QSR1843/1/5/26/a

Deposition of William Thompson of Biggleswade, market gardener and carrier - John Barcock of Biggleswade, labourer and chapman

12 November 1842

From: 1842 To: 1843

That morning Saturday 12 November about 7.30am he went to a barn in his occupation about 20 or 30 yards from his house. He found the barn door unfastened. There were two carts in the lower part of the barn and a quantity of onions in the loft above. He saw some onions lying scattered about on the floor below and some blood and the heel of a man's shoe against the cash sheet, from which he concluded that some man had got up in to the loft to steal the onions and had fallen down and hurt himself. He fetched his neighbour, Samuel Taylor. He learned from him that John Barcock had been that morning to the shop of Mr Marsh the chemist to have a fresh wound in his face dressed. This made him look out for John Barcock. About 9am he saw him carrying a sack on his shoulder which looked as if full of onions. Mr Taylor was with him, and they stopped Barcock and asked what he had got. He could feel that they were onions, he thinks about a bushel and a half. They resemble the onions in his loft in every respect. He gave Barcock into custody. He then took the shoe heel he found in the barn to the superintendent of police Mr Blunden. He saw Mr Blunden compare the heel with the shoe on Barcock's foot. The shoe had lost its heel and the heel he gave Mr Blunden fitted it exactly. There is a wound on Barcock's left temple with a plaister on it. He took the onions from Barcock. They are worth about 6 or 7 shillings. He has lost a considerable quantity out of the loft, perhaps as much as half a ton. The onions in his loft were not picked over, the refuse was among them. The onions found on Barcock are in the same state.

item

Barcock, John,
Thompson, William,
Taylor, Samuel,
Blunden, Edwin,
Marsh

BIGGLESWADE, stealing, onions, market gardeners, chemist, chapman