Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1853/3/5/14,15,16,21,22/b
  • Title
    Depositions of George Golds, carpenter of Luton, Alfred Atherton Murfin, police constable of Luton, Mary Smith a married woman and Norman Snoxall, police constable of Luton. In the case of William Langley, Charles Langley, Francis Langley, accused of stealing 436 scores of straw plait & in the case of Ann Langley & James Brown accused of receiving straw plait knowing it to be stolen.
  • Date free text
    6 June 1853
  • Production date
    From: 1853 To: 1853
  • Scope and Content
    Alfred Atherton Murfin: on 2 June he went to Mr White's premises and found the padlock of the straw chest had been forced open. He went to the prisoner Brown's home with Mr White. All the other prisoners lived in that house. Ann, Charles and William Langley were there, and Francis Langley came in shortly afterwards. He told them they were all suspected of stealing a quantity of straw plait. They said they had not and there was not straw plait in the house. He asked the mother where Charles was the night before and she said he was home by 10 o'clock. He asked her where Brown was and she said he had gone to work shortly before they had arrived. He asked Charles if he had been at the Dukes Head the night before and he said he had. He asked him if he had gone out into the yard. He said he had but not for more than a minute. He searched the house upstairs and as soon as he opened the stairs door he smelt a strong smell. He went to the back room and found plait, including 2 bundles of twisted edge plait. On a box by the side he found hammers. Some of the plait was wrapped in a shawl which he had seen Ann Langley wear when she had visited Charles Langley at the police station, when he was in custody on another charge. He asked Francis who slept in the bed and he said his brothers and they had slept there the night before. He went to the front room and found a bunch of twisted edge plait. Francis Langley said his brother Charles had bought the plait in the market on Monday for this mother to make up and it had been in the front room since. He came downstairs and Mr White went up. White identified the plait as the missing plait. He told White to go to the front room and Mrs Langley said "blast you Charles have you taken some of the plait into my room". He told her that Francis had said it had been bought at the market, and she accused Francis of telling a lie. Francis said "how the hell did I know what to say". He took all the Langley's into custody, and they all denied the charge. At the police station he took William & Charles's shoes. He traced 2 people footmarks at Mr White's across the garden over a fence in the direction of the prisoner’s home. He found the shoes of Charles Langley to match one of the sets of prints. Norman Snoxall: on 2 June he took the prisoner James Brown into custody and told him there was a quantity of straw plait found in his house belonging to Mr White. He said he knew nothing of it. Next day he took William Langley's boot to Mr Harris garden and found they corresponded to new footmarks. There were the footmarks of 2 people in the garden. Mary Smith: resided at Tower Hill, Luton nearly opposite Mr Harris's house. On 1 June between 11 and 12 o'clock she was standing in the street and saw 2 persons standing inside Mr Harris's gateway, dressed in dark clothes. There was another person standing outside against the gate, with a light jacket on and a cap. He was older than the other two. He heard the 2 men call to the other "come in" 2 or 3 times. George Golds: one of the parish constables. In 2 June he was at Constable Murfin’s house, which adjoined the police station. He heard someone talking in the cells. He heard Mrs Langley say ‘this is a pretty job’, and the prisoner Brown said ‘yes it was a bad job’. Mrs Langley said ‘Charles can clear us’, and then said to Charles Langley 'you must clear us Charles'. Charles said that it was all square. Brown told Charles he must make it all right for them. Charles said they would be acquitted.
  • Level of description
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