Police Service
Info sourced by Chris with help from robertjeffries@aol.com at Met Police Museum
See also https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C13363691
Born…. St George’s Square, Middx (which I can’t find…Possibly refers to St. Georges, Hanover Square?)
Joined Met on 26/08/1861
Age 21 years…5’ 9” (and a quarter) tall
Warrant Number 40880
He seems to have transferred to Thames Div as a Superintendent Possibly form ‘K’’ District and served at Wapping from 07/06/1883 until 09/11/1887
Former trade or calling…. Seaman
Nat Service in RN 8/12 years
Joined on 26 Aug 1861, and left on 4 April 1892. Last posted to K Division as a Superintendent.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7880164
Steed, George Frederick, Place of Birth: Westminster, Middlesex, Continuous Service Number: 31482
Date of Volunteering: 24 September 1856, Date of Birth: 28 November 1840
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Metropolitan_Police
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/london-metropolitan-police-british-transport-police-railway-police/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Metropolitan_Police
Metropolitan Police Structure around 1886
Senior Leadership (Scotland Yard)
- Commissioner: The most senior role, reporting directly to the Home Secretary. In early 1886, Sir Charles Warren took this post and notably increased military-style drills.
- Assistant Commissioner: A senior administrative and operational role introduced earlier in the century to assist the Commissioner
- Chief Constable (Introduced 1886): This rank was formally established in the Met in 1886 to replace the "District Superintendent" rank, overseeing groups of divisions.
Operational Ranks (Divisional Level)
- Superintendent: Each of the Met's territorial divisions (labeled by letters like A, B, C) was commanded by a Superintendent.
- Chief Inspector: Senior inspectors who often managed larger stations or specialized units.Inspector: This rank was subdivided at the time into classes; for instance, "Station Inspector" was a common designation for those in charge of a local station.
- Sergeant: The primary supervisory rank for the frontline. The specific rank of Station Sergeant had been abolished in 1878 and replaced by Third Class Inspectors, but the general Sergeant role remained central.
- Constable: The basic rank of officer patrolling the beats.
The Divisional Structure in 1886
Each division was centered around a major station and responsible for a specific geographical area:
- No. 1 District: G (Finsbury), H (Whitechapel), K (Stepney), N (Islington), and the Thames Division (river police).
- No. 2 District: D (Marylebone), E (Holborn), S (Hampstead), X (Paddington), and Y (Highgate).
- No. 3 District: A (Whitehall/Westminster), B (Chelsea/Westminster), C (St James's), T (Kensington), and V (Wandsworth).
- No. 4 District: L (Lambeth), M (Southwark), P (Camberwell), R (Greenwich), and W (Clapham). [1, 2, 3, 4]
Key Divisional Facts
- A Division (Whitehall): Known as the Executive Division, it housed the force's headquarters at Great Scotland Yard and handled government protection.
- H Division (Whitechapel): This division became globally famous shortly after 1886 for its investigation into the Jack the Ripper murders.
- Dockyard Divisions: In addition to the London territorial units, the Met was responsible for policing Royal Naval Dockyards (e.g., Portsmouth, Chatham, Devonport), which were designated by numbers (1 through 5) rather than letters.
- Special Irish Branch: Formed in 1883 and based at Scotland Yard, this specialized unit was active in 1886 to combat Fenian terrorism. It later evolved into Special Branch
Uniform Details
https://gmic.co.uk/topic/63484-1880s-metropolitan-police-uniform-details/
Jack The Ripper
The family story is that George Steed was Superintendent during the time of Jack The Ripper. The dates he murdered 5 people was 1888-1891, therefore just after George Steeds term.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper