QSR1842/4/5/12

Depositions and examination - Henry Marshall

22 July 1842

From: 1842 To: 1842

Summers Douglas - he is bailiff to William Fitzwilliam How of Aspley Guise. Marshall has been in his employ about 2 years as horsekeeper and ploughman. For some months past he has missed various tools, including a dung fork, a hay fork, an axe, a wood pottle measure and a wood half peck measure. He missed the hay fork after the last harvest. it was borrowed from John Hewlett and was marked J H. The dung fork was marked W F H on the stale and also on the socket. He missed the measures within the last fortnight, and the axe about 3 months ago. He has missed a great many things. On Tuesday night he went to Marshall's house and told Marshall he suspected he had some of the missing items and he intended to search his house. Marshall consented after he said he would fetch the policeman. He asked Marshall before searching if he had any of the things and he said he had not. He searched the house and found the hay fork behind the door, the two measures under the stairs and the axe in Marshall's wood barn at the end of the house. Marshall said he had them for only 2 or 3 days. He asked Marshall if he had the dung fork. He said he had nothing else on the place. Marshall went to his potatoes and carrots and told him to come and search. He told Marshall to come out as he was damaging his own property and that he would look himself. He found the dung fork lying down in the potatoes. About a month or 5 weeks ago he spoke to Marshall about the things being lost and he said he did not have anything. [Response to Marshall] It is quite false that Marshall said he had the things before he found them. If Marshall said he had the dung fork and pottle after he found the hay fork he did not hear him. William Smith - he is a labourer employed by Mr How. He knew several things hd been lost off the farm. He went with the bailiff to Marshall's house on Tuesday night. Douglas told Marshall he suspected he had the things that had been lost. Marshall said he did not and Douglas might search. Douglas searched and found the things now produced. He knows them to be Mr How's property except the hay fork which was borrowed from John Hewlet. When Douglas was looking for the dung fork Marshall told him he would not find anything there. Marshall at first said he had nothing at all, but when the hay fork was found he owned he had the pottle and the dung fork. Marshall showed Douglas an old hatchet and said it was the only one he had got. Douglas found the other after that in the barn. John McHugh, police constable no.34 - he took Marshall into custody that morning. As they were coming along to Woburn Marshall said he had taken the dung fork and the pottle measure last Wednesday, then said it was a week last Wednesday. He said he had the hay fork before May time when he got his faggots home and the hatchet for about a fortnight. He said the hay fork belonged to Mr Hewlet and that John Adams had been working with it on Mr How's premises. Marshall said he did ot steal them, but only took them to work with. Marshall did not say he intended to return them, but he understood that to be his meaning. Henry Marshall - he told Mr Summers before he found anything that he had the pottle and the dung fork. He also has the half peck there to catch the horses in the morning. When Marsall saw the hay fork he told him it was John Adams's and he had it to carry his faggots in. He told Douglas that he had the axe to chop a bit of wood with. He did not say that before Douglas found it. He told Douglas he would take them all back. He told Douglas so before he found them. Stealing them never entered his head. He told Douglas the dung fork was in the garden before he found it. He told Douglas he had it to dig a few potatoes with.

item

Marshall, Henry,
Douglas, Summers,
Smith, William,
Hewlett, John,
McHugh, John,
Adams, John

ASPLEY GUISE, WOBURN, stealing, agricultural implements, horsekeeper, ploughman, bailiff