QSR1852/2/5/3-7

Depositions of : John Dover, yeoman of Toddington George Baker, plumber & Glazier, John Briden, tailor Charles Denton, licensed victualler George Gibbins, labourer James Hide, labourer of Toddington, William Clough, police constable of Hockcliffe, John Thorogood, police constable of Toddington, Edward Scott, police constable of Westoning John Quilty, police constable of Woburn, and Mary Ann Taylor, wife of Francis labourer of Toddington. In the case of Thomas Bushby, Thomas Cox, William Linger, John Martin & John Linger accused of stealing 12 bushels of barley

22 March 1852

From: 1852 To: 1852

John Dover: lived with his father Thomas, a farmer of Toddington. On 7 March sometime after midnight, he got up to check on the sheep in his fathers rick yard. As he went into the cow house, a man ran another door into the rick yard. He followed the man and caught him by the barn door. The man struck him twice over the head with a besom stick. He collared the man and dragged him towards his father’s house. The prisoner Thomas Bushby was the man. He called to someone and another man came out of the barn. Dover called for assistance, and the 2 men followed him with sticks. He made it back to the house, he later went out to the barn to see if anything was missing and he missed a quantity of barley. The men had been sifting the barley and had left the chaff. No barley had been previously sifted. He was sure the prisoner Bushby was the man who came out the cow house and struck him. He thought there had been 4 or more men in the bam as he found 4 or 5 sticks. On going to Cox's on 7 March he found sticks, and barley spikes sticking out of his hair and about his smock frock. He picked them from him and gave them to PC Scott. He asked prisoner Cox if he had been threshing and he said no. He discovered 12 bushels of barley had been stolen. There were also some wild oats and wheat missed with the barley. George Baker: a plumber of Toddington and his mother kept the Bell Inn, where he would assist her in serving the customers. On 6 March, 2 prisoners (Cox & Bushby) were in the Bell Inn for the greater part of the day. Around 2 or 3 o'clock they were joined by Francis Taylor, and the 3 men were in and out of house until 10 minutes before 11 o'clock when the house cleared. They all left together. Joseph Briden: on 6 March about 11 o'clock he saw Cox, Bushby, Taylor and another man and 2 or 3 women going towards Dunstable from the direction of the Bell Inn to the Angel Inn at Toddington. He heard one of the party say "It’s so damn light". He noticed as he knew some of the party were not of good repute. Charles Denton: kept the Angel Inn at Toddington. On 6 March, about 11 o'clock Cox, Bushby, William Linger and a man by the name of Taylor came into his house. They remained until 20 minutes before 12 o’clock, when they all left. It was unusual for Cox to come to his house. James Hide: a labourer in Mr Dover's employ. On 7 March he was going home from Mr Dover's when he was stopped by a man of the name of Taylor, William Linger and John Garner and they asked him what had been the matter at Old Park (Mr Dover's farm). He told them of the missing barley. One of the men said they had heard the young master had had his head broken. He told them he had been hurt. William Linger said "damn him he should have kept in the house and them he would not have been hurt". William Clough: police sergeant stationed at Hockcliffe. On 13 March he took Thomas Cox into custody. Cox said eh was innocent and had not been at the premises for some months. After the adjournment on 22 March, Cox and his wife were in a cell together at the station. Clough overheard Cox tell his wife that he would be "done this time" and that is was "the Lord's will". Cox and his wife left the cell and Martin and his wife were brought in. Clough overheard Martin say "Bushby done it". He later listened to a conversation between Cox and Martin about the involvement of Bushby and how they expected not to get bail. George Gibbin: was employed by Mr Dover. On 6 March he was at work on his master’s land when he heard someone call out. He went to them. He saw Cox and another man lending on the yard gate for about 5 minuets. John Thorogood: a police constable stationed in Toddington. On the morning of 7 March he went to Cox's house in Toddington. Cox was upstairs and appeared confused when he came down. Asked where he had been the previous night he replied at the Bell and at Denton's in the company of Bushby, Linger, a man called Taylor and Cox's wife's brother (Worker). He had left Denton's about 12 o’clock, went to get shaved and had not been out since. Cox had a spike of barley in his hair and on his frock. Dover asked him if he had been threshing but Cox said he did not work for anyone. The same morning he went to Bushby’s House and from there to his mother's house at Harlington, where Thorogood apprehended him. As they were leaving the house Bushby's sister said to him "I would split if I was you Tom. I would not suffer for all for you have suffered innocent one". Bushby replied "before I'll open I'll suffer for all". On 13 March he took a man by the name of Taylor into custody. Taylor said he was innocent but knew who was there and would tell all he knew. Taylor said he was in the company of Cox, Bushby and Linger on the night of the robbery. Bushby came to his house about 12 o’clock and pulled out a bunch of keys and showed them to him. He asked him to go with him but he refused and Taylor’s wife said she would split Bushby's head if he did not get out of the house. Earlier whilst in the Bell he had heard Cox say to Bushby that Jack Linger would meet them. On 19 March Thorogood took John Martin and John Linger into custody at Harlington. Martin was left in the custody of PC Scott whilst he searched Martin's house and barn. He found 2 bushels of barley meal and bean meal mixed a sack in the barn. He asked Martin's wife where it came from and she said she would not tell. He