Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1878/1/5/5/c
  • Title
    Depositions and examination - Arthur Champkin, charged with stealing one live tame rabbit from James Knight at Dunstable on 17 October 1877
  • Date free text
    31 October 1877
  • Production date
    From: 1877 To: 1878
  • Scope and Content
    James Knight of South Street, Dunstable, dealer – on Thursday night 18 October he lost a rabbit. It was in the hutch at the back of his premises. In the morning the hutch door was open. He made enquiries of James Room who was working in the Square and Room and Mr Allwood went with him to the house of the prisoner’s mother, Mrs Cheshire. She showed them a rabbit she had for sale. He identified the rabbit as his and gave it to the police. He identified it by 2 notches he had made in the ear with a pair of scissors. It is worth 2s 6d. Champkin had previously bought rabbits from him and knew where he kept them. Mrs Cheshire came with Champkin a day or two later and asked him to be merciful to him. Champkin asked to see the rabbit and the hutch it was stolen from. He pointed to the hutch. Champkin said good night and went off with his mother. Mrs Cheshire told him in Champkin’s presence that he had bought it of a man between the Halfmoon and his house, who had it in a flat. The man wanted 2s 3d and Champkin bought it for 2s. She said Champkin did not know the man but saw him on Thursday night. [Cross-examined] He has sold rabbits which were fellows to the one produced. He cannot say Champkin came to his house a day or two after the rabbit was stolen – it might have been Friday night. A person might get over his fences. He has not marked his rabbits all alike. James Room of Dunstable, labourer – he was working at the gas nearly opposite Champkin’s house on Friday 19th. He saw Champkin a few minutes past 6am. Champkin asked if he wanted to buy a rabbit. He went with Champkin to the back of his premises and saw the rabbit for which he asked 2s 6d. He later asked Mrs Cheshire and she showed the rabbit to himself and Allwood. Knight then came up by arrangement and identified the rabbit. [Cross-examined] He said he would give 2s for it. William Allwood, foreman of the Dunstable Gas & Water Company – he went with Room to Mrs Cheshire’s when Knight identified the rabbit. Mrs Cheshire said “God save the dear boy”. William Addington – he received information of the robbery, went to Champkin’s house and found he had absconded. He received the rabbit from Knight. Benjamin George – he received Champkin into his custody on Tuesday 23 October from the St Albans police. Champkin made no reply to the charge but said afterwards he bought it from a man near the Saracens Head. On 24 October Champkin asked him what he thought he should get and what was the most they could do to him. Champkin said he was obliged to do something because he had a lot of money to pay at Luton. The Saracens Head is about ½ mile from the Halfmoon. Arthur Champkin – he has nothing to say.
  • Level of description
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