QSR1841/1/5/56

Depositions and examination - Thomas Croft. Annotated on reverse "died in prison after commitment"

3 November 1840

From: 1840 To: 1841

William Risley of Great Barford, farmer - on Sunday 1st November his daughter and he went to a place of worship. He left his two servants in the house. He got home about 4.30. His daughter told him to come in. He went upstairs and found the spare room door broken open. In the room was a chest of drowers with every lock broken. Linen and other things were in the drawers. The bolt of the door to his own room had been forced from the lock. The locks were broken off two chests of drawers and his bureau. The things were not moved from the drawers. There was some money in his bureau - none of that money was taken. About 9am that morning he locked his room door and gave the key to his daughter. She kept the key of the drawers. He kept the key of the top of the bureau where his money was.They went into her room - every lock of her chest of drawers was broken open. There was a purse with a sovereign and various other articles in the drawers. He went downstairs to the dairy, where an iron stancheon in the dairy window had been forced out. The lattice of the window was broken and there was a hole large enough for a person. From the dairy window he could see a smallish footstep. In the evening he put a hurdle by the window to preserve the footstep. The prisoner's foot is about the same size. Croft lived with him the past year from about Christmas to Michaelmas. Henry Ison Jebbett , superintendent of police - the previous morning 2 November he received information from Mr Risley that his house had been broken open on the Sunday afternoon. He found an entry had been made through the dairy window. Mr Risley brought his attention to a footmark under the window. He pulled the hurdles off to examine it. Inside the house he found the stair foot door had been forced. Two or three of the bedroom doors were forced open, apparently with the tine of a harrow. The drawers had been foced open by the same instrument - there was corroded rust on the drawers and the forced doors. From information received he suspected Croft. He sent Beach, one of the constables to find him and he returned with Croft. He asked Croft how he had passed the Sunday afternoon. Croft said he went to church, then went home to dine at his brother's. After that he "walked leisurely" over to Roxton. Croft said he didn't know what time he got there, but that it was about an hour before tea time. He said he took his time going from Barford to Roxton. He [Jebbett] then went to Roxton. When he returned he charged Croft with telling falsehoods. Croft said he did not like to say he had not dined at home. Before going to Roxton he compared Croft's boot with the foot mark and it corresponded in every particular. Thomas Croft of Great Barford - he was frightened when he said he went home to dinner. He knows he did not go. He came from church and went up the road as far as Mr Humbly's and stopped some time at the new house he is building. Then he went to Roxton. He went round the back way - the longest way there was - and walked very slowly. Then he came to the road and walked very slowly to the hosue he went to. He was out of Barford by 2pm. He was not on Mr Risley's grounds on Sunday. He went to church in the morning. Mr Risley told him one day in the week about going on his grounds on a Sunday so he said he would not go any more and went to church. Mary Risley daughter of William Risley of Great Barford - on Sunday morning 1 November she locked some drawers in her room. The others were locked. She left home a little after 9 and returned about 4. She left Phebe Coles and John Woodward in charge of the house. When she returned she discovered an open door which she knows she left locked, and some drawers partly open which were also locked. In the dairy she saw the lattice window broken. She missed 1/2 lb of butter from the dairy and a small square milk strainer. The butter she missed from a stone jar. It lay on top of some salt butter. It was fresh and had not been cut. She saw a small foot mark outside the dairy window. She saw Croft on the premises on the previous Sunday during the time of divine service in the afternoon. Phebe Coles of Great Barford, servant to William Risley - she left Mr Risley's house on Sunday 1 November at 1.30 with John Woodward to go to Blunham Chapel. She locked the outside doors when she left. She returned about 4pm with Woodward. The dairy window was all right at about one. She washed the strainer in the morning and took it into the dairy after her mistress had gone to church. Her father had been to the house after her mistress left. He was with her the whole time and had dinner with her. John Woodward of Great Barford, servant to William Risley - saw Phebe Coles lock all the doors when they left to go to meeting. He went to meeting with the girl and came home with her. Noah Robinson of Great Barford, labourer - he works for Mr Risley. A week ago last Sunday Croft said to him "I went up the yard gate to look at the horses and as I was going away again mistress saw me. If I had known she had been at home I would not have been there." Croft told him this in the meeting yard of Great Barford on the Sunday evening. Thomas Croft - he was not at Mr Risley's premises that day. He met John Biggerstaff when he came from the house, walked on slowly and met James Holding the other side of the turnpike. John Biggerstaff of Great Barford - he met Thomas Croft on Sunday about 2.30 going towards Roxton. It was just by the side of the house. There were two young women going to Barford about 2 chains before him. He saw Croft a long way before he came up to him coming along from Barford.

item

Croft, Thomas,
Risley, William,
Risley, Mary,
Jebbett, Henry Ison,
Coles, Phebe,
Woodward, John,
Robinson, Noah,
Croft, Thomas,
Biggerstaff, John,
Holding, James,
Beach,
Humbly

Great Barford, ROXTON, BLUNHAM, breaking & entering, dairy