asked the prisoner then same. He also refused to reply. On returning to take the sack away he found Martins' wife removing meal from the sack. On 20 March he found 6 bushels of barley in the cow yard of Mr Griffin of Harlington. On 22 March after the adjournment of the case, he was at the station in Woburn, and heard William Linger say to his wife, "I am done now girl", and she told him not to fret. Bushby asked Linger what he thought of "old Frank", Jack Linger said "he is a receiver" and William Linger said they knew he was. Henry Ison Jebbett: superintendent of Police at Bedford. On the 15 March he was conveying Bushby from Bedford to Woburn, when Bushby asked Jebbett to tell his statement to the magistrates as he would tell it better. Bushby said that on 6 March he was drinking in the public house kept by Charles Denton in Toddington. Thomas Cox was there. Cox asked him if he would go to Old Park Farm and he said no. He understood Cox was to get some corn. On the following morning, John Garner called on him and said he expected William Linger and Thomas Cox to be taken as they had cracked Mr Dover's head last night. Garner asked him if the police had been to his house and he said yes. Bushby also said his wife had told him, when he got home, that William Linger had called for him to go down to Old Park. Edward Scott: on 7 March he was in Mr Dover’s kitchen with the prisoner Bushby. Mr Dover's son asked Bushby a number of questions regarding whether he knew their tasker and where he lived. Bushby told Scott he thought Dover's son thought that Twindell (the tasker) was as "bad as we are". On the same morning, Scott went with Thorogood to Cox's house. Cox appeared to have barley spike in his hair and smock frock. On 15 March, Francis Taylor told Scott he believed Cox had gone to Harlington the Saturday before the robbery to see John Linger and John Martin with the aim of arranging to meet them at the prosecutors that night. Bushby was present when this was said, and agreed it to be true. Bushby then said that he may as well say he was there for there was no use in denying it. After William Linger and Thomas Cox were examined on 15 October, Scott overheard their conversation at Woburn Station house. They talked of their regret at being involved and their disbelief that "old Frank" would turn out like this. Cox also said he would have changed his smock before seeing the policemen if he had had the time. Francis Taylor: a labourer of Toddington. On 16 March about half past 10 in the morning he was at the Bell Inn with Cox and was at the same place about half past 10 in the evening. Bushby, Cox and William Linger were there. Cox said to Bushby “Jack Linger will meet us there and we must soon go”. They all went from the Bell to the Angel Inn. They had beer together and about a quarter to 12 they left the inn. Bushby followed him to his house and asked him to go with him. He refused and Bushby showed him some keys which he said were worth a sovereign to him. Taylor’s wife interfered and would not let him go and threatened to break Bushby’s head. Bushby left. On 7 March, after the robbery, he was with john Garner and William Linger. They met James hide and Garner asked him what had occurred at Old Park Farm. Hide said a quantity of barley had been lost. William Linger said “Mr Dover has got his head cracked I suppose hasn’t he”. On 8 March whilst in the cell at the station house with Bushby, Bushby said that Taylor had no business being there for it was Cox that went to Harlington and met John Linger and John Martin. Mary Ann Taylor: on 6 March about midnight, Bushby came to her husband’s house. She had previously been to the Angel public house to fetch her husband. Bushby came in and asked her husband to go out. Bushby took some keys from his pocket and shook them at her husband and said they were worth a sovereign any time. She took hold of the poker and told Bushby if he did not leave she would split his head. He left immediately. John Quilty: a policeman stationed at Woburn. On 20 March he overheard the conversation of John Linger and John Martin in one of the cells. They talked of the night and how they were best to deny being there and that had it not been for Frank nobody would know they were involved. The superintended came into the cell and told the men Bushby had told of their involvement to save himself. When he left the men said “would not Mr Young like to get it out of us”. Linger said “we can’t blame them they are only doing their duty”. On 22 March Mr Young again entered the cell and told the men 2 sack of barley had been found in a field. After Young left Linger & Martin discussed their journey home that night and whether they may have been seen.Statements of the accused - Thomas Bushby: nothing to say John Linger: said he thought it hard for him to be judged and he was innocent and William Linger's wife had come to him ask8ing if he would carry the barley from where it was hidden. Thomas Cox assaulted Mr Dover and kept him away until William Linger had taken away the barley. William Lingers wife wanted John Linger to fetch it from where William had hidden it. Thomas Cox: Thomas Bushby was not guilty of hitting Mr Dover or interfering with him at all. John Linger was not there. John Martin was not there. He said he was guilty of the charge. William Linger: he was not guilty. His wife and a young woman had got him up to bed after he had left Denton's house as he was drunk. This was about 1 o’clock and he went nowhere else. He had drunk with Bushby, Cox and Taylor earlier in the evening. John Martin: he had been home since about half past 6 and did not go out again that night.

item

Dover, John,
Dover, Thomas,
Baker, George,
Briden, John,
Denton, Charles,
Gibbins, George,
Hide, James,
Clough, William,
Thorogood, John,
Scott, Edward,
Quilty, John,
Taylor, Mary Ann

TODDINGTON, Toddington Angel, Toddington Bell, Woburn Police Station, Hockcliffe, WOBURN, WESTONING, stealing, barley, tailor, plumber, glazier, yeoman