QSR1842/1/5/27-28

Depositions and examinations - George Hemley and Thomas Hemley

3 to 10 December 1841

From: 1841 To: 1842

3 December -------------------- John Tack - he is shepherd to Joseph Cotchin who is a farmer at Grovebury in Leighton Buzzard parish. On Wednesday about 4pm he left 33 sheep safe in a field called The Hill Ground. The next morning from what Thomas Cotchin told him he went to the Hill Ground and missed one sheep. He saw a place in the hedge where it had been carried through. He saw the footsteps of two men through the next field, across a lane and into another field where it appeared a sheep had been killed. [Describes distinguishing marks of both sets of footprints] The footsteps led into another field of turnips. They found a sheep skin in the briars of the hedge of this field. The head was gone. He can swear to the skin being that of the lost sheep from the ruddle mark. They traced the foot marks into the road leading from Slapton to Leighton. It appeared the sheep was dressed vey badly. They traced the marks on into the road to Billington from Leighton. They lost the marks, then found them again in the garden of John Geeves in Great Billington - now the marks of one pair of shoes only. In that garden they found some mutton tied up in a bag in the ground covered over with mould. There appeared to be the two hind quarters of a sheep. Christopher Kibble lives at Geeves house - Geeves is ill. They later went to George Hemley's garden . Thomas Cotchin brought a boiler out from a vacant garden adjoining his. In the boiler were two shoulders and other bits of mutton. The meat was salted. They did not find anything in Hemley's house. Thomas Hemley lives with George Hemley. The shoes of George Hemley produced he thinks will correspond to the marks they traced. The skin produced is the skin of the lost sheep found in the turnip field. He did not pattern George Hemley's shoes with the marks. The shoulders found seem to fit exactly with the skin. Joseph Cotchin - the sheep was his. He was with John Tack tracing the foot marks. He searched George Hemley's house and garden but did not find anything. In an adjacent unoccupied house he found a boiler containing shoulders and other bits of mutton. It was put in the ground and covered over with mould. He believes the shoes of George Hemley correspond with the marks they traced. The shoes of Thomas Hemley do not correspond with any of the marks. William Fowles, constable of Billington - on Thursday December 2 he went with Cotchin to search Thomas Hemley's house. He did not find anything. They then went to Geeve's house where Kibble lives. He searched the house and barn and did not find anything. He saw the footling in the garden which Cotchin said was one he had tracked. He dug up a bag containing two legs of mutton and the rest of the hind quarters of a sheep. Cotchin patterned them with the skin in his presence. Geeves was in the house ill. He gave them leave to search. When he found the mutton Geeves said he knew nothing about it. He searched the places near Hemley's. Just outside an unoccupied house next to Hemley's hed saw the mould disturbed. He dug there and found the copper boiler with 2 shoulders of mutton and the rest of the fore quarters of a sheep. He saw Cotchin fit the meat to the skin. He took the two Hemleys into custody. The ground where he dug up the boiler is a whitish clay. There was no boiler or anything of the kind in Hemley's house when he searched, nor any kettle or anything like it. James Sherwood, constable of Leighton - he believes Thomas Hemley is the tenant of the house where George Hemley lives. He believes also from information received that the copper boiler is the property of Thomas Hemley. 4 December ------------------- John Tack - on the previous Friday he saw Sherwood take off George Hemley's shoes. They were the same shoes he had on the Thursday before which he thought patterned with the marks. On Saturday he shewed Sherwood where the sheep was killed and the foot marks. he saw Sherwood fit the shoes to the marks in many places. Joseph Cotchin - on Saturday he went with Sherwood and saw him try George Hemley's shoes with the footmarks in many places. He has patterned the meat found in Geeve's garden and the boiler with the skin and both appear to fit. He heard his brother ask George Hemley to show his shoe which he did. It was dirty and his [Cotchin's] brother said he was not certain it was his shoe that made the marks. 10 December ---------------------- John Jeffs of Billington, labourer - he lives next door ot Thomas Hemley's. He has seen a copper boiler like this one stand against his door. The lid had a handle to it. He has seen Thomas Hemley wash dishes in it. He has only been in the house 2 or 3 times. He thinks this is the copper boiler he has seen Thomas Hemley use at his door. On Thursday 2 December about 8pm Thomas Hemley asked him to lend him a spade. He took it away and said he wanted it for about 10 minutes. He does not know what Hemley did with it or when he brought it back. In the evening he saw it with some light coloured clay on it. Ann Jeffs, wife of John Jeffs - she has seen a copper boiler stand at Thomas Hemley's door 3 or 4 times. She has seen him wash dishes in it. It was like the one produced. She saw it in the week the sheep was killed. Thomas Hemley brought the spade back about 1/4 hour after he borrowed it. James Sherwood - last Friday he took off George Hemley's shoes. On Saturday he went with Cotchin and the shepherd to the place where the sheep had been killed. He patterned the shoes with some footmarks. One pair of footmarks patterned exactly. Nearly all the marks were on a clayey soil and remained very clear. From the marks it appeared the man who wore these shoes pulled the sheep through the hedge and the other pushed it through. George Hemley - he was at Thomas Fountain's at Billington on the Wednesday night. They sat there until 10pm and he went home directly. He has no more to say. Thomas Hemley - he has nothing to say. He was never out of doors that night. He never saw any mutton come to his house. It is not his boiler. He never had such a thing. He had a brass kettle he sold 7 or 8 weeks ago for a shilling to Whiting of Leighton, just before he came to live where he does. He borrowed the spade to dig down the root of a tree to step on through the water. He has a tea kettle at home not so big as this - he washes his dishes in that most days.

item

Hemley, George,
Hemley, Thomas,
Tack, John,
Cotchin, Joseph,
Cotchin, Thomas,
Geeves, John,
Kibble, Christopher,
Sherwood, James,
Fowles, William,
Jeffs, John,
Jeffs, Ann,
Fountain, Thomas

LEIGHTON BUZZARD, Grovebury, BILLINGTON, Great Billington, stealing animals, sheep, shepherd, constable, kettle