QSR1844/3/5/7

Depositions - Thomas Brown charged with stealing a sheep skin from Thomas Twitchell

7 May 1844

From: 1844 To: 1844

Thomas Twitchell of Willington, farmer – on 5 April one of his sheep was killed and the skin hung on a beam in his cart hovel. He last saw it there on Thursday May 2nd. He was away from home on Saturday and Sunday. From information he received he sent his shepherd to Potton. His shephered returned last night with the sheepskin which he recognized as the one that had been in the hovel. It has a particular ear mark by which his sheep are marked, a round hole in the middle of the off ear and a clip on the tip of it. It was a remarkable skin as it belonged to one of his show sheep. He knows Brown who lives at Willington when at home, but who has lately been an inmate of the Bedford Union Workhouse. John Mace of Willington, cowkeeper – on Saturday may 4 about 5pm he was keeping cows in Bales Lane at Willington and saw Brown come up the lane with a sheep skin on his arm. Brown went on to a cart which stood on the Turnpike Road at the end of the lane. He knew the cart to be Mr Braybrooks’, a wool buyer at Potton. He knew the man with the cart but not his name. He saw Brown give the skin to the man who put it on the cart. Mr Braybrooks rode up while Brown was there and he heard him tell his man to take the skin and that he would pay Mr Purser for it on Saturday. When Brown first got to the cart he heard him say to the man “I have brought a sheep skin from Mr Purser’s shepherd”. The man inspected the skin and asked Brown what he wanted for it. Brown said 2s. The man said it was not the value of the skin and he dare not buy it until his master came up. He was not more than 20 yards off when this took place. William Whittamore of Willington, shepherd – he is shepherd to Thomas Twitchell. He saw the skin in the cart hovel on Saturday morning. Yesterday he went by his master’s order to Mr Braybrook’s at Potton. He saw his man, Whittamore, who fetched a sheep skin and gave it to him. He examined it and swears it is his master’s skin. John Norman of Willington, labourer – between 3 and 4pm on Saturday Brown came to him at Willington as he was making hurdles near Mr Twitchell’s homestall. He talked a while, then Brown went under a hovel of Mr Twitchell’s about 50 yards off. He saw Brown go down on hands and knees as if he were doing something up. He did not see what it was. Brown came to him again about an hour later and said “what a large load of sheepskins that gentleman had on his cart that came from Potton”. Brown then said he would never do anything again that would cause him to be sent to prison. Frederick Braybrooks of Potton, wool buyer – last Saturday about 5pm he was riding on horseback towards Potton. A little before Willington he saw his man on the top of his load of skins riding homewards. Just before he caught him he stopped at the end of the lane that turns towards Willington Church. He saw him get off the cart and turn a sheepskin over. When he got to his man he heard him say to Brown “I’ll have nothing to do with it now, as my master is come”. His man said “this man has offered it to me for 2 shillings, but there’s something wrong – it’s worth more money”. He asked Brown how he came by it. Brown said Mr Purser’s shepherd sent him to sell it for him. He told Brown he would take care of the skin until another week when they would settle for it. He told his man to take care of the skin and keep it by itself until they heard more of it. The skin was worth 7s. On Monday Mr Twitchell’s shepherd came and he delivered the skin to him.

item

Brown, Thomas,
Twitchell, Thomas,
Mace, John,
Whittamore, William,
Braybrooks, Frederick,
Norman, John

WILLINGTON, Willington Balls Lane, POTTON, stealing, sheepskin, farmer, cowman, shepherd, wool merchant, Poor Law Union Workhouses