Meliden Police Officer 1856

 P. C. Maurice Jones

Meliden had its first resident policeman in 1856 after the lead miners’ strike which had scared the authorities so much that they deployed thirty-six soldiers from Chester Barracks to keep order. Once the fuss subsided it was thought best to station a policeman in the village and P.C. 26, Maurice Jones of Ysceifiog was chosen. More effective than a whole regiment of soldiers and far more wily, he remained our village bobby for about fifteen years. The Victorian policeman was on duty for twenty-four hours a day and the uniform seldom came off. At first he lived with his wife, Deborah, at Mount Pleasant and then moved over the road to Swan Cottages.

The first mention of P.C. Jones in the local press was in 1858 after his superintendent’s nose had been bitten off by a miner at the Miners’ Arms in an act described by the North Wales Chronicle on October 22, as cannibalism. The bizarrely improbable evidence included a description of the inspector fencing in the parlour with a miner named Edward Williams who was drunk. A scuffle ensued in which the miner grabbed Superintendent Lloyd’s head and bit off a part of his nose. P.C. Jones separated them but found himself the target instead and was struck in the eye and kicked in the knee. The report then gives us an idea of the physical prowess of our new policeman. “I threw him down three times;” and then, rather casually, “I left to go home.” Williams was fined 39s. (£179 present day value) and costs or a month in prison with hard labour for his assault on the inspector and £1 (£90) or twenty-one days in prison with hard labour for assaulting P.C. Jones.

Gallt Melyd Monthly Fair

The Gallt Melyd monthly fair coincided with the miners’ pay-day and it was a big event with stalls starting at the front of the Miners’ Arms and lining the road as far as the Star Inn. The payday was known as diwrnod setlo and all the local traders made a point of being there because the money flowed freely.

P.C. Jones spoiled the event shortly after his arrival by insisting that the public houses closed at night! The Miners’ Arms, Star Inn and Red Lion were fully licensed inns but there were also four beer houses—The Rest, King’s Head, Crown Inn and Tafarn y Bryn. The owners of these establishments had paid a one-off license fee and were allowed to sell beer and cider in their parlours but only the fully licensed inns were allowed to sell spirits. That is the reason signs describing pubs as fully licensed can still be seen to this day.

One fair-night P.C. Jones caught Hugh Roberts of the King’s Head Beer House open after 11 o’clock. An old Meliden custom was for men appearing in court to send their wives instead—so Mrs. Roberts was sent! Nevertheless, he was still fined £2 with 9s. costs (£170 and £38 present-day value). The behaviour at the fair could be dreadful and on just one night in 1860 P.C Jones arrested Hugh Conner, John Jones, Peter Hughes and James Burns. One wonders where he put them all. On another occasion Shem Parry had the nerve to challenge him to a fight—it cost him 17s. (£71 present-day). Another fair night in 1873, P.C. Jones was on patrol when a stone passed close to his ear. He saw three men and gave chase. He captured Robert Hughes of Pen’rhwylfa and locked him up. There was an element of uncertainty but a fine of 5s. (£20 present-day) was imposed and the Chairman said that it was well for him that the officer did not know who had thrown the stone—maybe a reference to some old fashioned policing and the sheer size of the man who could deliver it.

Driving carts without using reins was an offence and there were regular complaints about accidents and near misses. In 1873 P.C. Jones caught three in one afternoon and they were each fined 6d. (£2 present-day). William Jones of Dyserth was fined 5s. with 6s. 6d. Costs (£21 and £28 present day) for obstructing the public thoroughfare by allowing his cart to remain upon the side of the road in Dyserth. It is all very familiar.

There was much cruelty to horses which were worked mercilessly. Flintshire Observer, March 14, 1865:

P.C. Maurice Jones charged Thomas Hayes of Prestatyn, with cruelty to animals, he having allowed a horse to be worked in an unfit state, with its shoulder raw under the collar for several inches in length.—Fined 2s. 6d. and 7s. Costs.

[£11 and £47 present-day.]

Stray animals often got their owners into trouble but P.C. Jones always gave warnings before making charges. In 1873, Thomas Williams of Prestatyn permitted his donkey to stray on the highways and several warnings were unheeded so it ended up in court.

William Owens and his wife were charged with allowing their pigs to stray and following the Meliden custom, Mrs. Owens was sent. She was fined 6d. (£2 present-day) but her husband was ordered  to attend the next session.

P.C. Maurice Jones died at the age of 37 on March 20, 1874. What happened to his wife was truly awful and you can read about it elsewhere in the Meliden Stories.