QSR1841/2/5/10-12

Depositions and examinations - John Cooper, Richard Ambridge and Joseph Addington

20 - 26 March 1841

From: 1841 To: 1841

20th March ---------------- Samuel Kendall of Wilshamstead, labourer - he lives in a cottage in Wilshamstead. On Sunday morning 14 March he found his coffer which stands about 2 yards from his bedside broken and the sack lying on the floor. He missed 14 sovereigns and one half sovereign - all he had. He does not remember checking the coffer for 9 or 10 days. He lives alone apart from his son, who sleeps in the same bed with him. He usually gets up in the dark and goes to bed in the dark and cannot say how long the coffer had been broken. He is sure the lock was on the coffer on Wednesday. He knows Ambridge, who has been out of work some time. In the day time he locks his house and keeps the key except when he lays it up for his son. He has no reason to think his house was broken into. He got up before 7am on the Sunday and spent about an hour and a half getting his breakfast and looking after his horse, which stands in a stable adjoining his parlour. He is sure no one could have walked into the house while he was in the stable without him knowing. His son got up just after him. His son breakfasts at his sister's, and returned just after he missed the money. He said to his son he hoped he had not been at his coffer. His son answered "no I am sure I have not - what's the matter father - you look so pale?". He told his son all his money was gone. His son knew he had money in the coffer but not how much. None of the money was marked. His son always comes in at night to sleep and goes away in the morning to work. On Sundays his son generally gets up a little after him. His son plays the clarinet at church and usually takes it with him to his sister's but forgot it that day and came back for it. On working days sometimes he gets up first, sometimes his son does. He usually goes to bed first. Every morning the previous week he left the key for his son, in a little hole just above the door against the thatch. Only his son knows where he puts the key, that he knows of. He did not find the key out of its place. A stranger could not put the key up as he did because it lodged across 2 sticks. If a stranger touched it, it would fall. His son could take it out and put it up again as he did. The coffer was fastened with a little coffer lock and a hasp, not a padlock. The key of the coffer used to lie in a place against the clock. His son did not know where the key was. The hasp was wrenched up with something. The key of the coffer had not been disturbed. The lock was got away from the staple. His son has slept with him ever since. His son did not come back on Sunday after he told him the money was lost until night. Robert Lees of Bedford, police constable no.1 - the previous evening he found Richar Ambridge sitting in a beer shop at Wilshamstead drinking and smoking. He called him outside and told him there was a report he had been changing money (a sovereign and a half sovereign) at Cotton End. He took Ambridge with him to the house of William Cambers, who stated in Ambridge's presence that Ambridge had come to his house one day the previous week and used a half sovereign to pay for some beer. Cambers went to Mr Trueman's, a neighbour, to get change. He [Lees] then went with Ambridge to the Bell at Cotton End. On the way he asked if Ambridge recollected changing any more money in that neighbourhood. Ambridge said he thought he did but could not well recollect - on going up the to door he said he maight have gone in to change a sovereign at the Five Bells - Preston's. In the presence of Preston he asked if he had changed money there - Preston said that Ambridge had given his wife a sovereign to pay for one pint of beer, a glass of gin and 3d he previously owed. Ambridge said he got the sovereign from a man in the road whom he knew, but would not say who. He took Ambridge into custody. Richard Ambridge of Wilshamstead, labourer - he can clear himself about the sovereign. Joseph Addington gave it to him to change for him. He was never in Kendall's house in his life. He took Joseph Addington the change. He changed the half sovereign at Cambers's because Addington wanted it all in silver. "I never robbed nobody in my life and have a good character". Joseph Addington of Wilshamstead [information re Richard Ambridge] - on Friday, a week ago yesterday, at about 5pm he was going along the road from Wilshamstead to Samuel Cooper's house near Mr Spring's farm and met Richard Ambridge. Ambridge said "holloa old fellow, have you any money". He said he did. Ambridge asked to borrow a penny as he had not had a piece of bread or a pint of beer all day. He said he would give Ambridge one if he would go and change a sovereign for him. He said Ambridge could get a pint of beer with it. Ambridge was gone about 2 hours and got the change, while he stayed at Cooper's