Bow Street Runners

Historical Context Note

Robert Clark (The Literary Encyclopedia)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Domains

Policing and Surveillance

Dates

Date of occurrence 1749

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

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The Bow Street Runners were established in 1749 by the novelist Henry Fielding in the same year that saw the publication of

Tom Jones

. Having done much to precipitate state censorship of the theatres through his political satires of the early 1730s, Fielding had qualified as a barrister, and was appointed Justice of the Peace in Westminster on 25th October 1748. He owed his appointment to his patron, the Duke of Bedford, who was the new Secretary of State.

So it was that on December 9th 1749 Fielding moved into the large house in Bow Street (near the current Covent Garden opera house), which had been the residence of Sir Thomas de Veil (the former incumbent, 1729-46, and a noted anti-Jacobite.) The ground floor of the house served as Fielding’s court room. Bow Street was next to the

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424 words

Citation: Clark, Robert. "Bow Street Runners". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 March 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1403, accessed 21 November 2024.]

Bow Street Runners

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