FACHRS ID: HRHW01 ISAAC COOK Researcher: Helen Wallace

Isaac Cook was born 17th March 1832 in , the son of William Cook, a gardener, and Mary his wife.1 In 1851, he married Rebecca Thorpe, somewhere within the Registration District. Isaac and Rebecca had seven children who were all baptised at the church in . They were: Fred Alfred born 1852 at Clophill, Charles William born 1857 at Market Street (now called Markyate), Harry born 1860 born , Arthur born 1862 at Maulden, Ada born 1866 at Eaton Bray and twins Esau and Jacob born 1870 at Eaton Bray2. Sadly, Arthur and both twins were to die as infants. Both Isaac and Rebecca died in the first quarter of 1893 and were buried together on the same day in churchyard of Segenhoe church in the parish of Bedfordshire. His son, Harry, followed him into policing serving in and Norfolk.

The censuses record ten year snapshots of Isaac’s movements around the county, the births of some of his children and the changes in his occupation from Miller to Police Constable. In the 1841 census he is recorded aged 9 living with his parents in a house in the High Street of Clophill.3 The 1851 census records him as aged 21, a miller by occupation, still living with his parents on the High Street in Clophill. The 1861 census records him as a married man, now living in Clophill Road, Maulden, Bedfordshire with his wife Rebecca, a Bonnet sewer, with three children: Fred, Charles and Harry. His occupation is still given as Miller.4 Both the 1871 and 1881 censuses record the family living in , a village just lying to the north of in Bedfordshire. Isaac’s occupation has changed to police constable and a daughter, Ada, has been born. By 1891, Isaac and Rebecca have moved to the village of Ridgmont, Bedfordshire and Isaac has retired. However, these snapshots can be misleading, giving the initial impression that he first worked as a miller and then moved into policing.

Isaac first joined Bedfordshire County Constabulary on 3rd June 1856 as a second-class constable serving in the Luton Division and stationed in the pretty village of Market Street (now Markyate). His service number was 52. 5;6. This was one of the first twenty constabularies to be established under the Act 1939. At the time that Isaac joined, the county police force was divided into seven divisions: , Luton, , , Woburn, Leighton Buzzard and . These reflected the structure of Petty Session Divisions in the county. Each division was headed up by a Superintendent with the Chief Constable who oversaw the whole force and reported each quarter to the Quarter Sessions. During his career, Isaac served under three Chief Constables, who all had a military background. They were Captain Edward Moore Boultbee (1840-1871); Major Ashton Cromwell Warner (1871-1879) and Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick John Josselyn (1880-1910). In 1856, the Luton division was staffed by the superintendent, two sergeants (based in and Luton), and ten

1 “ Births and Christenings, 1538-1975”,database, Family Search (https://familysearch.org/ark;/61903/1:1:J375-B8X: 30 December 2014), Isaac Cook 15 Apr 1832, accessed 15.2.2017 and “1851 England, Wales and Scotland Census” database, HO107/1754/130/1 Findmypast http://www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 15.2.2017. 2 Place of birth data taken from the 1851-1891 England, Wales and Scotland census databases on Findmypast http://www.findmypast.co.uk and year of birth data from England and Wales Births 1837-2006 database on Findmypast, http://www.findmypast.co.uk accessed 15.3.2017. 3 “1841 England, Wales and Scotland Census” data, Findmypast, HO107/4/6/6 http://findmypast.co.uk accessed 15.2.2017. 4 “1861 England, Wales and Scotland Census” data, Findmypast, RG9/1001/39/25 http://findmypast.co.uk accessed 15.2.2017. 5 Service Record: Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service, Reference QES8 6 Returns of Amounts and Distributions of Constabulary: Bedfordshire Archives and Record Service, Ref QES 2 FACHRS ID: HRHW01 ISAAC COOK Researcher: Helen Wallace constables stationed in (2), Luton (4), Chilton Green (1), Barton (1), (1) and Market Street(1).7 Poor conduct and a lack of professionalism and high staff turnover, was a problem in the forces early years and this was tackled in Bedfordshire by introducing an incremental wage structure and a promotion structure (three classes of constable, sergeant and inspector).8 However, Isaac’s service record records that he was fined ten shillings for being drunk on duty at the Luton Statute on the 29th September 1857. Just under a year later, on the seventh of July 1858 he was promoted to first class constable. As today, the Chief Constable was under pressure to provide good value for money and produced a quarterly report about the effectiveness of the force in performing its duties and staffing. The chief constable’s report presented to the Michaelmas Sessions of 1859 referred to changes and distribution of the force. Two constables, including Isaac Cook resigned, two were discharged, one was moved to another station, one was promoted and one joined, replacing Isaac.9

