Police Rattle, 1860s

The People's Collection is using (with some modifications) the licence developed by the Creative Archive Licence Group, including the BBC, the British Film Institute (BFI). Channel 4, the Open University, Teachers TV, Museum and Library Archive (MLA) and ITN Source.

Description

Victorian Police Officers used wooden rattles as a means of raising the alarm. Rattles were cumbersome, awkward to operate and prone to rot/warping. Police officers were often subject to attacks from their own rattles, resulting in their replacement with whistles in the 1880s.

Uploaded by

South Wales Police Heritage Centre

Date Joined:

03/02/2016

Owner:

South Wales Police Museum

Creator:

Unknown

License information:

Reproduced by permission of South Wales Police Museum

South Wales Police Museum 2004

Publisher Ref:

GTJ75003

Item uploaded:

19/1/2010

Date originally created:

1860-1869

Views:

2456

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Comments (1)

Submitted by Ross Mather Po… on Tue, 03/11/2020 - 17:00

This rattle is very unlikely to be as late as 1860. Rattles by then, were coming towards the end of their time - having been in existence since Georgian times. Later ones from c.1860, were much smaller and had hinged handles that folded, making the rattle more compact and able to fit into an officers pocket.