QSR1843/4/5/18

Depositions and examination – William Burrows, charged with stealing a shilling.

14 September 1843

From: 1843 To: 1843

Mary Gray of Dunstable – she is servant to James Oliver of the Nags Head Inn Dunstable. On Saturday 15 July about 4pm Burrows came into her master’s kitchen and called for some beer. She had occasion to open one of the dresser drawers in the kitchen close to where Burrows was sitting where she had put a shilling. She went up to the fire place to get a candle to carry into the parlour. On turning round she saw Burrows shut the drawer. He had a shilling in his hand which he put under his smock frock. After taking the candle into the parlour she looked into the drawer and found her shilling was gone. She asked Burrows if he had seen anyone go to the drawer and he said not. She asked if he had taken her shilling out of the drawer. He said he had not. She told her master. Burrows sat behind the screen in the kitchen. The rest of the company were in the screen so nobody could see him open the drawer. James Oliver – his servant Mary Gray told him Burrows had taken a shilling belonging to her out of the dresser drawer. He ordered her to fetch the policeman. He gave Burrows into the policeman’s charge. The policeman searched Burrows. He [Oliver] removed the lining of the prisoner’s straw hat and found a shilling concealed. He marked the shilling which is the one now produced. John Tutte – he was sent for by James Oliver to take Burrows into custody for stealing a shilling. Burrows denied knowing anything about it. Burrows said if he had any money about him it did not belong to him. He began to search Burrows in the parlour when James Oliver called and said he had found a shilling concealed in the prisoner’s hat. He told Oliver to mark the shilling. When he told Burrows that Oliver had found a shilling in his hat Burrows said that when the girl went to the drawer she pulled the shilling out with some rags and that it fell in his lap and he put it into his hat.

item

Burrows, William,
Gray, Mary,
Oliver, James,
Tutte, John

DUNSTABLE, stealing, money, Dunstable Nags Head, servant