QSR1843/3/5/22

Depositions and examination - James Fanch charged with stealing a two tined stable fork

20 June 1843

From: 1843 To: 1843

James Humbles of Leighton Buzzard, labourer - he is employed by Mr Edward Proctor, a farmer at Leighton Buzzard. On 13 June he was at work in his master's barn using a two tined fork, his own property. The fork had a sallow handle with the bark on. He left hs fork in the barn in the afternoon when he left the job. The next morning William Paine, his master's horsekeeper, told him that he had his fork on the night of the 13th and it had been taken from the stable during the night. He did not see his fork again until 19th June when he saw the tines, an iron ferrel and a small portion of the handle at the house of Henry Humble, who had previously told him he had a pair of tines he could let him have. When he saw the tines he identified them as his own property. He knows them particularly by a piece of iron which has been laid on the shank of the tines. After he had brought the tines from Henry Humbles, Henry Humbles came to his master's house and stated that James Fanch was going past his house and asked him to let him leave them there. William Paine - he is horsekeeper to Mr Edward Proctor and lives at Leighton. In the afternoon of 13 June he fetched a fork belonging to James Humbles from a barn in which he had been working and took it to his stable where he left it on leaving his work that night at about 9pm. All the other men and boys had gone home. He shut the stable door when he left and latched it. When he went again the next morning about 5am (before the other workpeople come) he found the door pushed to but not latched and saw James Humbles' fork had been taken away. He has no doubt the tines now produced are from the fork he left in the stable. Henry Humbles - he is a labourer living at Leighton. About 4 or 5pm on Sunday 18th June James Fanch came to his house and brought with him a pair of fork tines with an iron ferrel and a small portion of a handle attached and asked to leave them at his house. He agreed. Fanch remained at his house a short time and then left leaving the tines with him, without saying anything about what he was to do with them. He did not buy them from Fanch or attempt to do so. Fanch never came to his house afterwards and he has not spoken to him since. The tines he offered to let James Humbles have are apair of his own which are now at his house. He is sure the tines produced are the ones he received from Fanch. [Response to Fanch]. Fanch did not offer them to him for a pint of beer adn did not say he found them in the ditch. Fanch did not stop and sleep at his house - that is, Fanch laid down in the house. Fanch left at 5am Monday morning. He can't say if Fanch had the fork in his hands or not when he came in. He asked Fanch no questions James Sherwood, constable of Leighton Buzzard - on 14 June Mr Edward Proctor sent for him in consequence of his henhouse having been broken open in the night of the 13th and some fowls stolen. He and Mr Proctor watched two fowls which had been killed and hidden under a wheat barn. Proctor also told him a fork belonging to James Humbles had been stolen from his stable the same night. Yesterday evening he apprehended James Fanch on the charge of entering Proctor's stable and stealing a fork. Fanch said he knew nothing about it and resisted the apprehension as much as he could. When Fanch was in custody and after being cautioned he said he found the fork in a field and took it to Henry Humbles and asked to leave it there. Fanch said this was about 3pm on Sunday. Fanch also said he went back to Henry Humbles' between 8 and 9pm and stayed in the house during the night on a sack. Fanch stated that he sold the fork to Henry Humbles for a pint of beer and that Humbles' wife fetched him the beer. James Fanch - he found the tines lying in a ditch on the Sunday. He left them at Humbles' house the same day. He gave them to Humbles and they had some beer and drank together.

item

Fanch, James,
Humbles, James,
Paine, William,
Humbles, Henry,
Sherwood, James,
Proctor, Edward

LEIGHTON BUZZARD, stealing, agricultural implements, farmer, farm labourer, horsekeeper