QSR1855/3/5/12b

Depositions of Simon Cleaver, farmer of Toddington, Joseph Ashby, butcher of Westoning, Edward Scott, police constable of Westoning and John King, labourer of Westoning. In the case of William Cox, labourer of Westoning, accused of stealing 2 bushels and 5 pottels of beans.

7 May 1855

From: 1855 To: 1855

Simon Cleaver: in the course of the past month he had a man threshing beans in a barn on his premises. From time to time he had missed beans, sometimes a bushel a day. The beans produced by PC Scott were the same sort of beans and the colour and size agree. They were all spring beans and he had been in the habit of growing the same kind of bean for the last 3 or 4 years. The value of 2 bushels and 5 pottles of beans was 12 shillings. Joseph Ashby: he lived at Westoning and was a butcher. On 28 April the prisoner brought him 2 bushels and 5 pottles of beans to the house, which were left in his slaughter house. On the following Monday he gave the prisoner 4 shillings on account of the beans. When the prisoner first brought the beans he thought there to be about 2 bushels and half but he had not measured them. The prisoner said he had grown the beans on his own land and had threshed them. He used some of the beans and gave the rest to PC Scott. PC Edward Scott: he received a sample of the beans Ashby had bought from the prisoner. He took the beans to the prosecutor and showed him the sample. The prosecutor compared the sample with his beans and said he had no doubt the beans belonged to him. He apprehended the prisoner at his house at Westoning and told him of the charge. The prisoner said he had grown the beans he had sold Ashby on his allotment. Asked several times where he had the seed from, he finally said from his father in law. John King: he lived at Westoning and was in the employment of Misses Trevors there. He knew the prisoner well. He had an allotment of land which joined the prisoners in Westoning. They had 40 poles each. Last year the prisoner grew wheat, potatoes and peas on his allotment. He saw no beans. He had never seen beans on the allotment except a few among the potatoes. Statement of accused: he had a bit of beans growing on his allotment next to John King's. He had threshed them and sold them to Joseph Ashby.

item

Cox, William,
Cleaver, Simon,
Ashby, Joseph,
Scott, Edward,
King, John

TODDINGTON, WESTONING, stealing, beans, allotments