The Private Supply of Public Goods in 19th Century England

"England did not have a government-funded police force or education until the second half of the nineteenth century. Yet by this time it had the best protection of civil liberties and the highest standard of living in the world (higher than around 50 countries today). Gee, how in the world could this happen? (England also was not a democracy by any stretch until at least 1884, which probably helped.)"