QSR1845/1/5/26-27

Depositions and examinations - Francis Piggott and John Bailey, charged wtih stealing clover hay value 1s 3d from Thomas Partridge on 18 December at Toddington

19 December 1844

From: 1844 To: 1845

Thomas Partridge of Leagrave, farmer – Piggott is in his service as ploughman and horsekeeper. On Tuesday 17 December he told Piggott to go with is wagon and 4 horses to Westoning Turf Moor for some turf dust. He always allows his men to take hay with them when they go out with his horses. From information he received from the Toddington policemen he noticed the quantity of hay tied up for taking with the wagon. He supposed the bundle which was in the wagon weighed about 40lbs. One half the amount would have been enough for the horses. He has no doubt the hay produced by PC Sinfield is part of the clover hay taken by Piggott. He knows it by its being a mixture of clover trefoil and beets. Piggott has been in his service for more than 22 years. Samuel Hornal of Toddington, police constable – he had reason to suspect that the farmer’s labourers who were passing through Toddington with their master’s teams were disposing of their masters’ hay improperly. Yesterday (18 Dec) and the two previous days he and PC Sinfield watched the different teams as the passed through. Yesterday at 11.15am he saw a wagon with 4 horses come up to the front of Bailey’s house (Bailey is a beer shop keeper). Piggott and Joseph Strapp were with the wagon and horses. When the wagon stopped one of them took a bundle of clover hay from the top of the wagon and laid it against Bailey’s gates that lead into his yard. Strapp fed the horses with the hay for about 3 minutes and then went into the beer shop. Piggott had gone in as soon as they came up. Bailey and one of his boys fed the horses for about 10 minutes. Another team came up and the persons with that team took some of the hay from Mr Partridge’s bundle. Just as these persons began to take the hay Bailey took up an armful from the bundle and went into his own yard with it. About 10 minutes later Bailey came and took another armful from the same bundle into his yard. Piggott came out of the beer shop about 12.10pm (having been there about 55 minutes, with the horses being fed only for 10 minutes). Bailey was standing outside and began to pick up the remainder of the hay which was then lying in a heap where it was first laid, but which had become loose by the other parts having been taken away. Piggott went into the beer shop again and remained there about 2 minutes. Piggott and Strapp then came out and went away with the team. Bailey took away at least 20lbs of hay the first two times, and with the third amount there was half a truss. He went with PC Sinfield to Bailey’s stable loft where they found the hay now produced. There were several kinds of hay in the loft all mixed together. There was more of the same kind as that produced left in the loft. He and PC Sinfield took Bailey and Piggott into custody. Thomas Sinfield of Toddington, police constable – [confirms PC Hornal’s evidence] Joseph Strapp of Leagrave, labourer – he is a hired servant of Thomas Partridge who hired him for a year but allows him 4s6d for boarding himself. During the time he has been with Partridge he has gone out with Piggott whenever he has gone out with the team. He has been to Westoning Turf Moor with him about 6 times within the last month. He went with him yesterday. As they were coming back through Toddington they stopped at Bailey’s beer shop. When they got there he took a bundle of clover hay off the wagon and laid it against Bailey’s gate for Bailey to feed the horses. He and Bailey began to feed them. About 3 or 4 minutes later he went into the house leaving Bailey outside feeding the horses. He was in the house about ¾ hour and believes Piggott was there not quite all that time. They had 2 pints of beer and called for a third. Bailey’s wife brought the third pint in a pint pot which she emptied into a quart pot. Almost directly she brought another pint which she also emptied into the quart pot. He, Bailey and Piggott drank it between them. Piggott gave Bailey’s wife 6d for the beer which was the price of 3 pints only, and they had four. A short time before they left Bailey and Piggott were talking together so low that he could not hear what they were saying. When he and Piggott left the house all the hay was gone. He did give the horses some of the hay while the wagon was loading. William Ralph Young of Woburn, police superintendent – when Bailey was in custody he asked him if he knew what he was in custody for. Bailey said it was for “stealing this hay”, pointing to some sacks containing the hay now produced. He added that he did not know who the hay belonged to. He cautioned Bailey, who then said it was only some of the loose [hay] scraped up off the road when the teams are gone, all gritty and dirty. John Bailey – “I can’t say any further than I don’t like the hay to be blowing about after the teams are gone and I always rake it up after they are gone. I have got nothing else to say.” Francis Piggott – nothing to say.

item

Piggott, Francis,
Bailey, John,
Partridge, Thomas,
Hornal, Samuel,
Sinfield, Thomas,
Strapp, Joseph,
Young, William Ralph

TODDINGTON, LEAGRAVE, WOBURN, WESTONING, stealing, clover, hay, farmer, ploughman, horsekeeper, wagon, police constable, police superintendent, beerhouse keeper, beer, turf cutting