QSR1843/1/5/44-45/a

Depositions - Joseph Pestell, miller, and Josiah Pestell, shoemaker, of Bourn (Cambs)

13 December 1842

From: 1842 To: 1843

Joseph White of Bolnhurst, farmer - last Thursday morning he was informed by Thomas Pestell who was threshing wheat for him in a barn in his occupation that some wheat had been stolen from the heap in the night. He went to the barn and saw that about 3 bushels had been taken. The wheat was in the chaff and the value of the quantity taken would be about 10s or 12s. The wheat now produced by police constable Dale appears like the wheat in the heap. The rest of his wheat is all dressed. The sample of wheat from which the chaff has been blown appears in quality like the other wheat produced. As soon as the loss was made known to him he requested the parish constable to try to discover who had stolen it. Thomas Pestell of Bolnhurst, farmer - he was threshing wheat for Joseph White in a barn near his house. On Wednesday night he had left a quantity of wheat in the chaff in the heap. The barn door which opens out into his yard was not locked. He has not locked it for years. Between 7 and 8am on Thursday he saw a quantity of wheat had been taken from the heap, perhaps about 2 1/2 bushels. He informed Mr White. He had no reason to suspect any person. The two prisoners, who are his own sons, had not been at his house on the Wednesday. Joseph had been with him on the Sunday, but left on Monday morning and he had not seen him since. The wheat in the chaff produced by Dale appears like the wheat he had threshed. The wheat in the sample produced by Dale appears like the wheat from the sack when the chaff is blown from it. James Wiles of Bolnhurst, labourer - he was in Bolnhurst village going towards his home last Wednesday at about 9.30pm. He met 2 persons in a cart drawn by one horse. He wished them good night. He saw the persons in the cart and thought it was Joseph Pestell who was driving. He knows Joseph Pestell's cart and thought it was his. They were going towards Thomas Pestell's house. Charles Dale, constable of the rural police - from information received he suspected the prisoners had stolen Mr White's wheat and went to the house where they live at Bourn on Saturday. He told them what he wanted. After some time Joseph Pestell said the wheat was in the mill in his occupation. He said this in the presence of Josiah. He found the wheat in the mill in a sack with a quantity of clean wheat on top in the same sack. The clean wheat was taken away and the wheat in the chaff put into another sack. Both the prisoners appeared much hurt - they acknowledged taking the wheat. John Whitmee of Bolnhurst, farmer - on Thursday morning he took a sample of wheat from the heap in Pestell's barn. He fanned it and put it into a bag and gave it to police constable Dale. The wheat in the sack appears the same kind.

item

Pestell, Joseph,
Pestell, Josiah,
White, Joseph,
Pestell, Thomas,
Wiles, James,
Whitmee, John,
Dale, Charles

Bourn [Cambridgeshire], BOLNHURST, stealing, wheat, miller, shoemaker, farmer, police constable, threshing