QSR1843/4/5/8

Depositions and examination - William Brooks charged with stealing one lamb from Boteler Chernoke Smith

4 August 1843

From: 1843 To: 1843

William Warr of Holcut, labourer - he is shepherd for Revd Boteler Chernocke Smith who occupies a little land at Hulcote. In Stonor's Close there were 21 sheep and lambs on Tuesday evening - all half bred Leicesters except 2 Welsh. On Wednesday morning he missed a lamb, one of the half bred Leicesters. He also missed a heifer from the Close. He searched all the closes around but did not find anything. He could see the mark in the hedge where he thinks 2 men went through. He later applied to Taylor the police constable and he searched for a while, then left to go to Cranfield. He found nothing that day. Next day he went round all the hedges round about and could see from the ground where some people had trod the day before. In a wheat field of Mr William Readmans he found the entrails of a lamb in one of the furrows. He got the policeman and they measured the footmarks about the entrails which led to the place. While they were doing this they saw a man in the wheat field. He saw him go near the place, stoop down and pick something up, wrap it in a cloth and put it in his pocket. They were skulking under the wheat and the man came near to them. The man saw him and ran away. He ran after him and saw him take something out of his pocket and throw it away. Taylor caught the man - it was William Brooks. He asked Brooks what he threw away - he answered "two or three snares". He picked it up - it was the suet off the kidney of a lamb. He has not found the skin or head or any other part. The hurdles in the field where the sheep were had been moved, he thinks because the persons who stole the lamb had folded them to catch it. He saw the mark of a shoe there. The entrails now produced by Mr Turle correspond with those found in the field. He has no doubt they are the entrails of a lamb and the two parts together make the all the entrails. He pointed out to PC Wild the particular footmark in the fold and he covered it over with some wood. Robert Henry Taylor, police constable - on Wednesday morning he examined the place and could see some marks of some persons going through the hedge. He saw the mark of a shoe in one part of the field where the sheep had apparently been folded. He went to Cranfield to make further enquiries but did not find out anything. The next morning he went with the shepherd to a wheat field of Mr William Readman's on the way to Cranfield 3 or 4 fields away from the field where the lamb was taken. They saw the marks of several shoes. They traced these marks to the Baulk which leads to Cranfield. They found the entrails of a recently killed lamb. They saw a man going to and fro in the wheat,, looking about and eventually picking something up. The shepherd ran after him and the man ran away. He saw the man pull something from his pocket wrapped in a white cloth and throw it into the wheat. He collared him and the shepherd identified him as William Brooks. He searched Brooks and found a knife. They found the kidney fat of a lamb at the place where Brooks threw something away. The soles of Brooks' shoes appeared to correspond with the marks they had seen. The knife has some fat and blood inside the haft. He took Brooks to Woburn and left him in the custody of PC Wild. He went to Cranfield with Superintendent Turle and they searched the house of [blank] Cripps where Brooks lodged. He later showed the footmark in the field where the sheep were, the footmarks in the wheat field and where the entrails were found to PC Wild . He patterned some shoes with the marks. He believes these shoes were found on Brooks' feet. He had measured one of the marks with his stick before he saw Brooks and the length was exactly the same as Brooks' shoes. Robert Turle, superintendent of police, Woburn division - on Thursday 3 August he went to Cranfield and with Cripps' permission searched his house where Brooks lodged. He did not find anything where Brooks slept. In the garden he found a piled heap of grass. He kicked it over and found a sack containing part of the entrails of a lamb, part of the small guts and the paunch (now produced). He later went with PC Taylor to Readman's field where he matched them with the entrails found there - they appeared to belong to the same animal. From information received he took Blunt into custody. he asked if he had been in company with William Brooks of Cranfield. Blunt said he had not seen Brooks for some time and the last time was in a public house. After cautioning him Blunt said he had not see Brooks for a week. He had not tried to pattern Blunt's shoes to any of the footmarks. James Wild, police constable - he went to Holcot on Wednesday afternoon and examined the place. The shepherd pointed out one particular footmark which he covered over. He received the prisoner Brooks from Taylor on Thursday afternoon. He took Brooks' shoes and went with Turle and Taylor to Cranfield. He assisted in searching Brooks' lodgings. In some bushes under the window of the room where Brooks slept he found a jacket (produced). The bushes are on Cripps' premises. The jacket has marks of recent blood on the skirts and on the sleeves, and marks of dirt from the paunch of a sheep. In the pocket was a whetstone with blood on it. Cripps said the jacket belonged to Brooks. He believes Cripps is uncle to Brooks. He went to the wheat field and was shown the entrails. He saw the footmarks of right and left shoes. He made an impression with the left shoe of Brooks by the side of the mark and it corresponded. He patterned the right shoe in 2 or 3 places in the wheat field and with the mark he had covered over in the fold. It corresponded exactly. John Marshall of Holcot - he lives with Mr William Readman. He saw Brooks and Blunt on Monday evening in a field of the Readman's in the footpath from Cranfield towards Holcot. He saw them together again the next evening aobut 7pm at the top of Mr Readman's wheat field pointing down to the Cranfield Road, 400 or 500 yards from the field where the entrails were found. When they saw him they appeared to turn back. That evening Brooks was dressed in a light fustian jacket, the same he has on now. He thinks Blunt was dressed much as he is now. He knew them quite well. He thinks the jacket now produced is the one Brooks had on. It is the same colour, size and general appearance. William Brooks - does not wish to make any statement at all.

item

Brooks, William,
Smith, Boteler Chernoke,
Warr, William,
Taylor, Robert Henry,
Turle, Robert,
Wild, James,
Marshall, John,
Readman, William

HOLCOT, CRANFIELD, stealing animals, sheep, shepherd, wheat