Tuxford Lock-Up
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Tuxford Lock-Up by J.Hannan-Briggs as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Tuxford Lock-Up
Image: © J.Hannan-Briggs Taken: 16 Feb 2013
One of the last two lock-ups in Nottinghamshire. Standing proudly on the village green, this lock-up was built in the reign of King George IV, before the days of the county police force. Controlled by the town constable, it held people while they waiting to appear at the county court in Retford. The constable was elected by the parishioners for a fixed term. A prosperous market town like Tuxford, would have its fair share of people considered to be undesirable, from paupers to highwaymen. If the constable needed assistance, he had the power to recruit men from the town. For the potentially violent, such as rioters or highwaymen, he would call out the local militia by magistrate’s order. With Sherwood Forest nearby and The Great North Road running through the town, Tuxford was notorious for highwaymen. Around 1850 workers known as navvies started to build the local railway. These men worked hard and played hard and were known for their drunkenness on pay day. This led to a temporary increase in the use of the lock-up, however its last prisoner was held around 1900.
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Image Location
Latitude
53.229426
Longitude
-0.899517