Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1851/4/5/5a/a
  • Title
    Depositions of James Curtis brewer of Harpenden,Thomas Potton, bricklayer of Dunstable, Cornelius Sharpe, police constable of Dunstable, and Samuel Atwood, a minor. In the case of Thomas Cook, accused of stealing 50 bricks.
  • Date free text
    1 September 1851
  • Production date
    From: 1851 To: 1851
  • Scope and Content
    Samuel Atwood: a bricklayer’s labourer of Dunstable. On 1 September he saw the prisoner Thomas Cook about a quarter past 7 in the evening, loading a wheelbarrow with bricks. These bricks were from a heap which lay at the back of Britannia Bar House in Back Street, Dunstable. The accused asked him to help wheel the barrow into Mr Nichols garden. He helped him as he promised him 2 pence and a pint of beer. He asked what Cook was doing with them and was told that Mr Nichol had bought them from George Field, who kept the Britannia Beer shop. When they had taken the bricks to Mr Nichols garden, Cook said he had stolen them. Atwood told Thomas Potton and PC Sharpe of this. Thomas Potton: a bricklayer of Dunstable. On 1 September he went with Atwood & Sharpe to Back Street and found a quantity of bricks had been taken from a heap close to the Britannia Beer House. He had seen the bricks there about 3 hours previous as he had been doing some repairs at the Britannia. The house belongs to Mr Curtis of Harpenden and the bricks were his property. They went to Mr Nichols garden and saw the bricks, which Atwood handed to Constable Sharpe. Cornelius Sharpe: on 1 September he went with Potton & Atwood to Back Street, Dunstable and Atwood pointed out where he saw the prisoner take the bricks. They then went to Mr Nicholls garden where Atwood handed him 43 bricks. On Tuesday 2 September, on taking the prisoner his breakfast at he lock-up, he asked if the prisoner knew what he was charged with. He said he did not. Cook said he would not have touched the bricks if he had not have had too much beer, and that Nichol had not authorised him to lay the bricks on his premises.
  • Level of description
    item
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