QSR1841/2/5/6/a

Depositions - George Church

27 March 1841

From: 1841 To: 1841

Elizabeth Baker aged 17, daughter of William Baker of Toddington, plumber and glazier - she was a school at Miss Brown's in the parish of St Peter Bedford before Christmas. On December 17th she went home to her father's at Toddington for the holidays. Before leaving Miss Brown's she packed up her box. Among the items she packed were one slate coloured silk gown, one muslin gown, one gown of muslin de laine, one white muslin gown, one light collar gown, one black collar gown, one pair of black kid shoes, one pair of casting shoes, one silk shawl, one embroidered shawl, one worsted bag lined with red silk, about 4 pocket handkerchiefs marked E.B., a worsted tea-pot rug, a piece of unfinished worsted work on canvas, a small white calico bag containing worsted of different colours, a bead necklace and other things. When she went home she left her box in the care of Miss Brown to be sent to her on the following Saturday by the carrier. The box was locked and she took the key home with her. The box was not delivered to her at Toddington and she has not seen it since. The items now produced are some of those packed into her box. The box was a large deal box painted oak colour. Thomas Randall of Houghton Regis, common carrier - he is a common carrier between Houghton Regis, Toddington and Bedford. On Saturday 19 December he received a large, locked, plain deal box directed to Mr Baker at Toddington. He sent the ostler at the Chequers, Bedford to Miss Brown's for it. The ostler brought it to the Chequers and helped him to load and tie it on his van. On his way out of Bedford he stopped as usual at the Leg of Mutton in St John's Street. Having received particular directions from Mr and Mrs Baker to take care of the box he cross bound it to the van with two ropes. He was satisfied it could not have fallen off. The van is not covered. Having secured the box he started and did not pull up again until he reached the bottom of Hazlewood Lane, Ampthill. He got off his van to check everything was right and missed the box. He found the rope by which he had cross bound it had been slipped off. A young man named Hinds who lives at Ampthill and some female who lives at Bedford whose name he does not know rode with him in the van. When he missed the box he saw no one about. He travels at about 5 miles an hour when loaded. He remembers seeing the prisoner as he passed Mr Henman's at the Chequers at Kempston Hardwick, a man named Cooper who lives at Houghton Conquest and three other men whose names he does not know standing under the great tree. The other three went into the house. He saw no more of Church or Cooper after he passed them. When he missed the box at Hazlewood Lane he turned back to make inquiry. At Mr Henman's he obtained some information from which he had reason to suspect Church and Cooper of taking the box. ... Church here stated "We both ran on a little way after the cart - I stopped behind a few minutes and he kept on and then I ran on again after him and catched him." ... He [Randall] did not see them ... Church said "When I catched Cooper he had the Box and said he found it, and he gave me them there things" [pointing to the articles identified by Elizabeth Baker]. Martha Goodman of Houghton Conquest, spinster - she knows George Church, who used to keep company with her. She remembers him coming to her between 8 and 9pm on Saturday 19 December. He brought nothing to her then. About a week later he made her a present of those things [pointing to articles produced]. He did not tell her how he came by them. She asked him and he said he came by them honestly. There was a great talk at Houghton about a box being lost by the carrier belonging to a young lady at Toddington. Church told her they blamed him and Cooper and he heard the carrier was inquiring about him at the Houghton Chequers. He denied knowing anything about it. She went from Houghton about the middle fo January to service at Hamstead. She last saw Church about 10 or 11 days before she left at work at Radwell. He gave her the things about a week after Christmas. Robert Clarke of Ampthill, whitesmith - he usually works at Bedford for Messrs Kilpin and Son Ironmongers. He walked with George Church from Bedford as far as Mr Henman's the half-way house on Saturday 19 December. Joseph Cooper and 3 other men whose names he does not know were with them. He stood at the door of the Half Way House when Randall the carrier passed with his van. He saw Church and Cooper run after the van. He saw them catch it so near they might almost have touched it with their hands. He then went into the House to finish his beer. He stayed there about 2 minutes. He then walked with the other carrier Levi Hinds as far as the turn to Houghton. He saw nothing more of Church or Cooper. James Bates, superintendent of police - the previous morning he searched the house of James Goodman at Houghton Conquest and found in a box belonging to his daughter Martha Goodman the worsted rug, the piece of worsted work on canvas, the calico bag and the necklace. The box was not locked. He asked where she got them. She hesitated a little, but told him from from whom she had them. As a result he apprehended Church at Radwell. Henry Ison Jebbett, superintendent of police - he accompanied Bates to apprehend Church. He told Church it was respecting property found in the possession of Martha Goodman. He admitted knowing her but denied ever giving her anything except some gingerbread [treats?] at a fair.

item

Baker, Elizabeth,
Crouch, George,
Baker, William,
Randall, Thomas,
Goodman, Martha,
Clarke, Robert,
Bates, James,
Jebbett, Henry Ison,
Brown,
Cooper, Joseph,
Henman,
Hinds, Levi,
Kilpin,
Goodman, James

TODDINGTON, AMPTHILL, Kempston Hardwick, HOUGHTON REGIS, HOUGHTON CONQUEST, Radwell, Bedford St.Peter, Hampstead, Ampthill Hazelwood Lane, stealing, clothing, needlework, plumber, glazier, common carrier, whitesmith, ironmonger, schools, Bedford Chequers, Bedford Leg of Mutton, Houghton Conquest Chequers