Fife archives unveil Fife’s first policewoman, and a man who was jailed for ‘uttering’

Local studies manager Andrew Dowsey – based in the archives of cultural charity OnFife – will share his findings at a free public talk in Methil.

The town’s Heritage Centre will host ‘What A Policeman Should Know’ on Saturday, October 19 – the latest in its series of monthly local history talks at the venue. It runs from 1:00pm-2:00pm, admission is free and refreshments are available.

Andrew will focus on some intriguing cases from the Fife Constabulary archives. Among them is James Varley, a commercial traveller who was sentenced to one month in prison by Cupar Sheriff Court in 1913 for embezzlement and ‘uttering’. Uttering was an offence associated with circulating counterfeit money.

He will review the celebrated case of suffragette Ethel Moorhead. She was arrested and taken to Methil Police Station in January 1913 after trying to disrupt a speech by Prime Minister Herbert Asquith. She smashed up the police cell and tipped a bucket of water over a police sergeant!

Andrew will also pay tribute to Fife’s first full-time policewoman, Elizabeth Niven, who took up her post at county constabulary HQ in Cupar in 1945, and he will highlight Methil’s first full-time female police officers – PW Georgina Bryson and PW Isabella Rollo – who were appointed the following year.

There will be time as well to consider some of the recorded examples of opposition to the recruitment of women to the police force.

The talk will reveal archive information about police officers who served in three forces that were established in the 1830s and 40s – Dunfermline City Police, Fife County Constabulary and Kirkcaldy Burgh Police. The three forces merged into Fife Constabulary in 1949.

The constabulary archives also include police records kept during the General Strike of 1926 and the miners' dispute of 1984-85.

Among the interesting facts that Andrew has unearthed is that potential female recruits needed to be good at shorthand and typing before being considered for the post.

A further fascinating tale has come to light from 1910 when a Mr Raynor of Haddington was paid £5 a year so that Fife police could borrow his bloodhounds to track suspects. There are, however, no records of these bloodhounds ever being used in the Kingdom!