Talk:John Kent (police officer)

A fact from John Kent (police officer) appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 17 February 2016 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that John Kent was the first Black police officer in Britain?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2016/February. The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/John Kent (Police Officer).

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Additional information (and possible corrections)

Selections from an obituary of John Kent in 'The Carlisle Patriot' (Friday, 23 July, 1886), pg 5:

"His father came from the West Indies to this neighbourhood with a Cumberland gentleman, "Nabob Graham", who took up his residence at Rickerby House. Kent is said to have derived his surname from the cirumstance that the vessel in which he came to this country landed upon the coast of Kent, and he was named after the county."

"After marrying a Miss Pickering, of Brampton Hall, he returned to the West Indies, leaving his wife in this country. On arriving back in England, he entered the service of Mr James, of Barrock Park, as gardener, and eventually died at High Stand, leaving ten children, five sons and five daughters. His wife died 26 years ago, at the great age of 107."

"John Kent, the subject of this notice, was born at Low Hesket in 1795, so that at his death he had attained his 91st year. In his early days, he attended Hekset School and worked as a servant lad. In his prime he was a big, powerful man [...]"

He was "engaged in paving the streets of Carlisle sixty years ago [...]"

"He afterwards became a watchman at Maryport before the modern police force was established." (Note: the Carlisle City Police Force was officially established on 13th July in 1827.)

"Kent was afterwards for nineteen years on the Carlisle police force, and it was said that he and one Joe Haugh were the first two policemen of the present regime."

"Hanging upon the walls of his house in Henry Street is an excellent portrait of him in his police uniform, or rather in the uniform of Mayor's sergeant, an office which he held."

"He married a woman belonging to the Longtown district, but she predeceased him thirteen years ago."

"He is survived by one son, who is in Australia, and by his sister, Mrs Lamb, of Low Row, who is now 86 years of age."

From the Cumberland Pacquet and Ware's Whitehaven Advertiser (3 August, 1827)

"July 17, 1827 [...] John Kent, son of a West Indian, appointed in city".

From the Carlisle Examiner (the day and half of the month was cropped, leaving "-ust, 1827")

"17 July, 1827 John Kent of Scotch Street and son of a servant from the West Indies in employment for Chief Constable Batty's Police Force."

0zero9nine (talk) 05:01, 11 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]