QSR1854/3/5/17a,18a,19

Depositions of Joseph Gutteridge of Dunstable, farmer, Charles Dale of Dunstable, police constable, George Darby the younger, George White of Dunstable, Frederick White, William Burgess the younger, William Upton of Dunstable, Thomas Upton of Dunstable, Samuel Rush of Dunstable and Joseph Knight of Dunstable. In the case of George Langley, Peter Eames and James Cooper accused of stealing 5 live fowls.

25 May 1854

From: 1854 To: 1854

Joseph Gutteridge: he had lost several fowls over the previous 3 or 4 weeks and missed one in particular. He made some enquiries about it and he could swear the fowl produced by PC Dale was the same fowl. He had some palings painted recently and some of the paint had got on the fowl. He believed 5 of the fowls produced to be his but could only swear to 1. George Darby: residing in Back Street, Dunstable. About 3 week previous he had seen Langley come down Butts Lane leading from Mr Gutteridge’s premises and into town. Cooper was with him and Langley had a fowl in his pocket. Langley stopped and spoke to him and he pulled his pocket often and showed him the fowl. The fowl produced was the one shown to him by Langley. He knew it by its feathers and tail. Langley said he had sold the fowl but did not say how he had come by it. William Upton: he had bought a fowl from Langley about a month previous. On 22 April he met Langley in Butts Lane and Langley asked if he wanted to buy a fowl. Upton gave 9 pence for it. Eames and Cooper were with Langley. Eames said he thought it was a good one. About 27 April Upton met Langley in England’s home and he had another fowl with him which he asked if Upton wanted to buy. Eames was with Langley. Upton bought the fowl for 9 pence. The 2 fowls produced were those he had bought from Langley. One of them he had swapped with Frederick White for a little bantam cock. Thomas Upton: he received a fowl from his son William Upton which he then sold to James Atwood, together with a bantam cock. He sold them for 2d 4d. They were sold because there was an issue with the neighbours about fowls getting into their gardens. James Atwood: he bought 2 fowls from Thomas Upton on 15 May. One for them was a little bantam cock and the other was a hen. He gave a shilling for the cock and 16 pence for the hen. PC Dale came to him the next day to enquire if he had bought any fowls. Dale took the hen away. Frederick White: he bought a hen from William Upton on 1 May, which he gave a bantam cock and six pence for. PC Dale took the fowl away on 17 May. Peter Eames was present when he bought the fowl from Upton. Eames said he had bought it from an Eaton Bray man. William Burgess: he had bought a fowl from Langley about 5 weeks previous. He gave 14 pence for it and the prisoner Cooper had been present. Langley said he had bought it from a man in Houghton. Cooper recommended it. A week ago he bought another fowl from Langley and gave him 13 pence for it. Cooper was present and recommended it. He kept the fowls in a hen house at the top of his father’s garden and a few days later he found the fowls had been taken away. Samuel Rush: on 27 April be bought 2 fowls from Langley and gave him half a crown for them. Langley did not say where he had got them from. After 2 or 3 days one of the fowls died. He told Langley and Langley said he had another at home which he would let him have for 9 pence. PC Dale took the fowls away. Joseph Knight: he worked for Mr Gutteridge and had fed his fowls at different times. He missed several of the fowls and of the 5 fowls produced he believed 1 to be Mr Gutteridge’s. He knew the fowls well from seeing them constantly. PC Charles Dale: from information received he went to James Atwood’s on 16 May and received a fowl from him. Mr Gutteridge and his man identified it. The fowl had green paint on its feathers. On 17 May he received fowls from Frederick White and then went in pursuit of Langley and Eames. He found they had absconded and traced them to Highgate. On 19 May he fetched 2 fowls from William Burgess’s father’s garden. They had been in a hen house at the bottom of the garden. On 20 May he apprehended the 3 prisoners separately and told then the charge. Eames told his mother not to fret as he had not done much. On 22 May he received 2 fowls from Samuel Rush, one of which was identified by Joseph Knight as Gutteridge’s property. Statements of the accused: Joseph Langley – nothing to say. Peter Eames – nothing to say except he had half of the money from the fowl that Upton had which was 4 pence. The first he knew nothing about except that he saw it sold and had nothing to say. James Cooper – on Saturday afternoon 5 weeks previous he had gone up into Mr Tubb’s field to get his father some tobacco. He was coming down when he met Langley by Mr Field’s whitening shed in Butts Lane. He saw Langley sell a fowl to William Upton for 9 pence. He didn’t know anything else about the one 5 weeks previous and was sat in Langley’s home plaiting when William Burgess bought a fowl from Langley for 14 pence. He had said it was a good fowl and asked Langley where he had it from. Langley said he bought it off a Houghton chap. That was all he knew about that one. A week previous Langley came to him and asked him to go over the fields with him. He went and Langley sold a fowl to William Burgess for 13 pence. He said it was a good hen. He asked Langley where he had got it from and Langley would not say. He had nothing more to say.

item

Langley, George,
Eames, Peter,
Cooper, James,
Gutteridge, Joseph,
Dale, Charles,
Darby, George,
White, George,
White, Frederick,
Burgess, William,
Upton, William,
Upton, Thomas,
Rush, Samuel,
Knight, Joseph

DUNSTABLE, Dunstable Butts Lane, stealing, fowls, farmer