QSR1852/2/5/12/a

Depositions of William Beach, police sergeant of Great Barford and Samuel Austin Peacock, farmer of Ravensden. In the case of Henry Loxley accused of stealing 125lb of hay.

4 February 1852

From: 1852 To: 1852

William Beach: he apprehended the accused at Ravensden. Loxley said he knew nothing of the charge and that Mr Peacock would not believe it to be him (and the then joint accused George Olerenshaw) if they had not borrow his cart that morning. Beach took their shoes and tried to match them to footprints found in Grange Wood Ravensden, near Mr Peacock’s house, but he could not pattern them. Samuel Austin Peacock: as he was going home on the night of 2 February, he met a man coming from the direction of his house, carrying something (hay). He went out of a gate into a field and lay down the hay. He ran after him and found some hay on that side of the gate and some in the bushes. He ran after the man and was near enough to see it was Henry Loxley. Peacock turned back and went to the hay. It was tied up and had been cut with a knife. There was a haystack about 16 chains from where he found the hay. He had noticed the hay was there in the day. He was in the habit of noticing as he had missed some before. Both of the accused had come to his house that morning asking to be lent a cart, and he later saw them in the field in which the haystack is.

item

Loxley, Henry,
Peacock, Samuel Austin,
Beach, William,
Olorenshaw, George

Great Barford, RAVENSDEN, stealing, hay