John Fielding
Encyclopedia
This article is about the London magistrate. For the soldier, see John Williams (VC)
.
Sir John Fielding (1721 – 4 September 1780) was a notable English
magistrate
and social reformer of the 18th century. He was also the younger half-brother of novelist, playwright
and chief magistrate Henry Fielding
. Despite being blind
ed in a navy accident at the age of 19, John set up his own business and, in his spare time, studied law with Henry.
Appointed Henry's personal assistant in 1750, John helped him to root out corruption and improve the competence of those engaged in administering justice in London
. They formed the first professional police
force, the Bow Street Runners
. Through the regular circulation of a 'police gazette' containing descriptions of known criminals, Fielding also established the basis for the first police criminal records department.
When Henry died in 1754, John was appointed magistrate at Bow Street
in his place, becoming renowned as the "Blind Beak", and allegedly being able to recognize three thousand criminals by the sounds of their voices. He also continued to develop his ideas on crime prevention and youth employment. He was knight
ed in 1761.
John Williams (VC)
John Williams VC , was a Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
.
Sir John Fielding (1721 – 4 September 1780) was a notable English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
and social reformer of the 18th century. He was also the younger half-brother of novelist, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and chief magistrate Henry Fielding
Henry Fielding
Henry Fielding was an English novelist and dramatist known for his rich earthy humour and satirical prowess, and as the author of the novel Tom Jones....
. Despite being blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
ed in a navy accident at the age of 19, John set up his own business and, in his spare time, studied law with Henry.
Appointed Henry's personal assistant in 1750, John helped him to root out corruption and improve the competence of those engaged in administering justice in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. They formed the first professional police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force, the Bow Street Runners
Bow Street Runners
The Bow Street Runners have been called London's first professional police force. The force was founded in 1749 by the author Henry Fielding and originally numbered just six. Bow Street runners was the public's nickname for these officers, "although the officers never referred to themselves as...
. Through the regular circulation of a 'police gazette' containing descriptions of known criminals, Fielding also established the basis for the first police criminal records department.
When Henry died in 1754, John was appointed magistrate at Bow Street
Bow Street
Bow Street is a thoroughfare in Covent Garden, Westminster, London. It features as one of the streets on the standard London Monopoly board....
in his place, becoming renowned as the "Blind Beak", and allegedly being able to recognize three thousand criminals by the sounds of their voices. He also continued to develop his ideas on crime prevention and youth employment. He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1761.
In popular culture
- A fictionalized Sir John Fielding is the protagonist of eleven historical detective novels (set in Britain's Georgian period), written by the American writer Bruce Cook, under the pseudonym Bruce Alexander.
- John Fielding is an important character in the historical detective novel Death in the Dark Walk (1994), written by Deryn Lake.
- Leon GarfieldLeon GarfieldLeon Garfield was a British writer of fiction. He is best known for his historical novels for children, though he also wrote for adults...
's Smith (1967), which deals with London's underworld, highwaymen and footpadsFootpadsFootpads is an 1896 British short silent drama film, directed by Robert W. Paul, featuring top-hatted pedestrians against a rainy London backdrop, who is assaulted by three footpads and rescued by a passing policeman...
, contains a blind justice. - John Fielding is portrayed by David WarnerDavid Warner (actor)David Warner is an English actor who is known for playing both romantic leads and sinister or villainous characters, both in film and animation...
in the 2006 British television film of Sweeney ToddSweeney ToddSweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
, starring Ray WinstoneRay WinstoneRaymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
. - The 2008 Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television series City of ViceCity of ViceCity of Vice is a British historical crime drama television series set in Georgian London and was first screened on 14 January 2008 on Channel 4. It is produced by Touchpaper Television part of the RDF Media Group. The series mixes fiction with fact following the fortunes of the famous novelist...
is based on the crime investigation work of the Fielding brothers. Iain GlenIain GlenIain Glen is a Scottish film and stage actor.Iain Glen was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained at RADA where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. He was married to Susannah Harker from 1993 to 2004; they have one son, Finlay...
plays John Fielding. - John Fielding is a recurring supporting character in a series of Benjamin Franklin mysteries by Robert Lee Hall -- set in London during the late 1750s. In many instances Fielding himself requests Franklin's help solving a murder.
- Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
used John Fielding as a character in his Barnaby RudgeBarnaby RudgeBarnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels that Dickens published in his short-lived weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock...
.
External links
- The Blind Beak of Bow Street by John Dashney
- Sir John Fielding at the National Portrait Gallery