QSR1854/3/5/10-12

Depositions of William Eames the younger, farmer of Houghton Regis, William Eames the elder, farmer of Houghton Regis, Daniel Allen, labourer of Houghton Regis, John Thorogood, police constable of Toddington, William Turney, police constable of Houghton Regis, George Baker, parish constable of Toddington, Hannah Thorogood, wife of John and George Philpot, parish constable of Toddington. In the case of John Bonner, Dennis Brewer & John Odell accused of stealing 6 bushels of wheat.

12 May 1854

From: 1854 To: 1854

William Eames the younger: lived with his father in Houghton Regis and about 12.35am on 9 May he got out of bed and looked out of the window. He saw 3 men leaning with their arms over the farm yard wall. The men walked to the hen house and looked at the window and one of them stooped down and looked at the trap door where the hens go. They then walked round to the nag stable to the back of the premises. They were around that part of the farm for about half an hour and then he saw them come round towards the house. They looked in the window of the hen house and then walked towards the nag stable opposite the wheat barn, where they loitered with their arms on the wall. They all got over the wall and went to the barn door. He saw the barn door open and one man outside. There was a light in the barn. Eames went and called his father. The men stopped in the barn for about half an hour and he saw them come out of the barn. They got over the wall and he perceived they had something on their backs. The barn doors were sliding and could be moved without noise. The men went to towards the road and he then lost sight of them. One had worn an old straw hat, one a flannel jacket on, a frock and was tall and the other had on a dark wide hat. About a quarter of an hour afterward he had his father went to the barn and saw the wheat had been disturbed. The wheat was on the floor of the barn and partly dressed. A sample matched that produced by PC Thorogood. William Eames the elder: his son called him about 1am on 9 May and said that 3 men were robbing the barn. He looked and saw one man watching the barn and then he saw the barn door open. There was light in the barn and he saw 2 men busy at a heap of wheat. He dressed and went to the garden door, into the field and to the cottages to call his ploughman. They went together to the farm and the 3 men had gone. He and his son went to the barn and found the wheat disturbed and some had been taken. To the best of his judgement 6 or 7 bushels were missed. He had since seen the wheat in the possession of the police and it matched the description of his wheat exactly. The chaff is distinctive and the wheat was 3 parts dressed. He was shown a key by PC Thorogood which fitted the padlock of the barn door. The key would open both barns. He believed the prisoners to be of the same appearance as when he saw them at the barn. Daniel Allen: employed by Mr Eames and on 9 May he went to work about 5am. When he went into the barn the wheat had been disturbed. The heap had been round when he left it the previous night and the following morning it had a hollow in it as if some had been taken. He believed it to be about 6 bushels. The door had been locked by him the previous night and the key hung, as always, in the hall of his master’s house. On unlocking the barn the next morning he found it locked in the same way as he had left it. PC John Thorogood: from information received from PC Turney, he went to the house of prisoner Odell at Toddington. He found 3 bushels of wheat in the bedroom. Odell said he had grown it. Thorogood went to the barn and found about 2 bushels of wheat, which Odell again said he had grown. He found wheat in a jar in the backroom. Odell was charged and responded he did not know Mr Eames or where he lived. Thorogood produced samples from all 3 locations. Thorogood also found 2 skeleton keys, one of which unlocked the barn at Mr Eames. He afterwards went to the prisoner Bonner’s house in the company of George Baker, parish constable. He found 2 and a half bushels of wheat in a back place and about a bushel in a hole at the top of the landing. He then searched the barn and found about a bushel of wheat in a bag on top of some wood. Asked how he came by it, Bonner said he had grown it. Baker got up the chimney and threw down 35 keys, most of them skeletons. Bonner was charged but said he knew nothing about it. Thorogood then went to a field near Brewers house, where he found Brewer and took him into custody. Brewer said very well and on going to his house, 3 bushels of wheat were found in the bedroom and about a peck in another bag. Brewer said he had grown it. A further 2 and a half bushels were found in the barn, which Brewer also said he had grown. Parish Constable Philpot brought Thorogood 16 keys and afterwards 17 more, most of which were skeletons. Mr Eames and his son came to Thorogood’s house in Toddington and saw the wheat which had been recovered. He found the wheat chaff on all 3 of the prisoners premises as if the wheat had been shifted. PC William Turney: he went with PC Thorogood on 11 May to the house of Odell. He found 2 keys up the chimney and 2 other keys in a hole over the fire place. He afterwards went to Brewer’s house and found 5 keys on a shelf. George Baker: he went with PC Thorogood to Bonner’s house and got up the chimney and found 35 keys. They were in a hole on the side of the chimney. Hannah Thorogood: wife of PC Thorogood. The previous day she had been in her bedroom watching Brewer’s house and she saw him go across the road, through a gate and into a field allocated for gardens. He went down the field until he came to some turnip seed. She saw him stoop down by the side of the seed and he appeared to be moving some earth. He appeared to do the same at the opposite end. She told parish constable Philpot what she had seen and pointed out the spot. Philpot moved the earth with a stick and found a parcel of keys; 10 small ones and 7 others in a handkerchief. George Philpot: a parish constable at Toddington. In consequence of information received from Mrs Thorogood he went to a plot of ground in the occupation of prisoner Brewer and found some ground which had been recently disturbed. He found under some cabbage stalks 2 bags containing keys. He afterwards went with Mrs Thorogood to the same plot about, 2 or 3 yards from the previous spot, and he found some disturbed earth. On moving the earth with a stick, he found some more keys; 10 small and 7 large. Statements of the accused: John Bonner – the wheat found on his premises was his own. He knew nothing about the keys found in the chimney and did not know they were there until they were found. Mr Thorogood took some flour from his house which belonged to him and also some barley and beans. He had nothing more to say. John Odell – he had grown the wheat found in his house and barn. One of the keys produced belonged to the yard gates that lead to the field where the gardens were. Someone had broken the lock so he had kept the key. The key which Thorogood took out of the lock belonged to the barn and he told him so when he took it. He had nothing more to say. Dennis Brewer – the wheat and barley found on the premises belonged to him. So did the meal and the flour. He had nothing else to say.

item

Bonner, John,
Brewer, Dennis,
Odell, John,
Eames, William,
Allen, Daniel,
Thorogood, John,
Thorogood, Hannah,
Turney, William,
Baker, George,
Philipot, George

HOUGHTON REGIS, TODDINGTON, farmer, stealing, wheat