Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1845/1/5/30-32
  • Title
    Depositions and examinations - Thomas Pratt, Solomon Holland and John Bailey, charged with stealing hay value 6d belonging to John Olney at Toddington on 18 December 1844
  • Date free text
    19 December 1844
  • Production date
    From: 1844 To: 1845
  • Scope and Content
    John Olney of Totternhoe, farmer – Pratt and Holland are labourers in his service. Yesterday morning he sent them with 2 carts to Westoning Turf Moor for some turf dust. His men usually take hay with them to feed the horses. On the previous night he saw them tie up a bundle of between ½ a truss and a truss of hay, worth at leas 1s 6d. The hay produced by PC Hornal appears very much mixed. He is sure some is not his hay but other parts appear to be like his. The proportion of his is very small. He never gave them leave to give away or sell any of the hay which was only for the horses. Samuel Hornal of Toddington, police constable – yesterday and for the two previous days he had been watching the teams passing through Toddington. Yesterday about 11am he saw Olney’s teams come up to the front of Bailey’s house, the Nags Head Beer Shop. Pratt took some hay out of the second cart and took it towards the horse’s head. Pratt and Holland then went into the beer shop. He saw Bailey come to the cart 2 or 3 times and take some of the hay with which he fed the horses. About 12pm Pratt and Holland left the beer shop, took the sacks off the horses and then came to the hind part of the second cart with Bailey, who took an armful of hay from the cart into his yard. Bailey came back, went to the house door and called for a pint of beer. Pratt and Holland drank the beer, gave the mug back to Bailey and thanked him. Bailey took the mug and appeared to drink out of it. The carts then went away. He did not see any beer paid for. He and PC Sinfield went to Bailey’s stable loft where they found a quantity of hay of different sorts. The hay produced is from that heap. He was particular in noticing the hay on Olney’s cart and picked it from the heap to as nearly resemble the hay on the cart as possible. It was on the outside of the heap. He and Sinfield took the prisoners into custody. When Bailey took the hay into the yard he was gone long enough to have taken it to the loft. Thomas Sinfield of Toddington, police constable – confirms Hornal’s statement. William Ralph Young, superintendent of police – when Bailey was in custody he asked if he knew what he was in custody for. Bailey said it was about stealing the hay and pointed to sacks containing the hay produced. Bailey said he did not know who the hay belonged to. He cautioned Bailey, who said it was only some of the loose [hay] he scraped up off the road when the teams were gone, all gritty and dirty. John Bailey – the teams generally come down to the Turf Moors about this time and most of them stop at his house. He feeds the horses while they have their beavers [elevenses]. Sometimes when they leave there is a “goodish deal” of hay littered about which he rakes up and throws up in the loft. He never takes any away until the horses are gone. He does not think there is more than a truss and a quarter in the loft. Thomas Pratt – they went in as they mostly do and had their beaver. When they came out there was a little hay about the cart and said to Holland it was all dirty and would not be much use for them to take away as their horses would not eat it. He told Bailey he could clean up what was left. Some beer was bought to them outside. They did not pay for it. Bailey said he would give them a pint of beer. Solomon Holland – “I say the same as Pratt”.
  • Reference
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