QSR1843/3/5/49-50

Depositions and examinations - James Billington and Joseph Bunstead charged with stealing tares from John Brown

28 June 1843

From: 1843 To: 1843

Thomas Robert Brown of St Paul Bedford, butcher - he lives with his father who is a butcher living in the parish of St Paul. His father occupies some land and a homestead in the parish of St Peter. On Monday 26 June about 6.30pm he was haymaking and was going up cottags in the Kimbolton Road. Seeing a waggon near his father's stables he went by it on his way. He saw Billington go into the stable with an empty sack. He went into the road and watched. He was about 6 yards from the stable. He heard Billington say "come over" as if speaking to a horse. Billington soon came out with the sack full of something. When Billington saw him he laid the sack down and went in a different direction. He went up to the stable and opened the sack and saw it contained tares. While he was looking at them Billington returned and asked what he was going to do with them. He told Billington he would have the sack and its contents as they were his father's property. Billington swore he should not take them but he would not give them up. Billington said he had brought the tares 16 miles. He believes the tares in the sack were his father's. They had a great many thistles among them and were in bloom, much like those in his father's field. Joseph Bumstead was standing beside the waggon about 4 yards off watching and they left together with their waggon. James Billington of St Peter Bedford, labourer - he generally puts his horses in Mr Brown's stable when they go to the Brickhills. He carried an arm full of tares into the stable for the horses to eat. After he had laid them down Mr Green's men where he was going to deliver some sand told him to draw the sand away from where it stood to a field some distance off. He took the sack and put his bit of tares into it. There might have been a handfull or two of Mr Brown's. Bumstead went with him to assist him that day as he was not well. Josesph Bumstead of St Peter Bedford, labourer - Billington took some tares from his waggon into the stable for his horses. When an order came for the sand to go down to the field he went into the stabel and the tares into a sack to take away.

item

Billington, James,
Bumstead, Joseph,
Brown, John,
Brown, Thomas Robert

Bedford St.Paul, stealing, tares, butcher