Author: Lee, William
Biography:
LEE, William (fl 1816-31)
This author ought to be easy to identify but he is not, mainly because his name was such a common one. The only time he appears to have published anything was in 1826 when, as High Constable of Westminster, he circulated a poem putting his case for payment for his hitherto unpaid services. Westminster is exceptional in being a city within the city, with separate methods of governing and policing. The High Constable or Bailiff was “elected” by the Dean of Westminster Abbey. Like some military ranks the position could be purchased (and appears to have been so in Lee’s case); nevertheless it required regular attendance while parliament was in session and therefore meant loss of income for a man without independent means. In 1826 Lee had been High Constable for ten years and had been seeking compensation since 1818 to no avail. Hansard took note of the appeal and it seems likely that his claim was successful, but confirmation is lacking. He did continue in that position for at least another five years, therefore these are the dates during which we can be certain of his existence. Hansard refers to “neglect of his business” as part of the sacrifice he had made. It is possible that Lee was a career police constable in London, since the records of the Old Bailey cite frequent appearances of a man of this name as a witness at trials from 1809 to 1852, during which time he was associated with various districts of the city (St. Andrew’s parish, Bow Street, Hatton Garden) and from about 1848 with the Great Western Railway. But that could have been a different man (or men) altogether. The London Censuses of 1841 and 1851 appear to have overlooked him. (ancestry.com 24 Dec. 2023; findmypast.com 24 Dec. 2023; Hansard 19 May 1826; oldbaileyonline.org; Morning Post 15 July 1825; New Times 26 June 1826; L. Radzinowicz, “Trading in Police Services,” University of Pennsylvania Law Review 102:1 [1953], 12 n. 59)