This is an excerpt from the tour Whitehall found on www.obelisktours.co.uk
There is no real certainty about how Scotland Yard gets its
name. The main contender is that it
derives its name from land and buildings given by the English King Edgar the
Peaceful (943-975) to the King of Scotland, Kenneth (954-995). Kenneth built a house which was enjoyed by
him and his posterity until the reign of King Henry II (1133-1189)
when William the King of Scots (1143-1214) turned against Henry at the
Battle of Alnwick (1174). The land and
building were forfeited, but the ‘Scotland’ label stuck.
In 1829 a police station was established here in Scotland
Yard which became the headquarters for the newly formed Metropolitan Police
created by Robert Peel from whom derived
the nickname of an English ‘Bobby’. The name of Scotland Yard is now inseparable
with the Police Force – they are one and the same – even though they have moved
elsewhere the name has stuck.
The force was made up of 895 constables, 88 sergeants, 20
inspectors and 8 superintendents. Their
leader Sir Richard Mayne wrote:
"The primary object of an efficient police is the prevention of crime: the next that of detection and punishment of offenders if crime is committed. To these ends all the efforts of police must be directed.”
In 1890 they
relocated down by the river and nearer to Parliament with the name of New Scotland
Yard. We shall see these buildings later
in this tour. (Now called Norman Shaw
Buildings.) The stables retained here
are for use of the mounted police - mind your feet as you can often find
evidence of the horses in the vicinity. Above the arch, between the crowns of King
George you can faintly see the words
‘Greater London Recruiting Depot’ which remind us these buildings were established
by the War Department to gather recruits.
More details about the people, places and events associated
with these sites can be found on the tour London
- Whitehall available on www.obelisktours.co.uk
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