Manchester Police Index 1858-1941
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About Manchester Police Index
Here you can search 10,636 records of Manchester police officers from 1858 to 1941.
Lists of policemen's names do exist from the 1830s but no useful information is recorded against them. From 1858, however, a 'military' type of enrolment record was kept which recorded age, place of birth, religion, trade and whether married or single. It also included a physical description.
Career details were added throughout the man's service within the force and at the end of his service the reason for leaving was recorded. As length of service could vary from as little as a day up to 30 years, the nature and quantity of information recorded can vary considerably.
This index is compiled from the Appointment Registers of the Manchester City Police and was created by the Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society working in collaboration with the Greater Manchester Police Museum & Archives, using the original Appointment Registers held at GMPM&A.
For each officer, where recorded, it is possible to learn date of joining, age, place of birth, religion, trade and whether married or single. Additional information is also included in some cases, such as previous employment (which in many cases involves military service) or reason for leaving.
The service records for members of the Manchester Police are now held by the Greater Manchester Police Museum, 57a Newton Street, Manchester M1 1ET. The Museum welcomes enquiries from those whose ancestors served with the force.
In most cases there will be more information about the individual officer than is provided in this index. This might include recommendations for awards or disciplinary action following unsatisfactory behaviour.
Further information about an officer serving at this time may be available and can be accessed by contacting the Greater Manchester Police Museum & Archives. To download a request form go to www.gmpmuseum.com and click on the archives section. Please note that a fee may be charged by GMPM&A for supplying family history information. Details are on the website.
Please note that although the Greater Manchester Police Museum holds records of officers dating up to 1984, the records are subject to a 75 year closure period.
Content courtesy of the Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society
Search tips
Begin with the basics
The name of the person you are searching for may not be recorded in the way you expect. Henry John Davies, for example, may have been recorded as Henry Davies, Henry J Davies, H Davies, or even H J Davies. We would therefore suggest that you initially search using their last name only. If you receive too many results, you can then add a first name to narrow them down.
Forename variations
If you don’t find the result you want first time, it is worth trying every possible variation in the first name field. If you’ve included a middle name in your search, try searching the first name only.
Your ancestor might have used a different first name in everyday life from the one that appears on official records. For example, your great-uncle Jack’s birth name might have been John. If you can’t find someone recorded under the name you expect, try variations of that name. And if you still can’t find your ancestor using their full forename, try entering their first initial instead.
Surname variants
We’ve added an ‘Include variants’ tickbox next to the ‘Last name’ field to allow for common differences in spelling or incorrect spelling. For example, if you search for the name ‘Foakes’ while ticking the variants option, you may also get results for ‘Folks’, ‘Fookes’, ‘Forkes’, ‘Foukes’, ‘Foulkes’ and ‘Fowkes’.