QSR1890/2/5/4b

Depositions of Frederick Emery, grocer of Leighton Buzzard, Sarah Ann Chandler, wife of Thomas a driver of Leighton Buzzard and Rachel Horn, spinster of Leighton Buzzard. In the case of James Bygrave accused of the embezzlement of £1 10s 7d and a further 11s 2 ½ d.

1 April 1890

From: 1890 To: 1890

Frederick Emery: a grocer living in Leighton Buzzard. The defendant had been in his service as a clerk and bookkeeper. 3 or 4 years previous ago the defendant took on the Leighton round one day a week. His duties were to receive orders, take cash and enter the items received in his pocket book. The defendant continued in this capacity until he left the service at the end of December. As clerk the defendant also entered up from his pocket book into a cash book. On 10 October 1889 Bygrave was collecting. The total amount entered in his pocket book that day was £10 8s 4d. Emery produced a receipt received from Mrs Chandler and signed by Bygrave for £2 1s 5 ½ d. On 10 October there is an entry in the day book in Bygraves handwriting to Chandler’s account of £2 1s 5 ½ d but no matching entry in Bygraves pocket book. Bygrave would account for the cash received as soon as he returned and that day handed over £10 19s 2d. On 7 November 1889 the total amount entered in the pocket book as received was £8 13s 0d including the sum of 14s from Miss Horn. He received 2 receipts from Miss Horn signed by Bygrave and dated that day which totalled £1 4s 6d. Bygrave paid over £8 12s 10d that day, a discrepancy of 10s 8d. In the day book, Miss Horn’s account as of 18 November showed her account of 7 November as paid but her account of 5 November not paid. On 13 December 1889 there was an entry in the pocket book of £14 10s 3d having been received and Miss Horn’s name is entered with no amount next to it. He was able to produce a receipt from Miss Horn in the defendant’s handwriting and dated 12 December for 11s 2 ½ d. Bygrave paid nothing over to Emery on 12 December and paid over £14 9s 11d on 13 December. The account for 11s 2 ½d the day book is not marked as paid. The amount entered in Bygrave’s book is £14 10s 3d, a discrepancy of 11s 6 ½ d. The defendant had entered his service about 10 years ago with a good character. He considered Bygrave a faithful servant until about 12 months previous. The defendant would collect on average £10 a week. The defendant left from illness on 28 December. He had not made any charge against him. On 4 January he gave the defendant a notice and Bygrave came to see him on 6 January. He told Bygrave he accused him of embezzlement and told him he could go to the books and compare them. He did not accuse him of specific sums. He had no further communication with Bygrave until he served him with a summons on 16 January. The defendant said he was too unwell to go into the books but he knew he had been walking about the town. He then offered him the books and the defendant said he was on the club and couldn’t do it. The summons on 16 January was dismissed and he took out the present summons on 6 March. He did not know the defendant was starting a grocer business until after this date. He believed it had been fraudulent to mark off in the day book without entering in his pocket book. It is the not entering in the pocket book which he complains of. He had not balanced his books with Bygrave for some years and considered the weekly book a small matter. The original entries in the day book were made from the defendant’s pocket book, sometimes by him and sometimes by the junior clerk. He believed the entry in the pocket book on 12th should have been 13th. The orders were sent out from the day book and so entries must be made the next day or the day after the order was received. Byrgrave would pay over the money from his pocket and the amount would be written in a book. No attempt was made to balance the entries with the pocket book. He had been unwell since 16 January and that was the cause of the delay. If ‘paid’ was put to an account in the day book he would not ledger it. Sarah Ann Chandler: wife of Thomas, a driver in the employment of Mr Emery. She paid Mr Bygrave the amount of the bill and he gave her a receipt. She had no personal recollection of the matter only the receipt. Rachel Horn: she lived in Leighton Buzzard and was unmarried. She paid 3 bills to the defendant and received receipts for them. She did not pay money on account but once or twice she did not pay the full amount and had the difference carried on to another bill. Statement of the accused: not guilty.

item

Bygrave, James,
Emery, Frederick,
Chandler, Sarah Ann,
Horn, Rachel

LEIGHTON BUZZARD, grocer, embezzlement, driver, clerk