QSR1875/1/5/4-5

Depositions and examinations - John Elkerton alias Elgutter and James Byley, both of Leighton Buzzard, charged with stealing 4 cart loads of night soil from William Barker at Leighton Buzzard on 27 November, value £4.

8 December 1874

From: 1874 To: 1875

William Barker of Leighton Buzzard, innkeeper – he keeps the Greyhound Inn. On 27 November he had on hire a horse and cart to cart a quantity of horse manure. Elkerton was with the cart. It too Elkerton about an hour on that day. He had to pay George King 7/6 for the horse and cart and his men. He employed the 2 prisoners to empty out his closet or privy at the back of his premises. They were to have 5s each and Mr King was to have 5s. Both prisoners came about 10 or 10.30pm to empty his closet. They began at 11pm. He told them to place the night soil on the top of some heaps of horse manure that had been taken during the day by Elkerton. The next day he visited his field or garden at Leighton about 600 yards from his premises where the night soil was to be placed on the heaps of manure. He found that instead of 5 cart loads there was only about one. There should have been about 5 tons of night soil, but there was only about 10cwt on the heaps. The closet was quite emptied. There were 33 heaps of stable manure in the field or garden which he ordered the prisoners to put the soil on. Only 3 heaps contained any night soil. He questioned Elkerton about what he had done with the night soil. Elkerton said “I have put it all on your ground”. Elkerton said he put the whole of it there and his master King helped him with the first load. The next Saturday night the prisoners came for their money. He refused to give them any. His field is situated at the back of the Falcon Inn where Mr King lives. William Henry Samuel of Leighton Buzzard, cooper – on Monday 30 November he went to William Barker field at the back fo the Falcon Inn to examine the heaps of manure there. He saw the night soil on 3 or 4 heaps of manure. He should say there was about a load of night soil. There were a great number of heaps that had no night soil on at all. Levi Pantling of Leighton Buzzard, hostler – he is hostler at the Greyhound Inn. He went into William Barker’s garden with him and saw only a small quantity of night soil there, not more than a 10th part of what was in the cess pool. The cess pool was 7 feet by 4 wide and 4 deep. It was full of soil before it ws emptied and was all carried away. He did not see the prisoners empty it. The night soil he saw was on only 3 heaps of manure. There were 30 heaps with no soil on. There was about a pail full of night soil lying on the ground by the side of the heaps. Yesterday afternoon he went to the field or garden again. He forked over all the heaps of stable manure. There was no night soil on any of these but the 3 heaps. Thomas Ruffhead, police constable stationed at Leighton Buzzard – on 5 December about 10am he went to William Barker’s field or garden. He counted 33 heaps of stable manure. There was only night soil on 3 of the heaps, about 2 or 3 buckets full on the 3 heaps. There was a small quantity of night soil thrown about the ground in 4 different places, only a bucket full or two. John Elkerton – he knows nothing at all about it. He started in the night and took away 4 loads from Barker’s yard and took it to his garden. He put the straw off the tubs and jetted some of it onto the ground, and tilted the tubs over and emptied the 4 loads onto his ground. James Byley – he helped the young man to take the 4 loads of night soil into Mr Barker’s garden. They took some out and tilted the tubs over. Witnesses for the Defence --------------------------------------- George King of Leighton Buzzard, innkeeper – he is the landlord of the Falcon Inn. He saw the 2 prisoners on the evening of the 27th November between 11 and 12 o’clock towards Mr Barker’s and adjoining his ground with one load of night soil. He followed them to Barker’s field or garden. He saw them shoot that load of night soil on Barker’s ground. Some they shot on the heaps of manure with a jut or scoop, and some they shot out of the tubs on the ground. They turned back and he saw no more of them that night. The next morning he asked Elkerton how he got on. He said they had 4 loads and washed the tubs and cleaned the cart out. Josiah Chandler of Leighton Buzzard, labourer – on 27 November between 11 and 12 o’clock at night he saw a cart go towards Barker’s garden. Elkerton was with the cart. He saw no one else. The cart had tubs in it. He saw the cart go by twice. Elkerton was with it.

item

Elkerton, John,
Ellgutter, John,
Byley, James,
Barker, William,
Samuel, William Henry,
Pantling, Levi,
Ruffhead, Thomas,
King, George,
Chandler, Josiah

LEIGHTON BUZZARD, stealing, innkeeper, cooper, ostler, police constable, Leighton Buzzard Greyhound, Leighton Buzzard Falcon, privies, carts, horse transport