QSR1842/3/5/44/a

Depositions - William Leech of Cranfield charged with assaulting Charles Flint in the execution of his office and stealing his staff

4 June 1842

From: 1842 To: 1842

Charles Flint, constable no.7 of the county of Bedford - he was on duty the previous night at Cranfield. Between 12 and 1am he saw William Leach, Joel Johnson, Thomas Minard and Absolom Millard in the Town Street. They stood in the road and he told them to go home. They refused to go. He laid hold of Joel Johnson and they went down together. He was kicked 2 or 3 times. When he got up again the men all went together up the village. About 10 minutes later they came back again and he saw them take a wooden bottle of beer from the hedge by the roadside. They went down the village again and he went across the fields. He heard them whistling, dancing, holloaing and making a great noise and disturbance. He went across the fields to them and saw Johnson and Millard go into Foskett's house in Foskett's Garden. By order of Mr Abbott who lives in part of Foskett's house he discharged them off his premises. The four then stood together on the road. He ordered them to go home. Absolom Millard said he would be beggared if he would go home for any body, and that he had as much right to be on the King's Highway as he [Flint] had. He then went up to Leach and desired him to go. Leach said he would not. He caught hold of Leach's collar to shove him to go. Leach caught hold of his coat and tore it. Absolom Millard kept blackguarding him. He let go of Leach and told Millard to go home. He shoved Millard by his collar. Millard then struck him on the eye. He was knocked down by the blow. He was kicked on his knee when he was down, and received several kicks and blows. He cannot say which of them struck him but they were all round him and taking part in the attack. When he got up he felt for his truncheon which should have been in his pocket but it was gone. He was quite spent and could do no more. His thumb was sprained. He again told them to go home and said he would use other means another day. He said nothing about his truncheon then as he thought it might have fallen out of his pocket by the roadside and they would go and look for it and take it. They then went away. The truncheon produced is the one he lost. From information given to him by John Odell he went in pursuit of Leach into the fields at Whalley. Mr Foskett went with him and asked Leach what he had done with the stick. Leach at first claimed not to know what he meant, but later pulled the truncheon out of a hedge. Leach said he only took the truncheon as a joke and intended to give it back. John Odell of Cranfield, farmer - that morning about 4am he met Leach in the village of Cranfield with Thomas Minards about 100 yards behind him. As Leach passed he took particular notice of him in consequence of what Flint the policeman had told him, and he saw a constable's truncheon sticking partly out of Leach's coat pocket. Leach was trying to cover it with his hand. He later met Flint and told him what he had seen.

item

Leech, William,
Flint, Charles,
Johnson, Joel,
Minards, Thomas,
Millard, Absalom,
Foskett,
Abbott

CRANFIELD, assault, theft, farmer, police constable