QSR1844/4/5/7

Depositions and examination - George Hemmings and Joseph Kempston [Pencil note: "This man has been convicted before in the name of Joseph Kempson"] charged with stealing one ewe valued £1 6s from James Whinnett at Chalgrave on 19 July 1844

29 July 1844

From: 1844 To: 1844

James Whinnett of Chalgrave, farmer – on Friday 19 July he was informed by John Allen that he had found a sheep skin on Pratt’s wheat which he thought was his. He went with Allen to Pratt’s wheat field and recognized the skin as one of his. The head, entrails, and he thinks all the feet were also there. He recognized the skin from certain natural spots on it. He counted his sheep and found one missing. During the day he had all the remaining sheep branded. The missing sheep was a Leicester ewe. On the way to his sheep fold after finding the skin he noticed several footmarks of one person. They appeared perfectly as there had been rain in the night. The marks appeared to be those of a person carrying a weight. He noticed that the nails of one of the shoes were very perfect. He sent for the police. He believes one of the shoes now produced by PC Hornal made the marks. The nails appear to correspond. He did not notice the marks inside the fold. Whatever marks were there were done away with by his moving the fold. Samuel Hornal of Toddington, police constable – he went to Whinnett’s field and saw the sheepskin. The place where it was found showed marks of a shepp being killed there. He saw marks at the sheep fold as of a person struggling with a sheep. He particularly noticed 3 footmarks outside the fold, but evidently the shoes were not a pair. [Describes nail pattern on shoes, one larger than the other] He traced the same footmarks from the fold to Pratt’s wheat field where the skin was found, and the mark of a sheep’s feet by the side of them – sometimes as if it was pulled along and sometimes as if it walked. The shoes were evidently worn by the same person though not a pair. He traced the marks from the wheat field over several fields in the direction of Chalk Hill in Houghton Regis parish. He lost the marks at a public road. Afterwards with PC Tutte he went to the house where the two prisoners live at Chalk Hill. He examined the shoes Hemmings had on – they did not match the marks. He then examined Kempston’s. One shoe corresponded but the other did not. Kempston said he had no other shoes. He went upstairs and found the second shoe now produced. Kempston said it belonged to him. It appeared to correspond with the second footmark. He took the two shoes and patterned them with the marks. He did not see any blood on Kempston’s clothes. He saw marks of blood on Hemmings smock frock. They did not find any meat in the house nor anything else suspicious. Thomas Sinfield of Toddington, police constable – corroborates Hornal’s evidence. Francis Fensom of Eversholt – on Sunday 21 July he saw PC Tutte in a bean field of Mr Cooper’s in Tilsworth adjoining a spinney called the Belt searching along the outside of the spinney. When Tutte was about 10 poles up the hedge side Hemmings said “Damn’em they are very near it”. He knew by this that Hemmings meant the sheep. He then saw PC Hornal come out of the spinney into the road and Tutte met Hornal at the gate. When he saw PC Tutte in the field he was standing on the top of a hill in the road between the house of the prisoners and the spinney with both the prisoners. On Monday morning 22 July Hemmings came to his house (which is just opposite Hemmings’ house) and asked him to go with him to Tilsworth after a job. He went with him. As they were going along the road towards the spinney they were talking about the lost sheep. When they came near to the gate leading into the bean field Hemmings said “we’ll go over the gate and I’ll shew you a sight”. They got over the gate into the field and went along the hedge side where he saw Tutte searching on Sunday. When they had got about 10 poles along Hemmings said “this is the place”. Hemmings went into the beans about 3 poles. When Hemmings came back he went to the same place and saw part of a shoulder of mutton and part of the short ribs. He went back to Hemmings. There were 2 men working in the road about 2 poles from them. They walked on to the top of the spinney without speaking. When they got there Hemmings said “I know the dogs much have had a good bait”. When Hemmings came to his house on Monday morning Hemmings said “I know where the mutton is”. He told Hemmings to hold his tongue until he got by himself. His children were in the house at the time. He left the house with Hemmings directly. Hemmings told him “I know it was a good ‘un it weighed about 12 or 13 stones by the looks of it, and you may have some of it if you like”. He said he would not have anything to do with it. Yesterday Tutte came to him and asked if he knew anything about the sheep. He told Tutte what Hemmings had said. He went with Tutte and showed him the place where he had seen the mutton. It was then all gone except the bone now produced. Hemmings and Kempston live together. He has not had any quarrel with either of them. He went to Dunstable to give information of what Hemming had told him to Tutte on Saturday night. He did not go sooner because he waited to see if Hemmings would tell him anything more. Hemmings said he though the mutton he showed him was part of Whinnett’s sheep. John Tutte, police constable – on Friday 19 July he went with PC Hornal and searched the prisoners’ house for the sheep. They did not find any mutton. Hornal took Kempston’s shoes and patterned them with the footmarks.He traced the footmarks from the place the skin was found to the Thorn Road leading towards the bean field. He only saw one set of footmarks. On Sunday 21 he went with Hornal and searched the spinney. They did not find anything. From information received he went to Fensom’s house yesterday 28 July. Fensom stated what he said in his evidence. They went to the bean field and Fensom took him to a place where he found the bone and piece of rag now produced. Joseph Kempston – he has been ill for some time and was in bed until the evening. He got up at 7pm and went to bed again at 9pm on the night the sheep was stolen. He did not get up again until 7am the next morning. George Hemmings – on the night the sheep was stolen he came home about 8.30pm and did not get out of bed again until 6am next morning.

item

Hemmings, George,
Kempston, Joseph,
Kempson, Joseph,
Whinnett, James,
Hornal, Samuel,
Sinfield, Thomas,
Tutte, John,
Fensom, Francis,
Allen, John,
Cooper

CHALGRAVE, TODDINGTON, EVERSHOLT, Chalk Hill, stealing animals, sheep, farmers, police constables, beans