Edward M Boultbee


The photograph & text below are from Bedfordshire Police 1840 - 1990 by Andrew Francis Richer, published by Paul Hooley and Associates.

Chief Constable Boultbee (#Bou97) 1840 - 1871

Captain Edward Moore Boultbee was born near Temple Balsall in Warwickshire in 1797. His early career was spent as a seaman with the East India Company working the shipping lanes between Britain and the Indian ports of Calcutta, Bombay & Madras. In 1818 he was shipwrecked and cast adrift when the Cabalva sank in a violent storm at sea. In later life Captain Boultbee occasionally entertained his dinner guests with a vivid account of the sailor's ordeal and their eventual rescue.

Boultbee's service with the East India Company proved valuable in his securing his appointment as the first Chief Constable of the Bedfordshire Constabulary. The formal qualifications required of prospective chief constables under Home Office regulations in 1840 were not particularly demanding - their age was not to exceed forty-five years, they were to be physically fit to perform their duties, be of good character and not have been certified bankrupt. Boultbee's prime attributes for the post were his wide experience of life and his proven ability to manage men in the disciplined environment found on board ship. His organisational ability was tested to the full as he set about the task of finding six men to become superintendents in the Bedfordshire force and a further forty men to be employed as constables.

Edward was Ann’s 5th cousin, three times removed. Ditch Boultbee's web-page has more information on the Boultbee family.


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