This Day In ... 1856
PC JOHN HARRISON 'DISFIGURED BY STAMFORD VIRAGO'

Policeman John Harrison was one of the earliest and most long-standing of our Victorian Waterfurlong gardeners and was seemingly always on hand when trouble broke out. The following bizarre incident occurred just before he was promoted to sergeant.
'Fred King was convicted of violently assaulting police-constable Harrison in his endeavour to quell a disturbance created by his mother, Susan Plowright: he was fined 10s and costs, which he paid. Susan Plowright was charged with gross assault upon PC Harrison, whose face was extremely disfigured by the defendant's nail. The woman's conduct was so violent that the force of three policemen was requisite to take her to the stationhouse, and she appeared before the Magistrates with the blood which had profusely fallen from Harrison in her attack on him on Saturday night still upon her face, as she declined to wash herself or allow anyone to wash her when in custody. The offence being fully proved, she was fined 31s and costs, and committed for 21 days' imprisonment with hard labour in default of payment. This virago was only released from gaol after imprisonment for several days on the 11th inst for a similar attack on PC Sanders.'(1)
Read more about John Harrison's life and garden.
SOURCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
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(1) The Stamford Mercury 26 September 1856: British Newspaper Archive © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. All Rights Reserved.
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Copyright © Karen Meadows 2018