house. Ambridge gave him all the change but 4d. Ambridge gave him the change in the presence of Samuel Cooper's wife. Ambridge stayed only a few more minutes, and he remained at Cooper's for another 2 hours. [Additional information] He came from his own house in Wilshamstead village to go to Cooper's. He did not want the sovereign for any immediate purpose. He had some beer at Cooper's house which he went to Redman's for himself and paid for. He did not know he would want the change himself that night, or might have changed it himself at Wilshamstead or Redman's. 23rd March ----------------- Joseph Addington of Wilshamstead, labourer [examination on suspicion of breaking and entering house of Samuel Kendall] - John Cooper of Wilshampstead is the man who broke into Samuel Kendall's house. He went upstairs and broke the box open and took the money out. Cooper came out - he [Addington] was on the road and Cooper suggested they go and have some beer. He said he had no money. Cooper said he had plenty. They went to the Black Hat and had 3 pints which Cooper paid for. Cooper then went home to their house - Cooper lodges with him - and he went to another house. He then went home and went to bed. Cooper said he had dug a hole in the garden and put the money in. Cooper said no more then. Cooper told him the last day of February, 3 weeks ago last Sunday, about 7pm whilst the people were in Chapel. That is when he saw Cooper come out of Kendall's house. He stood against the Chapel. He did not see Cooper go into Kendall's house and had no conversation with him about it beforehand. Cooper told him the same night as they were in bed together at his father's house that he had 14 pounds and a half in gold. The sovereign Ambridge changed for him was one of two he received for work at Lord Carteret's. About a week after Kendall's house was robbed Ambridge told him he had told Cooper that Kendall had that much money before the robbery. and asked if Cooper could have thought anything about it if he [Ambridge] had not put it into his head. Cooper said "I'll be damn'd if I dont have it some time or other". Ambridge thought he and Cooper did the robbery. He told Ambridge he knew nothing about it. Ambridge said Cooper had told him all about it. He never saw the money and does not know what part of the garden it was buried in. Cooper told him before he [Addington] was taken into custody that there were 8 sovereigns left. His pay at Lord Carteret's was 11s a week, which he sometimes had in half a sovereign and a shilling. He got his sovereign which Ambridge changed for him by giving change for it, he cannot say to who. William Preston of Cotton End in Cardington, victualler - the previous Wednesday week Richard Ambridge came to his house and changed a sovereign. His wife gave Ambridge the change. He paid for 2 pints of beer, a glass of gin, and 3d he owed before, making 9d together. He said he had been "a bean setting", in response to others in the house asking where he had been. Thomas Cambers of Cotton End, beer seller - on about 10 March Ambridge came and asked him to change half a sovereign. He took the half sovereign to the shop and got change. Ambridge said it was not his money. Ambridge had 2 pints of ale which he had paid for before he went for the change. John Cooper and Ambridge were together, but they did not drink together. Cooper was there when he brought the chagne. Cooper left his house about 10 minutes before Ambridge Elizabeth Cambers, wife of Thomas Cambers - either Wednesday 10th or Thursday 11th Cooper came into their house between 6 and 7pm. Cooper asked for a pint of beer. He asked if she could change a sovereign. She did so and asked him no questions. Ambridge then came in and asked her husband for change for a half sovereign, after first paying for 2 pints of beer. Ambridge said the half sovereign was not his. Cooper left first. Ambridge went soon after and left part of his beer. The previous Sunday Cooper came to her and said he had heard she had said he had changed a sovereign with her. He swore he had not been in the House since his brother was married. She told him he was the person she had given change to - he swore it was false. When she changed the sovereign he asked if she knew him - she said she thought she did. He said "you know Samuel Cooper - he is my brother". She said "yes I do and now I am sure I know you". John Cooper of Wilsharmstead - it is all false. He knows nothing about it. Richard Ambridge of Wilshamstead - he knows no more about it than that he changed the sovereign. He kept back he thinks 9d out of the change but is not sure. He was never in the house in his life nor nearer it than his master's Mr Armstrong's. He never knew Kendall had any money, did not think he had, and never talked with Cooper or Addington about it, before or after the robbery. 