QSR1851/2/5/1/a

Depositions of John Deaton labourer of Melchborne, and William Walker, police constable of Dean. In the case of Tom Fairey accused of stealing a draining tool

18 March 1851

From: 1851 To: 1851

John Deaton: in the last winter months he was employed by Robert Crawley of Melchbourne to drain some land. He finished the work in a field called the Stitches, in January. During that time he had been using a draining spade but part of it broke and so he left it the field and he did not know if it was still there when he took the rest of his tools away. He knew the spade produced by Walker to be his due to the crack in the tree, although an inch and a half had been cut ff the bottom. He had not given Tom Fairey permission to take the tool. William Walker: he heard of a draining tool had been missed from Crawley's field. He went to Fairey's house at Dean and found the tool in the pantry. Tom Fairey was not at home but his sister gave Walker the spade. Deaton confirmed it to be his. Fairey said he had taken the tool from Mr Crawley's land in Melchbourne, from a field called the Sticthes. Walker and Fairey went to William Pack a baker of Dean, who had been with Fairey when he took the tool. Pack said that when Fairey took the tool, he had said to him that if anyone owned it, then Fairey would be in the wrong and prosecuted.

item

Fairey, Thomas,
Deaton, John,
Walker, William,
Crawley, Robert,
Pack, William

DEAN, MELCHBOURNE, stealing, tools, spade