QSR1847/1/5/1

Depositions - William Hemmings charged with stealing a quantity of tools from John Bigg

August 1846

From: 1846 To: 1847

[3 August 1846] John Bigg of Luton, iron founder – about December 1844 he lost some tools from his turning shop in Luton. Hemmings had been working for him and was discharged about a fortnight previously. He went to police superintendent Ashton. They saw some footsteps in his garden and took an impression with lead and plaster of Paris. Millard came to him a few days later and they went opposite the Wheelplough where Hemmings lodged but he was gone. He was later taken into custody, his shoes were compared with the impression and they matched exactly. The right foot is splay footed, and so is Hemmings. The tools were shown to him a few days ago. He swears the chisel and bit stock are his. Some of the things stolen were what no other person but Hemmings could know. [10 August 1846] John Millard of Luton, police constable – on Saturday 28 December 1844 he saw Hemmings in Luton near Mr Jordan’s shop. On Monday morning he went to Mr Biggs’ foundry and saw a window frame had been taken out of the workshop which looked into the garden. There were footmarks of 2 people in the garden. On one of the footmarks was some black dust. One pair had been recently soled. The other pair seemed to be a very old pair with the right foot turning out a great deal more than the left. The right shoe was longer and wider than the left. He preserved some of the footmarks and on the following Tuesday went to Toddington and asked Hemmings and his brother what time they were at home on Saturday night. They both said about 12 o’clock. He compared their shoes with the footmarks and found the old shoes exactly corresponded with the marks in the garden. They came from William Hemmings’ foot. As Hemmings walked his foot splayed exactly as in the marks. The shoes of his brother George corresponded with the other pair. While they were in custody they both admitted being in Luton on that Saturday night. He took them before Mr Crawley the magistrate and they were discharged. Last Monday as he was taking Hemmings down to the cage Hemmings said he was sure they could do nothing with it as they had not got the shoes to produce. Hemmings had 2 odd shoes on when he took him into custody. Joseph Knight of Toddington, labourer – he remembers on the Sunday before Hemmings and his brother were taken into custody (he thinks it was 29 December 1844) he saw them come up the yard from the gardens at Toddington towards their house at about 4.15 am. They might come that way from Luton. They were wearing smock frocks and seemed to have something in them. He lived in the same yard as the Hemmings. He heard them going up and down the yard and got up to see what was happening. He did not speak to them. William Bounick of Tilsworth, labourer – 12 months ago last April he found some tools in his barn at Tilsworth, lying under some furze in the barn. There were not many there. He threw them away into the pond close by. His barn is not locked up. He had not heard anything about the tools before this. He had 2 dozen bundles of furze, which were not burnt until after April. One bundle of furze which costs a penny will last 2 or 3 weeks to light fire with. When he found them the tools were rusty. He never saw a bill stuck up at Toddington offering a reward. His house was searched after them were thrown into the pond. He does not know who bought the tools to his house. William and George Hemmings used to come backwards and forwards to his house, but he can’t say whether they brought the tools or not. Neither Hemmings nor anyone else has ever asked him about the tools. He later found some more tools in the garden, buried in the ground where he happened to be digging. They were about a spit deep. He was setting potatoes there. John Stairs was with him when he found them. He told Stairs he had found them and wished to get rid of them. He gave them to Stairs and knows no more about them. He told Stairs he had found the others into the pond. They were lying in a heap in a little bit of a bag. They were short tools. He saw no file. There was a chisel – most of them were like chisels. They were getting rusty. Nobody else came to his house except the Hemmings. He never mentioned the tools to anyone except Stairs, who said he threw them into the brook. The Hemmings used to have their meals at his house sometimes. They did not sleep there. John Stairs of Stanbridge, labourer – he was present when Bounick found some tools in his garden while digging for potatoes. The tools were in a bag. Bounick gave the tools to him and he put them into his basket. Some were straight and some were crooked. None had handles. He threw them away into the brook. He never heard there was any reward offered. William Clough of Hockliffe, police constable – he went on 30 July (1846) to Wm Bounick who said he had thrown some tools he had found into a pond by the side of his house. He searched the pond and found the tools produced. Stairs pointed out to him where he had thrown some tools into the brook, but it was overgrown with rushes and he could not get anything out of it. He knows Hemmings was making his home at Bounick’s house about the time of the robbery. He is often at Tilsworth which is in a mile or so of his station and saw Hemmings there frequently.

item

Hemmings, William,
Bigg, John,
Millard, John,
Hemmings, George,
Knight, Joseph,
Bounick, William,
Stairs, John

LUTON, TODDINGTON, TILSWORTH, STANBRIDGE, stealing, tools, iron founder, police constable