QSR1850/4/5/25/a

Depositions of Samuel Bird, farmer of Beeston, and Stephen Hills, labourer, in the case of Joseph Francis, accused of stealing turnip seed and beans

5 July 1850

From: 1850 To: 1850

Samuel Bird: a farmer in Beeston. On 26 July he was advised his barn had been broken into and a quantity off turnip seed taken away. He went round the barn and found fresh footmarks, as if made by new shoes. It had rained and the footprints were clear. He traced the footprints to within 60 or 70 yards of the prisoner’s house. A minute later the prisoner came out of the house with a sack containing 3 or 4 pecks of turnip seed. Bird also keeps beans in the granary and believed the sack of beans found at the prisoners to be his, and the sack bears his mothers name. He saw Constable Breakwell also discover a dead fowl, like the one he had missed from his yard. Stephen Hills: a worker for Mr Bird. On arriving at work he discovered the barn had been broken open and some turnip seed had been spilt outside the barn. He also observed some footmarks. He also traced the footmarks to within 100 yards of the prisoner’s home.

item

Francis, Joseph,
Bird, Samuel,
Hills, Stephen

Beeston, stealing, beans, footwear