QSR1876/4/5/1/b

Depositions and examination - George Woodward charged with embezzling £3 3s from his master James Henry Akers at Biggleswade on 23 June 1876

22 July 1876

From: 1876 To: 1876

James Henry Akers of Waltham Cross (Herts), yeoman – he is a retired farmer In March 1875 he employed George Woodward to go round with a stallion “Young Shepherd F. Knapp”. He paid Woodward £1 for one week before he began travelling with the horse. He was to pay Woodward £15 up to the 24 June as his wages and £1 11s 6d for services after the 24 June up to 2 July when the season ended. Woodward’s duty was to travel round the south of Bedfordshire and the north of Hertfordshire. . When he settled up with Woodward he gave him the names of the persons who had used his horse. Woodward dictated the names and particulars and he wrote them down on the left hand side of the book produced. Woodward told him that the sums set opposite the names were owed by them. Looking at the book he swears that Woodward told him that Mr Bonfield of Mobbs Hole (Herts) owed him £1 for the services of his horse and a further sum of £1 if it proved to be in foal. He can also swear that Woodward told him that Mr Inskip of Shefford owed him £3 3s for the horse’s services. In addition to the £17 11s 6d he paid Woodward was entitled to the groom’s fee on each mare for himself. He paid Woodward all the expenses of the horse travelling, £36 12s 3d. On 16 September 1875he came down to Shefford but could not see Woodward. He wrote to Woodward several times to account for any money he had received. Woodward never accounted to him for £1 from Mr Bonfield nor £3 3s from Mr Inskip. On 6 July 1876 he went to Shefford and saw Woodward. He told Woodward he had written to all the people whose names he had given and that they said they had paid Woodward. Woodward then admitted he had had the money and spent it. He told Woodward he would take out a warrant against him for embezzlement. [Cross-examined] If Woodward had given him the money that is another question. He then went to Mr Inskip who showed him a receipt for the money. He does not know that Woodward had any other reason except that he had spent the money. Woodward said “about the pony” but gave him no explanation. Woodward had sold a pony of his worth £30 and kept the money. He had telegraphed to Woodward not to sell it. Afterwards Woodward told him he had sold it. Woodward telegraphed he had been bid £23. Woodward later told him he had sold it for £25. The name of the pony was Butterfly. Woodward used the pony for himself when he travelled with the horse. Woodward never said that pony was of no use to him and not strong enough. He has a letter from Woodward to prove the contrary. He does not remember Woodward telling him that Butterfly kept falling down. He swears Woodward did not repeatedly tell him the pony was useless. It was stronger and better than the one he bought in place of it. Woodward never told him it took him 11 hours 20 minutes to geo from Enfield Highway to Luton (25 miles) and that it kept falling down. The pony was 4 years old and a strong cob. He lent Woodward a pony named Galloway which Woodward had before Butterfly. He thinks Woodward may have had Galloway for a journey or two near home afterwards, but he swears he did not lend Galloway because Butterfly was useless. On 10 April he did not tell him he would take £25 for Butterfly if he could get it. A butcher had bid him £28. He thinks he sent Woodward to Enfield to try to buy a pony as he thought Butterfly too good. He might have told him one Sunday in April to try and borrow a pony instead of Butterfly, because he thought Butterfly to good, not because he thought her useless. Woodward did not write and tell him he had sold Butterfly and got a pony and £10 in exchange. He met Woodward at Hitchin on 18 May. Woodward told him he had bought the pony for £15. He said it was not worth £5. Woodward might have written about the sale on 25 April and he thinks he wrote in reply that he was very vexed, but he did not protest against the sale. They had no altercation that day although he felt vexed. He asked Woodward for the whole £25. On July 2 he went over the books. Woodward promised to get the money in arrear. The only money due to him was £1 11s for the extra days, which he paid. The balance due was not £16 11s. He did not stop £15 because of the price of the pony he had bought Woodward. He did not offer to give Woodward 8 weeks grass for the pony. He kept the pony because Woodward did not pay him the £28 for his. He swears Woodward said on 2 July that Mr Bonfield and Mr Inskip had not paid. He swears Woodward did not say “I have some money in my pocket do you want me to account for it”. He did not say that was not necessary. Mr Seabrook gave him a kind of character with Woodward. Woodward was obliged to hand over the cheque book which showed who had used the horse. Woodward had another book to give receipts from. He laid out £5 or £6 for keep and then sold the pony for £11 14s. He has since collected the payment for 1 mare and 5s for the groom as the owned lived near him. He has given Woodward credit for this 5s and for 5s groom’s fee received from Mr Bolton. He will lose £70 through the loss of the services of his horse through Woodward. William Bonfield of Mobbs Hole (Herts), farmer – he used the stallion for his mare at the Crown Inn, Biggleswade and paid the groom (Woodward) his fee of 5s. On 23 June 1875 he paid Woodward one guinea and produces the receipt. He paid him at the Crown hotel Biggleswade. William Inskip of Shefford Hardwick, farmer – on 22 May 1875 he had the use of the stallion for one of his mares. On 6 July 1875 he paid Woodward £3 3s and 5s. Woodward gave him the receipt produced. [Cross-examined] He paid Woodward on a Tuesday at Hitchin Market. Woodward went across the road to a public house and brought him the receipt back. It appeared to be freshly written. George Woodward – he reserves his defence.

item

Woodward, George,
Akers, James Henry,
Bonfield, William,
Inskip, William

BIGGLESWADE, Waltham Cross, SHEFFORD HARDWICK, Hitchin, Mobbs Hole, embezzlement, farmer, Biggleswade Crown Inn, Biggleswade Crown Hotel