Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1874/1/5/2
  • Title
    Depositions and examination - Samuel Tavener, charged with stealing 2 pieces of lindsey value 12s from John Bailey of Dunstable, draper, on 24 October 1873
  • Date free text
    12 November 1873
  • Production date
    From: 1873 To: 1874
  • Scope and Content
    28 October ----------------- Jane Cayton – she is an assistant at Mr Bailey’s shop, High Street, Dunstable, draper. On Saturday 25th October she missed 2 pieces of Lindsey of a brown colour at 8.30am. She had placed them at the entrance to the shop on Friday morning and saw them there in the afternoon. The shutters when let down would enclose where they were and they ought to have remained there all night. On Saturday evening she missed some scarlet flannel which she had also placed at the door. She then told Mr Bailey of the missing flannel. On the arrival of the police she gave information about the Lindsey. 29 October --------------- Jane Cayton recalled – she identifies the 2 pieces of Lindsey and piece of scarlet flannel produced by the police as Mr Bailey’s property. Jacob Baker – he lives at Houghton Hall near Dunstable and is the gardener there. He found one of the pieces of Lindsey produced in Mr Brown’s ploughed field between Houghton and Dunstable at 10am last Saturday. He marked the ticket on the Lindsey and it is also marked with an anchor and the figures 2 ½ d. He gave it up to Bradshaw the policeman at Houghton. Some boys near the railway bridge first told him there was “a bundle of Lindseed” and on looking he found the Lindsey under the hedge. Ann Hill – she is the wife of George Hill, labourer of Houghton. She met Tavener at Houghton last Saturday between 9 and 10am. There was another man with him carrying a bag with something heavy in it. Tavener came into her house by himself the same evening. Thomas Bleny, William Bleny and Charles White were there then. William Stokes – he is a plait brusher living at Sundon. He is in the service of Mr Underwood who keeps the Crown public house there. Last Saturday about 10am Tavener came in with another man. William Makepeace was in the house. The other man carried some Lindsey like that produced and said in Tavener’s presence there was about 50 yards of it. The man asked Mrs Underwood if she would buy some at 4½d a yard. Tavener remained in the house about an hour, but during that time the other man went out taking the Lindsey with him. The man returned without it. The man paid for some beer for Tavener and himself and they left together. Hannah Billington – she is the wife of James Billington, cowman to Mr Cooper at Sundon. She bought the piece of Lindsey produced from a young man who came to the door about 12pm last Saturday. She knows it by a mark she put on it. She gave 2s for it. [Cross-examined] She did not see the prisoner. Thomas Bradshaw, police constable stationed at Houghton – he received the piece of Lindsey marked with ink from Hannah Billington, and the piece with a ticket from Jacob Baker. He received the piece of flannel from David Tearle of Houghton Green. Samuel Taverner – asked why he should not be remanded says “I know nothing about it no further than I saw that man with it. I did not know that he stole it.” William Champkin, police constable stationed at Upper Houghton Regis on Friday 24 October. He saw Tavener at the Wheatsheaf with Horwood about 7.30 in the evening. He followed them out and saw them go towards Dunstable as far as the malting for Mr Bennett, about 150 yards from Mr Bailey’s shop. William Stokes recalled – when Horwood offered the Lindsey to Mrs Underwood the prisoner said to Horwood he would give him 5s for it. Horwood said he would not sell it to him for that. [Cross-examined] He saw some money pass between Horwood and Tavener after they came back. He was about 2 yards from them. Horwood laid the money on the table. He saw Tavener take some of the money and put it in his pocket. He [Stokes] went out after that. Horwood paid for 2 pints of beer before they divided the money. He did not see anyone else pay for anything after that. He cannot say if there was anyone else present in the taproom. Mary Ann Underwood – she is the wife of Albert Underwood who keeps the Crown Inn at Sundon. Tavener and another man came to the Crown Inn on 25th October . She saw them a little after 10am in the taproom. The other man offered her some Lindsey at 4 ½ d a yard. She said she did not want any. Tavener said he had bid 5s for it. The other man said there were 50 yards of it. She left the room and saw the two men afterwards in the taproom. She drew them a pint of beer. She did not see the prisoner handle the Lindsey and he stayed in while the other man went out. 12 November ------------------ Ann Hucklesby – she is the wife of William Hucklesby, a day labourer living at Sundon. She bought the two pieces of Lindsey produced on Saturday 25th October. She bought them from a young man at the door. She gave him 2s for 12 yards and 6d for e more yards. He said the master was a bankrupt. She never saw him before. She marked one piece with ink and the other, short piece with brown thread. She gave up the Lindsey to the police. She did not see Tavener then. John Bailey – he keeps a draper’s shop at Dunstable. The value of the Lindsey is about 3d a yard. The writing on the ticket is his. Ann Fletcher – she is the wife of Thomas Fletcher of Sundon, labourer. She bought 6 yards of the Lindsey on the 25th. She made the slit as a mark. She bought it from a young man at the door for 1s. He said his master was a bankrupt and it must be sold. She did not see Tavener there. Henry Tofield PC – he apprehended Tavener on 26th and charged him. Tavener denied the charge. On 29th he received the 6 yards with the slit from Ann Fletcher and one piece with 13 yards and one piece with 3 from Mrs Hucklesby. Last Sunday night Tavener said to him “If I was to die where I stand I did not know that Horwood had got any Lindsey until we got against the clump of trees. The clump in three quarters of a mile from Sundon on the way there”. Jane Cayton – she identifies the 3 pieces of Lindsey produced today. They have been cut off from one of the pieces produced before which she had folded. The flannel she identified before contains 47 yards and is worth 10 ½ a yard. Samuel Tavener – he did not know that Horwood had any Lindsey until he got against the clump of trees at Sundon. Horwood gave him 4 penny pieces to pay for a quart in the public house at Sundon. He told Horwood he would not have come if he had known.
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