QSR1870/1/5/10-12

Depositions and examinations – George Scrivener, Alfred Goosey and Charles Smith, all of Houghton Regis, charged with breaking and entering a warehouse at Leighton Buzzard on 9 December 1869 and stealing 2 cwt of meal or toppings value 15s, 80 gross of corks value £5, one horse rug value 2s 6d and 2 live rabbits value 3s.

14 December 1869

From: 1869 To: 1870

William Scrivener of Leighton Buzzard, ginger beer and soda water manufacturer – George Scrivener is his brother. He knows Charles Smith and has seen Alfred Goosey but did not know his name. His brother and Smith have both been in his employ, but his brother not for the last 15 or 16 months. Smith was in his employ about 2 months ago. About 7pm on 9th December everything on his premises was in order. There is a cottage adjoining his house which he uses as a store house, which does not communicate with his dwelling house. The cottage was closed with a latch. He left in the cottage a bag with 20 gross of corks and a larger bag with 60 or 70 gross. There were also 2 gags of toppings, a kind of meal. One was full and weighed 2 cwt. He missed a horse cloth of the value of 2s 6d and the other goods he has named the next morning about 8am. He also missed 2 live rabbits from a shed up the yard. He was also told some clothes were missing from a line at the back of his house. He informed the police. Yesterday 13 December he went to the police station at Leighton and saw the prisoners there in custody. He was told his brother wished to see him. He told his brother he was sorry to see him there. His brother said they were the three who robbed him. Smith said he shot the corks into a dough trough belonging to Goosey and cooked one of the rabbits and ate it. Goosey said the meal was taken into his loft. Smith said he burnt the bags. Thomas Atkins of Leighton Buzzard, labourer – he knows the three prisoners by sight. Last Thursday about 7.45pm he saw Scrivener and Smith in the Peacock Yard at Leighton, where he is hostler. They came in a horse and cart and the horse was placed in the stable. They went into the house to have some beer. He then saw Goosey with the other 2 men. They all left together about 11.45pm. George Scrivener asked for his pony and cart and said he had just come away from his Club. Scrivener said the other two men had gone home by train. Harriet Adams, wife of Matthew Adams of Leighton Buzzard, labourer – on the night of 9 December about 12pm she heard a horse and cart go by their house. She lives nearly opposite William Scrivener’s house. The horse and cart stopped. She never saw it and does not know who was in it. She did not hear the horse and cart go on. Frederick Adams of Leighton Buzzard, labourer – he is 12 years old and lives with his father and mother. Last Friday morning 10 December at 7am he was near William Scrivener’s house on Stanbridge Road. He found 2 new corks by the side of the road about 40 yards from the storage. He gave the corks away. Thomas Ruffhead, police constable stationed at Leighton Buzzard – on Friday 10 December about 9am he received information of the robbery. He went with PC Bayes to Dunstable from inquiries made. In the evening he went into the Spread Eagle and saw George Scrivener and Smith come in. He took them both into custody and charged them with stealing a quantity of meal, a quantity of corks, one horse rug and 2 tame rabbits from William Scrivener. Scrivener said “It is a pretty thing for a brother to do”. Smith said he wished he had not gone to Leighton that night. Goosey came into the house and he also charged him. He also said he wished he had not gone to Leighton that night. He brought them to the lock up at Leighton. Eli Bayes, police constable stationed at Leighton Buzzard – last Saturday he conveyed the 3 prisoners to Eaton Bray to get them remanded on this charge. He asked Smith how long it was since he had left William Scrivener’s. Smith said about 3 months. He told Smith he was sorry to see him in that position. Smith said the following to him … he went to Leighton that night as George Scrivener asked him to come with him to pay his Club. He left home about 5.30pm, came to Leighton and put their horse at Sanders (Sanders keeps the Peacock). Soon after they went to the Bell and had several pots of beer which rather got over him. They left there about 9.45pm. George left about 20 or 30 minutes before them. They went for a walk down the street nearly to the Railway Station and returned by way of Parsons Close along the Stanbridge Road, about 11.30 by the Hockliffe Road and returned to Sanders to see of the cart was gone and found it was. They returned up the Hockliffe Road past the Police Station. George overtook them with the cart and said he thought they had gone by train. Smith also said he was with Goosey all night. Some distance along the road he felt something in the cart. George never made any allusion as to what it was nor did he ask him. The horse and cart belongs to him. When they got home he left the horse in the cart. He felt as though he could not take the horse out. He is done with George after this – he will never get over it. The next morning about 7.30am he went to the horse. George had him out cleaning him and asked where he had been. They went to Eaton Bray together. What they had in the cart overnight was gone in the morning. George did not say what it was nor did he ask him. Mary Ann Clough, wife of William Knight Clough – yesterday morning 13 December she thought she heard a knock on one of the cell doors. She opened the trap ddoor. George Scrivener appeared to be fretting. She said to him “why don’t you tell your brother where the goods are and ask him to forgive you”. He asked if she thought his brother would. She said she believed he would. He said he would tell his brother where they were and if there were any deficiency he would make it up as his mother was dying and he had 3 small children. She told George Scrivener he should see his brother when the superintendent came home. William Knight Clough, superintendent of police for the Leighton Buzzard Division – yesterday about midday he saw William Scrivener at the police station. Scrivener asked to see his brother and did so. He was present. George Scrivener said he wanted to tell his brother all about it – they all went to his house together and put what they got in a cart and went to Dunstable. The other 2 prisoners then came into the police office. George Scrivener repeated what he had just said to his brother. Smith and Goosey both said “it is quite true”. He asked the prisoners where the things were. Smith said he shot the corks into a bin in the bakehouse and the meal into a bag in the loft and he burnt the bag it was in and ate one of the rabbits. Smith later said he had burnt the two cork bags. George Scrivener – he is very sorry it happened. He had too much drink at the time Alfred Goosey – he did not know where they was going or anything of the kind when they went down. Charles Smith – he is very sorry. They all had too much to drink.

item

Scrivener, George,
Goosey, Alfred,
Smith, Charles,
Scrivener, William,
Atkins, Thomas,
Adams, Harriet,
Adams, Matthew,
Adams, Frederick,
Ruffhead, Thomas,
Bayes, Eli,
Clough, William Knight,
Clough, Mary Ann

LEIGHTON BUZZARD, HOUGHTON REGIS, DUNSTABLE, stealing, rabbits, soda water manufacturer, police constable, police superintendent, ostler, Leighton Buzzard police station, Leighton Buzzard Peacock, Dunstable Spread Eagle