There was a reasonably large police presence at the Michaelmas Fair I visited last weekend. Not that there was any trouble, you understand, but high jinks are inevitable at such events – and the occasional villain might hope to seize the opportunity to pick a pocket or two. The behaviour of some suggested that alcohol had been flowing fairly freely, too – sometimes for those who might not have attained the necessary age to purchase or consume it.
I rather suspect that the fair’s C18th Charter might have envisaged such antics, and introduced special measures to deal with them. Clearly, there’d be far too little cell space in the local police station of such a sleepy town to accommodate any significant number of offenders; neither would the local magistrates be equipped to deal with more than a small handful of cases at a time. So, an alternative would be called for.
I’m picturing two girls from the local Industrial School, allowed to visit the fair on the condition that they were on their best behaviour. Penniless, they were apprehended for attempting to steal some fancy cakes from one of the stalls; the police marched them back to the station. ‘Charter Regulations’ applying, it was explained to them that they wouldn’t be charged formally, but that the matter would be dealt with by a birching from the Superintendent. They’d be tied in turn over his desk, and very soundly flogged.
Afterwards, an officer would march the sorry miscreants back to the school and explain what had happened to its Master. All of the girls in the institution would be gathered together the following evening after dinner, to witness what happened to those who disgraced the establishment’s reputation – and a long, hard caning would duly be applied, on top of the still-so-painful marks from 24 hours earlier.