Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1843/1/5/48/a
  • Title
    Depositions - Valentine Fosket, charged with stealing a bag containing a quantity of tea and coffee from Christopher Smith Shannon
  • Date free text
    16 December 1842
  • Production date
    From: 1842 To: 1843
  • Scope and Content
    Christopher Smith Shannon of Tavistock Street, St Paul, Bedford, tea dealer - on Thursday evening 15 December he was at Mr Field's public house at Stevington. He had a bag of tea and coffee in separate paper parcels and a velvet bag containing a book. He got up to leave and missed his bag. He had 7lb 14 ounces of tea divided into 32 parcels of a quarter of a pound each. The coffee consisted of 5lbs in paper of a quarter of a pound each. Fosket was sitting in the house while he was there. From information given him by Mr Field he caused Fosket to be apprehended. He did not see his bag or its contents again until it was produced that morning by police constable Neal. He is sure it is the same bag he lost and there is nothing missing from it. When he went in to Field's he put his bag on the bench. Fosket sat near it but he did not see him touch it. He did not see Fosket leave the house. Elizabeth Field wife of Alexander Field of Stevington, retail beer seller - he remembers Shannon coming into her house yesterday afternoon about 5pm with the velvet parcel. She saw Fosket come in about 10 or 15 minutes past 6 and sit down on the bench near Shannon's bag. She saw Fosket go out of the house about 20 minutes to 7. She observed he had something large under his coat or in his pocket. He went sideways with his hand holding his pocket up as he went from the tap room door to the front door. She heard him speak to the people to make way as he passed. About 7pm Shannon inquired where his pack was. She told him what she had seen. Fosket came back about 20 minutes later, after the pack was missing. Fosket was the only person she saw leave the house after Shannon came in before the pack was missing. After Fosket came in the second time she went to him and asked him what he had in his pocket the first time he came in. He said he had no more in his pocket then than at that time. She said "you had something very large either in your pocket or underneath your coat when you went out and I believe you are the person that had the pack". He said he never had it and had nothing in his pocket or under his coat when he went out. She knew that was wrong. William Byers Graham, superintendant of police - from information he recieved he took the prisoner's left shoe off his foot that morning as soon as it was light and went to a field where he understood the pack had been deposited. He saw foot marks from the gate towards the place where Neal the policeman said he had found the pack. He patterned the shoe with the footmarks. There were two particular nails that exactly corresponded with impressions in the earth. The only other impressions were made by Neal and a little boy, the son of the prisoner. Ebenezer Brown of Stevington, labourer - last night about 7pm he saw Fosket come out of Field's house and go round the house end. He thought he had got something under his coat. It seemed to be something large. He did not speak to Fosket. When he went round the house end Fosket went in the direction of the field where he heard the pack was found. Joseph Neal, no.25 of the Beds Rural Police - from information he received between 12pm and 1am last night he went to Chellington to the Royal Oak where he obtained further information. He then went with Shannon to Fosket's house in Carlton and took the prisoner's son, a child about 10 years old, into custody. Fosket was not then present. The boy went with him to a field near Mr Keech's farm in Stevington about 1/4 mile from Field's house. The boy went with him and showed him where the parcel lay. It was concealed in a bush amidst some sedge grass. He took the parcel and showed it to Shannon who owned it. Where the parcel lay there was a gap in the hedge. He pointed out to Graham the place where he found the pack. He was not present when Graham compared the prisoner's shoe with the foot mark. Thomas Tomkins of Stagsden, servant - he was at Field's house last night from 5 to 7. He saw Fosket there with his son. He did not see either of them go out. William Barton, constable of the parish of Stevington - by order of Mrs Field he went into her house last night to quiet a row. Shannon directed him to take Fosket into custody on a charge of sealing his pack and he did so. Fosket said he knew nothing about it. Simon Fosket, aged 10 years, son of the prisoner - he was with his father at Mr Field's last night after the people had done work. He came away with his father. He saw him bring the teaman's pack away with him. He took it in the field and laid it down there. His father went over a gate into the field and he stayed in the road. His father came out of the field and went back to Stevington and he went on home. That morning between 2 and 3am he went with the policeman to the place where his father laid the parcel down. Joseph Neal (further information) - after Fosket was in custody he searched him and found some small pieces of bread in a bag. Fosket said that was all he had in his pocket when he went out of the house. There might be 6 or 7 oz of bread. It was so small that if in his pocket it would not have been noticed.
  • Level of description
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