Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1890/4/5/4/b
  • Title
    Depositions of Harry Lamb, groom of 30 Beaconsfield Street, St Paul, Bedford, Lilley Lamb, wife of Harry of 30 Beaconsfield Street, St Paul, Bedford, PC Charles Harlow stationed at Bromham, Joel Burley, labourer of Stagsden and Samuel Leach Kilpin, ironmonger of High Street & Cardington Road, Bedford. In the case of William Smith accused of obtaining by false pretences from the Phoenix Fire Office a valuable security to writ a Bill of Exchange or order for the payment of £85 with intent to cheat and defraud the Trustees of the Pheonix Fire Office. Includes an estimate of items lost by Mr & Mrs Smith and a letter written by Mr Smith advising of the fire.
  • Date free text
    11 October 1890
  • Production date
    From: 1890 To: 1890
  • Scope and Content
    Harry Lamb: a groom living at 30 Beaconsfield Street, Bedford. On 1 September he saw the prisoner in Albany Street with a cart, a woman and 2 children. Smith asked him whether he knew of a widow woman with apartments to let in Albany Street as they didn’t know her name or number. He said he didn’t know anybody but he knew there to be apartments to let round the corner in Castle Road. The prisoner then drove the cart towards St Cuthbert’s church. He asked the woman what sort of place she wanted. She said she just needed a room to put a few boxes in as she had had a business in Newport Pagnell which she had sold to a young couple. She needed a room for a month or so as she was going to stay with them to show them how to go about the business. He told her he may be able to oblige her with a room but she should see his wife first at 30 Beaconsfield Street. They drove away and about 40 minutes later the prisoner came to see him at the Ship Inn and told him the woman wanted to speak to him outside. The following morning the prisoner came to the house with a cart and brought 4 boxes, carpet and bedding. Smith said they were rather heavy boxes and Lamb commented she had a good deal of stuff. Smith said she was a woman from a good home. They couldn’t get them upstairs and so one box went into the wash house and the other 3 into the barn. The prisoner mentioned he was a bit of a carrier and from Chicheley. On the following Tuesday the prisoner came to the house again at 6am with some more bedding and other things. Lamb commented he had carried a good many beds but those ones were really heavy. Asked why he had come so early, Smith said it was a busy time and he had come to save the woman money. On Wednesday evening about 9pm the prisoner came again with chairs, window blinds and rollers, mats and other things. There were placed in the room. He said to Smith that she must be a woman of a good home and Smith said it wasn’t as nice as Lamb had got. Lamb said they were more things than she said she was going to bring and he wouldn’t have had them there if he had known. Lamb asked if she was sending the bedsteads she mentioned and Smith said no, she planned to leave them. Smith said he had brought them now to save her expense as he had to fetch some people off the 10.20 train and take them to North Crawley. Lamb commented it would take him a long way from his house. Lilley Lamb: wife of Harry Lamb. On 1 September the prisoner and a woman came to her house in a horse and cart, with 2 children. She believed they came again on 8 September with a large box which they took in the house. The prisoner came twice afterwards; the first time with another large box and the second with4 boxes. The bedding came next and a roll of carpet. Then came 6 chairs, a churn, a bath, curtains and rollers. On 6 October she handed PC Harlow all the items which had been brought to the house by the prisoner. PC Charles Harlow: on 6 October he attended the house of Harry Lamb at 30 Beaconsfield Street, Bedford. He received and detailed a large list of articles received from Harry Lamb’s wife. [detailed list of articles supplied]. On 19 September he was at the Dog & Duck at Stagsden about a quarter to 5 and he could not see any fire. He spoke to the prisoner about 6 o’clock and asked if he had got his things out. The prisoner said he had got out everything he could get. At 8am the same morning the prisoner said he had had everything burnt except what he stood up in. On 20 September he saw the prisoner in the yard of the Dog & Duck at Stagsden and asked him if he moved anything before the fire and he replied no. Harlow said to the prisoner that he had heard his horse and cart out very early one morning and Smith said he had never been out early except when he had taken Mr Jackson’s [?] to the station. On 19 September he asked the prisoner if he had his insurance papers and he said he had and pulled it out of this coat pocket. Joel Burley: lived at Stagsden and worked at the lime kilns. He recalled the fire at Stagsden on 19 September. About 3am he saw smoke coming from the window of the Dog & Duck and about half an hour later he went round the back and saw the prisoner there. He asked Smith if he wanted anything out. Smith said “you can’t get in for the smoke mate”. He told him he would fetch anything he wanted as the smoke wouldn’t hurt him. Smith replied he had everything out that he wanted. Samuel Leach Kilpin: he lived at Cardington Road, Bedford and was a partner in the firm Kilpin & Billson. Kilpin and Billson were agents for the Phoenix Fire Office. He produced a bill payable to the order of the prisoner for the sum of £85 in full lost under policy 3388926. The bill of exchange was signed Kilpin & Billson agents. On 30 September the prisoner came to his office and produced the bill of exchange. He asked how he could cash it and was told to take it to the bank and that they would collect it for him, but would charge for collection. The prisoner said he had called that morning but Kilpin had not been in and he had received the bill of exchange then. Statement of the accused: he reserved his defence.
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