The memoirs of Henry Goddard

An early detective

Warning: reference to animal cruelty

My main research interest is police detective history (the subject of my PhD) and my work has been mostly focused on the Victorian period. I’m now extending my studies to the earlier prototype detectives, such as Henry Goddard who was a Bow Street Runner. After working as a runner in central London in the 1830s, he published his memoirs in 1856, which gives a unique insight into how the first detectives developed their sleuthing skills. This hidden history includes many interesting cases and, most notably, the first time in which ballistics were used to solve a crime.