QSR1844/4/5/8

Depositions and examination - Patrick Jennings charged with stealing stockings

8 August 1844

From: 1844 To: 1844

Mary Tingay – she is the wife of William Tingay and keeps lodgings for travellers. Jennings left her house last night (Aug 7). Yesterday about 2pm Henry Glosson also came to her house and asked for lodgings. Glosson gave her a pair of stockings to wash for him. She put them to the fire to dry. When she went to bed she left them hanging by the chimney in the kitchen. As her house was full she slept in the kitchen. About 3.45am that morning she was awake and heard a person come downstairs. She saw Jennings enter the kitchen, go towards the fire and take a pair of socks belonging to him which hung by the fire. Jennings returned upstairs. A few minutes later Jennings and his part came downstairs to leave. Jennings went towards the fireplace. He had his back to her and she did not see him take anything. He almost immediately left, following his companions. She went upstairs to see that her sheets and things were alright. When she returned to the kitchen she noticed the stockings had been taken. She followed Jennings and his party and caught up with them at the old turnpike house. She asked who fetched the socks, as she feared he also took a pair of stockings. They all denied taking the stockings. All the party returned to her house. She told her husband what had happened and desired him to detain the party while she fetched the policeman. When she came back her husband had found the stockings. Jennings and his party had gone. William Tingay – when his wife called him he got up, went into the kitchen and left the door shut. Jennings asked him to let him go out. He told Jennings he should not. Jennings then forced the door open and ran away. He followed Jennings down the street. Jennings stopped at Mr Rivett’s where he reached him. Jennings said he would show him where the stockings were and pointed them out hanging on the pales about a yard and a half from the road side. He took the stockings. Instead of returning with him Jennings went away in a different direction. He described Jennings to the policeman and gave the stockings to his wife. William Sharpe, policeman – he went in pursuit of Jennings and found him with his party at Gamlingay. He took him into custody. Jennings said “if the old lady will forgive me I will not do the like again. I would not have had it happen for £3”. He received the stockings produced from Mrs Tingay. Henry Glosson, tinman – he gave Mrs Tingay a pair of blue stockings to wash for him. When he came downstairs that morning Mrs Tingay told him they had been stolen. He has since seen them in the policeman’s possession. Patrick Jennings - when he returned to the house where he slept last night one of his comrades told him that he had taken a pair of stockings by mistake for his own and had thrown them over a paling. The comrade asked him to go and look for them which he did. He showed them to the master of the house.

item

Jennings, Patrick,
Tingay, Mary,
Tingay, William,
Sharpe, William

BIGGLESWADE, Gamlingay, stealing, stockings, lodging houses, tinman