Dear Ro and Sandra, Thank you both so much for your info on your constables. I haven't yet found anything on Broxbourne but am due to go through some misc papers for Hoddesden for 1830-44 which might turn up something. I'll post what I do find but, in the meantime, I'd be grateful for anything you can add to your family legend. the fact that you've seen handcuffs and a truncheon is incredibly significant because I don't know if anything like that survives elsewhere. As for Codicote, this is very exciting too. An 1839 parliamentary report on establishing a nationwide police force identified Codicote as a problem area. The marauding gang of criminals was so bad (and the local constable so useless) that they had to rent an officer from the Metropolitan police to deal with the situation. The report is available for free download from Google books at this link http://books.google.co.uk/books?ei=PdxiS9yLHJn00gSEs9XPBg&ct=result&id=E1ADAAAAQAAJ&dq=%22first+report+of+the+commissioners%22+%22efficient+constabulary+force%22&q=codicote#v=onepage&q&f=false The reference to Codicote and its constable is at pg 267 of the Google books version. Any more info from either of you would be gratefully received. Many thanks, Elaine