The Secret History of Female Sleuths
A history of the UK’s real-life female detectives – from the mid-Victorian era to the present day.
In September last year author Caitlin Davies approached the History Group while researching Elizabeth Joyes, one of the female detectives who was to appear in her forthcoming book. Our Research Group were able to assist Caitlin in a small way, but this opened up a new aspect to policing that we had previously been unaware of.
Elizabeth is an interesting character. In 1855, she was employed by the City of London Police as a Searcher, whose job was to search female prisoners as they were brought into custody. However, she also worked undercover on the railways, catching thieves at first class waiting rooms in London at the Eastern Counties Railway terminus at Shoreditch.
It seems she was directly employed by the railway, only involving the police when an arrest was necessary. This was about sixty years before the first official railway policewomen.
I’m now pleased to report that Caitlin’s book is about to be published by the History Press (12th October 2023).
It is available to pre-order here: Private Inquiries
More details are to be found on author’s website: Caitlin Davies