QSR1840/1/5/23/d

Deposition of Robert Lees, police constable of Luton - William Biggs charged with stealing oats

9 December 1839

From: 1839 To: 1840

On Wednesday from information received he went to George Barrett's house and asked if Benjamin Peach had brought a sack of oats there. He took charge of the sack. The next morning from further information he went to Samuel Smith and asked how he came to have the oats he took out of the cart the night before. Smith said he had bought them from a man on the road driving a waggon that he would not know again. He ascertained that Smith had been employed to drive Edward Taylor's cart to fetch from oats from Lord Bute's barn. He took a sample of the oats from Edward Taylor and compared them with those in Lord Bute's barn - they appeared to be of the same quality. William Biggs was present - he asked Biggs if he had allowed Smith to take any more oats that those delivered to Edward Taylor. Biggs said he did not. He saw Smith again later and Smith admitted what he had said before was false. He stated he had fetched oats for Edward Taylor and that the last load had an odd sack - William Biggs desired him to hold the sack and he would put something in it as Mr Taylor was a good fellow, and Biggs put in about 2 bushels of oats. On his way home he knew he was doing wrong so took them out of the cart and put them in the cart under the hovel at White Hill.

item

Biggs, William,
Lees, Robert,
Barrett, George,
Peach, Benjamin,
Smith, Samuel,
Taylor, Edward,
Bute, John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of

stealing, oats, LUTON