POLICING & LAW ENFORCEMENT HISTORY IN THE BRITISH ISLES
Posted by Christopher Blackwell on December 21, 2025, 1:26 pm
🟥 POLICING & LAW ENFORCEMENT HISTORY IN THE BRITISH ISLES
On 28th January 1896 Mr Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent, became the first person to be caught speeding in a motorised vehicle. Mr Arnold was spotted doing a heady 8mph, four times the 2mph speed limit, and was pursued for 5 miles by a policeman on a bicycle...
Walter Arnold was no ordinary motorist. He was also one of the earliest car dealers in the country and the local supplier for Benz vehicles. He was well ahead of the times and set up his own car company producing “Arnold” motor carriages at the same time. It has to be said that the subsequent publicity surrounding his speeding offence probably wasn’t entirely unwelcome, and it was certainly a game changer for the automobile.
The London Daily News detailed the four counts, also known as “informations”, on which Walter Arnold faced charges at Tunbridge Wells court. Arnold’s vehicle was described several times in the newspaper court report as a “horseless carriage”, and the case clearly raised some interesting philosophical as well as legal points for the bench.
The first count, which reads oddly now, was for using a “locomotive without a horse,” the next for having fewer than three persons “in charge of the same”, indicating the enduring influence of horse-drawn and steam locomotion when it came to legislating the new vehicles. Next came the actual speeding charge, for driving at more than two miles per hour, and finally, a charge for not having his name and address on the vehicle.
In defence, Arnold’s barrister stated that the existing locomotive acts had not foreseen this type of vehicle, throwing in the names of a couple of elite users, Sir David Salmons and the Hon. Evelyn Ellis, who had never had any problems while out and about in theirs. Whether this was intended to impress the court or to make some point about one law for the rich and another for the man in the street is not entirely clear.
Since this was a case that would set a precedent, referencing names of people who were in the public eye would avoid the problem that has become a by-word for judges who are out of touch – the “who he?” reaction.
Mr Cripps, defending, said that if the Bench considered the vehicle was a locomotive, therefore presumably legislating it within existing acts, they should charge a nominal fine. Eventually, Mr Arnold was fined 5 shillings for the first count of “using a carriage without a locomotive horse” (aka “horseless carriage”) plus £2.0s.11d costs. On each of the other counts, he was to pay 1 shilling fine and 9 shillings costs. Effectively then, his speeding offence cost him a shilling. All in all, the publicity it created may have made it worth it.
The case may have had an influence on the changes to legislation shortly afterwards. The man with the red flag was no longer required, presumably leading to labour exchange staff scratching their heads over what to do with a skill that clearly wasn’t that transferable. The fearsome machines no longer needed a minimum of three people to control them.
'Horseless carriages' were both fascinating and repellent to different people, whrther 'progressive' or 'traditional.' Airplanes, too. When they came around people were fascinated. My Dad swore that he saw the around-the-world flight of the Graf Zeppelin, which DID pass over Columbus.
Bicycles themselves were pretty new, and often referred to as 'machines.' Women who rode them were considered daring and feminist in their behavior (see: Sherlock Holmes, 'The Case of the Solitary Cyclist').
RESIST!
Re: That's great stuff
Posted by Christopher Blackwell on December 25, 2025, 6:47 pm, in reply to "That's great stuff"
The bicycle was the first inexpensive for of personal transportation. Just as it was for me as a kid, and suddenly you could go for miles from home. It gave the same freedom to poor people once the safety bicycle was available. Later multi-gear bicycles would make major trips possible, such as my 2300 mile trip in 1968.ChristopherBlackwell
freedom on a new level for me
Posted by jacque on December 27, 2025, 4:04 am, in reply to "Re: That's great stuff" Valued Poster
As soon as I had permission to leave the driveway to visit a friend. I was gone as much as possible.
I even ran away when I was about 9. I always paid attention to roads and routes when I would travel. So I knew a safe way to take residential streets and rode about 10 miles to escape.
I was grounded for a bit but I learned I could travel far in a short time any time.
At 16 I rode my bike almost daily 30 miles round trip to see my girlfriend for an hour. Eventually I married her.
live long and prosper as best you can. Jacque "Jack of all trades is master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one." ... And thanks for masters in skill for a standard of work to instill.
Wow, You are a real cyclist!
Posted by greenman on December 26, 2025, 11:02 am, in reply to "Re: That's great stuff" Valued Poster
I never went that far. But I used to ride far around the neighborhood, for miles up and down woods and bicycle paths. RESIST!
I had not ridden one since starting high school in 1960. I bought a new Schwinn ten speed and had less than a couple of months to get ready. A nearby college was on a hill, so practiced my hill climbing on it, at first rather slow. As it would turn out, that hill was steeper than any I would face in my vacation.
Then it was merely a matter of taking ever longer rides, first in the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles, the gradually over the mountains to the deserts further east using the fire breaks through the mountains. Passed a shepherd and his flock. Once I completed a round trip of a hundred miles, I was ready for my trip.
I had planned for a four-month trip, but as I was not spending as much I thought that I would, I extended it another month. Most of my daily rides were between 40 and 70 miles between location, then exploring each location, often the exploring on foot.
My trip out of London up the Thames Valley during a driving rainstorm was my shortest, only twenty miles. I was wearing a rain cape, which kept me and my one small bag dry. I only carried three days worth of clothing. I never felt the need for any more stuff to carry.ChristopherBlackwell
on December 21, 2025, 1:26 pm