26th March ----------------- Henry Ison Jebbett, superintendent of police - on Tuesday afternoon March 23 from information received he went to the garden of Thomas Addington at Wilshamstead attached to the house in which Cooper and Addington resided. After digging for 20 to 25 minutes he found near a faggot stack part of a stocking and 8 sovereigns in it, buried under the grass about 4 inches deep. James Cooper of Wilshamstead, labourer - Richard Ambridge came to his master's Mr [Plumbly?] who lives at the Black Hat at Wilshamstead, he thinks about a fortnight ago "as near as a toucher". It was almost 10pm and his master was about to stop drawing beer when Ambridge and James Kitchener came in. Ambridge called for half a pint of beer and said he had something to tell him. His mistress said some such words as "what you have got to tell you must tell another time". He lodges at his uncle's William Goldsmith's just by. He, Ambridge and Kitchener then left the house. Kitchener went on into the Red Lion. Ambridge said to him "I must tell you - Joseph Addington and Jack have got old Sam's money". He felt so bad when Ambridge told him that he made no answer and asked no question. He went into the Red Lion with Ambridge. Joseph Addington, young Sam Kendall and 2 or 3 others were in the Red Lion. John Cooper was not there. A fortnight ago last Monday night he saw Thomas Addington at the Club at his master's at the Black Hat. He called him outside and said to him "so Jack and your son have got old Sam's money". Addington asked what reason he had to think so. Addington suspected he must have a hand in it. He said he only knew because Richard Ambridge told him and he was forced to tell because he felt so uneasy about it. A week ago last Saturday about dinner time he met Joseph Addington in the road. Addington asked what he had been saying to his father. He told Addington, who said "you had no business to have told him". Addington went into a public house - Barber's the Jerry House.The previous Friday he went into the Red Lion with Thomas Addington. He had heard that Richard Ambridge had been taken for the robbery. He saw Joseph Addington and his brother John Cooper in the House. There were a good many people there. They went in to hear what was said. Other people were talking about the robbery. His brother and Joseph Addington said nothing about it. About 10pm as they were shutting up his brother left the house first. Joseph Addington and himself came out together. Joseph Addington stopped to make water and as he was doing so said "we have got nine sovereigns". He supposed he meant Kendall's money. The previous Sunday as folks were in Church he went with his brother John to Cambers's. They went to inquire about a sovereign he heard John had changed there. As they came back John said he never changed one there - it was Joseph Addington. He said "Old Sam shall never have his money again if I have to go away for it - for I have told old Tom Addington where it is - it's all gone but nine sovereigns". John Cooper never told him where it was. He had no conversation with Ambridge after he told him about old Sam's money. He wished he had never known about it, and would not have done if Dick had not told him. James Kitchener of Wilshamstead, labourer - on Saturday March 10 between 3 and 4pm he was at work at the Red Lion and Joseph Addington came to see him. He had heard Richard Ambridge was taken and brought to Bedford and Joseph Addington and he were wondering how he was getting on. Addington said to him "we should not have been in this hobble if it had not been for Richard - Richard told John Cooper about getting the money and Cooper said he would have it". Addington never said whether they had it or whether they had not. They went into the Red Lion to have some beer and whilst there the policeman came to fetch Addington. Mary Cooper wife of Samuel Cooper of Wilshamstead, labourer - her evidence did not appear to be material and was not written down. 2nd April -------------- Samuel Cooper of Wilshamstead, labourer - John Cooper is his brother but he does not live with him. He was with John Cooper and Joseph Addington 5 weeks ago next Sunday - he remembers the time as he went to his wife's mother's the Sunday before. They were at Thomas Croseley's at Wilshamstead and had a pint of beer each at about 5.30pm. He did not see them together after that. He first heard of the robbery a fortnight ago last Sunday. When they came out of the beer house he left John Cooper and Joseph Addington at the cross road.

item

Cooper, John,
Ambridge, Richard,
Addington, Joseph,
Kendall, Samuel,
Lees, Robert,
Cambers, William,
Cambers, Thomas,
Cambers, Elizabeth,
Cooper, Samuel,
Preston, William,
Jebbett, Henry Ison,
Addington, Thomas,
Cooper, James,
Kitchener, James,
Cooper, Mary,
Croseley, Thomas,
Trueman,
Redman,
Carteret, Lord,
Armstrong

WILSHAMSTEAD, Cotton End, stealing, money, breaking & entering, receiving stolen goods, church music, victualler, beerseller, Cotton End Bell, Wilshamstead Black Hat, Wilshamstead Red Lion