QSR1854/1/5/38

Depositions of Ephraim Aldridge, police constable of Turvey, John Dunkley, farmer of Turvey, Henry Collins, farming bailiff, Mary Wooding, wife of George Mark Wooding, Eli Edmunds, labourer of Turvey and William Sharp, miller of Turvey. In the case of Thomas Stanton accused of stealing 2 packs of barley.

4 January 1854

From: 1854 To: 1854

PC Ephraim Aldridge: from information received he searched the prisoner’s house on 2 January and found in the kitchen 2 pecks of barley in a sack. He took a sample of it. He went again to the prisoner’s house in the evening and saw the prisoner and asked him how he had come by the barley. The prisoner said he had brought it from George Mark Wooding at Harvest time. He went to see Wooding and inconsequence of what he said, he returned to Stanton’s and took possession of the barley. The prisoner repeated he had bought the barley. After Stanton was in custody, his wife said he had bought the barley at the millers. John Dunkley: a farmer living at Turvey. He would sell corn for Mr Leete who had a farm adjoining his. PC Aldridge brought a sample of barley to him which on examination he believed to be the same as that of Mr Leete. Henry Collins: farming bailiff to Mr Leete. On 15 December he had some barley which had been run through the machine once, and was finished dressing the next day. The barley was in Mr Leete’s barn at Turvey. The barley found at the prisoner’s house had been dressed once. The sample was of the same description as that from Mr Leete’s which had since been dressed twice. He had only seen the prisoner on the grounds when he had previous brought some fowls to him. Mary Wooding: in October her husband had some dressed barley in the prisoner’s barn by Eli Edmonds. She had seen the millers cart at the prisoner’s on that day. Eli Edmunds: in October he had been employed to thresh some barley for George Mark Wooding in the prisoner’s barn. There was 3 bushels. He delivered all the barley he had threshed to the miller Mr Whitworth’s man, to be ground. The prisoner told him the next day, after Bedford Fair that he had sold the barley for Wooding to his brother. He believed the barley produced to be darker than that he had threshed for Wooding. William Sharp: foreman for Mr Whitworth the miller at Turvey. The accused sent the barley to be ground in October and it was sent back to the prisoner’s house on 15 October by cart. There had been 3 bushels. He spoke from entries he had made in his masters book. George Mark Wooding: a labourer of Turvey. He had about 3 bushels of barley in a barn at the prisoner’s house to be threshed. The barley had been grown by his on his allotment. He also had about 3 pecks of barley which had been gleaned by his little boy. He sold the barley after his wife had it threshed to Gillaway Harley. He did not sell any barley to the prisoner. The barley he had at the prisoner’s house was sold by the prisoner on his behalf. Statement of the accused: his wife had bought the barley and paid for it. She had bought it from Wooding’s wife. She told him it was 3 bushels and a peck.

item

Stanton, Thomas,
Aldridge, Ephraim,
Dunkley, John,
Collins, Henry,
Wooding, Mary,
Wooding, George Mark,
Sharp, William,
Edmunds, Eli

TURVEY, stealing, barley, miller, farm bailiff, farmer