA researcher provides a high level of quality assurance (as set out in the AGRA Code of Practice), and theoretically a comeback if agreed standards aren't met. Your contract, however, will be with an individual researcher, not with AGRA itself.

If you're looking for someone to do police research relating to the main topic of this thread, you might also want to have a look here

and perhaps here ...
www.
nationalarchives.gov.uk/irlist/default.asp?action=1&slctcatagoryid=22&x=27&y=12

[Colin Rowledge]

Following up the leads from post #26 as well as some private messages put me in touch with 2 gentlemen, experienced in tracing policemen.

After an exchange of emails, the consensus was that Thomas was never a Policeman and that the reference in the 1841 census refers to him as a Police Court Messenger.

The Home Office didn't, [back then] do background checks and the newspapers of that time very seldonm carried detais of Court employees and as he was in such employment for a relatively short period of time prior to his death, he would not have 'stood out'.

This, combined with the possibility of his family originating from Ireland, and the lack of surviving records, makes the task especially difficult,

Their suggestion was to keep plugging away and if something crops up to let them know. In turn, they have offered to keep an eye out for Thomas in the future and will let me know what they find.

For this and the other suggestions they offered, there was no charge, so for that I was appreciative. All in all, while it didn't answer my question, I have more avenues to follow in the search.

[Kerrywood]

Thanks for the update, Colin.

the consensus was that Thomas was never a Policeman and that the reference in the 1841 census refers to him as a Police Court Messenger.

While not the ideal answer, it's good to have this confirmed so that you can now move on.

[geneius]

Hello Colin

A further rummag...

Burial St Mary Whitechapel
Thomas FANNING of John Street bu 10 July 1842 aged abt 49

The marriage in 1829 was by Licence have you obtained this?
Thomas was desc as OTP asnd Mary of the parish of St Mary Whiechapel

[Kerrywood]

This thread (and others) relates.