What is a Police Gazette?
Compiled to be distributed amongst the Police Force only, Police Gazettes
contain details and information that can not be found anywhere else. Produced at
regular intervals (usually once a week), it was a way of making information
available to all in the Police Force throughout the whole state.
What information can be found in a South Australian Police Gazette?
The information contained in the Police Gazettes does vary a little from
year to year, but overall you will find details of any changes within the police
force which are all listed (promotions, demotions, discharges, resignations,
deaths), information is also given on housebreak-ins,
robberies, arson, murders, lost horses and cattle, deserters from services and
from families, escaped prisoners,
missing friends, lost and found items, and reports on those released. Notices from interstate police
gazettes are sometimes included.
A unique feature of the 1869 edition is that it contains a list of : Names of
Contractors for supplying forage (hay, straw, wheat, oats etc) for the year 1869
How can this help me?
Anyone researching their family will have a 'lost' family member or two! You
may well find them listed here, being on either side of the law. Or maybe they
were a Policeman who transferred to another department or division, or someone
that was a victim of a crime. You can find the physical details on persons
listed here, missing, wanted or released, which helps to paint a picture of them
(name, aliases used, age, height, colour hair, colour eyes, distinguishing
features, even colour clothing worn).
Far from being just a unique and extremely fascinating resource for local,
family and social historians - they are useful for anyone with an interest in
South Australia in the 1860s. The CD contains the 1868, 1869 and 1870 South
Australian Police Gazettes all on the one CD.
Example entries ... taken from the 19 February 1868 issue
Robberies
Stolen, from Wallaroo, February 1st, 1868, one tarpaulin nearly new, marked
Burchell in two places in black ink, about 14ft. by 16, eyelet holes at
intervals of about 2ft. 6in. all round; also, on large-sized American axe, and
new handle with a cross wedge of paling; property of W.C. Eland. Identifiable.
Description of Prisoners Discharged from Her Majesty's Gaol, Adelaide
Name, Annie Ryan, otherwise "Tip"; date of discharge, 11th February, 1868;
offence, perjury; sentence, one year's imprisonment, with hard labor - February,
1867, Criminal Sittings: native place, Tipperary; trade, prostitute; age 22
(about); height, 5ft 03/4in. (in boots); complexion, freckled; build, middle,
previous convictions, June 1861, larceny, Kapunda Local Court, three calendar
months' imprisonment; March, 1866, larceny, Kapunda Local Court, one calendar
Month's imprisonment, with hard labor; former residence, Kapunda; arrival in
Province, 1856, by emigrant ship; name of ship and from whence, 'Frenchman',
Birkenhead.
High quality scanned images of the whole year's worth of issues. This CD has been
bookmarked for easy navigation, and pages can be searched, browsed, enlarged and printed out if required.
