Henry Solomon
Encyclopedia
Chief Constable Henry Solomon (died 14 March 1844) was a police officer
who became the first Chief Constable
of Brighton Borough Police
in East Sussex
, England.
Solomon was appointed as Chief Constable — the highest rank in the force — on 18 May 1838, which was a notable appointment in that period as he was a Jewish
man. He became the superior officer to two superintendent
s, three inspectors, twenty-four constable
s and a night constable — a total of thirty-one officers for a population of around 47,000.
While interviewing a prisoner — 23-year-old John Lawrence, for theft of a roll of carpet — on 14 March 1844, Solomon was bludgeoned by Lawrence with a poker
, causing a head injury from which he later died. An appeal to which Queen Victoria gave £50 raised a large sum for the welfare of his widow and nine children. Lawrence was found guilty of murder
at Lewes
Assizes
and publicly hanged
at Horsham
.
Solomon is thought to be the only Chief Constable in the United Kingdom to have been murdered in his own police station. His ghost reputedly haunts the basement of the building, now a town hall. He is buried in the Florence Place Old Jewish Burial Ground in Brighton's Round Hill
district, where he has been considered to be the 'celebrity' grave. In 2004, his was one of several local names to be chosen to appear on the front of a new fleet of buses in Brighton.
The inscription on Solomon's gravestone reads: 15 years chief officer of police / of the town of Brighton / who was brutally murdered / while in the public discharge / of the duties of his office / on the 14th day of March 1844 / in the fiftieth year of his age.
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
who became the first Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
of Brighton Borough Police
Sussex Police
Sussex Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing East Sussex, West Sussex and City of Brighton and Hove in southern England. Its head office is in Lewes, Lewes District, East Sussex.-History:...
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England.
Solomon was appointed as Chief Constable — the highest rank in the force — on 18 May 1838, which was a notable appointment in that period as he was a Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
man. He became the superior officer to two superintendent
Superintendent (police)
Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police...
s, three inspectors, twenty-four constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
s and a night constable — a total of thirty-one officers for a population of around 47,000.
While interviewing a prisoner — 23-year-old John Lawrence, for theft of a roll of carpet — on 14 March 1844, Solomon was bludgeoned by Lawrence with a poker
Fire iron
A fire iron is any metal instrument for tending to a fire.-Types of fire irons:There are three types of tools commonly used to tend a small fire, such as an indoor fireplace fire, or yule log: the spade, the tongs and the poker itself...
, causing a head injury from which he later died. An appeal to which Queen Victoria gave £50 raised a large sum for the welfare of his widow and nine children. Lawrence was found guilty of murder
Murder in English law
Murder is an offence under the common law of England and Wales. It is considered the most serious form of homicide, in which one person kills another either intending to cause death or intending to cause serious injury .-Actus reus:The definition of the actus reus Murder is an offence under the...
at Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
Assizes
Assizes
Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to::;in common law countries :::*assizes , an obsolete judicial inquest...
and publicly hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
at Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
.
Solomon is thought to be the only Chief Constable in the United Kingdom to have been murdered in his own police station. His ghost reputedly haunts the basement of the building, now a town hall. He is buried in the Florence Place Old Jewish Burial Ground in Brighton's Round Hill
Round Hill, Brighton
Round Hill is an inner suburban area of Brighton, part of the coastal city of Brighton and Hove in England. The area contains a mix of privately owned and privately rented terraced housing, much of which has been converted for multiple occupancy, and small-scale commercial development...
district, where he has been considered to be the 'celebrity' grave. In 2004, his was one of several local names to be chosen to appear on the front of a new fleet of buses in Brighton.
The inscription on Solomon's gravestone reads: 15 years chief officer of police / of the town of Brighton / who was brutally murdered / while in the public discharge / of the duties of his office / on the 14th day of March 1844 / in the fiftieth year of his age.