Isaac’s second period of service in the Bedfordshire County force began on the 5th July 1864 as a second class constable, service number 43.10 He was posted to the Leighton Buzzard Division and was stationed at Eaton Bray. The Leighton Buzzard Division was then staffed by Superintendent William Clough and six constables serving Leighton Buzzard (3), Stanbridge (1), Eaton Bray (1) and Heath and Reach (1).11 On the 8th November 1865 he was promoted to 1st class constable with a weekly salary of twenty shillings, but was then demoted and fined one shilling on 5th June 1866 for failing to report to his Superintendent a fresh outbreak of Cattle Plague. He was promoted again to 1st class constable, once again on 25th March 1867, but may have been again demoted after a fight with George Cheshire at the Birchmore Arms in Eaton Bray and being fined one shilling at Leighton Buzzard Petty Sessions in June 1867.12 He was promoted again to 1st class constable and his weekly salary was increased to twenty-two shillings and sixpence on 25th December 1871.13 Sometime in 1870 Isaac was transferred to the Heath and Reach station.14 During his time in Health and Reach he developed mental illness and the minutes of the police committee that met for the midsummer sessions in 1885 recorded that he was incapable of performing his duties because of infirmity of mind and awarded him a yearly pension of forty seven pounds and thirteen shillings.15

Following his retirement, Isaac and his wife moved to the village of Ridgmont. His wife, Rebecca, died on 6th March 1893. According to newspaper reports neighbours noticed that Isaac was behaving strangely and sharpening his pocket knife and muttering that this would be his end. On the morning of the 9th, the undertaker called to take instructions for his wife’s coffin, the nurse who was attending left the house to go to the wash house, and during her absence Isaac slit his throat. He was found by the

7 Returns of Amounts and Distribution of Constabulary, Bedfordshire Archives and Record Service; Reference QES 2 (1856-1860) 8 A F Richer M.A., 1840-1990, Paul Hooley & Associates, , Bedford, 1990. 9 The Chief Constable’s Report, The Bedfordshire Mercury, 24th October 1859. 10 Service Record, Bedfordshire Archives and Record Service: Reference QES 9. 11 Returns of Amounts and Distribution of Constabulary, Bedfordshire Archives and Record Service; QES 2 (1861- 12 A Police Officer Fined, Leighton Buzzard Observer and Gazette,18th June 1867. 13 Service Record, Bedfordshire Archives and Record Service;Reference:QES9. 14 The Returns of Amounts and Distribution of Constabulary, reference QES 3 (1866-1869) record him as being stationed in Eaton Bray in 1869, but the Leighton Buzzard Observer dated 1st November 1870 records him making an arrest for Potato stealing in Heath. 15 Police Committee Minutes Midsummer Sessions 1885, Bedfordshire Archives and Records Services; Reference QSM 47 page 657. FACHRS ID: HRHW01 ISAAC COOK Researcher: Helen Wallace

Vicar. An inquest was held on Wednesday 8th March at the Rose and Crown Inn.16 The couple were buried together on the 10th March in plot 133 in Segenhoe churchyard.17

Isaac was always stationed in rural areas. Local newspapers such as the Leighton Buzzard and Linslade Gazette through it reports on the Leighton Buzzard Petty Session, which had jurisdiction over both Eaton Bray and Heath and Reach, provides a good record of the types of crime he had to handle. These included murder, foot and mouth disease, assault, creating a disturbance, night poaching, drunkenness, stealing, keeping a dog without a licence, wilful damage, fire and driving a cart and horse on the highway whilst asleep! On two occasions, he found himself summoned to appear at the Petty Sessions on charges of assault and been found guilty, but the Chief Constable must have considered him a good Constable as he continued to serve as a Constable.

The biography of Isaac Cook does not support the hypothesis that provision of a police house encouraged early marriage. Whilst Isaac married early, aged 19, he first joined the Bedfordshire County Police about five years afterwards. Additionally, there is no evidence that any of the houses he lived in was a “police house”, possibly because the 1839 County Police Act did not require the Justices of the Quarter Sessions to provide it and Justices were always mindful of minimising expenditure to keep ratepayers happy. In Bedfordshire County Police, living accommodation was to be found in the divisional police stations together with cells for prisoners. This would normally be for the divisional Superintendent, but sometimes also for a constable. The first one to be built in the County was in Luton in 1848. It provided living accommodation for the Superintendent and one constable (presumably the PC whose beat was in central Luton) and five cells for prisoners. The Duke of Bedford built a police station in Woburn and rented it to the Constabulary. By 1854, a major building campaign ensued to build police stations in Ampthill, Biggleswade and Leighton. During Major Warner’s term as Chief Constable, a new county police station was built in Bedford town. This provided living accommodation for the Superintendent of the Bedford Division, acted as a Headquarters for the County Force with an office for the Chief Constable and provided three cells for prisoners.18 The police station in Leighton Buzzard is situated at 21 Hockcliffe Road but the building was sold in 2016 to Council because of funding constraints.19

16 Ridgmont-Inquest, Leighton Buzzard Observer, Tuesday 14th March 1893. 17 Ridgmont (Segenhoe) Monumental Inscriptions, Bedfordshire Family History Society, 1986. 18 A F Richer M.A., Bedfordshire Police 1840-1990, Paul Hooley & Associates, Kempston, Bedford, 1990. 19 Announcement, Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s website: http://www.bedfordshire.pcc.police.uk/sale-of-leighton-buzzard-police-station, accessed 20th March 2017.