QSR1851/3/5/32

Depositions of William Ralph Young, police superintendent of Woburn, Thomas Burgess, labourer of Woburn and John Quilty, police constable, of Woburn. In the case of William Brown of Woburn accused of stealing 4 wooden fold stakes.

28 June 1851

From: 1851 To: 1851

Thomas Burgess: a labourer working for Mr Nixon who had a barn and a field where he kept pigs on the Woburn Sands Road. On 27 June he saw the prisoner working for Mr Beard in a field adjoining Mr Nixon's. Brown was putting hurdles in and asked to borrow some of his master’s hurdles and stakes. He lent him both and threw them over the hedge to him and expected that,when he was done with them, he would return them. He lent him 7 or 8 stakes. John Quilty: he was on duty in the bottom of the town around quarter to 12 at night. He saw a man acting suspiciously and followed him over a stile into Mr Beard's field. Shortly he the man came towards Quilty with wood under his arms. He asked the prisoner where he had got the wood from and he told him Mr Nixon's man had thrown it over the hedge to him that afternoon. Quilty knew he had no business in the field at that time of night and took him into custody. After he was in custody the accused said "to tell you the truth I was taking the wood home to light the fire to boil the kettle".Statement of the accused: said that when he went to the field the young man threw over the fold stakes. He had asked him for them. He left after he finished the job.

item

Brown, William,
Young, William Ralph,
Burgess, Thomas,
Quilty, John

WOBURN, stealing, agricultural implements, wood