QSR1845/3/5/15

Depositions and examination - William Chambers of Bow Brickhill (Bucks), labourer, charged with stealing one pig from James Gadsden at Heath and Reach on 8 June 1845

9 June 1845

From: 1845 To: 1845

James Gadsden of Heath and Reach, farmer – between 12 and 1am yesterday morning he heard the noise of some pigs in his yard. He got up, went out and found 4 of his pigs in a pightle adjoining the yard. There should have been six – he could not find the other two. They ought to have been all in one sty which opens into the pightle. He found the lock of a gate which opens into the pightle from Fox Corner Lane which goes in the Great Brickhill Road had been broken. He could track the marks of 2 pigs through the gateway. He called George Inwards and they traced the marks of the pigs and apparently of two men about 2 miltes until they lost the track in a grass field. They took up the track again at the gateway on the other side of the field, and just beyond it the tracks of the pigs and one man. This gate appeared to have been taken off its hinges – the tracks of the pigs were at the hinge end of the gate, which came easily off its hinges. They followed the tracks for another 2 miles, sometimes in the road and sometimes in adjoining fields, as if the pigs had been taken into the fields to do away with the track. In the last field they saw the corn had been turned up as if by a pig’s nose. It was about 2am when they started and quite light enough for them to see the tracks. The ground was generally soft. They lost the tracks on Bow Brickhill Heath. While searching they saw a man coming out of Bow Brickhill Wood. The man went into a house on the heath nearby. He went towards the house, but when about 30 yards away the same man came out and went away in a different direction to him. He called after the man and asked if he had seen any pigs across the Heath. The man said no. He asked if the man had seen any cart across the heath. The man said he had not, that he did not live there but lived down in the village. The man answered very shortly and seemed to be trying to get away. It was about 4.30am. He asked the man the time – he said about 5.30, and that he had not been up more than half an hour. He walked on with the man, who said he was a shepherd for a gentleman there and would go to his sheep. The man suddenly went into a plantation joining the road. He followed him. The man went through the plantation into some rise, then over or through several hedges through several fields, and went on this way for about a mile. He made some remarks to the man as they went along. They got near a village – the man said he did not know what village it was and went on in a zig zag way for another mile. The man asked why he followed him. He told the man he had lost some pigs and thought he had them, and that if he did not go into some village he would take him. The man asked if he had a warrant and what authority he had to follow him. They sent on until they got near Fenny Stratford. He told the man if he would not go into the town he would take him. The man’s hands were both bloody and there was blood on his frock. He asked how the man came to be in such a bloody mess on Sunday morning – the man made no answer. The man said his name was William Chambers. After he said he would take Chambers to Fenny Stratford Chambers went to some water and washed his hands and face. Chambers refused to go to Fenny and said he would go to Brickhill. He called to a man he saw in a nearby field who came. He collared the prisoner and they took him into Fenny and gave him into the charge of the parish constable. It was then a little past 6am. The pigs were about 8 months old or more and were about 12 stone each. He believes the pig produced to be one of his. He was present yesterday when the fire near the house was examined. He saw a pig’s paunch turned out. It was opened and he saw in it beans and peas entire, which were exactly like the beans and peas his pigs had been fed on Saturday. Some of the peas were light coloured and others dark. George Inwards of Heath and Reach, farmer – he was called up by Mr Gadsden and accompanied him in tracing the marks of two pigs and apparently of two men driving them for nearly 2 miles towards Bow brickhill and then the marks of one man a further 2 miles to Bow Brickhill Heath. While trying to find the tracks going off the heath he saw a man come out of a wood joining the heath. They saw him go into a house. They were 30 yards away and he did not see that the man was bloody. The man came out of the house again and seemed rather to avoid Mr Gadsden, who followed him. He stopped and watched the house. He saw a man come out with something in a bag on his back, who bustled off towards the wood. He ran after the man. There is a high mound next to the road. The man tumbled over it bag and all, then ran away into the wood leaving the bag. He looked into the bag and saw a pig in it which had been singed. It was dead but warm. He left the pig in the bag lying where it was and went back into the road. In about 5 or 10 minutes he saw a man crawling along under the bank towards the pig. He went to him and told him not to touch the pig. The man said he would have it and he [Inwards] might follow him if he pleased. The man had a large bludgeon in his hand. The man took the pig away into the wood and he dared not follow him. He went into the village and called Yates the constable. They traced the way Mr Gadsden and the other man had gone. After that they searched the wood. Near the house previously mentioned he saw the same man go from the house in the direction of the Kiln Grounds. They went to the house but did not follow the man far. The man was a stranger to him but Yates said he knew him. They searched the house and saw a spot of blood on the threshold and more on the bricks. The woman appeared to be busy cleaning the house. They did not find anything particular in the house. Yesterday afternoon he showed the marks they traced to James Riddiford, constable of Fenny Stratford. In many places they were clear of all other marks. About 12 o’clock yesterday he saw the same bag in the hands of Hensman Hammond in a riding in the same wood. He untied it and saw it was the same string and bag he had seen in the morning, and he found a pig in it. While watching the hosue he saw the door open and a great deal of smoke come out. Hensman Hammond of Bow Brickhill (Bucks), labourer – he was walking yesterday in Brickhill Park wood and met a constable and assisted him in searching for the pig. He found the bag now produced under a tree covered over with some boughs. He brought it into the riding and Mr Inwards came up. Inwards untied the string and found the pig now produced inside the bag. It appeared to have been killed by a knock on the head with a heavy instrument. The belly was cut open and the entrails taken out. Only the kidneys and tongue of the offal were left in. The pig was singed. About the same time they went to James Chambers’s house, which is the house mentioned by the other witnesses. They saw a large fire of turf burning near the house. They opened the fire and found the entrails of some animals burning. They found part of a paunch. He saw beans and peas in it. The prisoner is the brother of James Chambers, and he thinks does not live with him. James Riddiford of Fenny Stratford (Bucks), parish constable – Chambers was given into his custody. He searched him and found a knife (now produced) which was wet with blood. Chambers’ smock frock was very bloody about the shoulders and arms. He asked his name – Chambers said he had told it to the man (Gadsden). Nothing was said about the blood. In the afternoon he took off Chambers’ shoes and with Gadsden and Inwards and Supt Young he patterned the shoes to the footmarks in various places pointed out to him. They exactly corresponded with one pair of the footmarks. One shoe had particular peculiarity of the nails. The other shoe was missing 5 or 6 nails on one side. William Ralph Young of Woburn, superintendent of police – yesterday he followed the track of two pigs and the marks of the shoes of several persons (this was after Gadsden and Inwards were gone on the track – he did not know this). In the afternoon he assisted in comparing the shoes produced with many of the marks he had noticed when following the pigs in the morning. The marks of the shoes produced corresponded exactly with one pair of the marks. William Chambers – he does not wish to say anything.] Small scrap of paper included stating "he has been tried and convicted at Aylesbury for housebreaking and once broke out of Aylesbury Gaol".

item

Chambers, William,
Gadsden, James,
Inwards, George,
Hammond, Hensman,
Riddiford, James,
Young, William Ralph,
Chambers, John

HEATH & REACH, Bow Brickhill, Fenny Stratford, WOBURN, stealing animals, pigs, farmer, parish constable, police superintendent