QSR1853/1/5/22/a

Depositions of William Anstee, farmer of Toddington and Solomon Gurney, police constable of Houghton Regis. In the case of William Humphreys accused of stealing potatoes.

13 December 1852

From: 1852 To: 1853

William Anstee: on 18 December he missed some potatoes which belonged to his father John Anstee. They were lying in a field in Charlton. The potatoes had been ploughed up and were lying on the ground. Constable Gurney came the same morning they were missed and asked if they had lost any potatoes. Gurney showed him some potatoes which Anstee identified as missing from the field. Solomon Gurney: on the evening of 9 December he saw the prisoner coming through the church yard, on the footpath coming from Charlton. He had something in his arms. Gurney asked to see and he was told it was just a turnip or two. Gurney turned his light on and saw it to be a basket of potatoes and asked where they were from. Humphreys said he had pulled them from Scroggs field. Gurney took them from him and on Friday went to Mr Anstees to enquire if any potatoes had been taken. William Anstee identified the potatoes as his father’s property. The prisoner was taken into custody but denied the charge. On their way to Dunstable, Humphrey said that Earl, a man who he had previous seen at Gurney's house, had not seen him go into Anstee's field. Humphrey’s said he had been looking for watercress and seen Earl standing there. Gurney later overheard Humphreys tell Constable Sharpe that from where Earl had stood to the potato field, was a similar distance to the lock up to George Fields house (about a furlong). On 13 December, Humphrey was heard to say "I know they can not send me for trial as the potatoes were not under lock and key or in a pit". Later that evening when his wife visited him, the prisoner said to her that they were bringing another charge against him for stealing potatoes on Tuesday. She replied that he had only gone on Wednesday and Thursday. The prisoner said he thought he would be fined a sovereign and sent to Bedford for a month. They also discussed the whereabouts of "old Jem" and how they expected they were after him too.

item

Humphreys, William,
Anstee, William,
Anstee, John,
Gurney, Solomon

TODDINGTON, HOUGHTON REGIS, farmers, potatoes, stealing