QSR1842/1/5/45-48

Depositions and examinations - James Faunch [Fanch], James Elgerton, Samuel Kempster and William Banks

22 December 1841

From: 1841 To: 1842

William Horn - he keeps the Dukes Head Public House at Heath & Reach. On Monday night 20 December 2 men came in at about 9pm and had some beer and bread and cheese. Both said in his presence they had got out of the Union House and that they must get back by 10pm or they could not get in. They did not leave his house until 10pm or a few minutes after. No one sleeps in his house except his wife and himself. They went to bed about 11pm. The outer doors, windows and the cellar flap which opens into the yard were all made fast. In the morning he saw the cellar flap was up. He went into the cellar and missed a hare, a piece of pickled pork (about 4 or 5 lbs), some bacon (about 14 or 15 lbs), 4 stone bottles, and a potato fork. A hogshead barrel in the cellar was left running. It appeared they had filled the bottles with beer from the barrels. The cellar is part of the house, under the parlour. Entry was made by focing up the cellar flap. It was not broken. He informed Bundy the police constable at Leighton. He went with Bundy to the Union Workhouse and informed the master. The master soon afterwards brought to him 2 of the stone bottles he had lost, a small part of the pork which was stolen, and some bacon he has no doubt is his - also a hare he cannot identify. While the two men were in his house they talked together. They had a sack or bag with them like the one produced. The bottle produced by Sherwood is his and was stolen on Monday night. The beer in it is the same kind as the beer in his cellar. Thomas Bromley, Master of the Union Workhouse at Leighton - the usual time of locking up the wards is 8pm. The porter reported to him as was his duty that it was done on Monday night. Fanch, Elgerton, Kempster and Banks were inmates of the house that night. He was Faunch go into the day room yesterday morning between 6 and 7am. From information received of a robbery at Horn's he searched the men's Day Ward. In one of the privies attached to the ward he found 3 stone bottles - 2 of them are now produced, the 3rd is broken. In the coal place he found the piece of pickled pork, and under the roof he found 4 or 5 pieces of bacon. In another privy of the same ward he found the hare, tied up in the bag and stretched along the rafters. The four men were all inmates of the Day Ward where the things were found. It is easy for persons to get out of the sleeping wards of these men and out of the house altogether. There were altogether about 30 men in the sleeping rooms in the same balcony. There were about 20 men in the same day ward as the prisoners. Yesterday morning he saw some slight fresh marks on the front gates of persons having got over. James Sherwood, parish constable of Leighton - yesterday he was searching the Workhouse for some stolen horsehair and in doing so they found the bottles, bacon and pork, and the hare and bag produced by Bromley. The other bottle he dug out of the ground in the garden attached to the day ward where the other things were found. There is beer in the bottle. Jabez Cosby - he is an inmate of the Leighton Union House. On Monday evening just after supper at about 6.30 James Fanch and James Elgerton got over the wall of the yard and went away. He went to bed in the room where Fanch, Kempster and William Banks sleep. At about 1 o'clock Kempster and Banks got up, put on their clothes and went out of the room. An hour or so after they went he heard the rattle of the Mail Train engine. About 4am he was woken by Banks. Banks and Kempster had a bottle in their hand, which they told him to drink. He did drink some beer. It was a stone bottle like those produced. He thinks it was 4am because he heard a train soon after. Fanch was there. He had his clothes on as if he had come in then. He did not see Elgerton at this time. Fanch got a light out of the sick ward and lit his pipe. When the bell rang they all went down and Fanch carried down the bag with some things in it. Banks, Kempster and Fanch carried a bottle each. When they were downstairs Fanch buried the bottle produced by Sherwood in the garden. Kempster put two of the other bottles on a ledge in the privy and put the other into the privy hold. Kempster cut up some bacon and pork which they took out of the bag. Fanch held a candle. Elgerton sat beside them and had some of the bacon. He did not see the hare. All four of them broiled some of the bacon and pork. Kempster put the bacon which was not used under the roof of the day room. He did not see any put in the coal hole. He does not know what was done with the bag. He never heard them say where they got it from. They said they had been and fetched it and would have some more about Friday. Jame Fanch - he knows nothing about the concern at all. He did carry the bacon downstairs. He does not deny he was out of the House. He came right away from Mr Horn's in the evening and went to Mr Barker's, then to the Union. He does not know where the bacon and bottles came from. Cosby is the worst of all. He is the greatest rogue of all. James Elgerton - he had some beer at Horn's, went away to Leighton and went to bed. He does not know anything about the bacon or the beer. Samuel Kempster - no one can say he went out of the house or came in. He does not know anything about the bacon or beer. Cosby has been out himself four times. William Banks - he knows nothing about it. No one can say he went downstairs. Cosby is the biggest rogue of the lot.

item

Fanch, James,
Elgerton, James,
Kempster, Samuel,
Banks, William,
Horn, William,
Sherwood, James,
Cosby, Jabez

HEATH & REACH, LEIGHTON BUZZARD, Heath & Reach Dukes Head, burglary, beer, hare, bacon, pork, Poor Law Union Workhouses, Master of the workhouse, parish constables