H/WS1112-1653

Quarter Sessions

1794-1835

From: 1794 To: 1835

Some of the Quarter Sessions documents give the history of the case of the accounts of Theed Pearse, the clerk of the peace, who neglected to present his bill for 24 years. Theed Pearse's son wrote confidentially to Wilshere in 1822 to tell him that no bill had been presented, "and in the wretched manner in which his accounts are managed probably never will be in his life unless a very positive order be passed to the purpose." At this suggestion Wilshere had the order passed, making it seem that it was his own idea. For the next 18 months this affair occupied much of the attention of the justices. When the bill was at last presented the magistrates were so shocked by its size that they ordered only the payment of £500 on account with the balance to be paid out of the general receipts from Tempsford Bridge, while a further examination was made. There were protests that the existing inhabitants of the county ought not to be expected to pay for improvements which were carried out in the time of their predecessors. A local paper from the neighbouring county congratulated itself that affairs were better run in Buckinghamshire, and Theed Pearse was most upset at the "long and strong observations on my accounts": he was offended that they had not been kept strictly private. For him, local government was a private matter between the justices and their clerk. But the problem had to be taken to the highest legal opinion in the country. For months the justices worked on drafting a fair statement of the case, and eventually the Attorney Genreal gave his opinion, on which the justices acted, that only the currrent years expenses could be legally paid. Theed Pearce was hurt: there was not even a recognistion of his faithful service during the best 25 years of his life either by direct resolution or by verbal communication, but the justices felt that they had gone to the utmost extent of their power in alleviating the heavy losses he had brought upon himself.

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