Dr. henry faulds contribution to forensic science

Hidden away in Wolstanton's St Margaret’s churchyard in Newcastle-under-Lyme is the grave of Dr Henry Faulds. Born in Scotland in 1843 - he died in Staffordshire in 1930.

But there’s something unique about this grave. A plaque was added during the 1980s with a message recognising Faulds for his pioneering work in fingerprinting, so who was he?

An intriguing story…

I came across the story simply by chance - yet trying to find out more about this man was difficult. Only a handful of local people knew he existed, one of which was local historian Mervyn Edwards who helped on my quest.

I discovered Dr Henry Faulds studied medicine in the 1870s in his home country of Scotland until he was sent to Japan where he worked as a doctor. He later founded Tokyo’s Institute for the blind, but his time in Japan was a life changing experience for other reasons…

He claimed that “when a bloody finger marks or impressions on clay are found, they may lead to the scientific identification of criminals”. His theory was the first to be published, yet his discovery turned to controversy.

Scientific controversy!

One month after his article in ‘Nature’ magazine in 1880, a British civil servant, Sir William Herschel claimed he’d already been using fingerprints to identify criminals as early as 1860. Even on his return to England in 1886, Scotland Yard turned down Dr Henry Faulds’ theory.

It wasn’t until 1917, when historians say Herschel admitted it was Faulds who made the discovery of using fingerprints for forensic use, yet Faulds still never felt he received fair recognition for his work.

For such a special man who spent the last thirty years of his life here, all that marks his memory is his grave.

Memorials around the world

BUT….. I found others had gone to great lengths to erect memorials for Dr Henry Faulds. In Beith in Scotland, campaigners won their fight and the Scottish parliament passed a motion to officially remember him.

The campaign group even started the ‘Dr Henry Faulds Beith Commemorative society’. There is also has a memorial in Japan and ‘The Finger Print Society’ help to keep his memory alive.

So as my quest comes to a close, his grave may stand lonely in Wolstanton - but perhaps now the people will know a bit more about this understated man, who was one of the best scientific forensic pioneers in our history.

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